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In an industry where so many of the key decisions makers have discarded, or never been equipped with, a moral compass, there needs to be some respect given when a valiant attempt at creating decent entertainment with as little offence as possible.
Such a film is the recent release, Four Christmases, starring Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon. It tries so hard to take the misery that is family Christmas celebrations for so many, and turn it into a tight little comedy with a heart.
And it ALMOST makes it.
No doubt there are some uproarious moments, as the main characters, Brad and Kate - the ultimate hedonists – at first weave their devious web of deceit to avoid Christmas Day celebrations with their fractured family, and then, must suffer through more family exposure in one day than in their entire 3 year relationship. As a highlight, the baby vomit and satellite installation scenes are more than a chuckle.
Sadly though, the entertainment generated by a clever script, Vaughn’s improv-like patter and comedic timing, Witherspoon’s command of her craft and quality contributions from Robert Duvall, Mary Steenburgen, Sissy Spacek, Jon Voight, and others, is denuded of its merit by the often crass nature of the conversations, sexual innuendo, and frequent low level coarse language. Nothing major in terms of obscenity – no JCs, one easily missed S – but just too low a brow.
To be specific, as far as Ambush Alerts go, the one s-word appears out of nowhere, and was completely unwarranted. The heavy visual dependence on conspicuous cleavage was distasteful, and the frequent reference to sexual behavior un-needed. The fact that the whole movie is about a couple who refuse to get married says plenty about what to expect, and the opening ‘role-playing’ sequence may be difficult for some to get past.
As far as family movies are concerned, it would be impossible to recommend this. My boys will be going nowhere near it, and despite the PG-13 MPAA rating, it seems very crude and overly suggestive for a young teen audience.
But the makers did try. Keep trying, too, and maybe next time, they’ll nail it.
The innocent state of the world that saw one of the original Sci-Fi greats, The Day the Earth Stood Still, horrify and shock audiences throughout America and the world is often the source of scorn today.
Many snicker at the simplicity of the picture, it's melodramatic themes, poor quality acting, and syrupy sweet message. But the reality is, the world could do a lot worse than, in this wonderfully modern, progressive society, have another look at this instructive piece of Cold War drama.
Set in the early 1950s, with the Korean conflict raging, and the communist dual threats of the USSR and Red China occupying the minds of the free-world, The Day The Earth Stood Still is at times a chilling reminder of a period in history where annihilation was a constant issue.
The story begins with a blip on a navy-man's radar travelling at the astounding speed of 4,000 mph (!). The blip soon becomes an opaque object on the Washington D.C. horizon, and lands in a park adjacent to the Capitol.
Out steps Klaatu in a suit so futuristic, it can be seen most days on Fashion TV slinking along a catwalk in some corner of Italy or France. Klaatu comes in peace. Numerous weapons are trained on him, naturally, and as he reaches for an instrument, a toey private pops a cap in his arm. Klaatu's protector, the 10-foot tall original Iron Man, named Gort, steps out of the craft and melts, with a red laser, all of the weapons, including tanks, artillery, and personal armaments. Gort's suit is also a sight for sore eyes, and no doubt the reason why C3PO had knee joints built into his costume.
But I digress. Klaatu is taken to a military hospital and kept under lock and key. He recovers at a remarkable rate from his injuries, and explains that he has a message for all nations, and must speak to a gathering of their leaders at once.
He delivers this message to the President's Secretary, who explains how impossible such a meeting is, and rebuff's his request. Klaatu breaks out of the substandard confinements, and decides to assimilate with Humans to understand them better.
He soon finds himself in a D.C. boarding house where he meets a lovely widow, Helen, and her son, Bobby. Klaatu befriends Bobby, and gleans much information from his eager and friendly young buddy. Klaatu also decides to break into the home of an eminent Professor in hope of catching his attention, and securing the meeting he so desperately needs.
He gets the professors attention by easily solving a mathematical equation light years ahead of current wisdom, and persuades the Professor to listen to him. He says his message is a warning. That earth must solve its intercontinental differences without resorting to atomic destruction and advancement, or the other inhabitants of the universe will be obliged to step in, and sort out the earth in a quick and fiery manner, as a, dare I say it, pre-emptive strike in order to protect their own sanctity and security. Hmmm. Maybe G.W. is from another planet after all?
It seems these spacemen have determined that earth, in its current format, cannot be trusted with such supernal powers.
Well anyway, the meeting is arranged, but humans, being the control freaks they are, end up shooting Klaatu. It is at this point that Gort, who has been motionless for days standing guard of the ship, springs to life and rescues his master, along with Helen and Bobby.
The melodrama continues for a few more minutes, and Klaatu is revived to deliver his message with the world's leaders all ears. Then, off he goes, back into space at that withering speed of...you guessed it, 4000 mph.
As I mentioned, this is a simple movie, made simply, and leveraging on the fears of millions the world over at the time. I can see that kids and adults alike would not have slept for days after watching Gort use his lasers, or Klaatu revived from the dead. But those things aside, to sneer at The Day the Earth Stood Still is to miss the salient point of its message.
That surely, at some point in our history, we will be able to, as John Lennon put it, 'give peace a chance'. But then again, maybe that is the most simple, naïve part of this story, that such a complex problem can be solved in 90 minutes.
In any case, The Day the Earth Stood Still is a fascinating time capsule of the 1950s. Complete with Leave it to Beaver-esque dialogue - I challenge you to count the number of times someone says 'swell' - and severe lack of clothing styles, The Day the Earth Stood Still is harmless fun that might even provoke some serious thoughts about the state of our fragile planet.
Certainly suitable for the whole family, and an interesting comparison to the 2008 version about to be released. I'm prepared to wager the word 'swell' won't get much of a run there!
With the remake - starring the incredibly dull Keanu Reeves, as the hero Klaatu, not the robot - due for release on December 12, now is not a bad time to check this out again, or possibly for the first time.
Tom Hanks is no one trick pony, of that there is no doubt. Like him or loath him, the former funny-man has consistently expanded his range and repertoire throughout his successful career, including a number of stints off camera with impressive writing, producing and directing credits in his CV.
Take for instance the charming 1996 dramedy, That Thing You Do, Hanks first - and only - effort as writer, director, and producer.
Set in the early to mid-60s, and post Beatlemania, That Thing You Do focuses on a fictional band, The Wonders, made up of a few erstwhile locals from Erie, Pa. Led by primary composer and lead singer, Jimmy, with Lennie (Steve Zahn) as the lyricist and lead guitarist, Chad the rhythmically challenged drummer, and an unnamed bassist, the boys write the eponymous ballad, and are planning to enter the local college's talent night. With $100 up for grabs as first prize, the boys are all psyched about the chance of splitting the Charlie.
But tragedy strikes, and Chad breaks his arm goofing around leap-frogging parking meters. It is Jimmy's girl, Faye (Liv Tyler) that suggests Guy as the fill-in, who spends his days running the floor of his father's appliance store, and nights banging away on his drum kit to the legends of jazz.
Guy steps in and quickly outshines Chad in rehearsal. On the day of performance, he leads off with a much faster beat, turning the ballad into a teen hit. It's not long until they are the headliner act at the premier pizza restaurant in Eerie, Villapianos, where they cut a single of their hit, and get discovered by a talent scout.
Wooed to sign with the promise of gigs in Pittsburgh, and Steubenville (?), the boys head to their first theatrical performance, and bomb! Dejected by the crowd's reception and their own ineptitude, the band is uplifted by an offer from a label to sign on. At this point in steps Mr. White (Tom Hanks) as the record label guy, who swiftly has them signed, sealed and delivered. Their record hits the charts, and starts its meteoric rise, and the band experiences the ups and downs of being a one-hit wonder.
In case readers are worried about the virtues of what is a Rock and Roll movie, rest easy. That Thing You Do is set pre Sex, Drugs, and Rock 'n' Roll - it's only Rock ‘n' Roll ('and I like it!!'). Hanks has cleverly crafted a charming and enjoyable movie not only about the 60s before things got complicated, but about an art form, though controversial at the time, that isn't a patch on the ills of today's music scene.
Above all, That Thing You Do is a fun piece of nostalgia, for those who were there, and an enjoyable history lesson for those who weren't. Rated G, there is nothing to offend, only plenty to enjoy.
A quick scan of most online dictionaries pulls up a lot of synonyms for that very fashionable of words today - especially if you are a financial journalist - 'crisis'.
Having been splashed over the front pages of the world's newspapers ad-nauseum for the last few weeks, one would've thought some originality from pundits and their sub editors might have prevailed. Like 'predicament', or 'pickle', maybe? How about 'bind', 'dilemma', 'pinch', 'quandary', or 'stew
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I was surprised, and initially disappointed that Baz Luhrmann’s much hyped epic, Australia, began with a clear politically driven message at its heart - the plight of indigenous Australia: the Aboriginals. 'More brow beating from the left-leaning cultural elite' I instinctively thought.
After an hour or so though, the story began to fold over on me, drawing me in to the extent that I was able to look past my reservations and concerns, becoming engrossed in what was generally, an applaudable film, with only a couple of drawbacks that I am working hard to rationalize
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I had a strong hunch that I would get into Lars and the Real Girl, a quixotic tale of the mysterys of love, and even greater mystery that is the human coping mechanism.
But I had equally strong reservations of how the filmmakers would deal with such an off-beat, somewhat provocative, concept without slipping easily into the smutiness and innuendo that immediately springs to mind for a story that is about an emotional recluse, and his delusion that a lifesize female doll is his living, breathing, girlfriend
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The world, naturally enough, sees America through the prism of its entertainment exports.
Which is pretty scary when you consider what is out there in record stores, and theaters from Durban to Dortmund, and everywhere in between
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The essence of drama is conflict. Welcome to “Filmmaking: 101”.
Sadly though, this definition of drama has become a one-size-fits-all justification for the on-screen atrocities that are the majority of movies today. How else can we see real drama played out without language to make a teamster blush, not to mention nudity, violent splatter, and S – E – X (hey, my kids are reading this, you know
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We all know the movie business is a numbers game, and that the studio execs just don’t get it – execs can be like that from time to time. But you’d think the stars would understand where their bread is buttered.
But alas, it seems they don’t. Finding a genuine good guy in Hollywood these days seems to be as difficult as finding rocking horse manure, despite the numbers that say it’s the path to fame and fortune
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One day, my daughter will be of an age that boys come a-knockin’. And, if she looks anything like her mother, the line will likely extend way out onto the street!
So I expect that will be about the time we have the love vs. lust talk. It’s not one I look forward to, to be honest. I’m the sort of father that wants my children to magically transform from gorgeous 6 year-olds, into married adulthood
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