Movie News

William Powell, Myrna Loy and Asta the Dog

Johnny Depp wants to produce and star in an updated version of The Thin Man, the 1934 classic starring William Powell and Myrna Loy. Depp's not a bad choice for a remake, but it is seriously questionable whether or not this film should really be remade at all. it may be true that not many people have seen the original nowadays, but that fact itself is pretty shameful. The Thin Man remains just as hilarious and witty today as in '34, hasn't dated at all, and anyone who hasn't seen it should netflix it right away. i'm the first to admit that some movies feel dated and may not entice an audience of 2010, but seriously folks, The Thin Man is NOT one of them. the studios didn't have William Powell and Myrna Loy make 14 movies together for no reason. the characters of Nick and Nora Charles are still funny, still enjoyable, still have AMAZING chemistry that is picked up on right away, and Powell and Loy truly remain of the great screen couples of all time.

to me, a remake has a daunting task ahead of it and a lot to live up to. but if it would inspire people to check out the original, i'm all for it. it's truly one of those movies that i can't imagine someone not liking, even if you've never seen a movie from the 30s. in fact, especially if you've never seen a movie from the 30s, start with this one and i guarantee you you'll want to see more. it's that good.

Midterm Update (3 weeks out)

i've depressingly resigned myself to the inevitability of the Dems losing the House this year. what i think is going to happen is that they lose the House but keep the Senate. so basically, that will lead to complete and utter gridlock in the next two years, so we have that to look forward to. there are a lot of people saying a Republican House will be the best thing in the world for Obama's re-election chances, some say even sealing it, because he can run so easily against a do-nothing opposition dead set against his every move (including Arnold Schwarzenegger). but me, i'm upset because it's actually more important to me that the administration ACCOMPLISHES things in its first term. which is not to say they haven't. like i said before, this has NOT been a do-nothing Congress under Pelosi, they've passed HCR and WSR, both of which account for the most progressive legislation passed by any president since at least LBJ. and the good thing is that the benefits of that legislation will very likely be felt by 2012, whereas of now they haven't quite kicked in yet. so there's that to be optimistic about, but i had two more things that i REALLY wanted done by the end of his first term. One is the repeal of DADT and the other is comprehensive immigration reform (i've lost all hope on climate change). now, the dadt repeal could actually still happen, because the pentagon review is due by december 1st, and there IS a chance that the defense spending bill could get passed in the lame-duck session (what do those people have to lose by that point?). but i think if the republicans take over, immigration reform is basically dead. which sucks.

my only hope is this: in the lame-duck session, the dems will take the bull by the horns and pass as much as they can while they can. that will include ending the Bush tax cuts while extending those for the middle class, and passing the defense spending bill, which includes the repeal of DADT and the Dream Act, which is at least a piece of immigration reform, sort of a down payment on it. that would be pretty good at least. and if the republicans just absolutely refuse to pass it (even though it's a WAR-SPENDING bill, god how hypocritical can they be), then i think obama will go ahead and issue the stop-loss moratorium on firings. in fact i'd be shocked if he doesn't, after the review comes in saying that repealing the ban will have no impact on morale, etc., which i fully expect it to. and after all this, i suppose i'll just have to become more interested and focused on his foreign policy (i'm more of a domestic policy person, although i do want the war in Afghanistan to come to an end).

it's always the right idea to hope for the best and prepare for the worst... so here's hoping. if these last little things can get done in the lame-duck session, then his first term will still be amazingly productive in the long run. and if people are right and it helps him to get re-elected, it will also likely erase the GOP gains of 2010 and give back even bigger majorities than before.

Fair Game

as an unabashedly political person, i'm interested in this one despite awards, but it is getting some pretty good buzz too

Ranking Hitchcock

Alfred Hitchcock is of course, one of the great directors of all time. i'm happy to say that i've seen just about all his films, and every one of them has something to recommend it. he was underrated in his time by the film industry, having never received an Academy Award, despite huge commercial success. he may be one of the first directors to have name recognition as a sort of "brand" ala Steven Spielberg in later years. it's difficult to rank his flicks, but i'm going to give it a shot in the spirit of Halloween and the "Master of Suspense" Hitch was known as.

1. Notorious (1946)- Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman; this one has everything, romance, mystery, intrigue, you name it. my personal favorite of Hitch's. Claude Rains is a great villain.
2. Psycho (1960)- what can you say? Anthony Perkins is the iconic Norman Bates, Janet Leigh is the doomed heroine killed off in the first third of the movie. almost a perfect film, and of course influential in every possible way.
3. Rear Window (1954)- this may actually be tied with Psycho for number 2. i love it, love everything about it, and the very first Hitchcock i ever saw will always have a special place in my heart.
4. Rebecca (1940)- the only Hitch to ever win Best Picture, another awesome villain in the crazy housekeeper, and my 40's heartthrob Laurence Olivier at his brooding best
5. Shadow of a Doubt (1943)- less known, but it shouldn't be, and actually Hitch's personal favorite
6. To Catch a Thief (1955)- Hitch called it a lightweight, but THIS is how you do lightweight right, star casting in Cary Grant and Grace Kelly, romantic chemistry, scenic French landscapes and it still manages to hold the suspense
7. Vertigo (1958)- awesomely creepy and weird, Jimmy Stewart in a completely out-of-character role
8. The Birds (1963)- another sentimental fave, the second Hitchcock i ever saw and the concept is STILL cool
9. Strangers on a Train (1951)- classic, some say his best
10. The 39 Steps (1935)- early attempt at his beloved innocent-man-on-the run plot
11. Dial M For Murder (1954)- lots of dialogue and villain Ray Milland as the main character, love it
12. North By Northwest (1959)- Cary on the run, famous scenes galore

I have yet to see a few of his essentials: The Lady Vanishes, Saboteur, Suspicion, Rope, The Man Who Knew Too Much, The Lodger and Marnie. But this is how i'd rank them for now.

The Tourist

major star power here, but i kinda hate angelina jolie. she's always the same and i honestly don't think she's that great of an actress. and her personality sucks. in interviews she comes across as pretentious, fake, and humorless. on the other hand, i LOVE johnny depp so i will probably be seeing this movie

The King's Speech

Colin Firth will win Best Actor this year. Take my word for it, it's a done deal.

John Lennon

Today is John Lennon's 70th birthday. Or it would have been, if not for his senseless and tragic murder almost 30 years ago. This December will mark the 30th anniversary of his death. This is in honor of the legendary Beatle. (And my all-time favorite Beatles song by the way)

Mildred Pierce (2011)

SO excited!

The Social Network

The Social Network is definitely the best movie released in 2010 so far. Working from a highly literate and witty script by Aaron Sorkin, based on the book The Accidental Billionaires, by Ben Mezrich, David Fincher directs the story of how 19 year old Mark Zuckerberg created Facebook in his dorm room at Harvard in the fall of 2003. The website would of course go on to be the largest social networking site in existence, currently boasting 500 million members and making him one of the world's youngest billionaires. The movie suggests that Zuckerberg was a genius, but also an arrogant and antisocial misfit, a guy who paradoxically "didn't have 3 friends to rub together," yet built a site that was based on collecting as many as possible online.  The real Mark Zuckerberg is apparently worried that the version of him presented onscreen will forever cement his image in the mind of the public; in the last few weeks i've heard more about the guy than i ever have before, as he's very publicly donated $100 million to the New Jersey public school system, been extensively profiled by The New Yorker to refute the image of himself as friendless and mean, and guest voice-acted on The Simpsons.

     The movie itself is perfectly paced and beautifully directed, but the real star of the film is Sorkin's script, which was apparently over 200 pages of dialogue, condensed into exactly two hours onscreen. It flows really well and the cast effortlessly delivers his zingers with perfect pitch. Jesse Eisenberg is especially good as Mark, believable in his every action and inspiration, while conveying that slightly autistic sense of focus displayed by the real Zuckerberg. The cast also includes Justin Timberlake as Sean Parker, the founder of Napster, and Andrew Garfield as Eduardo Saverin, co-founder of Facebook and Mark's only friend. Both convey a natural screen presence and sense of charisma, surprisingly so in JT's case (in my opinion). The film is structured around depositions of lawsuits against Mark, and we get the founding of Facebook through flashbacks and different perspectives, Rashomon-style. Fincher handles the scenes set at Harvard especially well, as the audience is completely absorbed into the world of elite privilege and Ivy League undergrads. Mark Zuckerberg after all, was certainly no Will Hunting from the wrong side of the tracks, who had to work his way up from nothing. He was born into existing wealth, refused a job at Microsoft after graduating high school in order to attend Harvard, and was still made to feel like an outsider when faced with the exclusive and secretive collegiate clubs that refused him entrance. 

    I expect TSN to receive multiple Oscar nods this year, including Picture, Director, Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, Editing, and possibly a couple of acting noms as well (my money's on Garfield, as Eduardo is the only character in the film to elicit any sympathy from the audience). It's a perfect reflection of society and the way we live today, and highly recommended.