Has Rolling Stone Lost It's Edge?
December 13th 2008 23:33
MATURE CONTENT
Jared J. H. Catapano
UNITED STATES
Joined December 13th 2008
Number of Posts:
6
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7
Recent Posts Quantum of SolaceDecember 13th 2008 23:31
As a child of the Pierce Brosnan’s James Bond films, I was extremely apprehensive of Daniel Craig taking over the role. Surely Brosnan is not, I believe by anyone’s standards, the best of the actors in this classic line of cinema but at first it’s all about which Bond you remember being ‘the’ James Bond. By the end, you make an informed decision and mine has always been Mr Connery. But that is neither here nor there. The newest two Bond films have gone in a very different direction than all of the previous. Craig portrays agent 007 as an off-the-cuff character with rage and a twist of insanity (not included, necessarily, in his martini). I enjoyed Casino Royale, but it has been nearly two years to the day since it opened and I have forgotten most of the plot points, which proved to be problematic. If you’re planning to go see this film, I would seriously recommend rewatching its chronological predecessor. Your problems will otherwise entail being incredibly confused throughout the first thirty minutes. References are made, characters are discussed, it’s a real problem. This is my major writing and directorial issue. Give the audience credit, but please throw us a flashback or perhaps clearer references than, ‘Jackie was a good bloke… I miss him.’ Is it possible they’re asking us to go rent or purchase Casino Royale afterward only to purchase a second ticket to make the connections? I doubt it, but it’d be a hell of a marketing ploy.
After the initial attempts of trying to remember what happened in the previous story line, the film became more interested in itself and, therefore, more enjoyable. Craig is almost as cold-blooded as his villainous counterpart. He seems to be obsessed with not screwing up like he did in Royale. What Haggis et al do with this Bond is create a character who is morally ambiguous. For one of the first times I wondered whether or not I should really like this guy. You know he’s end is righteous, but the means are sometimes hard to swallow. It only becomes more problematic once we see the theme of betrayal dominating and creating more questions of reason and morality. Amalric, Quantum’s villain, plays an excellent sniveling Frenchman looking to dominate an essential Bolivian resource. Indeed, he isn’t as chaotic evil as, say, Dr No or Mr Big but he still retains that world dominance addiction albeit on a smaller scale. And he has the charming characteristic of throwing anyone and everyone who’s expendable in his operation under the bus. The nihilistic evil-doer is alive and well in this piece. I would certainly recommend seeing this film, but don’t expect anything spectacular. Do expect a few interesting fight scenes that aren’t terribly well shot and are mostly in Borne Identity vein, some fun explosions and special effects, a few good jokes, and a very well performing cast. I won’t say ‘don’t waste a moment,’ but if you have the opportunity, go check it out.
W.December 13th 2008 23:30
Oliver Stone is well known for his strange, off-color presidential biographies. The best way to prepare you for this debut of W. is likely to watch Nixon, which is probably the most sympathetic biography of a corrupt son-of-a-bitch I know of. With that said, W. is probably going to disappoint a large crowd of people looking for some scathing commentary on evil, dim lighting, plotting, and eating small African children. For you, Stone does not deliver.
The story begins and ends with Brolin as our president in Rangers Ballpark listening to an empty stadium roaring with cheering fans. The symbolism, of course, is acceptance and notoriety. What Stone does so brilliantly is paint the story of a man who constantly was living in his father’s shadow. Like George W. or not, you have to admire his story. Breaking away from a life of failure, booze, and drugs is truly an American story. Of course, what is lightly glazed over is the fact that ‘Junior’ had an awful lot of help from his father from getting out of jail to getting into Harvard business school. There is much more emphases on W.’s perseverance in overcoming adversity, but it is not by any means a stretch. I think the biggest complaint about this film will be that people honestly were looking for a den of scary, evil people plotting the demise of the greater Western world. Instead, what Stone shows is a man driven by his own determination to do what he believes is right. Plus, there is very little mention of puppetry and none by Dick Cheney. In my personal opinion, I think it was a necessary angle. The problem with many people’s views on this Bush presidency is that they truly believe he is an idiot and everyone around him are criminal masterminds just sneaking by the judicial system throwing down their gavel of truth and righteousness. What Stone does instead is depicts a real guy out there to make things right by his own standards. Now, you or I may not agree with those standards or those beliefs and we may even think it’s the worst possible thing for this country, by the Bush team is not evil. And I think that is what Stone is attempting to convey and, I believe, he does it extremely well.
How to Lose Friends and Alienate PeopleDecember 13th 2008 23:29
Robert Weide you may know from his directions of many episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm. Though not one of my favorite comedy shows, it’s worth noting his experience in the field. His film is one that will likely satisfy your expectations. As long as you don’t go in looking for previous over-the-top Simon Pegg films such as ‘Shaun of the Dead’ or ‘Hot Fuzz,’ you’ll be pleased. As a fan of Pegg’s work, I enjoyed his comedic performance. He plays an underground London journalist given the chance of a lifetime to work for a big shot magazine head in the States [Jeff Bridges] who sees his own youth and hopefulness in Pegg. A myriad of conflicts arise for his character from dealing with the radically different American movie stars to wanting to continue his own ‘hard-hitting facts’ journalistic style.
The movie opens at an awards ceremony where Pegg is at a table with Megan Fox’s character. She plays an excruciatingly dense actress bent on movie stardom and little else. As a sidenote, I am not at all a fan of her most recent plastic surgery. When she came on film I barely recognized her and, frankly, didn’t like what I saw. Moving right along, Pegg goes on to explain how his life ‘didn’t used to be like this.’ From there, we watch the series of events that lead his character to an Armani tuxedo with a beautiful actress. It’s a classic tale of wondering whether to stay true to yourself or do the what needs doing in order to climb your way to the top. The underlying storyline includes both Fox and Dunst. Pegg needs to decide whether he wants the cheap thrill or the meaningful relationship. The other plot points I will not spoil for you, but the road blocks are many
Acid TongueDecember 13th 2008 23:26
Among the feminine swath of 20 to 30-somethings trying to make a record deal, Jenny Lewis stands alone. Surely, your Sara Barielles has a distinctive voice apart from your Feist, but what this musical generation is seeing are far too many arrows at the same target. Lewis provides variety for the listeners searching for something apart from female singer/piano player X.
Acid Tongue runs more like a genre sampler if nothing else. From chord progressions of late-era Beatles to the soulful sounds of a Keys record (Keys and generic contemporary female singers not mutually exclusive). The voice of Lewis in her first track “Black Sand” is almost indistinguishable from “The Next Messiah, which is only two tracks following. She’s malleable, and I don’t think you find much of that among the other female singers of her ilk. The differences with these tracks are where the move from silent, reserved guitar strumming moves to a hard-rock southern feel for the first time. “Is this the same record? Do I have my iPod on shuffle? Who is this now?” No indeed, we are still listening to Jenny Lewis. She throws us off with her progressions from track to track and always keeps her audience wondering what the next three minutes will hold. “The Next Messiah,” probably the most exploratory tune on the record, illustrates Lewis’ melodic voice along with her breathy, sultry sound. Not only that, but she introduces the male singer Jonathan Rice who provides an interesting take on this southern rock run around. As with most other contemporary female singers, you don’t hear anyone else other than the artist herself with maybe a backup singer or two. Allowing Rice to throw his voice on the cut for more than two lines is something I certainly don’t hear very often. For the best example of this, go no further than “Carpetbaggers” where Lewis sings lines with the inexorable Elvis Costello who, of course, sings lines of his own
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