I know Oscar nominations came out yesterday, and you'll read my opinions on those in the next couple days... right now I'd like to write a few words about Heath Ledger, in honor of his passing.
I somehow missed out on the whole Ten Things I Hate About You phenomenon when it was released in the late 1990s, and since we didn't have cable, I didn't see that movie until I was in college.
My introduction to Heath Ledger was in Monster's Ball. I saw this movie in theaters with one of my best friends - we were by far the youngest people there. I can still remember sitting there in the dark, watching Billy Bob Thornton interacting with this guy who was playing his son. I wasn't really aware of who Heath Ledger was, but I remember the scene where his character throws up while walking a prisoner down the hallway, then getting yelled at by Billy Bob Thornton's character. And then that scene - that scene in their living room - where Billy Bob's character says that he doesn't love his son, and Heath Ledger's character goes "Well I always loved you" and then he shoots himself. When I think about that movie, that scene stands out to me above all - even above the whole "Make me feeeeeeeel good" scene.
Though Heath Ledger never topped my ever-changing "Favorite Actor" list, I completely admire his work. He always was playing someone unlike his previous characters and even if the movie was crappy, he was still a creative force to be reckoned with. Take something like The Brothers Grimm... on a whole, that movie was not that great (Terry Gilliam is very hit-or-miss... this was a miss"), but Heath Ledger and Matt Damon owned those roles and made the movie watchable. Heath Ledger was funny - and it's a shame he'll never get to be in a flat-out comedy.
I was not on the Brokeback Mountain wagon... I thought the movie was good and the cinematography and locations were amazing, but I didn't think it was worth the hype. Heath Ledger's performance in that film was, though... I saw it twice in theaters (I really wanted to love this movie - but I just couldn't... I like it, though...) and his portrayal of Ennis Del Mar was so reserved, and so painful to watch because you could see in his eyes what he would never, ever speak.
This summer, when I'm sitting in a crowded theater watching The Dark Knight, I'll have a personal moment of silence, because before I even see the movie, I know his take on The Joker is going to be friggin' amazing. When I heard he got the part, I was a little skeptical - but after seeing pictures, hearing his voice on the teaser trailer, and then actually seeing the real trailer... this was a part he was meant to play.
Though it saddens me that we will be missing out on some amazing performaces that he will never get a chance to own, I can't help but feel even sadder for his daughter and family for their personal loss.
You will be missed Heath Ledger... you will be missed.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Movie Theater Etiquette
Good day fellow movie watchers,
I just got back from the movie theater - my 2nd time seeing Atonement. Equally awesome the second time around, though my movie-going experience was one of the worst I've had in a very, very long time. Let me explain:
I got to the theater 1/2 hour early so I could get my pick of the seats - back row, center - I'm the first to arrive, so I take my seat, peel off my coat, throw it and my purse on the seat to my left and take out my crossword puzzle book. For the next twenty or so minutes, people file into the theater with their bags of over-buttered popcorn, taking their seats, as there are many options since Atonement is still being shown in one of the larger theaters.
As I write in an answer for one of my crossword puzzles, three women at least twice my age enter the row directly in front on me, the tallest taking the seat directly in front of mine. Now, this would not be a problem if the movie theater had stadium seating, but this POS theater is raked, and therefore the woman with the fake blonde Katie Holmes bob and faux brand name trenchcoat was not only directly in my eyeline, but also rocking in her seat as far back as it could go, striking my already bruised knee cap.
Knowing I could not sit through an entire movie with that in front of me, I reluctantly got up and moved down two seats to my left. A woman comes in right before the trailers begin and sits at the end of the row I was at, and in my mind, I thought that was a good sign that no one was going to come in and screw up my cinematic adventure.
I was wrong.
I was able to enjoy the In Bruges trailer, but during Young at Heart, an elderly woman, perhaps 3 to 4 times my age is staring down at me asking me to move my coat so she and her 2 friends can squeeze into the seats to my right. Though this was irritating, I moved my stuff and she and her friends sat down.
I hate it when people come in right before the movie starts (or worse, when the movie has already started) and demand you move your own seat or move your stuff so that they can have better seats... My rule of thumb is, if I get to the theater and there are people already there, I respect that they got there before me, so I shall not sit directly in front of them or right next to them... especially if you know that the theater is not going to be packed to capacity. Show some respect for the people who took the time to get to the theater early - yes, you paid your $5-12 too, but first come, first served. If you happen to get to the theater during the trailers or during the movie, don't climb over people to get to center seats... quietly find a seat that is good for viewing, but one that you won't have to disrupt people to get to...
So, the theater darkens and Briony's doll house pops up with "London 1935" and the woman right next to me proceeds to start her commentary. "Oh, it's a nursery!" Yes, we know...
For the next few minutes, she and her friends were quiet and I thought maybe the worst was over from the peanut gallery... nope. Wrong again, Katie.
During the second presentaiton of the fountain sequence, the woman next to me (we'll call her WNTM from now on) exclaimed aloud that she was confused. If she was confused by that, I didn't know how she was going to make it through the rest of the picture.
For awhile, WNTM said nothing. During the second presentation of the library scene, one of the more quiet moments in the film, WNTM decided she wanted something out of her purse. Cue zipper sounds, rustling about, then very loud unfolding of paper... was her piece of candy wrapped in super strength cardboard? (I'm assuming it was candy, as whatever it was, she put in her mouth after unwrapping it)
So, the theater is quiet (except for this loud unfolding) while Robbie and Cecilia are making love when WNTM says aloud "I see why this is Rated 'R'!". No matter that the c-word was just typed in 10 foot letters no less than three times up on the screen...
Then I managed to tune out WNTM for awhile, as I was engrossed with the movie.
It is now 1944 in the movie and Robbie is looking through his letters from Cecilia, then opens his shirt to reveal a gunshot wound on his chest. Cue WNTM - "Oh! What's that??"
It's. A. Gunshot. Wound.
WNTM then decides to clap her hands for about a minute or two... not loud like an applause, but more like instead of deciding to bounce her knee or tap her toe quietly, she clapped her hands. Oy.
And then comes the Dunkirk scene... such a beautiful tracking shot through the beach, seeing over a thousand people working together to make this breathtaking sequence. Most of the shot is wihtout dialogue (there are bits of music and some talking, but it's mostly wordless), as we follow Robbie across the beach. You just watch James McAvoy in the moment - his eyes soaking in everything around him. Tired, thirsty, injured, defeated looking, yet entirely determined at the same time... he didn't need words to communicate what he was feeling... but lucky me had my own commentary track going on in the seat next to me "Why are they shooting horses?... Look, a Ferris Wheel!... Where are they going?..."
A little later comes one of my favorite scenes... the one in Cecilia's apartment. The entire theater is dead quiet after Robbie's justifiable outburst at Briony, except for WNTM. As Cecilia lights up a cigarette, WNTM muses to her friends about how much they used to smoke back then, and "Briony looks the same now as when she is little".
The end of the movie neared, but not without one final comment from WNTM - she obviously is a Vanessa Redgrave fan, as she was quick to call out her name once her face was gracing the screen.
As the credits rolled, I silently put on my coat, grabbed my purse and wiped away the solitary tear that was pooling up at the corner of my left eye. As frustrated I was at the WNTM, I still enjoyed the movie - one of my favorite films from this awards season, hands down.
As you know, I love talking about movies, but I rarely (like, hardly ever) say more than a word or two during an actual movie while at the theater. (It's the same with people at Broadway musicals - don't sing along... we know you know the words, but we paid a lot of money to see professional performers sing the songs.)
I have this wish that one day I will be the only person in the movie theater during some screening... and I can do what I always hope to accomplish while watching a movie - get so sucked in that I forget I'm at a theater and I'm just right there with the story. Sometimes, when a movie is good enough to my liking, I can reach that place even with a theater full of people... it just really helps if those people aren't talking during the movie :)
I just got back from the movie theater - my 2nd time seeing Atonement. Equally awesome the second time around, though my movie-going experience was one of the worst I've had in a very, very long time. Let me explain:
I got to the theater 1/2 hour early so I could get my pick of the seats - back row, center - I'm the first to arrive, so I take my seat, peel off my coat, throw it and my purse on the seat to my left and take out my crossword puzzle book. For the next twenty or so minutes, people file into the theater with their bags of over-buttered popcorn, taking their seats, as there are many options since Atonement is still being shown in one of the larger theaters.
As I write in an answer for one of my crossword puzzles, three women at least twice my age enter the row directly in front on me, the tallest taking the seat directly in front of mine. Now, this would not be a problem if the movie theater had stadium seating, but this POS theater is raked, and therefore the woman with the fake blonde Katie Holmes bob and faux brand name trenchcoat was not only directly in my eyeline, but also rocking in her seat as far back as it could go, striking my already bruised knee cap.
Knowing I could not sit through an entire movie with that in front of me, I reluctantly got up and moved down two seats to my left. A woman comes in right before the trailers begin and sits at the end of the row I was at, and in my mind, I thought that was a good sign that no one was going to come in and screw up my cinematic adventure.
I was wrong.
I was able to enjoy the In Bruges trailer, but during Young at Heart, an elderly woman, perhaps 3 to 4 times my age is staring down at me asking me to move my coat so she and her 2 friends can squeeze into the seats to my right. Though this was irritating, I moved my stuff and she and her friends sat down.
I hate it when people come in right before the movie starts (or worse, when the movie has already started) and demand you move your own seat or move your stuff so that they can have better seats... My rule of thumb is, if I get to the theater and there are people already there, I respect that they got there before me, so I shall not sit directly in front of them or right next to them... especially if you know that the theater is not going to be packed to capacity. Show some respect for the people who took the time to get to the theater early - yes, you paid your $5-12 too, but first come, first served. If you happen to get to the theater during the trailers or during the movie, don't climb over people to get to center seats... quietly find a seat that is good for viewing, but one that you won't have to disrupt people to get to...
So, the theater darkens and Briony's doll house pops up with "London 1935" and the woman right next to me proceeds to start her commentary. "Oh, it's a nursery!" Yes, we know...
For the next few minutes, she and her friends were quiet and I thought maybe the worst was over from the peanut gallery... nope. Wrong again, Katie.
During the second presentaiton of the fountain sequence, the woman next to me (we'll call her WNTM from now on) exclaimed aloud that she was confused. If she was confused by that, I didn't know how she was going to make it through the rest of the picture.
For awhile, WNTM said nothing. During the second presentation of the library scene, one of the more quiet moments in the film, WNTM decided she wanted something out of her purse. Cue zipper sounds, rustling about, then very loud unfolding of paper... was her piece of candy wrapped in super strength cardboard? (I'm assuming it was candy, as whatever it was, she put in her mouth after unwrapping it)
So, the theater is quiet (except for this loud unfolding) while Robbie and Cecilia are making love when WNTM says aloud "I see why this is Rated 'R'!". No matter that the c-word was just typed in 10 foot letters no less than three times up on the screen...
Then I managed to tune out WNTM for awhile, as I was engrossed with the movie.
It is now 1944 in the movie and Robbie is looking through his letters from Cecilia, then opens his shirt to reveal a gunshot wound on his chest. Cue WNTM - "Oh! What's that??"
It's. A. Gunshot. Wound.
WNTM then decides to clap her hands for about a minute or two... not loud like an applause, but more like instead of deciding to bounce her knee or tap her toe quietly, she clapped her hands. Oy.
And then comes the Dunkirk scene... such a beautiful tracking shot through the beach, seeing over a thousand people working together to make this breathtaking sequence. Most of the shot is wihtout dialogue (there are bits of music and some talking, but it's mostly wordless), as we follow Robbie across the beach. You just watch James McAvoy in the moment - his eyes soaking in everything around him. Tired, thirsty, injured, defeated looking, yet entirely determined at the same time... he didn't need words to communicate what he was feeling... but lucky me had my own commentary track going on in the seat next to me "Why are they shooting horses?... Look, a Ferris Wheel!... Where are they going?..."
A little later comes one of my favorite scenes... the one in Cecilia's apartment. The entire theater is dead quiet after Robbie's justifiable outburst at Briony, except for WNTM. As Cecilia lights up a cigarette, WNTM muses to her friends about how much they used to smoke back then, and "Briony looks the same now as when she is little".
The end of the movie neared, but not without one final comment from WNTM - she obviously is a Vanessa Redgrave fan, as she was quick to call out her name once her face was gracing the screen.
As the credits rolled, I silently put on my coat, grabbed my purse and wiped away the solitary tear that was pooling up at the corner of my left eye. As frustrated I was at the WNTM, I still enjoyed the movie - one of my favorite films from this awards season, hands down.
As you know, I love talking about movies, but I rarely (like, hardly ever) say more than a word or two during an actual movie while at the theater. (It's the same with people at Broadway musicals - don't sing along... we know you know the words, but we paid a lot of money to see professional performers sing the songs.)
I have this wish that one day I will be the only person in the movie theater during some screening... and I can do what I always hope to accomplish while watching a movie - get so sucked in that I forget I'm at a theater and I'm just right there with the story. Sometimes, when a movie is good enough to my liking, I can reach that place even with a theater full of people... it just really helps if those people aren't talking during the movie :)
Sunday, January 13, 2008
2008 Golden Globe Press Conference and Atonement
For those of you who know me best, you know that the Golden Globe Awards are my 3rd favorite awards show of all time... (1st is the Oscars, 2nd is the Tonys - of course).
This year, when I found out the Golden Globes were cancelled due to the strike, I was sad, but knew that it was for the best. If the Oscars get cancelled, though, I will be writing a nasty letter to someone in hollywood. So, beware.
Tonight I sat and watched the 2 hour Dateline special... not very impressed. I was glad for the interviews with James McAvoy, Ellen Page and Jeremy Piven, but was less wowed with the rest of the show.
At 9:00 EST, I was sad to see Billy Bush co-hosting the Golden Globes press conference. Billy Bush ruins television - I watched as he butchered the "Grease - You're the One That I Want!" show, and to make tonight's broadcast worse, I had to listen to his unwitty banter about my beloved cinema. Sigh.
Earlier today, my sister and I wrote down our predictions for who would win tonight's awards. Although this was my worst year yet (I only got 12 out of 25 right - yikes), I was pleasantly surprised and pleased with what won.
Though I was sad the Golden Globes were not presented as they usually are, some of my favorite movies and performances were recognized. Sweeney Todd and Johnny Depp deserved their awards tenfold... Johnny Depp is such an amazing actor and Sweeney Todd is such a unique movie musical that I am glad they were rewarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press.
Though I did not see La Vie en Rose, I correctly predicted Marion Cotillard would win. I loved her in Big Fish, but knew that her performance as Edith Piaf was going to bring world-wide attention to this great actress.
I was a little shocked that Juno walked away 0 for 3... I've seen this movie twice now and really enjoyed it and thought it would take Best Screenplay. Ellen Page is a great actress, but it's not her time to win the ginormous awards... yet.
My sister and I celebrated audibly when they announced Atonement won Best Picture (Drama). Though we both put down No Country for Old Men to win, we were so excited when Atonement's name was read out loud. Sarah hasn't seen No Country yet, and we both saw Atonement yesterday.
I saw No Country for Old Men a few weeks ago and was not impressed. I walked into the theater 100% ready to love this film and I walked away feeling like I had been let down. I enjoy most of the work done by the Coen brothers (notably The Big Lebowski, The Hudsucker Proxy and O Brother Where Art Thou?), but this movie was not as awesome as I thought it was going to be. The acting was great - Javier Bardem is so good and soooo creepy, Josh Brolin, Kelly Macdonald, Tommy Lee Jones and even Woody Harrelson were all really great too - but I just was not buying the story. I will admit I haven't read the book yet. Usually I read the book before I see the movie, but I didn't have the time. I get the whole "Good vs. Evil" bit, but I wasn't sold on the end product.
However, I was rooting for Atonement even before I saw the movie. Early last year I found out James McAvoy and Keira Knightley were starring in a WWII movie based off an Ian McEwan novel, so I decided I was going to read the book so I knew what I'd be getting myself into. I started the book, got a little bored with the first chapter, then picked it back up a couple weeks later and couldn't put it down. It had been awhile since I was so engrossed in a book - trying to read as fast as I could so I could find out what was going to happen next. As I read I got attached to the characters, involved with the story, so much so that I was so angry with what was happening to the fictitious people I was reading about. I quickly finished the book and was impatiently awaiting the release of the movie.
Too bad I live in the middle of friggin' nowhere... Atonement was released in some cities in December, whereas I had to wait until January 11th for it to get here, and until January 12th when I could finally see it.
Sarah and I went to the first showing on a Saturday afternoon... we sat amidst people two and three times our age. Elderly women in wheelchairs, middle aged couples, even some older families.
The movie started and I was hooked - because I read the book, I was fully aware of the story and characters I was about to see up on the big screen. This past year I have become a huge fan of James McAvoy, and this film just solidifies that - he's a great actor, and he's only 28. This man has a huge career ahead of him (let's hope this summer's "Wanted" doesn't try to drag him into the glitz of hollywood... I don't think it will, but we just have to wait). McAvoy and Knightley make for a fine pair on screen and you really felt for them and what their characters were going through.
The three women who play Briony Tallis were amazing - seamless transitions of the same character as each woman had her screen time. And I loved how the music and the typing of the typewriter keys followed Briony around - you could hear her thoughts being laid out with each click of the typewriter. It was mesmorizing and it was driving. Gave me chills.
I very rarely cry at movies and I did not cry at this one, though I admit to tearing up during two scenes - the restaurant scene between Robbie and Cecilia and the apartment scene between Robbie and Briony as Cecilia could just watch. Holy smokes...
In the coming weeks, I'm going to continue processing my thoughts on Atonement and probably see it again, at least once. Looking back on all the movies I've seen in preparation for this awards season, Atonement graces the top of the list as movies I'm glad I got to see in theaters. I still need to see There Will Be Blood (watching Daniel Day-Lewis act is like watching an Olympic event - it's so intense) and maybe The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (if it ever comes here, sheesh).
And so the weekend ends... with such a pathetic Golden Globes presentation. Hopefully this time next year, everyone has their act together and my favorite time of year can proceed as it should.
While I prepare for another week at work, I am already looking forward to next weekend, to the next time I get to sit in the movie theater, in my favorite seat (Back Row, Center Seat... hence the title of my blog - oh snap), getting sucked into someone else's story for a couple hours.
Have a great day :)
This year, when I found out the Golden Globes were cancelled due to the strike, I was sad, but knew that it was for the best. If the Oscars get cancelled, though, I will be writing a nasty letter to someone in hollywood. So, beware.
Tonight I sat and watched the 2 hour Dateline special... not very impressed. I was glad for the interviews with James McAvoy, Ellen Page and Jeremy Piven, but was less wowed with the rest of the show.
At 9:00 EST, I was sad to see Billy Bush co-hosting the Golden Globes press conference. Billy Bush ruins television - I watched as he butchered the "Grease - You're the One That I Want!" show, and to make tonight's broadcast worse, I had to listen to his unwitty banter about my beloved cinema. Sigh.
Earlier today, my sister and I wrote down our predictions for who would win tonight's awards. Although this was my worst year yet (I only got 12 out of 25 right - yikes), I was pleasantly surprised and pleased with what won.
Though I was sad the Golden Globes were not presented as they usually are, some of my favorite movies and performances were recognized. Sweeney Todd and Johnny Depp deserved their awards tenfold... Johnny Depp is such an amazing actor and Sweeney Todd is such a unique movie musical that I am glad they were rewarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press.
Though I did not see La Vie en Rose, I correctly predicted Marion Cotillard would win. I loved her in Big Fish, but knew that her performance as Edith Piaf was going to bring world-wide attention to this great actress.
I was a little shocked that Juno walked away 0 for 3... I've seen this movie twice now and really enjoyed it and thought it would take Best Screenplay. Ellen Page is a great actress, but it's not her time to win the ginormous awards... yet.
My sister and I celebrated audibly when they announced Atonement won Best Picture (Drama). Though we both put down No Country for Old Men to win, we were so excited when Atonement's name was read out loud. Sarah hasn't seen No Country yet, and we both saw Atonement yesterday.
I saw No Country for Old Men a few weeks ago and was not impressed. I walked into the theater 100% ready to love this film and I walked away feeling like I had been let down. I enjoy most of the work done by the Coen brothers (notably The Big Lebowski, The Hudsucker Proxy and O Brother Where Art Thou?), but this movie was not as awesome as I thought it was going to be. The acting was great - Javier Bardem is so good and soooo creepy, Josh Brolin, Kelly Macdonald, Tommy Lee Jones and even Woody Harrelson were all really great too - but I just was not buying the story. I will admit I haven't read the book yet. Usually I read the book before I see the movie, but I didn't have the time. I get the whole "Good vs. Evil" bit, but I wasn't sold on the end product.
However, I was rooting for Atonement even before I saw the movie. Early last year I found out James McAvoy and Keira Knightley were starring in a WWII movie based off an Ian McEwan novel, so I decided I was going to read the book so I knew what I'd be getting myself into. I started the book, got a little bored with the first chapter, then picked it back up a couple weeks later and couldn't put it down. It had been awhile since I was so engrossed in a book - trying to read as fast as I could so I could find out what was going to happen next. As I read I got attached to the characters, involved with the story, so much so that I was so angry with what was happening to the fictitious people I was reading about. I quickly finished the book and was impatiently awaiting the release of the movie.
Too bad I live in the middle of friggin' nowhere... Atonement was released in some cities in December, whereas I had to wait until January 11th for it to get here, and until January 12th when I could finally see it.
Sarah and I went to the first showing on a Saturday afternoon... we sat amidst people two and three times our age. Elderly women in wheelchairs, middle aged couples, even some older families.
The movie started and I was hooked - because I read the book, I was fully aware of the story and characters I was about to see up on the big screen. This past year I have become a huge fan of James McAvoy, and this film just solidifies that - he's a great actor, and he's only 28. This man has a huge career ahead of him (let's hope this summer's "Wanted" doesn't try to drag him into the glitz of hollywood... I don't think it will, but we just have to wait). McAvoy and Knightley make for a fine pair on screen and you really felt for them and what their characters were going through.
The three women who play Briony Tallis were amazing - seamless transitions of the same character as each woman had her screen time. And I loved how the music and the typing of the typewriter keys followed Briony around - you could hear her thoughts being laid out with each click of the typewriter. It was mesmorizing and it was driving. Gave me chills.
I very rarely cry at movies and I did not cry at this one, though I admit to tearing up during two scenes - the restaurant scene between Robbie and Cecilia and the apartment scene between Robbie and Briony as Cecilia could just watch. Holy smokes...
In the coming weeks, I'm going to continue processing my thoughts on Atonement and probably see it again, at least once. Looking back on all the movies I've seen in preparation for this awards season, Atonement graces the top of the list as movies I'm glad I got to see in theaters. I still need to see There Will Be Blood (watching Daniel Day-Lewis act is like watching an Olympic event - it's so intense) and maybe The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (if it ever comes here, sheesh).
And so the weekend ends... with such a pathetic Golden Globes presentation. Hopefully this time next year, everyone has their act together and my favorite time of year can proceed as it should.
While I prepare for another week at work, I am already looking forward to next weekend, to the next time I get to sit in the movie theater, in my favorite seat (Back Row, Center Seat... hence the title of my blog - oh snap), getting sucked into someone else's story for a couple hours.
Have a great day :)
Saturday, January 12, 2008
New Year's Resolutions
(This article will be published in The Ryder in the next couple weeks - read it here first!!)
New Year, New Goals – A Movie Lover’s New Year’s Resolution
Every time a New Year begins, people start talking about their New Year’s resolutions. Exercise more, eat healthier, stop smoking, and save money are staple promises people make to themselves every January. Sometimes the resolutions stick, often they get broken. This year I plan on really challenging myself and adhering to my resolution. I figure if I share it with you, in print, then there is no way I can go back on my word. So, here goes… I am finally going to watch Casablanca.
Yes, I’m going to do the healthy eating and exercising thing too, but watching Casablanca is a lofty goal that is going to take time and fierce dedication. If my calculations are correct, I have checked this movie out of the library about 15 times in the last eight years and not once have I watched it. Every year I watch those AFI “100 Years, 100 (fill in the “ blank)” specials and every year they list Casablanca while I just sit there and feel more and more ashamed.
You don’t understand, fellow cinemaphiles, I majored in video production and have a minor in film from Ohio University (BSC ’06). I’ve recently put in applications for graduate Cinema Studies programs as an aspiring film professor/journalist/critic. If the selection committee at NYU finds out that I haven’t seen Casablanca yet, they are probably going to laugh at me and then delete my submission materials.
While I run around town finding an available copy of Casablanca, I urge you to make some cinematic resolutions for yourself. If you need a little encouragement, I have some ideas that just might work. If you are going strictly for quantity over quality, try setting a goal for yourself. My dad once asked me during a trip home from college what my plans were for my six-week winter break. I told him, “I’m going to watch movies.” Not the answer he was looking for, as I know he was hinting at me to get a temporary job, he said, “I want you to think bigger. Set a goal for yourself.” Without skipping a beat, I replied, “I’m going to watch 50 movies.” Luckily he laughed or it would have been a long three hours in the car.
The goal was to watch 50 movies I had never seen before, and I did. I chose an actor or director I liked and tried to watch their entire canon of work. It’s amazing what a variety of movies you cover with this method – you’ll end up seeing movies you never knew existed. You can even spice things up and watch the movies in chronological order so you can witness the creative ups and downs of someone’s career.
If the overall quality of a film is more important to you, then I suggest you start with a list. If you don’t want to make up your own there is outside help readily available. The aforementioned AFI “100 Years, 100 [fill in the blanks]” lists are great. Go to www.afi.com, click on “tv & events,” then “AFI’s 100 Years”. Here you will have access to many different lists, ranging from the greatest comedies, thrills and inspirational films from the last century. More than a fair few films pop up on multiple lists, so if you are looking to cover the most ground, start with the “AFI 100 Years, 100 Movies” list (either the original or 10th Anniversary Edition will do).
Another list worth mentioning is laid out in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, with Steven Jay Schneider as the General Editor. The edition I got for Christmas lists movies released from 1902-2004. So far I have only seen 267 of them, so I have my work cut out for the next couple years. There is a genre index in the front of the book that is really helpful if, for example, you just want to watch dramas or war films. Throughout the book, there are images from the movies listed, cast, crew and production information, as well as essays about the history and themes of each film - explanations why these films are so important for all of us to see.
In the coming weeks, I promise I will spend an afternoon watching Casablanca. I will then spend that evening making my own list of movies I need to catch up on. I wish you luck on your cinematic endeavors. Years from now, you might look back on your resolution as the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
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For the record, I had help from the editor of The Ryder with the very last line :)
New Year, New Goals – A Movie Lover’s New Year’s Resolution
Every time a New Year begins, people start talking about their New Year’s resolutions. Exercise more, eat healthier, stop smoking, and save money are staple promises people make to themselves every January. Sometimes the resolutions stick, often they get broken. This year I plan on really challenging myself and adhering to my resolution. I figure if I share it with you, in print, then there is no way I can go back on my word. So, here goes… I am finally going to watch Casablanca.
Yes, I’m going to do the healthy eating and exercising thing too, but watching Casablanca is a lofty goal that is going to take time and fierce dedication. If my calculations are correct, I have checked this movie out of the library about 15 times in the last eight years and not once have I watched it. Every year I watch those AFI “100 Years, 100 (fill in the “ blank)” specials and every year they list Casablanca while I just sit there and feel more and more ashamed.
You don’t understand, fellow cinemaphiles, I majored in video production and have a minor in film from Ohio University (BSC ’06). I’ve recently put in applications for graduate Cinema Studies programs as an aspiring film professor/journalist/critic. If the selection committee at NYU finds out that I haven’t seen Casablanca yet, they are probably going to laugh at me and then delete my submission materials.
While I run around town finding an available copy of Casablanca, I urge you to make some cinematic resolutions for yourself. If you need a little encouragement, I have some ideas that just might work. If you are going strictly for quantity over quality, try setting a goal for yourself. My dad once asked me during a trip home from college what my plans were for my six-week winter break. I told him, “I’m going to watch movies.” Not the answer he was looking for, as I know he was hinting at me to get a temporary job, he said, “I want you to think bigger. Set a goal for yourself.” Without skipping a beat, I replied, “I’m going to watch 50 movies.” Luckily he laughed or it would have been a long three hours in the car.
The goal was to watch 50 movies I had never seen before, and I did. I chose an actor or director I liked and tried to watch their entire canon of work. It’s amazing what a variety of movies you cover with this method – you’ll end up seeing movies you never knew existed. You can even spice things up and watch the movies in chronological order so you can witness the creative ups and downs of someone’s career.
If the overall quality of a film is more important to you, then I suggest you start with a list. If you don’t want to make up your own there is outside help readily available. The aforementioned AFI “100 Years, 100 [fill in the blanks]” lists are great. Go to www.afi.com, click on “tv & events,” then “AFI’s 100 Years”. Here you will have access to many different lists, ranging from the greatest comedies, thrills and inspirational films from the last century. More than a fair few films pop up on multiple lists, so if you are looking to cover the most ground, start with the “AFI 100 Years, 100 Movies” list (either the original or 10th Anniversary Edition will do).
Another list worth mentioning is laid out in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, with Steven Jay Schneider as the General Editor. The edition I got for Christmas lists movies released from 1902-2004. So far I have only seen 267 of them, so I have my work cut out for the next couple years. There is a genre index in the front of the book that is really helpful if, for example, you just want to watch dramas or war films. Throughout the book, there are images from the movies listed, cast, crew and production information, as well as essays about the history and themes of each film - explanations why these films are so important for all of us to see.
In the coming weeks, I promise I will spend an afternoon watching Casablanca. I will then spend that evening making my own list of movies I need to catch up on. I wish you luck on your cinematic endeavors. Years from now, you might look back on your resolution as the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
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For the record, I had help from the editor of The Ryder with the very last line :)
Movie musicals - for when I can't be in NYC at a Broadway show...
(This article was written for the November/December 2007 issue of The Ryder)
Gotta Sing!: A Celebration of Movie Musicals
We take it for granted that "the hills are alive with the sound of music". Just over 80 years ago, movies had no sound, let along songs; any music accompanying a film was usually played by a live combo at the screening. That all changed in 1927 with the release of The Jazz Singer. Now available on DVD, The Jazz Singer was the first "talkie" – a feature-length movie where the audience heard dialogue through synchronized sound as opposed to reading it on title cards. This movie also featured musical numbers, leading the way to a new genre – the movie musical.
Walt Disney combined the novelty of the movie musical with the popularity of cartoons and created an empire. Ever since Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs release in 1937, Disney released animated musical features on a regular basis until the late 1990s when the company started making non-musical computer-animated features (Toy Story, Monsters Inc., Cars).
As for live-action films, the 1930s brought us The Wizard of Oz, then Gene Kelly showed up in the 40s and 50s with his string of hits including On the Town, An American in Paris and Singin’ in the Rain. West Side Story wowed audiences in 1961 and Grease rolled into theaters in 1978. After Fame in 1980, well-received live-action musicals disappeared from cinemas until 2001. That year, Moulin Rouge! took popular Top-10 songs, turned them on their side, and reintroduced audiences to movies filled with songs. When Chicago won the Academy Award for Best Picture the next year, movie musicals were back.
Since Chicago, there have been several other musicals pulled from the stage and turned into movies including Rent, The Producers, Dreamgirls and Hairspray. This summer, Hairspray became the third highest grossing movie musical of all time while Rent and The Producers hardly made a dent at the box office, even though they are two of the most popular Broadway shows in the past decade. Why is it that some movie musicals are so popular while others fail to attract the same millions of people who flock to see the same show in New York City? One answer is star-power of the cast.
Both the movie versions of Rent and The Producers starred most of their original Broadway casts. Those casts included actors the cinema-going audiences were either not extremely familiar with (Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp of Rent), or were famous but unable to open a movie (Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick of The Producers). Hairspray gave the audiences what they wanted – big stars with voices to match. Everyone loved John Travolta in Grease, but he hadn’t been in another movie musical until Hairspray – where he played a plus-size woman whose Baltimore accent is as thick as her thighs. Queen Latifah, Christopher Walken, Michelle Pfieffer and High School Musical star Zac Efron were just a handful of Travolta’s talented co-stars that lured people to the theaters in droves.
Chicago’s cast also consisted of talented actors who many people were unaware that they were triple threats. My curiosity brought me to a screening on opening day, wondering if Renee Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Richard Gere could sing and dance. Amazing choreography and song performances led me back to the movie theater three more times. I have a feeling the same is going to happen December 21st with the release of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.
Tim Burton and Johnny Depp’s fifth collaboration, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is the morbid tale of a wronged man who takes revenge on people by slitting their throats and then having his accomplice, Mrs. Lovett, bake them into meat pies. Though the current trailer for the movie only has a few seconds of Depp singing, Sweeney Todd is a full-out musical. Perhaps DreamWorks and Warner Brothers don’t want to scare audience away with a trailer full of singing and instead want people to see the Sleepy Hollow-meets-Big Fish sets and costumes Burton is using, as well as the sense of fear that Sweeney Todd is back and wants vengeance. Either way, count me in – I saw Sweeney Todd revived on Broadway a couple years ago, loved it, and am now dying to see what Burton, Depp, and co-stars Helena Bohnam Carter, Alan Rickman and Sacha Baron Cohen will bring to the table.
In honor of my excitement for Sweeney Todd, I am sharing with you my Top 10 favorite movie musicals of all time. Disclaimer: Though there are many movies where people sing songs, we are going to focus on films where there are more than just a couple songs, and at least two of the musical numbers must be when one or more characters spontaneously burst into song. Therefore, music biopics like Walk the Line, or faux-biopics like That Thing You Do! are not included as they are about musicians and their songs and musical sequences are necessary for the plot, but are not spontaneous in the slightest.
10. The Wizard of Oz (1939) – directed by Victor Fleming
According to imdb.com, "a recent study claimed this is the most watched movie in film history." Everyone knows "Somewhere over the Rainbow"– The American Film Institute recognized it as the number one movie song of all time. But, as soon as Dorothy landed in Oz and opened the doors to that Technicolor wonderfulness, we all realized we weren’t in Kansas anymore. I remember singing "Ding Dong the Witch is Dead," "Follow the Yellow Brick Road" and "We’re Off to see the Wizard" with my siblings during mini productions of this musical in our living room.
9. The Little Mermaid (1989) – directed by Ron Clements and John Musker
On a whole, I’m not a fan of the Disney cartoons, but The Little Mermaid is an exception. I was in kindergarten when this movie was released, and I loved singing along with Ariel and Sebastian. My sister got to play a piece of seaweed in a school production of this musical a few years later and I was jealous that she got to be part of that world while I had to sit there and watch. Academy Award nominee "Kiss the Girl" was a sweet little Disney number with the lagoon animals (and Scuttle) lend their talents as supporting vocals, but it was the up-tempo "Under the Sea" which took home the Oscar for Best Song.
8. Guys and Dolls (1955) – directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz
How about that Marlon Brando! Though his singing voice was nowhere near as strong as Frank Sinatra’s, Brando held his own as he danced down in Havana then warbled his way through "Luck Be a Lady". It was well known that Sinatra was bitter about Brando getting the lead, so Sinatra would refer to his costar as "Mumbles". This is another musical whose songs have been reenacted multiple times by my sister and I on our long road trips to New York City, especially "Fugue for Tinhorns" and "Sit Down You’re Rockin’ the Boat".
7. Chicago (2002) – directed by Rob Marshall
I remember seeing the trailer for this movie multiple times and every time it ended with Catherine Zeta-Jones belting out "No, I’m no one’s wife/But oh I love my life/And All That Jazz/That Jazz!" I got goose bumps. I am not a fan of Renee Zellweger, but boy was I blown away by Zeta-Jones, Richard Gere, Queen Latifah and John C. Reilly. I knew Catherine Zeta-Jones was a hoofer when she was younger, but her singing and dancing really impressed me during "I Can’t Do it Alone." The juxtaposition of the marionettes and Billy Flynn dominating Roxie Hart’s meeting with the press made "We Both Reached for the Gun" a memorable number. Taye Diggs, cast as the Bandleader, was severely underused.
6. The Sound of Music (1965) – directed by Robert Wise
Greatly improved with a little fast-forwarding through "Climb Ev’ry Mountain" and stopping altogether before those horrible Nazis try and capture the von Trapps. I always wanted to sing the high notes like Julie Andrews in "I Have Confidence" and "Do Re Mi" but I know now that’s just a pipe dream. During middle school, a friend and I would try to play "The Lonely Goatherd" on her flute, also with little success. As happy as this movie makes me, when Captain von Trapp and company sing "Edelweiss" before he is supposed to join the German Navy, my heart just breaks. Such a happy song at such a sad moment in his life – this really shows how music in movies can evoke more feelings than the spoken word.
5. West Side Story (1961) – directed by Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise
This musical version of Romeo and Juliet is equally as powerful as Shakespeare’s play because of the songs. Tony and Maria loved each other, which is so beautifully exposed in "Tonight" and "One Hand One Heart". The personalities of the gangs are shown in "Jet Song" (Jets) and "America" (Sharks) and everybody’s voice gets heard in the best song in the whole movie – "Tonight Quintet". We played a West Side Story-themed show when I was a junior in the high school marching band and even though we had to play these songs every single day for four months in a row, I will never tire of this movie or its songs. Composer Leonard Bernstein did much to advance music education in this country, something very dear to me as my sister and several of our close friends are music educators. In 1987, Bernstein used part of his winnings from the Ernst von Siemens Music Prize to establish the Leonard Bernstein Scholarship Fund here at Indiana University, which is awarded annually to deserving music students.
4. Hairspray (2007) – directed by Adam Shankman
The movie and its music were so colorful and oozed happiness, even though they dealt with heavy subjects such as racism and body image. Being based off of John Waters movie Hairspray and the subsequent Broadway musical of the same name, this version of Hairspray combined some big talent from a very diverse cast, including newcomer Nikki Blonsky as Tracy Turnblad. The finale of "You Can’t Stop the Beat" was some of the most energetic singing and dancing I had seen on screen in awhile. The single and double-disc DVD, as well as a double-disc soundtrack were released on November 20th.
3. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971) – directed by Mel Stuart
You might think this is an odd choice to be considered among musicals like West Side Story and The Sound of Music. Gene Wilder is Willy Wonka; accept no substitutes. The songs are not as amazing as those written by Sondheim or Rogers and Hammerstein, but "The Candy Man," "I’ve Got a Golden Ticket," "Pure Imagination," "I Want it Now" and all those ditties from the Oompa Loompas are permanently embedded in my mind. Though my family and friends use the phrase "Cheer Up, Charlie" to make me smile on a regular basis, this is the lamest movie musical song of all time and should always be fast-forwarded through. Always.
2. Singin’ in the Rain (1952) – directed by Stanley Dolan and Gene Kelly
Set during the time when synchronized sound was introduced into motion pictures, Singin’ in the Rain is a winning combination of comedy, beautiful music and amazing dance routines. Donald O’Connor’s performance of "Make ‘Em Laugh" and his "Moses Supposes" duet with Kelly made for two of the funniest scenes in the film, but it’s Gene Kelly’s execution of the title song that the movie is best known for. With an umbrella in hand and the help of a streetlight, Kelly sang and danced through the rain and into our hearts – what a glorious feeling, indeed.
1. Moulin Rouge! (2001) – directed by Baz Luhrmann
Moulin Rouge! features already well-known pop songs and weaves them into a manic yet heartbreaking movie musical. This movie is a good example of the "backstage" movie musical – when the characters in the movie are putting on a musical production of their own, creating a "show within a show". "Your Song" is an endearing scene as Christian used his "modern poetry" to woo Satine. "Come What May" is a beautiful song that makes me smile every time I hear it, as my dad and I would sing along to it on the long drive home from college. "El Tango de Roxanne" is so haunting, with the passionate choreography of the can-can girls and rakes, the physical assault of the Duke on Satine and the guttural screams of Christian out his garret window. Such a sad part of the film, but so powerful with the combination of imagery and singing – I love it!
Disagree with my list? Think up your own Top 10 and share it with your friends. Get people excited about what movie musicals you are passionate about and then drag them with you to see Sweeney Todd this December!
------------------------------------------------------------
For the record, this was not my actual Top 10... I left out How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Newsies and Alice in Wonderland to include a few others that more people would know...
Also, since I wrote this, I've seen Sweeney Todd and it was glorious!! I was laughing so hard because it was so gory and disgusting. Johnny Depp was awesome - he made such a great Sweeney Todd, with his crazy hair and Jack Sparrow-sounding singing.
I saw the Patti LuPone/Michael Cerveris version on Broadway a few years ago and it was one of the most memorable Broadway experiences I've had... such a great musical.
Musicals (both on stage and on screen) make me smile.
Gotta Sing!: A Celebration of Movie Musicals
We take it for granted that "the hills are alive with the sound of music". Just over 80 years ago, movies had no sound, let along songs; any music accompanying a film was usually played by a live combo at the screening. That all changed in 1927 with the release of The Jazz Singer. Now available on DVD, The Jazz Singer was the first "talkie" – a feature-length movie where the audience heard dialogue through synchronized sound as opposed to reading it on title cards. This movie also featured musical numbers, leading the way to a new genre – the movie musical.
Walt Disney combined the novelty of the movie musical with the popularity of cartoons and created an empire. Ever since Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs release in 1937, Disney released animated musical features on a regular basis until the late 1990s when the company started making non-musical computer-animated features (Toy Story, Monsters Inc., Cars).
As for live-action films, the 1930s brought us The Wizard of Oz, then Gene Kelly showed up in the 40s and 50s with his string of hits including On the Town, An American in Paris and Singin’ in the Rain. West Side Story wowed audiences in 1961 and Grease rolled into theaters in 1978. After Fame in 1980, well-received live-action musicals disappeared from cinemas until 2001. That year, Moulin Rouge! took popular Top-10 songs, turned them on their side, and reintroduced audiences to movies filled with songs. When Chicago won the Academy Award for Best Picture the next year, movie musicals were back.
Since Chicago, there have been several other musicals pulled from the stage and turned into movies including Rent, The Producers, Dreamgirls and Hairspray. This summer, Hairspray became the third highest grossing movie musical of all time while Rent and The Producers hardly made a dent at the box office, even though they are two of the most popular Broadway shows in the past decade. Why is it that some movie musicals are so popular while others fail to attract the same millions of people who flock to see the same show in New York City? One answer is star-power of the cast.
Both the movie versions of Rent and The Producers starred most of their original Broadway casts. Those casts included actors the cinema-going audiences were either not extremely familiar with (Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp of Rent), or were famous but unable to open a movie (Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick of The Producers). Hairspray gave the audiences what they wanted – big stars with voices to match. Everyone loved John Travolta in Grease, but he hadn’t been in another movie musical until Hairspray – where he played a plus-size woman whose Baltimore accent is as thick as her thighs. Queen Latifah, Christopher Walken, Michelle Pfieffer and High School Musical star Zac Efron were just a handful of Travolta’s talented co-stars that lured people to the theaters in droves.
Chicago’s cast also consisted of talented actors who many people were unaware that they were triple threats. My curiosity brought me to a screening on opening day, wondering if Renee Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Richard Gere could sing and dance. Amazing choreography and song performances led me back to the movie theater three more times. I have a feeling the same is going to happen December 21st with the release of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.
Tim Burton and Johnny Depp’s fifth collaboration, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is the morbid tale of a wronged man who takes revenge on people by slitting their throats and then having his accomplice, Mrs. Lovett, bake them into meat pies. Though the current trailer for the movie only has a few seconds of Depp singing, Sweeney Todd is a full-out musical. Perhaps DreamWorks and Warner Brothers don’t want to scare audience away with a trailer full of singing and instead want people to see the Sleepy Hollow-meets-Big Fish sets and costumes Burton is using, as well as the sense of fear that Sweeney Todd is back and wants vengeance. Either way, count me in – I saw Sweeney Todd revived on Broadway a couple years ago, loved it, and am now dying to see what Burton, Depp, and co-stars Helena Bohnam Carter, Alan Rickman and Sacha Baron Cohen will bring to the table.
In honor of my excitement for Sweeney Todd, I am sharing with you my Top 10 favorite movie musicals of all time. Disclaimer: Though there are many movies where people sing songs, we are going to focus on films where there are more than just a couple songs, and at least two of the musical numbers must be when one or more characters spontaneously burst into song. Therefore, music biopics like Walk the Line, or faux-biopics like That Thing You Do! are not included as they are about musicians and their songs and musical sequences are necessary for the plot, but are not spontaneous in the slightest.
10. The Wizard of Oz (1939) – directed by Victor Fleming
According to imdb.com, "a recent study claimed this is the most watched movie in film history." Everyone knows "Somewhere over the Rainbow"– The American Film Institute recognized it as the number one movie song of all time. But, as soon as Dorothy landed in Oz and opened the doors to that Technicolor wonderfulness, we all realized we weren’t in Kansas anymore. I remember singing "Ding Dong the Witch is Dead," "Follow the Yellow Brick Road" and "We’re Off to see the Wizard" with my siblings during mini productions of this musical in our living room.
9. The Little Mermaid (1989) – directed by Ron Clements and John Musker
On a whole, I’m not a fan of the Disney cartoons, but The Little Mermaid is an exception. I was in kindergarten when this movie was released, and I loved singing along with Ariel and Sebastian. My sister got to play a piece of seaweed in a school production of this musical a few years later and I was jealous that she got to be part of that world while I had to sit there and watch. Academy Award nominee "Kiss the Girl" was a sweet little Disney number with the lagoon animals (and Scuttle) lend their talents as supporting vocals, but it was the up-tempo "Under the Sea" which took home the Oscar for Best Song.
8. Guys and Dolls (1955) – directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz
How about that Marlon Brando! Though his singing voice was nowhere near as strong as Frank Sinatra’s, Brando held his own as he danced down in Havana then warbled his way through "Luck Be a Lady". It was well known that Sinatra was bitter about Brando getting the lead, so Sinatra would refer to his costar as "Mumbles". This is another musical whose songs have been reenacted multiple times by my sister and I on our long road trips to New York City, especially "Fugue for Tinhorns" and "Sit Down You’re Rockin’ the Boat".
7. Chicago (2002) – directed by Rob Marshall
I remember seeing the trailer for this movie multiple times and every time it ended with Catherine Zeta-Jones belting out "No, I’m no one’s wife/But oh I love my life/And All That Jazz/That Jazz!" I got goose bumps. I am not a fan of Renee Zellweger, but boy was I blown away by Zeta-Jones, Richard Gere, Queen Latifah and John C. Reilly. I knew Catherine Zeta-Jones was a hoofer when she was younger, but her singing and dancing really impressed me during "I Can’t Do it Alone." The juxtaposition of the marionettes and Billy Flynn dominating Roxie Hart’s meeting with the press made "We Both Reached for the Gun" a memorable number. Taye Diggs, cast as the Bandleader, was severely underused.
6. The Sound of Music (1965) – directed by Robert Wise
Greatly improved with a little fast-forwarding through "Climb Ev’ry Mountain" and stopping altogether before those horrible Nazis try and capture the von Trapps. I always wanted to sing the high notes like Julie Andrews in "I Have Confidence" and "Do Re Mi" but I know now that’s just a pipe dream. During middle school, a friend and I would try to play "The Lonely Goatherd" on her flute, also with little success. As happy as this movie makes me, when Captain von Trapp and company sing "Edelweiss" before he is supposed to join the German Navy, my heart just breaks. Such a happy song at such a sad moment in his life – this really shows how music in movies can evoke more feelings than the spoken word.
5. West Side Story (1961) – directed by Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise
This musical version of Romeo and Juliet is equally as powerful as Shakespeare’s play because of the songs. Tony and Maria loved each other, which is so beautifully exposed in "Tonight" and "One Hand One Heart". The personalities of the gangs are shown in "Jet Song" (Jets) and "America" (Sharks) and everybody’s voice gets heard in the best song in the whole movie – "Tonight Quintet". We played a West Side Story-themed show when I was a junior in the high school marching band and even though we had to play these songs every single day for four months in a row, I will never tire of this movie or its songs. Composer Leonard Bernstein did much to advance music education in this country, something very dear to me as my sister and several of our close friends are music educators. In 1987, Bernstein used part of his winnings from the Ernst von Siemens Music Prize to establish the Leonard Bernstein Scholarship Fund here at Indiana University, which is awarded annually to deserving music students.
4. Hairspray (2007) – directed by Adam Shankman
The movie and its music were so colorful and oozed happiness, even though they dealt with heavy subjects such as racism and body image. Being based off of John Waters movie Hairspray and the subsequent Broadway musical of the same name, this version of Hairspray combined some big talent from a very diverse cast, including newcomer Nikki Blonsky as Tracy Turnblad. The finale of "You Can’t Stop the Beat" was some of the most energetic singing and dancing I had seen on screen in awhile. The single and double-disc DVD, as well as a double-disc soundtrack were released on November 20th.
3. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971) – directed by Mel Stuart
You might think this is an odd choice to be considered among musicals like West Side Story and The Sound of Music. Gene Wilder is Willy Wonka; accept no substitutes. The songs are not as amazing as those written by Sondheim or Rogers and Hammerstein, but "The Candy Man," "I’ve Got a Golden Ticket," "Pure Imagination," "I Want it Now" and all those ditties from the Oompa Loompas are permanently embedded in my mind. Though my family and friends use the phrase "Cheer Up, Charlie" to make me smile on a regular basis, this is the lamest movie musical song of all time and should always be fast-forwarded through. Always.
2. Singin’ in the Rain (1952) – directed by Stanley Dolan and Gene Kelly
Set during the time when synchronized sound was introduced into motion pictures, Singin’ in the Rain is a winning combination of comedy, beautiful music and amazing dance routines. Donald O’Connor’s performance of "Make ‘Em Laugh" and his "Moses Supposes" duet with Kelly made for two of the funniest scenes in the film, but it’s Gene Kelly’s execution of the title song that the movie is best known for. With an umbrella in hand and the help of a streetlight, Kelly sang and danced through the rain and into our hearts – what a glorious feeling, indeed.
1. Moulin Rouge! (2001) – directed by Baz Luhrmann
Moulin Rouge! features already well-known pop songs and weaves them into a manic yet heartbreaking movie musical. This movie is a good example of the "backstage" movie musical – when the characters in the movie are putting on a musical production of their own, creating a "show within a show". "Your Song" is an endearing scene as Christian used his "modern poetry" to woo Satine. "Come What May" is a beautiful song that makes me smile every time I hear it, as my dad and I would sing along to it on the long drive home from college. "El Tango de Roxanne" is so haunting, with the passionate choreography of the can-can girls and rakes, the physical assault of the Duke on Satine and the guttural screams of Christian out his garret window. Such a sad part of the film, but so powerful with the combination of imagery and singing – I love it!
Disagree with my list? Think up your own Top 10 and share it with your friends. Get people excited about what movie musicals you are passionate about and then drag them with you to see Sweeney Todd this December!
------------------------------------------------------------
For the record, this was not my actual Top 10... I left out How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Newsies and Alice in Wonderland to include a few others that more people would know...
Also, since I wrote this, I've seen Sweeney Todd and it was glorious!! I was laughing so hard because it was so gory and disgusting. Johnny Depp was awesome - he made such a great Sweeney Todd, with his crazy hair and Jack Sparrow-sounding singing.
I saw the Patti LuPone/Michael Cerveris version on Broadway a few years ago and it was one of the most memorable Broadway experiences I've had... such a great musical.
Musicals (both on stage and on screen) make me smile.
Feminism, alive and needing a good laugh
(This article - though with a few edits - was written for the Oct 10th-Nov 20th edition of The Ryder)
Hey Hollywood – women like to laugh too.
Think back through the movies you’ve seen in the past few years. Besides romantic-comedies, how many comedies can you name that are aimed at women? Females make up over fifty percent of the world’s population, yet only a handful of films produced each year are for and/or about women.
A big reason that movies for women are not at a theater near you is that the film industry is considered a gentlemen’s club. Between 2005 and 2006, the number of women writers, producers and directors has dropped from 16% to 15% of the total people working those jobs, causing professor Martha Lauzen of San Diego State University to conclude "We’re at the same place we would have been in 1999" ("Hollywood’s Shortage of Female Power", NY Times, April 27,2007). Cathy Schulman, head of Mandalay Entertainment, says she sees "a definite problem with the lack of support for women at the lower ranks, which may ultimately create a lack of women who could be viable for the top-dog jobs."
This article also reveals that there is currently only one woman who holds a top job at a movie studio – Amy Pascal is the co-chairwoman of Sony Pictures Entertainment. There used to be four women in executive positions, but the other three were either pushed out by men (Nina Jacobson and Gail Berman, formerly of Disney’s motion picture group and Paramount, respectively), or chose to take a less powerful job at a different studio to avoid working under General Electric (Stacy Snider, former chairwoman of Universal Pictures, now working at DreamWorks). Without women in power positions, there is just not a huge push to make films for women.
That’s not to say that men cannot make movies where woman have strong comedic roles that don’t involve them being a lovesick damsel in distress, but the lack of female involvement in the creative process of filmmaking has made an impact on what kinds of movies are made.
This summer, two of the biggest hits were Knocked Up and Superbad, brilliant comedies produced by Judd Apatow. Both films’ protagonists are chubby Jewish guys (who are likable despite being fraught with faults) seeking attention from beautiful women who need to be won over and shown that the men aren’t as big of slackers as they appear to be. Knocked Up and Superbad are filled with profanity and frank talk of male and female genitalia, which stereotypically appeals more to men. Women went to see Knocked Up and Superbad because these movies are actually heartwarming tales of men looking for a more mature relationship with the opposite sex and the dialogue was smart and gut busting. No one is ever going to forget "I am McLovin."
Women like comedies. Laughing is pleasurable to us; it makes us feel happy and burns calories at the same time. What I don’t like is the lack of comedies made that are more women-friendly. Romantic comedies do not count in my definition of "comedy" – they are predictable and all about women finding love as if that is going to solve all her problems and make her a complete person. I am not saying that all romantic comedies are cinematic trash – When Harry Met Sally…, Sweet Home Alabama and Bridget Jones’s Diary are treasured members of my DVD collection – or that comedies cannot have aspects of love in them, but I am challenging you to think about how few straight-up comedies are made for women.
A Variety article entitled "Can chicks get in the pic mix?" mentions how the combination of women and comedy has been very successful in the past, dating back to silent movies. Once talkie came out, the screwball comedies of the 1930s and 1940s – do yourself a favor and watch Bringing Up Baby (1939) and His Girl Friday (1940). Katherine Hepburn and Rosalind Russell will have you in awe of their comedic timing and amazing delivery of dialogue. The 1980s gave us working women’s comedies like 9 to 5, Baby Boom and Working Girl. It is now 2007 and instead of seeing strong, funny women up on the big screen, our cinemas are filled with comedies from the Frat Pack. What happened?!
In that same article, Gwyneth Paltrow, of all people, was quoted as saying "There’s no reason why, if there’s a Wedding Crashers’ for the boys, there can’t be something really funny yet intelligent for women." You tell ‘em, Gwyneth! In all seriousness, though, Paltrow is absolutely right. There is no excuse for the recent lack of comedies being made for women, let alone smart and witty ones. Lucky for us, 2008 might turn out to be the start of a new cinematic trend.
With the release of Spring Breakdown next March, a string of comedies with women as the central characters begins. With a story by SNL alumna Rachel Dratch, Spring Breakdown is about four women, three in their thirties and one far from popular college student (daughter of one of the older women), taking some time for themselves by vacationing at the equivalent of Cancun during spring break. Also coming out is Sunshine Cleaning; two sisters (Emily Blunt and Amy Adams) start "a biohazard removal/crime scene clean up service" to earn money to put one sister’s son through school (imdb.com). Other titles to look out for is a remake of the 1939 film The Women, and a Frances McDormand picture about a London governess who finds herself out of work, entitled Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day.
But for now, we must deal with over-sexed male driven movies filled with gratuitous shots of women’s breasts and behinds (The Wedding Crashers and Good Luck Chuck) as well as routine romantic comedies (The Holiday and Music & Lyrics) which stereotypically all women fancy. Honestly, I loved The Wedding Crashers – I saw it twice in theaters and I laughed so hard I had tears in my eyes – I’m just tired of seeing naked women every time I go to get my chuckle on.
Women are completely capable of making the masses laugh while keeping their clothes on and it’s time more movies prove that. Can’t wait until next year to see some comedies with brilliantly talented women? In the meantime, why don’t you watch Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind and For Your Consideration – Christopher Guest’s mockumentaries which feature Parker Posey, Katherine O’Hara, Jennifer Coolidge and Jane Lynch, four of the funniest women working today.
Ideally, all comedies should not have to objectify women or make female characters hopelessly lovesick in order to get some laughs. We can only hope that more movies get made which showcase the comedic talents of women as opposed to just their physical attributes or their many ways of meeting Mr. Right. Don’t get me wrong, bring on the male-driven as well as romantic comedies – I still need something to give my dad and mom for their birthdays – but bring on some straight-up comedies for women as well.
Hey Hollywood – women like to laugh too.
Think back through the movies you’ve seen in the past few years. Besides romantic-comedies, how many comedies can you name that are aimed at women? Females make up over fifty percent of the world’s population, yet only a handful of films produced each year are for and/or about women.
A big reason that movies for women are not at a theater near you is that the film industry is considered a gentlemen’s club. Between 2005 and 2006, the number of women writers, producers and directors has dropped from 16% to 15% of the total people working those jobs, causing professor Martha Lauzen of San Diego State University to conclude "We’re at the same place we would have been in 1999" ("Hollywood’s Shortage of Female Power", NY Times, April 27,2007). Cathy Schulman, head of Mandalay Entertainment, says she sees "a definite problem with the lack of support for women at the lower ranks, which may ultimately create a lack of women who could be viable for the top-dog jobs."
This article also reveals that there is currently only one woman who holds a top job at a movie studio – Amy Pascal is the co-chairwoman of Sony Pictures Entertainment. There used to be four women in executive positions, but the other three were either pushed out by men (Nina Jacobson and Gail Berman, formerly of Disney’s motion picture group and Paramount, respectively), or chose to take a less powerful job at a different studio to avoid working under General Electric (Stacy Snider, former chairwoman of Universal Pictures, now working at DreamWorks). Without women in power positions, there is just not a huge push to make films for women.
That’s not to say that men cannot make movies where woman have strong comedic roles that don’t involve them being a lovesick damsel in distress, but the lack of female involvement in the creative process of filmmaking has made an impact on what kinds of movies are made.
This summer, two of the biggest hits were Knocked Up and Superbad, brilliant comedies produced by Judd Apatow. Both films’ protagonists are chubby Jewish guys (who are likable despite being fraught with faults) seeking attention from beautiful women who need to be won over and shown that the men aren’t as big of slackers as they appear to be. Knocked Up and Superbad are filled with profanity and frank talk of male and female genitalia, which stereotypically appeals more to men. Women went to see Knocked Up and Superbad because these movies are actually heartwarming tales of men looking for a more mature relationship with the opposite sex and the dialogue was smart and gut busting. No one is ever going to forget "I am McLovin."
Women like comedies. Laughing is pleasurable to us; it makes us feel happy and burns calories at the same time. What I don’t like is the lack of comedies made that are more women-friendly. Romantic comedies do not count in my definition of "comedy" – they are predictable and all about women finding love as if that is going to solve all her problems and make her a complete person. I am not saying that all romantic comedies are cinematic trash – When Harry Met Sally…, Sweet Home Alabama and Bridget Jones’s Diary are treasured members of my DVD collection – or that comedies cannot have aspects of love in them, but I am challenging you to think about how few straight-up comedies are made for women.
A Variety article entitled "Can chicks get in the pic mix?" mentions how the combination of women and comedy has been very successful in the past, dating back to silent movies. Once talkie came out, the screwball comedies of the 1930s and 1940s – do yourself a favor and watch Bringing Up Baby (1939) and His Girl Friday (1940). Katherine Hepburn and Rosalind Russell will have you in awe of their comedic timing and amazing delivery of dialogue. The 1980s gave us working women’s comedies like 9 to 5, Baby Boom and Working Girl. It is now 2007 and instead of seeing strong, funny women up on the big screen, our cinemas are filled with comedies from the Frat Pack. What happened?!
In that same article, Gwyneth Paltrow, of all people, was quoted as saying "There’s no reason why, if there’s a Wedding Crashers’ for the boys, there can’t be something really funny yet intelligent for women." You tell ‘em, Gwyneth! In all seriousness, though, Paltrow is absolutely right. There is no excuse for the recent lack of comedies being made for women, let alone smart and witty ones. Lucky for us, 2008 might turn out to be the start of a new cinematic trend.
With the release of Spring Breakdown next March, a string of comedies with women as the central characters begins. With a story by SNL alumna Rachel Dratch, Spring Breakdown is about four women, three in their thirties and one far from popular college student (daughter of one of the older women), taking some time for themselves by vacationing at the equivalent of Cancun during spring break. Also coming out is Sunshine Cleaning; two sisters (Emily Blunt and Amy Adams) start "a biohazard removal/crime scene clean up service" to earn money to put one sister’s son through school (imdb.com). Other titles to look out for is a remake of the 1939 film The Women, and a Frances McDormand picture about a London governess who finds herself out of work, entitled Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day.
But for now, we must deal with over-sexed male driven movies filled with gratuitous shots of women’s breasts and behinds (The Wedding Crashers and Good Luck Chuck) as well as routine romantic comedies (The Holiday and Music & Lyrics) which stereotypically all women fancy. Honestly, I loved The Wedding Crashers – I saw it twice in theaters and I laughed so hard I had tears in my eyes – I’m just tired of seeing naked women every time I go to get my chuckle on.
Women are completely capable of making the masses laugh while keeping their clothes on and it’s time more movies prove that. Can’t wait until next year to see some comedies with brilliantly talented women? In the meantime, why don’t you watch Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind and For Your Consideration – Christopher Guest’s mockumentaries which feature Parker Posey, Katherine O’Hara, Jennifer Coolidge and Jane Lynch, four of the funniest women working today.
Ideally, all comedies should not have to objectify women or make female characters hopelessly lovesick in order to get some laughs. We can only hope that more movies get made which showcase the comedic talents of women as opposed to just their physical attributes or their many ways of meeting Mr. Right. Don’t get me wrong, bring on the male-driven as well as romantic comedies – I still need something to give my dad and mom for their birthdays – but bring on some straight-up comedies for women as well.
Film Franchises - touchy subject, I know...
(This article is from the September 2007 issue of The Ryder)
Film Franchises – Dominating Every Theater near You
Spider-Man 3. Shrek the Third. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End. Rush Hour 3. The summer of 2007 is going to go down in cinematic history as the summer of threequels. Yes, "threequels" cannot be found in Webster’s Dictionary, but how else is one supposed to describe the plethora of movies released this summer that just so happen to be the third installment in a franchise?
Spider-Man 3 was one of the most anticipated movies this past May. With plot points from the popular Marvel comic books, the first two Spider-Man films each grossed hundreds of millions of dollars worldwide. The third movie continued with this franchise’s monetary successes, but all you got was an emo Peter Parker strutting down the street doing some rejected Saturday Night Fever dance moves. Spider-Man 3 made me wish they had stopped after Spider-Man 2, but Spider-Man 4 is coming out in 2009.
Another franchise that needs to stop now is the Shrek series. Shrek the Third had new celebrity voices like Justin Timberlake, but the movie itself was wordy, the plot line of whether Shrek was ready to be a parent or not and the crass humor that the Shrek movies are laced with was more appropriate for parents, not children. Shrek the Third raked in the money earlier this summer (over $320 million) and it has been announced that The Next Shrek (that’s the title, folks) and a Puss in Boots spin-off (again, that’s actually the title) will both be released in 2010.
The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise echoes back to the Matrix series: the first movie was so successful that the studio ordered up two previously unannounced sequels to be shot and released back to back in hopes of banking on the first movie’s popularity. Unlike the Matrix sequels which were awful compared to the first Matrix movie, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest and At World’s End were just as successful, if not more so, than the original Pirates of the Caribbean. The Pirates movies have grown into one of the more successful movie franchises in recent history, bringing in over a billion dollars worldwide, and as of right now, there is not a fourth movie in production. This comes as a relief to moviegoers who appreciate when a series ends on a good note rather than extending its welcome.
With the resurgence of decades-old franchises, this summer one of the bigger hits in theaters was Live Free or Die Hard, the fourth Die Hard movie which comes twelve years after Die Hard with a Vengeance. John McClane is older, but still has snappy one-liners and gets into some crazy awesome fights, which in reality should have killed him. A fourth Die Hard movie was never needed, but now that it is out there and actually a respectable film, we can accept it into the already solid Die Hard franchise.
It makes you wonder why studios are taking the risks to expand on movie franchises that already had satisfying final films. Many movie lovers have seen the original Indiana Jones trilogy and will agree that Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade was a great way to end the series. Indy chose wisely, got the grail, saved his dad’s life and they rode off into the sunset. Now that it’s eighteen years later and Harrison Ford is eighteen years older, just how much mayhem can Indiana Jones get into before he breaks his hip? Hopefully the next Indiana Jones film, like Live Free or Die Hard, will turn out to be a good film and an asset to the series rather than attempt to fix a franchise which was never broken.
While movies adapted from books have also created franchises (i.e. the Harry Potter and the Jason Bourne movies), those franchises are justifiable because there are multiple books in the series, leading to multiple movies, which also happened to be monetarily successful. But, just because a lot of people went to see I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry this summer doesn’t mean that there needs to be a Chuck and Larry 2 coming soon to a theater near you in 2008.
I probably shouldn’t have written that… I don’t want to give the movie studios any crazy ideas.
Film Franchises – Dominating Every Theater near You
Spider-Man 3. Shrek the Third. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End. Rush Hour 3. The summer of 2007 is going to go down in cinematic history as the summer of threequels. Yes, "threequels" cannot be found in Webster’s Dictionary, but how else is one supposed to describe the plethora of movies released this summer that just so happen to be the third installment in a franchise?
Spider-Man 3 was one of the most anticipated movies this past May. With plot points from the popular Marvel comic books, the first two Spider-Man films each grossed hundreds of millions of dollars worldwide. The third movie continued with this franchise’s monetary successes, but all you got was an emo Peter Parker strutting down the street doing some rejected Saturday Night Fever dance moves. Spider-Man 3 made me wish they had stopped after Spider-Man 2, but Spider-Man 4 is coming out in 2009.
Another franchise that needs to stop now is the Shrek series. Shrek the Third had new celebrity voices like Justin Timberlake, but the movie itself was wordy, the plot line of whether Shrek was ready to be a parent or not and the crass humor that the Shrek movies are laced with was more appropriate for parents, not children. Shrek the Third raked in the money earlier this summer (over $320 million) and it has been announced that The Next Shrek (that’s the title, folks) and a Puss in Boots spin-off (again, that’s actually the title) will both be released in 2010.
The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise echoes back to the Matrix series: the first movie was so successful that the studio ordered up two previously unannounced sequels to be shot and released back to back in hopes of banking on the first movie’s popularity. Unlike the Matrix sequels which were awful compared to the first Matrix movie, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest and At World’s End were just as successful, if not more so, than the original Pirates of the Caribbean. The Pirates movies have grown into one of the more successful movie franchises in recent history, bringing in over a billion dollars worldwide, and as of right now, there is not a fourth movie in production. This comes as a relief to moviegoers who appreciate when a series ends on a good note rather than extending its welcome.
With the resurgence of decades-old franchises, this summer one of the bigger hits in theaters was Live Free or Die Hard, the fourth Die Hard movie which comes twelve years after Die Hard with a Vengeance. John McClane is older, but still has snappy one-liners and gets into some crazy awesome fights, which in reality should have killed him. A fourth Die Hard movie was never needed, but now that it is out there and actually a respectable film, we can accept it into the already solid Die Hard franchise.
It makes you wonder why studios are taking the risks to expand on movie franchises that already had satisfying final films. Many movie lovers have seen the original Indiana Jones trilogy and will agree that Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade was a great way to end the series. Indy chose wisely, got the grail, saved his dad’s life and they rode off into the sunset. Now that it’s eighteen years later and Harrison Ford is eighteen years older, just how much mayhem can Indiana Jones get into before he breaks his hip? Hopefully the next Indiana Jones film, like Live Free or Die Hard, will turn out to be a good film and an asset to the series rather than attempt to fix a franchise which was never broken.
While movies adapted from books have also created franchises (i.e. the Harry Potter and the Jason Bourne movies), those franchises are justifiable because there are multiple books in the series, leading to multiple movies, which also happened to be monetarily successful. But, just because a lot of people went to see I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry this summer doesn’t mean that there needs to be a Chuck and Larry 2 coming soon to a theater near you in 2008.
I probably shouldn’t have written that… I don’t want to give the movie studios any crazy ideas.
TV guide for Fall 2007
(This artcile was published in the September 2007 edition of The Ryder)
Finally, the end of reruns is upon us!
One of the best things about fall is that most of my favorite television shows start airing new episodes. While we have to wait until January to find out what happens next on Lost, here are a few select returning shows I think you should get hooked on in the coming weeks…
How I Met Your Mother – CBS – Monday 8-8:30PM
How I Met Your Mother (HIMYM) is a comedy told through flashbacks about how Ted (Josh Radnor), a single New York architect, falls in love. In the flashbacks, Ted lives with his newlywed best friend Marshall (Jason Segel from the still much missed Freaks and Geeks) and Marshall’s wife, Lily (Alyson Hannigan). Ted also recently broke up with Robin (Cobie Smulders), who he once thought was the love of his life, but everyone knows from the narration of the first episode of the series that Robin is not the mother of Ted’s future children. Rounding out the ensemble is Neil Patrick Harris as Barney - the suit wearing, catchphrase making, and comedic center of the show.
My older sister always says that HIMYM is the show that most accurately depicts how she and her friends interact; "it’s the same type of funny". She’s absolutely right. HIMYM is all about friends helping each other through the ups and downs of living life and finding love in your late twenties/early thirties, and you’ll be able to laugh alongside (and sometimes at) the characters because it’s so easy to relate to them. If the first two seasons were any indication as to how season three (premiering September 24th) is going to unfold, to quote Barney, "It’s going to be Legend… Wait for it… Dary!"
Heroes – NBC – Monday 9-10 PM
"Save the cheerleader, save the world." Remember? Well, with those two missions accomplished, NBC promises for season two "New Heroes. New Stories." Fear not, though, we’ll still be seeing our favorite Heroes from the first season. Peter and Nathan Petrelli (Milo Ventimiglia and Adrian Pasdar, respectively) may have last been seen flying into space where Peter then exploded, but don’t write them off quite yet, and just because the superhero power-stealing murderer Sylar (Zachary Quinto) was finally taken down, doesn’t mean he’s gone for good either.
At the end of last season’s finale, we saw a little teaser for the first episode of season two, entitled "Generations". To recap, everyone’s favorite Hero, Hiro Nakamura (Masi Oka), has teleported back in time to Japan circa 1671 when he comes across some samurai, with one holding a flag boasting that mysterious curved symbol we’ve seen throughout the entire first season. The teaser ended with a total solar eclipse, much like the one that appears as the "O" in the Heroes title… I honestly don’t know what it all means, but I am really looking forward to finding out!
Season two of Heroes also starts on September 24th. If you haven’t seen any of season one and are feeling left out, the seven-disc DVD set is out now – I urge you to catch up so you know what everyone is talking about once the second season begins.
Now, I know a lot of people spend their Thursday nights watching ABC’s Ugly Betty and Grey’s Anatomy (or, as I like to call it, "Patrick Dempsey Appreciation Hour"). Both are entertaining shows, even I’ll admit that I watch Grey’s, but I urge you to expand your horizons and give NBC’s comedies your attention as well.
30 Rock – NBC – Thursday 8:30-9PM
Created by and starring Tina Fey, 30 Rock is a fictional take on the behind the scenes making of a late night sketch program. Fey stars as Liz Lemon, the head writer for the SNLesque "The Girlie Show with Tracy Jordan" who has to deal with a motley crew of writers, high maintenance talent (Tracy Morgan and Jane Krakowski) and her sharp-tongued boss, Jack Donaghy (the brilliant Alec Baldwin).
As 30 Rock enters its second season, there is much to look forward to; more Tracy Jordan antics, more Jack Donaghy insults, and more reasons to love working in television, care of Kenneth the NBC Page. During this season, there will probably be some top notch guest actors lending their talents to the already talented cast of 30 Rock. Last season brought us great guest stars such as Elaine Stritch, Isabella Rossellini and Nathan Lane. To start off this season right, Jerry Seinfeld will be appearing in the first episode.
The Office – NBC – Thursday 9-9:30/10PM
The Office is my favorite show and in my own vision of a perfect world, everyone would watch this show and love it as much as I do. I crave the awkward, uncomfortable to watch, cringe-worthy moments, mostly coming from Dunder Mifflin boss Michael Scott (Steve Carell), but I know that it’s these very same moments why some people don’t like watching The Office.
The Office is shot look like a documentary, which makes it unique from other sitcoms. A camera crew follows around the "employees" at the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin so many characters on the show probably seem like slightly extreme versions of people that you actually work with.
The Office is entering its fourth season, so people who like the show are already watching it. At the end of season three, Michael and Jan (Melora Hardin) have rekindled their relationship thanks to a new pair of boobs for Jan. Former temp Ryan Howard (B.J. Novak) now has Jan’s old job at corporate headquarters in New York City. But even more important for many fans, Jim (John Krasinski) finally asked the receptionist, Pam (Jenna Fischer), out on a date (!).
NBC had announced that The Office would have more episodes than the usual 22-episode season. However, instead of extending the season, executive producers at The Office are choosing to make the first four episodes into hour-long shows.
Look for the season premiere on September 27, entitled "Fun Run", which takes place two months after the season three finale. The official name for the actual "Fun Run" is "Michael Scott’s Dunder Mifflin Scranton [Office Employee whose name I won’t fill in so as not to spoil it for you] Memorial Celebrity Pro-Am Rabies Awareness Fun Run For the Cure". If that doesn’t pique your interest, then I’m at a loss for words.
Regardless of your television show preferences, come this fall, enjoy your shows and Happy TV Watching!!
------------------------------------------------------------
Sadly, with the writer's strike, none of these shows have any more new episodes, so I am forced to watch reruns. Luckily Lost is starting back up at the end of January, or I would probably flip out.
Finally, the end of reruns is upon us!
One of the best things about fall is that most of my favorite television shows start airing new episodes. While we have to wait until January to find out what happens next on Lost, here are a few select returning shows I think you should get hooked on in the coming weeks…
How I Met Your Mother – CBS – Monday 8-8:30PM
How I Met Your Mother (HIMYM) is a comedy told through flashbacks about how Ted (Josh Radnor), a single New York architect, falls in love. In the flashbacks, Ted lives with his newlywed best friend Marshall (Jason Segel from the still much missed Freaks and Geeks) and Marshall’s wife, Lily (Alyson Hannigan). Ted also recently broke up with Robin (Cobie Smulders), who he once thought was the love of his life, but everyone knows from the narration of the first episode of the series that Robin is not the mother of Ted’s future children. Rounding out the ensemble is Neil Patrick Harris as Barney - the suit wearing, catchphrase making, and comedic center of the show.
My older sister always says that HIMYM is the show that most accurately depicts how she and her friends interact; "it’s the same type of funny". She’s absolutely right. HIMYM is all about friends helping each other through the ups and downs of living life and finding love in your late twenties/early thirties, and you’ll be able to laugh alongside (and sometimes at) the characters because it’s so easy to relate to them. If the first two seasons were any indication as to how season three (premiering September 24th) is going to unfold, to quote Barney, "It’s going to be Legend… Wait for it… Dary!"
Heroes – NBC – Monday 9-10 PM
"Save the cheerleader, save the world." Remember? Well, with those two missions accomplished, NBC promises for season two "New Heroes. New Stories." Fear not, though, we’ll still be seeing our favorite Heroes from the first season. Peter and Nathan Petrelli (Milo Ventimiglia and Adrian Pasdar, respectively) may have last been seen flying into space where Peter then exploded, but don’t write them off quite yet, and just because the superhero power-stealing murderer Sylar (Zachary Quinto) was finally taken down, doesn’t mean he’s gone for good either.
At the end of last season’s finale, we saw a little teaser for the first episode of season two, entitled "Generations". To recap, everyone’s favorite Hero, Hiro Nakamura (Masi Oka), has teleported back in time to Japan circa 1671 when he comes across some samurai, with one holding a flag boasting that mysterious curved symbol we’ve seen throughout the entire first season. The teaser ended with a total solar eclipse, much like the one that appears as the "O" in the Heroes title… I honestly don’t know what it all means, but I am really looking forward to finding out!
Season two of Heroes also starts on September 24th. If you haven’t seen any of season one and are feeling left out, the seven-disc DVD set is out now – I urge you to catch up so you know what everyone is talking about once the second season begins.
Now, I know a lot of people spend their Thursday nights watching ABC’s Ugly Betty and Grey’s Anatomy (or, as I like to call it, "Patrick Dempsey Appreciation Hour"). Both are entertaining shows, even I’ll admit that I watch Grey’s, but I urge you to expand your horizons and give NBC’s comedies your attention as well.
30 Rock – NBC – Thursday 8:30-9PM
Created by and starring Tina Fey, 30 Rock is a fictional take on the behind the scenes making of a late night sketch program. Fey stars as Liz Lemon, the head writer for the SNLesque "The Girlie Show with Tracy Jordan" who has to deal with a motley crew of writers, high maintenance talent (Tracy Morgan and Jane Krakowski) and her sharp-tongued boss, Jack Donaghy (the brilliant Alec Baldwin).
As 30 Rock enters its second season, there is much to look forward to; more Tracy Jordan antics, more Jack Donaghy insults, and more reasons to love working in television, care of Kenneth the NBC Page. During this season, there will probably be some top notch guest actors lending their talents to the already talented cast of 30 Rock. Last season brought us great guest stars such as Elaine Stritch, Isabella Rossellini and Nathan Lane. To start off this season right, Jerry Seinfeld will be appearing in the first episode.
The Office – NBC – Thursday 9-9:30/10PM
The Office is my favorite show and in my own vision of a perfect world, everyone would watch this show and love it as much as I do. I crave the awkward, uncomfortable to watch, cringe-worthy moments, mostly coming from Dunder Mifflin boss Michael Scott (Steve Carell), but I know that it’s these very same moments why some people don’t like watching The Office.
The Office is shot look like a documentary, which makes it unique from other sitcoms. A camera crew follows around the "employees" at the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin so many characters on the show probably seem like slightly extreme versions of people that you actually work with.
The Office is entering its fourth season, so people who like the show are already watching it. At the end of season three, Michael and Jan (Melora Hardin) have rekindled their relationship thanks to a new pair of boobs for Jan. Former temp Ryan Howard (B.J. Novak) now has Jan’s old job at corporate headquarters in New York City. But even more important for many fans, Jim (John Krasinski) finally asked the receptionist, Pam (Jenna Fischer), out on a date (!).
NBC had announced that The Office would have more episodes than the usual 22-episode season. However, instead of extending the season, executive producers at The Office are choosing to make the first four episodes into hour-long shows.
Look for the season premiere on September 27, entitled "Fun Run", which takes place two months after the season three finale. The official name for the actual "Fun Run" is "Michael Scott’s Dunder Mifflin Scranton [Office Employee whose name I won’t fill in so as not to spoil it for you] Memorial Celebrity Pro-Am Rabies Awareness Fun Run For the Cure". If that doesn’t pique your interest, then I’m at a loss for words.
Regardless of your television show preferences, come this fall, enjoy your shows and Happy TV Watching!!
------------------------------------------------------------
Sadly, with the writer's strike, none of these shows have any more new episodes, so I am forced to watch reruns. Luckily Lost is starting back up at the end of January, or I would probably flip out.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
(This article [my first one!] was published in the July/August 2007 issue of The Ryder)
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
At the end of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) mused "Everything’s going to change now, isn’t it?" Boy, was she right. Gone are the days when Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) and his friends (Watson and Rupert Grint as the ever-loyal Ron Weasley) talk about Quidditch or spend time just hanging about the common room working on Snape’s latest essay. Lord Voldemort is back and a war between good and evil is upon us. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is by far the darkest film in the franchise.
Like the first three Harry Potter films, Order of the Phoenix begins with Harry reluctantly spending his summer at the Dursley’s. After a verbal altercation with his cousin Dudley, Harry whips out his wand and the sky goes black (not his fault, by the way), setting the tone for the rest of the film. Subsequent illegal use of underage magic, in front of a Muggle no less, lands Harry in the middle of a hearing at the Ministry of Magic which decides whether or not he will be expelled from Hogwarts. Even though key members of the Ministry, including the Minister of Magic himself, Cornelius Fudge (Robert Hardy), believe that Harry is lying about Voldemort’s return, a key witness gets Harry off the hook and back into Hogwarts.
After his hearing, Harry is brought to the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix, a Wizarding society that was formed the first time Voldemort tried to come into power, fourteen years prior. Harry’s (late) parents and godfather, Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) were founding members and, with Voldemort’s return, remaining members of the Order have once again gathered to try and stop history from repeating itself. Wanting to do his part, Harry claims that he wants to fight with the Order to help defeat Voldemort, but some of the members, mainly Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, think he is too young to be a part of the upcoming war. At fifteen years of age, Harry Potter is too old to be considered a little kid, yet too young to be taken seriously by many of the authority figures who surround him at home and school.
A new school year at Hogwarts means a new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. Enter throat-clearing, pink-frock-wearing Dolores Umbridge (a perfectly cast Imelda Staunton), an employee of the Ministry of Magic who believes that reading about defense spells is infinitely better than actually practicing them. After all, the Ministry is sure that the Dark Lord hasn’t returned, so there is no need to learn how to protect oneself.
Discontented with the Ministry’s involvement with her education, Hermione breaks free from her "by the books" demeanor she has possessed for the previous four films. Early in the school year, she comes up with a brilliant idea for Harry to teach a small group of students how to use defense spells even though that is breaking one of Umbridge’s numerous school rules she is trying to enforce. Harry agrees to be his peers’ tutor and with his skills, is able to teach his fellow students (including his crush, Cho Chang played by Katie Leung) how to defend themselves in the event that they come across Voldemort and his Death Eaters.
The Wizarding world is chock-full of menacing adults, played by some of the finest British actors today, who take great pleasure in bossing around or tormenting Harry and his friends. Alan Rickman reprises his role as Severus Snape, the former Death Eater and the current moody Potions professor who seems to enjoy his task of breaking into Harry’s most personal thoughts during Occlumency lessons. One of Voldemort’s closest followers, Lucuis Malfoy (Jason Isaacs, whose cool blue eyes are as icy as his character) would gladly harm Harry and his fiends as they prepare to fight at the Ministry of Magic.
A new enemy for the film franchise is Bellatrix Lestrange, cousin of Sirius Black and an escapee from Azkaban where she was prisoner for performing an Unforgivable Curse on Neville Longbottom’s parents fourteen years ago. Lestrange is played by Helena Bonham Carter who takes what little screen time she gets and completely steals every scene she is in with her wide eyes and completely crazed look.
As evil as Umbridge and the Death Eaters seem, no one can compare to the Dark Lord himself. Ralph Fiennes once again embodies Voldemort who is pretty much the epitome of evil. Back with a vengeance, Voldemort is a frightful presence on screen with his ghastly pale skin and the eerie look of terror in his eyes. It is in this film we find out why Voldemort is still out to get Harry Potter, but for those of you who have yet to read the books, I won’t spoil the Prophecy for you.
But for all the evil grown-ups that surround Harry, there are just as many who care about him… they just get less screen time. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is only 138 minutes long, which seems obscenely short when one realizes it has been adapted from an 870 page book. New to the franchise screenwriter Michael Goldenberg kept only the most important plot points from the book. And while reading the books is not a must for enjoying the movies, if you read Order of the Phoenix, you will feel like the movie jumps from plot point to plot point with little (if any) wiggle room in between.
While much from the book had to be left out of the film, it would have been nice to see a bit more of the actual Order of the Phoenix. Nymphadora Tonks is still in the film, yet her part is vastly reduced. It would have been nice to see a bit more of interaction between Sirius and Harry, as well as more Professor Lupin (David Thewlis), the favorite werewolf Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
To make up for lack of interaction with friendly adults in the film, we do get to see more of Harry’s growing relationships within his peer group at school. When Harry first gets to school, he feels alone while he carries a heavy load of emotion on his own shoulders, unwilling to share his burden with even Ron and Hermione. Harry was the one who saw Voldemort return last school year, and a lot of people think he’s completely crazy thanks to a slew of articles in The Daily Prophet. Harry pushes everyone away and goes through a bit of a "I’ve got to take on Voldemort all on my own" phase before he realizes that it is okay to lean on your friends for support. Ron and Hermione, being the trusty sidekicks every movie protagonist needs, stick by Harry’s side even when he does not want them to.
The Harry Potter franchise is improving with each and every film, probably because they aren’t entirely geared toward children anymore. Yes, young adults can identify with Harry and grow up right along with him, but adults too will enjoy the film for the darker aspects of it, as well as a highly entertaining fight sequence. Yes, we finally get to see Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) in action. In an epic battle, Dumbledore and Voldemort face off with flourishes of their wands and fierce looks of determination on their faces. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix will leave you wanting more once the credits begin to roll, but lucky for us, the next film is slated to be released next November.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
At the end of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) mused "Everything’s going to change now, isn’t it?" Boy, was she right. Gone are the days when Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) and his friends (Watson and Rupert Grint as the ever-loyal Ron Weasley) talk about Quidditch or spend time just hanging about the common room working on Snape’s latest essay. Lord Voldemort is back and a war between good and evil is upon us. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is by far the darkest film in the franchise.
Like the first three Harry Potter films, Order of the Phoenix begins with Harry reluctantly spending his summer at the Dursley’s. After a verbal altercation with his cousin Dudley, Harry whips out his wand and the sky goes black (not his fault, by the way), setting the tone for the rest of the film. Subsequent illegal use of underage magic, in front of a Muggle no less, lands Harry in the middle of a hearing at the Ministry of Magic which decides whether or not he will be expelled from Hogwarts. Even though key members of the Ministry, including the Minister of Magic himself, Cornelius Fudge (Robert Hardy), believe that Harry is lying about Voldemort’s return, a key witness gets Harry off the hook and back into Hogwarts.
After his hearing, Harry is brought to the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix, a Wizarding society that was formed the first time Voldemort tried to come into power, fourteen years prior. Harry’s (late) parents and godfather, Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) were founding members and, with Voldemort’s return, remaining members of the Order have once again gathered to try and stop history from repeating itself. Wanting to do his part, Harry claims that he wants to fight with the Order to help defeat Voldemort, but some of the members, mainly Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, think he is too young to be a part of the upcoming war. At fifteen years of age, Harry Potter is too old to be considered a little kid, yet too young to be taken seriously by many of the authority figures who surround him at home and school.
A new school year at Hogwarts means a new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. Enter throat-clearing, pink-frock-wearing Dolores Umbridge (a perfectly cast Imelda Staunton), an employee of the Ministry of Magic who believes that reading about defense spells is infinitely better than actually practicing them. After all, the Ministry is sure that the Dark Lord hasn’t returned, so there is no need to learn how to protect oneself.
Discontented with the Ministry’s involvement with her education, Hermione breaks free from her "by the books" demeanor she has possessed for the previous four films. Early in the school year, she comes up with a brilliant idea for Harry to teach a small group of students how to use defense spells even though that is breaking one of Umbridge’s numerous school rules she is trying to enforce. Harry agrees to be his peers’ tutor and with his skills, is able to teach his fellow students (including his crush, Cho Chang played by Katie Leung) how to defend themselves in the event that they come across Voldemort and his Death Eaters.
The Wizarding world is chock-full of menacing adults, played by some of the finest British actors today, who take great pleasure in bossing around or tormenting Harry and his friends. Alan Rickman reprises his role as Severus Snape, the former Death Eater and the current moody Potions professor who seems to enjoy his task of breaking into Harry’s most personal thoughts during Occlumency lessons. One of Voldemort’s closest followers, Lucuis Malfoy (Jason Isaacs, whose cool blue eyes are as icy as his character) would gladly harm Harry and his fiends as they prepare to fight at the Ministry of Magic.
A new enemy for the film franchise is Bellatrix Lestrange, cousin of Sirius Black and an escapee from Azkaban where she was prisoner for performing an Unforgivable Curse on Neville Longbottom’s parents fourteen years ago. Lestrange is played by Helena Bonham Carter who takes what little screen time she gets and completely steals every scene she is in with her wide eyes and completely crazed look.
As evil as Umbridge and the Death Eaters seem, no one can compare to the Dark Lord himself. Ralph Fiennes once again embodies Voldemort who is pretty much the epitome of evil. Back with a vengeance, Voldemort is a frightful presence on screen with his ghastly pale skin and the eerie look of terror in his eyes. It is in this film we find out why Voldemort is still out to get Harry Potter, but for those of you who have yet to read the books, I won’t spoil the Prophecy for you.
But for all the evil grown-ups that surround Harry, there are just as many who care about him… they just get less screen time. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is only 138 minutes long, which seems obscenely short when one realizes it has been adapted from an 870 page book. New to the franchise screenwriter Michael Goldenberg kept only the most important plot points from the book. And while reading the books is not a must for enjoying the movies, if you read Order of the Phoenix, you will feel like the movie jumps from plot point to plot point with little (if any) wiggle room in between.
While much from the book had to be left out of the film, it would have been nice to see a bit more of the actual Order of the Phoenix. Nymphadora Tonks is still in the film, yet her part is vastly reduced. It would have been nice to see a bit more of interaction between Sirius and Harry, as well as more Professor Lupin (David Thewlis), the favorite werewolf Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
To make up for lack of interaction with friendly adults in the film, we do get to see more of Harry’s growing relationships within his peer group at school. When Harry first gets to school, he feels alone while he carries a heavy load of emotion on his own shoulders, unwilling to share his burden with even Ron and Hermione. Harry was the one who saw Voldemort return last school year, and a lot of people think he’s completely crazy thanks to a slew of articles in The Daily Prophet. Harry pushes everyone away and goes through a bit of a "I’ve got to take on Voldemort all on my own" phase before he realizes that it is okay to lean on your friends for support. Ron and Hermione, being the trusty sidekicks every movie protagonist needs, stick by Harry’s side even when he does not want them to.
The Harry Potter franchise is improving with each and every film, probably because they aren’t entirely geared toward children anymore. Yes, young adults can identify with Harry and grow up right along with him, but adults too will enjoy the film for the darker aspects of it, as well as a highly entertaining fight sequence. Yes, we finally get to see Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) in action. In an epic battle, Dumbledore and Voldemort face off with flourishes of their wands and fierce looks of determination on their faces. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix will leave you wanting more once the credits begin to roll, but lucky for us, the next film is slated to be released next November.
So, I started a blog...
I've been publishing articles about movies in a local pop-culture magazine for the past six months but decided I needed a venue to share my thoughts with a wider audience.
So - Hi... hope you like what you read here. May this be the start of our own cinematic adventure!
So - Hi... hope you like what you read here. May this be the start of our own cinematic adventure!
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