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Saturday, July 10, 2004
When in Rome
Forgot to mention one thing I did like about Napoleon Dynamite was the use of this song leading into the closing credits.
This just in
When in Rome is also a mangled piece of language featured in Anchorman, which was funny for what it was -- a 90-minute SNL-type sketch with its share of funny moments and poor attempts at humor, not to mention a bunch of excuses to throw in '70s music. (However, I think Matt Damon still beats this cast for the best movie rendition of "Afternoon Delight.")
It does work as a satire of the news business, showing what many of us (including those in the business) perceive local TV news to be, although Salon topped that recently by showing current-day examples of the often lamebrained pomposity of the business.
Steve Carrell's somewhat retarded weatherman is possibly a better example of the business than even Will Ferrell's Ron Burgundy. (And to complete the circle, Christina Applegate has graduated from the infamous weatherbunny on Married with Children to the anchor chair, although everyone is still going after her.)
The one thing that both amused and disturbed me was having the current inner circle of male comedic actors (dubbed the Frat Pack by some) decided to converge all at once. Vince Vaughn shows up earlier in the movie, but then all of a sudden there's Luke Wilson (OK, let's complete the Old School connections). Jack Black makes a short appearance, and Tim Robbins hams it up as a PBS news reporter (since John Cusack isn't going to be here, we've finished the High Fidelity string). And since we've got Black, Vaughn, Ferrell and Wilson brother in one movie, obviously Ben Stiller was going to show up -- as a Spanish news reporter. I'm surprised Stiller didn't try to bring in Owen Wilson or Christine Taylor, but then again, it's not really his movie and he's used them already this year.
It was still good fun, given my reasonably low expectations of the movie. I suppose it's sometimes good to know what you're getting into -- you can have a so-so time and still feel satisfied and "stay classy."
posted at 5:18 PM
Friday, July 09, 2004
Yes, I'll be watching Anchorman at my earliest convenience, but I was also fascinated that the movie also decided to use Friendster profiles to help advertise the film. As if I needed more connections to people through the most tenuous of means -- I'm amused to the connections to people thanks to having "John Kerry" as a "friend."
Speaking of reviews, check out the Amazon.com Knee-Jerk Contrarian Game.
posted at 3:02 AM
Wednesday, July 07, 2004
Dude, where's my Asians?
That might be the best way to describe Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle, which I saw in a press screening that had as many security guards and movie reps as people actually attending. Oh well, it fit into my schedule better than the big shindig with the stars the next night. That lack of an audience probably didn't help me try to find as many funny bit as I would in a full theater.
Nonetheless, the film really does seem as, this review notes, a rewrite of Dude, Where's My Car? -- not a surprise because it's the same director at work here. Except instead of Stifler and Kelso, you get (as the ads note) the Asian guy from the American Pie movies and the Indian guy from Van Wilder -- and some typical Asian stereotypes, sorta: one's an up-and-coming analyst, the other aced his MCATs and is applying to med school. But they both like to get baked, and with a case of the munchies, they're trying to find White Castle.
From there, the journey goes through all sorts of wackiness up and down New Jersey in search of the famed burgers. No Zartan or space aliens this time, but there is a tripped-out Doogie Howser, a stop-off at Princeton, an encounter with a boil-filled redneck (they exist in NJ?) and his hot wife, plus Anthony Anderson (who you can recognize) and Jamie Kennedy (who you really can't), plus Finch and Van Wilder (to help support their previous supporting players). It's all silly and goofy, and yes, it probably works better if you're high, but it's funny nonetheless.
However, being a New Jersey native, and with the action taking place in the Garden State (but of course filmed mostly in Canada), trying to figure out the geography of the movie would encourage you to toke up. So as not to spoil the movie even more than I already have, I'll hold off on posting the map until the movie officially comes out. But in the meantime, here's a list of White Castles the guys couldn't find.
One of the stranger things about the movie was how much I could've had flashbacks to college since Kumar looks a lot like my freshman year roommate Sanjay. But I don't look like John Cho, and the stoners were the guys next door to us. However, a White Castle run could've been in the cards -- there were a few in Chicago. So much for reality.
posted at 2:59 AM
Tuesday, July 06, 2004
More movie capsules, since it seems that's what I do in between watching Wimbledon matches while at the gym:
Fahrenheit 9/11: It was well-made and entertaining, although you have to be skeptical of both Moore's assertions and the criticisms/rebuttals. The truth is somewhere in the middle, but definitely not in what has been offered. No one ever said he was trying to be even-handed, although the second half of the film (about Lila Lipscomb and Flint) worked much better if only because there seemed to be more relevance instead of the angry Michael Moore who appeared to be proving what he said at the Oscars was right. What's odd is that my politics are drifting left, but I have more issues with Moore now, compared to the Roger & Me/TV Nation days, when I was a bit more to the right.
Control Room: If you're looking for a "real" documentary, concerning the war, then this is for you. It's not as slick as F9/11, but it's engrossing and entertaining without having to involve the filmmakers. What you take from the film is that Al Jazeera is no "evil mouthpiece" as many paint it. It caters to a certain audience, but there's great care in trying to report the news fairly, which can be harder than many think. One telling scene in the film was the senior producer lambasting a producer for booking an interview with an American commentator who ripped U.S. policy, instead of looking for a more "balanced" guest.
Napoleon Dynamite: And now for something completely different. A movie about a high school nerd sorta making good? Of course I'm there. However, I wanted to like the film a lot more than I really did. John Heder absolutely nailed the role of the mouth-breathing nerd, but much of the supporting cast seemed to much like caricatures and while I don't mind meandering plots, this one wandered around even more than I'd like. There were plenty of funny scenes, but there was something missing that I can't necessarily put my finger on.
Speaking of Wimbledon, for Q rating purposes, the Serena-Sharapova final was the one everyone wanted to see. Of course, I got slightly confused after that match when I saw the early previews for Wimbledon, the movie, because there was another willowy blonde, only it was Kirsten Dunst instead of Sharapova.
And for the first time in a long time, I actually cared about women's golf because of Jennifer Rosales of the Philippines via USC had the lead in the U.S. Open before stumbling badly in the final round. Oh well, time for me to stop caring for a while other than to think, "Michelle Wie is just 14?"
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