First off you've probably noticed if you look through the list some weird trends. First a lot of John Wayne movies. Why? Well as Nancy at work says "you're such a girl" so I started watching John Wayne films to up my macho quotent. Of course on further reflection that doesn't really help I think if you asked 10 gay men what they wanted to have at their birthday party a clown or a cowboy, 9 out of 10 would say cowboy. Anyway all that aside I've really been on a John Wayne kick, discovering why he was so popular for so many years. And really learning to overcome my own prejudices, I grew up in the age of wayne parodies. I grew up in a world that did not take him seriously and thus I considered him a joke, and the clips that would air on awards shows or shows about movies would seem to be evidence of a man who talked one way and who was the same in every movie. Not let's be fair, Wayne didn't have a huge range, but neither does Cary Grant, why has he faired better in pop culture memory. I think because in the time I was growing up and first getting into movies the 80's and 90's romantic comedies were big business, that genre of films at which Grant excelled, was popular and so his movies were referenced in current movies and aired on cable a lot. Hell one of the more memorable films of the that genre of the 90's Sleepless in Seattle was actually a play on his An Affair to Remember. In Wayne's case Westerns were certainly not popular in the 80's or 90's. I've watched probably 30 John Wayne films in the last two years maybe more, I get it now. I get why he was so popular, and I get why people made fun of him. People say "oh yeah John Wayne was great in that one role, you know the one he played in every one of his films." Kinda like the way you'd say "oh yeah Tommy's great if you like a guy who just throws touchdowns all the time." You know with a twinge of jealousy, unfortunately once you were removed from having seen the material, all you had were peoples jokes and it became more or less common kowledge, I always thought why see that John Wayne movie? I know how it will be even if I haven't seen it. Well I'll tell you what, yeah he acts very similiar in a lot of the films, but that's OK because he's really appealing, and the films are actually very good over all. Sure of the thirty some I've seen now there have been a couple of bad ones, but I have yet to see a bad performance from Wayne. The Shootist , his last film is a great example of the sort of performance he was caplable of even within his limited range, I definitely reccomend it.
Another disturbing trend is the sudden insurge of films based on Stephen King's works. It's getting late so I'll make this briefer. Well you know what? some are great! Doubt me? flip in Stand By Me, The Shawshank Redemption, Or Misery. A lot of them...well they are kinda crap, but in a good way. You know what? if you watch a film expecting greatness you are frequently disappointed, if you watch a film for what it is sometimes you can get a lot more enjoyment out of it than you really have any right too. When I'm making my top 10 lists for the year, I know I'm not considering these types of films, but you know what? A lot of the time we are looking for something to entertain us as best it can for a little while. I've been finding these films to fall under that category a lot of the time. Besides and more importantly, Alex is having a blast with them, and that's why we are watching them. So when I get through them all I'll do a top ten of Stephen King films but we are only about 1/4 of the way through, and some he's just not ready for, anyway.
So as promised hours ago, literally for me, probably only feels that way to you, unless your reading chapter books still, in which case, good for you keep it up!! My thoughts breifly (is that even possible for this guy?) on some recent screenings.
State and Main: I just like this little Mamet film, William H. Macy is great as a film director who talks the talk and keeps things moving at all costs, when he and his film company take over a small town in Maine. You gotta love the performances from Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Alec Baldwin, and Sarah Jeesica Parker as well. Great little ensemble film, with a real quaint feel and some great Mamet lines. B+
Raiders of the Lost Ark: Definitely in the top 20 to 30 films of all time, certainly in the top 5 action films, possibly number 1, but I don't have the energy right now to think of the other great action films and compare them. The Role Harrison Ford was born to play. Watching the original trilogy in anticipation of seeing the new film tomorrow afternoon. Having watched all three again you really feel how this one seems more real than the others, they seem more like real people and real places and real stunts. They are all fun but this is the best! A+
Rose Red: Sort of a retelling or at least strongly inspired by The Haunting of Hill House, Shirly Jackson's novel that was the basis for The Haunting the film by Robert wise. I can't say I found it to be really scary... but Alex did. I did enjoy it though, Julian Sands is really good and sympathetic, that guy should get more work. Nancy Travis is a bit iffy but not too bad. Production values were really quite good for a television mini-series, and the thing about King's best work is that the character developement is usually the strength, at 254 minutes, that attribute is given time to develope as it needs to in order to be truely effective. B
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