The Film Geek

Film Scenes That Matter: American Beauty

2009-12-10T00:00:00.000-05:00

Film Scenes That Matter: National Lampoon's Vacation

2009-12-09T00:00:00.001-05:00

2012

2009-12-05T00:00:00.000-05:00

"Two tickets for 2013," I told the cashier. Mrs. Film Geek snorted.

"What?" I asked. I figured this was my one shot at some fun for the next two-and-a-half hours, considering I expected 2012 to be mostly Lloyd Dobler-meets-Twister-meets-Titanic.

"Isn't that the name of the movie?"

Mrs. Film Geek looked away, embarrassed. The cashier gave me change and pretended she didn't hear me. I thought it was funny.

Sorta.

2012 is very much a combination of disaster movies and John Cusack roles. He's a bit of s shlub, but finds redemption in the love of his ex-wife and family.

(While, of course, he high-tails it to China, dodging lava-blobs and falling buildings and man-made landmarks along the way.)

The effects are amazing, even if they are predictable and cliche. The politics involved in how people are chosen to be saved from catastrophe make for an interesting debate. In the end, though, Cusack overcomes unbelievable odds to save his family and win back his ex-wife.

Lloyd Dobler would be proud.

Please, Make It Stop: Part 18

2009-12-04T08:10:00.004-05:00

As if Tiger Woods didn't have enough trouble in his life at present, Oprah--The Queen of Self-Involvement--has come callin'.

Tiger's image stands a better chance after 12 rounds with an angry wife than it does if he cozies up to O.

Play it smart, Tiger. Sometimes the best way outta the rough is to pitch it, and not hit for the green.

Funny People

2009-12-03T12:47:00.003-05:00

Adam Sandlers performance in Funny People is Oscar worthy, in my opinion. And I'll be surprised if he isn't nominated for the award.

This film is, by far, Judd Apatow's most matre and complete work. One can tell it's his most personal; family and friends make up most of the cast. The writing is excellent and the acting is poignant.

I admit I cried at least twice between the snorts and laughs brought on by the rest of the movie.

The aspect I enjoy most about a movie like Funny People is the opportunity for reflection it allows. Apatow seems to be working through conflict brought about by his recent success through this film. (That, or I'm reading too much into what the writer-director-producer did with this flick.) Success sometimes causes people to become isolated, and Sandler's character George Simmons is certainly that. Too often it takes a monumental event in our lives--the death of a loved one, the loss of a job or, as in this movie, the onset of a potentially terminal disease--to jar us out of that rut of isolation.

Apatow reminds us we're often happiest when we embrace others rather than hide from them.

I'm Sorry, Mrs. Nichols

2009-11-23T16:26:00.006-05:00

Despite being Jewish and a long way from his home in New Jersey, my 6th grade teacher Jed Castlebaum was really into the Christmas season. The big city teacher just out of college struggled a bit with connecting to us rural, poor, Christian kids, so Mr. Castlebaum tried hard and often to act like he was one of us.

He never really succeeded, but we appreciated the effort.

While planning the Christmas party for our 6th grade class (this in the years before such parties became known as "holiday parties," to remove a religious bent, although the modern ones still maintain that Christ-is-the-reason-for-the-season aroma) Mr. Castlebaum asked if anyone would volunteer to donate a Christmas tree.

I raised my hand.

It didn't occur to me, when I raised my hand, just where I was gonna get that Christmas tree. I just knew it sounded like a job I'd have fun with, so I volunteered. I arrived at home that afternoon and announced I'd volunteered to chop down and donate a tree from our farm for school, and my parents smiled at my responsible demeanor.

Their son was growing up; let's give him an ax.

After exploring the farm for a couple of hours, I couldn't find a suitable tree. Most were too high, and some were too wide. None, it seemed, were just right.

It was then I recalled the large pine trees on the property of our nearest neighbor, the Nichols family. Mrs. Nichols had a grove of pine trees I used to play in with her daughter.

I knew those trees, and knew they would be the perfect size.

I--with a friend--walked the quarter mile or so with my ax, arriving just after dusk. We slipped into the middle of the grove, where we knew a missing tree would not be easily noticed, and worked quickly to cut a tree down. It took a long while to drag that tree back to the house, but we did it. We loaded into my dad's truck, and he agreed to take it to the school the following morning.

They didn't ask, and I didn't tell.

I always felt bad about stealing Mrs. Nichols' tree. I never apologized. She's passed on now, so that's impossible. But I always felt as if I owed her something for the tree. So this Christmas, I'm dedicating our tree to Mary Nichols.

And to memories of life lessons.

Drag Me To Hell

2009-11-21T10:46:00.008-05:00

Somewhere in between
Horror and a comedy.
I was dragged to Hell.

While Sam Raimi should be commended for creating a flick that uses humor to tell a frightening story, the combination just didn't work for me in this film. The effects were average, the story was predictable and the acting just okay.

The result: a movie that was neither scary or funny.

My Top 5: Movies With A Message

2009-11-18T13:08:00.003-05:00

It's that time of year, folks. The time of the year when messages wiggle their way into movies so that we, the audience, may be provided insight, inspiration and a healthy dose of holiday goodness.

Message flicks. Love 'em or hate'em, the next six weeks is gonna be full of them. So to start the season, here is:

My Top 5: Movies With A Message

The Big Chill: When I first watched Chill in the early 80s, I thought it was a movie about swingers. Tom Berenger's mustache was the reason: when you see that 'stache, you automatically hum a few bars of some cheap porn soundtrack out loud.

Or is that just me?

Regardless, I had to watch The Big Chill a couple of times to get the message: the community that comes with true, intimate, long-lasting friendship is important to vitality and happiness.

Citizen Kane: This classic film is beautiful in its simplicity. The truth is, what makes my stroke different than yours can be the smallest of things.

Go figure.

Edward Scissorhands: This Tim Burton flick was the movie Mrs. Film Geek and I saw on our first date. The date was at a local drive-in, and we watched the movie comfortably from the hatchback of her car. I was so obsessed with the message of Scissorhands--a beauty and the beast story line that celebrates individuality--that I forgot to make out.

Yet still, she went out with me again...

Crash: The 2004 movie--not the earlier James Spader fetish-flick of the same name--moved me with its message of how everyday, common folks affect the life quality of others without even realizing it.

For good and for bad.

Borat: You doubt my belief that Borat is a message movie? Watch it again, my friend, and see if you can find yourself in the cliches.

Ken Ober

2009-11-17T08:00:00.003-05:00

(1957 - 2009)

Although Ober was a successful actor, writer and producer, it's with MTV's Remote Control that I'll always associate him.

MTV had really cool programming at one time, kids. Ober and his show set the bar.

Reflecting On Sacrifice

2009-11-16T08:09:00.005-05:00

While surfing through status updates of people I know on Facebook this morning, a Thanksgiving meme caught my eye. The meme asked: "What are you most thankful for?" and my friend answered: "Parents who sacrificed selflessly for their children."

And I immediately wondered if my children, when they become adults, will say the same for me.

I'm quick to recall the dozens of hours each month that I drive my kids to and from sporting events and school functions. And I'm good at counting the time and money spent on family vacations. I'm a concerned and active parent when my children are ill, and miss work now and again when necessary to care for them during times of sickness. It's true that our family enjoys a lot of time together, and the amount of time can be taxing--for them and for me. But the question remains:

Do I sacrifice selflessly for my children?

I'm notoriously good at finding time to be alone. I squirrel away opportunities for isolation often, enjoying the calm and quiet I need to rejuvenate after the stresses of work and life have overwhelmed me. I'm easily frustrated when that time is shortened, and can become angry when it's impossible to obtain. And to be honest, most times that access to quiet time is blocked is because of something I need to do for my kids.

Sacrifice has to be more than just doing for someone else. To sacrifice selflessly suggests to me a loving desire to do without for someone, simply because my doing without will enhance their quality of life in some manner.

Perhaps I don't act in a manner that is "selfless" toward my children, after all.

That has to change.

Kick-Ass Movie Trailer

2009-11-11T09:16:00.007-05:00

Thanks to my friend Bill for pointing out the trailer for the new comic book movie Kick-Ass is out. The comic is really a Gen Z take on hero-dom, and is a terrific read. The movie looks like it's gonna rock, too.

Wanted:

2009-11-09T16:32:00.003-05:00

Randy Quaid, AKA "Cousin Eddie"

Food, Inc.

2009-11-07T19:57:00.003-05:00

A significant responsibility for those living on a functional farm is caring for, then slaughtering and butchering, livestock. At least it was for me, during my teen years. Especially during my early teens, my family lived off the harvest and livestock as a primary source of food. At 13, it wasn't unusual to hear "Go catch a chicken for dinner."

I did. And it was.

Once during late summer I saw my father preparing to kill a bull. Shooting guns was fun for me at that age, so I asked if I could do it. My dad paused:

"No, you can't," he said. "Killing isn't something anyone should ever do for fun. Even killing animals for food. The animal and act should be respected."

Food, Inc., a documentary by Robert Kenner, illustrates well how the respect for that process has been lost in the modern-day industrialization of our food processing system.

Keener describes how a handful of companies in the United States has monopolized the business of food processing, causing economic, environmental and biological catastrophe along the way. Food, Inc. isn't hyperbolic, and isn't propaganda used by the likes of PETA to get folks to stop eating meat.

Food, Inc. focuses more on removing the veil that prevents consumers from knowing how large, powerful conglomerates mass produce food in a manner that may well be harmful to our society. The documentary is well done, and highly thought provoking.

One-Half

2009-11-03T16:07:00.003-05:00

Since seeing Michael Moore's recent documentary on capitalism, I've been hyper observant regarding news stories that demonstrate the growing gap between economic classes.

Here's one that really caught my attention:

Half of the children in the United States will rely on food stamps at some point in their lives before the age of 20, USA Today reports, based on a study in the most recent Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

Call Michael Moore's flick leftist drivel if you choose. People continue to suffer.

The Taking Of Pelham 123

2009-11-01T00:00:00.000-04:00

Since his "Up your nose with a rubber hose" days as a Sweathog, I've been something-less-than-a-fan of John Travolta.

I was more an Epstein guy during the Kotter years, and the white suit in Saturday Night Fever was too tight for my comfort. My girlfriend enjoyed Grease, and my kids enjoyed Looks Who's Talking. I tolerated him in Pulp Fiction, despite the dance scene with Uma Thurman that was a total send-up of his career.

It's his voice, I think. It's a nasal, high pitch tone that doesn't go with his body, and it's delivered with a strange rhythm and unusual inflection that makes me tilt my head sideways and whine.

Simply put, too much Travolta in any given flick drive me bonkers.

I picked up The Taking Of Pelham 123 based solely on my admiration for Denzel Washington. I knew Travolta was the villain in this hostages-for-cash-smoke-'n-mirrors remake of the 1970s thriller. I didn't expect to like Travolta in the role, or even appreciate his acting.

...But I did. God help me, I liked the movie and I liked Travolta in his role.

Just don't ask me to watch Look Who's Talking Now.

Things I Miss On Saturday Morning: Part 15

2009-10-31T00:00:00.001-04:00

Bruno

2009-10-28T18:15:00.003-04:00

I first decided I wouldn't comment on Bruno until I figured out a way to discuss it without bringing up Sacha Baron Cohen's Borat, Bruno's older, wiser and--let's be honest, here--funnier cousin.

But, I just can't figure out a way to do that. Borat, Ali G and Bruno are as inter-connected and inseparable as Jon & Kate and their eight kids.

Mmm..probably not a good comparison.

Bruno works too hard for the laughs, and the character isn't likable. Borat had an innocence about him that was appealing, and even when he was over the top the audience was in on the satire Cohen was sending up.

But Bruno is simply a re-tread of the Borat story that's been dusted off, shaved clean and fitted with a new accent.

He's crass, ridiculous and absurd. Too bad he's just not very funny.

Capitalism: A Love Story

2009-10-25T09:00:00.000-04:00

Capitalism: A Love Story is, in my opinion, filmmaker Michael Moore's best work. The documentary addresses how capitalism and the free enterprise system has caused the destruction of the middle class in the United States.

In typical Moore fashion, Capitalism shows the effect of his subject matter on real human beings. Americans are shown being forced from their homes, and experts explain how financial deregulation effected the credit of us who are not wealthy, and our ability to save. Interviewees discuss how the politics of economics seems to have been at play in most major decisions of the last 50 years. It's Moore's most personal film yet, and less satire and humor is used by Moore than in any of his previous films to illustrate points.

As a result, Capitalism is intimate, emotional and compelling.

Of particular interest to me was the expose Moore did on Corporate America's Dead Peasant insurance policy making. It was a topic of which I knew nothing, and I found the practice particularly greedy and evil.

I saw the film in Arlington, Virginia in a mall theater. It was packed, two weeks or more after the film was released. At the end of the flick, the audience applauded. Including me.

Michael Moore is a hero.

Paranormal Activity

2009-10-24T17:31:00.005-04:00

Here's one of the reasons I know this movie is a success. After the flick ended, and as the audience filed out into the lobby, the young woman behind me said to her boyfriend:

"I have to go home and research what happened to Katie. Do you remember her last name?"

She thought Paranormal Activity was real. Or at least some aspects of it was real. Enough so that she cared about what happened to the character.

I've heard this movie be compared to The Blair Witch Project, based mostly in how the perspective is from the camera and the film is designed to look like a true story. But it's an unfair comparison.

The difference, to me at least, is that the audience watches the most intimate moments of a couple's lives during a 21 day period. We see them sleep together, play together, joke with each other and be frighted together. We see the couple fight, and we see them make up again. It's the intimacy that allows us to be frighted right along with them.

Quickly into the picture, we care about them; they're family.

That this movie is able to be (sort of) scary without blood, special effects or obvious monsters is a testament to how director Oren Peli develops the relationship between the audience and the characters on screen. Although I don't think the film is very scary, I do think it's more than entertaining.

And it's remarkable that's accomplished in the most minimal of ways.

Beauty's In The Eye Of The Survey

2009-10-21T13:23:00.006-04:00

Huntington, WV's Herald-Dispatch reports the city has a new distinction: men living in the Mountain State's second largest city are some of the ugliest dudes in the United States.

Totalbeauty.com (a site I didn't know existed because, clearly, I'm one of those ugly dudes who doesn't think often about his looks) ranks Huntington as having the 5th ugliest population of men, tied with Mobile, Alabama.

By the way, I've been to Mobile. I have friends in Mobile. Huntingtonians are nowhere near as ugly as Mobilians.

Check out this picture of me (far right) and some friends, taken at my recent high school reunion, for proof!

Here's the Top Nine list put out by the beauty site. (I'm unsure why they came up with only nine):

No. 1: El Paso, Texas

No. 2: Hagerstown, Md.

No. 3: Miami

No. 4: Greensboro, N.C.

No. 5: Mobile, Ala. and Huntington (tie)

No. 6: Detroit

No. 7: Philadelphia

No. 8: Houston

Where's A. James Manchin when we need him?

Coal Bowl Week: Post #3

2009-10-16T00:00:00.007-04:00

2009 marks the first year I'll not attend the Mountaineers vs. Herd game since the [ahem] series was renewed. Here are some of the reasons why, republished from 2006:

Dear Diary:

8:30am. Mrs. Film Geek and I slept in this morning. We arrived in Morgantown a little late, so the extra sleep was refreshing.

When I awoke caffeine was whispering in my ear, Dear Diary. Loud.

So I walked down to the area where the hotel serves its Continental Breakfast. (It's funny how that phrase always reminds me of The Continental, the running character Christopher Walken plays on SNL.) Geez...I'm so old, Dear Diary. And sorta lame.

Anyway, there were more Green hats and shirts in the breakfast area this morning than Blue and Gold. So, I stuck around a few minutes and talked to a few Herd fans.

We are all scared. So very, very scared...

10:00am. After a shower and shave I'm ready to hit the road for the tailgate. As we drive, Mrs. Film Geek realizes that WVU's color scheme isn't really Blue and Gold. It's Blue and Yellow, she says.

And she won't stop saying it:

Her: "Notre Dame is gold. This ring is gold. That color is yellow."

Me: "Yeah, well they call it gold. So don't be smarting off the Mountaineer Faithful about their color scheme. That isn't a good idea..."

Her: [perplexed] "But, it's yellow. They're wrong to call it gold."

Me [eyeroll]:"Let it go."

12:00 noon. We arrive at a Marshall tailgate party, Dear Diary, and I've never been happier to see a gaggle of total and complete strangers. Because these strangers wear green, and smiles on their faces. And they offer us hot dogs, and beer (for the low, low all-you-can-consume price of $10). So far, so good Dear Diary. So far, so good.

1:15 pm. I've lost Mrs. Film Geek somewhere in the crowd.

So, I politely excuse myself from the conversation I'm having with my new friend Carl in order to search for her. It takes a few minutes, Dear Diary, and then I hear in the periphery:

"I mean...Notre Dame wears gold. Everyone knows that! This color is yellow."

...I found her.

2:45pm. We make our way into the stadium by shuttle, Dear Diary, and were so excited to run into an old friend, by accident, on the bus. She and her kid will be sitting near us, as it turns out. Thank God! Lots of Marshall fans comment that they are getting strange looks from folks wearing those other colors. Looks of amusement. Maybe. Or evil anticipation. Someone suggests it is going to be a long afternoon.

Our friend and her 12-year old son settle in near us. Within minutes, some ass wearing a Sugar Bowl Champion T-shirt taps the kid on the shoulder, and says: "Marshall swallows." Yep, that's a classy way to interact with a kid.

Have another beer, buddy.

5:00pm. Dear Diary...This looks pretty bad for The Herd. WVU is just too fast, too good. That Slaton kid is phenomenal, and Pat White is going to be. This team is special. And Marshall's isn't. Yet. It might be later, but not now. Not today.

5:45pm. The Herd Faithful have abandoned the team. Why, Dear Diary, are fans so fickle?

8:00pm. Well, Dear Diary, my team lost. It was whipped soundly by a better, more dominant team. Too bad, but the event was fun. It is only one game, and the season is long. The Herd will be OK...There's always next year!

Coal Bowl Week: Post #2

2009-10-14T00:00:00.001-04:00

Sports talk in West Virginia has focused on how much a rivalry the WVU vs. Marshall University match-up can really be, given that WVU has won each of the nine games played.

From the Charleston (WV) Gazette:

"West Virginia has never lost in the series, which was played only once between 1923 and 2006. The aggregate score is 369-88 and the combined score in the three years of the current seven-year contract is 117-36.

Thus the inevitable questions about how such a lopsided series could be called a rivalry."

Perhaps Mountaineer fans should read up on the history of the Backyard Brawl. Despite the Panthers 61-37-3 historical advantage and a 15 game win streak from 1929 through 1946, many WVU fans still consider Pitt its greatest rival.

Maybe it's only a rivalry when one has something to prove.

Coal Bowl Week: Post # 1

2009-10-12T21:59:00.006-04:00

The big intra-state college football game this week has people yakkin' about which institution of higher education is best: West Virginia University or Marshall University.

I'm not sure which school has the best football team. But, this video may provide evidence as to which school's alumni is smartest.

Ghosts Of Girlfriends Past

2009-10-11T11:56:00.004-04:00

Random notes as I *watch* the newest Matthew McConaughey vehicle, Ghosts Of Girlfriends Past:

* McConaughey went deep into character while playing the coach in We Are Marshall. The strange hair, thick accent and 70s-style clothes didn't draw in the female audience. McConaughey looks really handsome in Ghosts...it looks as if movie producers may have learned a lesson.

* Damn it, he's so good looking I've become horribly insecure. I'm heading upstairs to get popcorn...

* If Dickens was alive, I wonder if he'd sue for some copyright or trademark infringement. Ghosts Of Girlfriends Past is such an obvious ripoff.

* I once nursed a cup of coffee for nearly 6 hours in Charleston, WV's Taylor Books, where Jennifer Garner sometimes hangs out when in the state visiting family. I'd heard they planned to stop in. They didn't. The coffee was good.

* That first ghost, the chick McConaughey's character Conner Mead first sleeps with, sure is annoying. I'd make it quick and get the hell outta the room, too.

* The answer: 5 times. The question: How many times during the movie will Mrs. Film Geek say: "You know, Matthew McConaughey and I have hugged."

* Scrooge, from A Christmas Carol, was more likable than Conner Mead.

* Michael Douglas has officially moved into the category of Actors Who Take Roles That Pay The Bills. Shame...

Sunshine Cleaning

2009-10-07T00:00:00.000-04:00

Once in a while a movie comes along that is so endearing, so enjoyable and so likable that one simply has to overlook its faults.

Sunshine Cleaning is that sorta flick.

Alan Arkan is terrific, Emily Blunt is fun and Amy Adams makes you fall in love with her.

Sunshine Cleaning is funny, sincere and compelling. The message about living life in the moment is subtle enough to avoid being annoying, and true enough to hit home with the audience.