Two Lane Black Top AKA WTF?

Two Lane Black top stars James Taylor and one of the Beach Boys as drag racing drifters. It's from that period in the seventies when they made really deep pictures about who we all were and where we were going and what it meant to be free. This picture is soooooo deep. Too bad it wasn't a little deeper though - then it might not have been found. The most astonishing thing about this film is that it's been released on DVD by the Criterion collection. I imagine the reason that the film might be considered by anyone to be important is due to the last frames, in which rather than resolve the story (not that there is much of one), it shows the film getting jammed in the projector and melting. If you boil the story down to it's simplest nugget, then you'd have to say that plot-wise the film is a race between the drifters and a compulsive liar for the pink slips for their cars. Of course the film ends before the race does, so the only conventional aspect of the narrative that the audience has to grasp onto is left unresolved. By the end you don't really care - the real reward is that it's over. I think it wants to be the car version of of Easy Rider, with James Taylor in the Peter Fonda role, and the Beach Boy [a Wilson, but not Brian (that's how much I care about this movie. I can't even be arsed to look that detail up on IMDB.)] in the role of Dennis Hopper. Some other guy who they are racing to D.C. must be some sort of Nicholson surrogate. The twist is the female hitchiker, whom they also compete for (why I have no idea - she barely talks and seems like a nuisence). Story wise it's no Easy Rider. Of course what made Easy Rider so great for me was the feeling it achieved about what it's like to cross the country on a motorcycle (close as I'll ever get - Ali wont let me have one). Now imagine those shots in cinemascope of America and Captain America on thier bikes, riding through it...now picture that through a muddy windshield. Not really the same feeling at all. D+

Movie Reviews - Or More Aptly - Comments.

Just a quick post here to say that I intend to do what I did the other night with all future screenings. I'll probably pop on right after a screening or for sure with in a day or two, maybe commenting on two or three films at a time - say on a Sunday night if we watched a couple of things over the weekend. I'm not going to go back and comment on past films from the list, but if you want to place a comment about previous films, request a response about a film, or post a opinion or review of your own, I'll keep an eye on your comments.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Woo Hoo's!!!

How can you possibly critique the return of Indiana Jones after almost 20 years offscreen? I can't. It's Indiana Jones for god's sake!! What was it like? It was like an Indiana Jones movie. It is the very embodiment of a popcorn movie - it's there to entertain. After seeing it we were wondering how it ranked compared to the others. You realize you've seen the others 10 times each - how can you possibly compare a film you just seen once to ones you've seen 10 times? I will be able to rank it once I've seen it 2 maybe 3 more times and have a least a year under my belt. First off, it would have had to be incompetent not to seem great on the first viewing, simply because it's Indiana Jones, back after almost 20 years. And let's face it, Speilberg has had a couple of films that weren't great. As the phrase he inspired goes, "Everyone has their Hook". But incompetence isn't really something he's capable of. The man has more than his share of masterpieces under his belt. So what can I say about it that wont be a spoiler? It's fun - damn fun. You know what else... for 65, Harrison Ford is amazing. He pulls it off. If there was anything that made me hesitate about this film before I saw it, it was Harrison's age and this theory I have that he secretly had a stroke about 15 years ago... but that's fodder for another blog.

Sydney Pollack... Solid

So you wanna direct movies? You know who directed movies? Sydney Pollack. You know what happened to him? He's dead!!!!

Fan's of Freaks and Geeks will know what I talkin(sic) about, everybody else, what are you waiting for? That's a great show and it's on DVD, and there are only 18 episodes so it's not like Buffy the Vampire Slayer where between Buffy and Angel there are 254 episodes... course you should still be watching that too. Hey! I just looked up Tangent in the dictionary guess what it said?

Tangent: Fan's of Freaks and Geeks will know what I talkin(sic) about, everybody else, what are you waiting for? That's a great show and it's on DVD, and there are only 18 episodes so it's not like Buffy the Vampire Slayer where between Buffy and Angel there are 254 episodes... course you should still be watching that too.

Weird huh?

Sorry anyway, God that's sounds really unsympathetic. "Anyway" just talking about an person's death, I mean gee whiz. Anyway ARRGGHHHH!!

Sydney Pollack died Monday, He was what I call a solid director. some people would consider that a slight, I mena it as a compliment. Solid to me means, he's always good. His films show a craftsmans like quality, always solid scripts, and always solid performances. You know... solid. As an actor, which he also was, Solid. He had the gravity to potray someone with authority, he needed to be on the screen only for a few minutes and you sensed intelligence and authority. Gravitas. There's a word that perfectly captures Pollack's screen presence. The first time I remember seeing him on screen was also the first time I'd seen a film he directed, that was Tootsie and I saw it at the Safari 7 theatre in Moorhean MN. (oh yeah that's another weird thing about me I can usually remember where I saw a film and who I was with). The next time I'm concious of him is as an actor in Woody Allen's Husband's and Wives. That is a great performance I can see him telling his younger girlfriend to get in the car, it's a moment that feels so real, you can feel his frustration his embarrassment, his inability to cope with this moment he can't control. As a producer her was also... solid. He's actually one of the very few people that if I see he produced it , it means something to me. I've always felt based on interviews seen and read and comments of actors and directors who have worked with him that he is concerned with quality that he works hard to make sure his projects are... well solid!!

Top 5 performances as an actor:

1. Husbands and Wives
2. Michael Clayton
3. Eye's Wide Shut
4. Tootsie
5. The Interpreter

Top 5 films as director:

1. Tootsie
2. Three Days of the Condor
3. The Firm
4. The Way We Were
5. The Interpreter

Really need to see Jeremiah Johnson, They Shoot Horses Don't They?, The Electric Horseman, Out of Africa, Random Hearts, Absence of Malice, Havana. In truth I've seen half of those but can basically remember that I've seen them but not enough to rank them.

Some quick comments on recent veiwings.

My good friend Darin out in L.A. who should have been listed in the last blog as an inspiration had suggested that I need only make a few brief comments on the films I see not write long reviews. Darin for those who don't know him is a very talented writer who's blog I will try and get permission from him to link to from my front page. Darin doesn't update as often as he should but I think you'll find that true of any blogger who has a job and in my case a family or in Darin's access to alcohol. I thought I should finaly take Darin up on his great suggestion, so here I'll write a couple of lines down on the last few items I've added to the Films Viewed in 2008 entry.


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

Inspirations and partialities

Is it a Blog entry or a newly discovered lost Jane Austen novel? Well what do you think? It's sort of like thinking that a Discovery channel special on the Loch Ness Monster is really going to contain conclusive evidence that the monster exists. If that happened it would be major breaking news, they would not reveal it in a little watched Discovery channel episode. So if you didn't follow along there, yes it is a new post. Sorry it's been over a week I'll try not to let that happen again.

So Inspirations, not "the Inspiration", which aside from being a wonderfully sappy and memory laden song, (ahh Tracy and bobbi what ever happened too you?) would indicate that there is only one inspiration and that is not so. Writing inspirations, certainly Roger Ebert, the only film critic I regularly read. I don't always agree with him, but like my friend Jason whom I don't always agree with, I like him, I really like him. Having read him fairly religiously, for film is indeed my religion, for around 5 years, and watching him for probably close to 30 on T.V. I feel as though I know him. I rememeber watching Siskel and Ebert as a child with my Dad, we both liked Roger best, maybe because we agreed with him more often or maybe because in the early days he was pretty heavy, just like dear old Dad. I grew up watching Siskel and Ebert discuss, and best of all argue about movies. I think I liked to see them argue best because arguing about films is not really in my nature. So it was sort of a vicarious pleasure to watch them really go at it. I rarely argue about movies, either because I'm embarrassed to voice my opinions or because I believe deep down that we like what we like, and I like everyone to have a good time at the movies, even if I didn't with a particular film. Someone has to like the Musketeer!! I'm more likely to tease you about liking a film I didn't then argue with you over it, and then only if I'm comfortable with you. I remember the day I heard Gene Siskel had died, I was on the way to a hardware store with my Father-in-law and we heard the news on the radio, Ali and I had just moved to MPLS and Andy and Ann had come to help us get settled in our new apartment, and help with some projects. Now Ebert has been battleing his illnesses, and it all reminds me of Dad. I feel more and more like I know him, and more and more that I can't stand for him to die. I've already lost one movie buddy to a throat cancer I realy don't want to go through that again. In a way it always felt like Dad was there watching with me when I was watching Ebert and Roeper. Somehow I think I've transfered some of Dad into Roger, and when he goes that part of him will be gone for good.

Roger wrote recently in his own blog about a piece of writing advice that was given to him when he was first starting out as a journalist, he said, and I'm paraphrasing here, Don't think about writing, write. The muse visits while you are writing not before. This is why I connect with the man. I have not written much in my life, the odd Christmas letter, the occasional attempt at a script or short story, papers for classes, now obviously a blog. When I do write I write as he suggested I just sit and type, which is probably obvious if you are reading these blogs. It results in a sort of stream of conciousness form that can lead anywhere and rarely leads where I intend or start off for at the outset. Now if this were for publication I would obviously go back and do a second and third draft, but it isn't so what I write is what you get. It's great advise though, and advise that I write by. the thing is though I didn't need Ebert to tell me that, I already did that, and knew that. Which is why it's just another thing like the nature of his recent health issues that gives me a connection, when I read that the muse visits while you are writing, I knew he had put into words exactly what I had always known, but...more elegantly then I ever could. So there is Ebert, as an inspiration others would be the prose work of Woody Allen and Stephen Fry, I think they both represent influences on my sense of humor, for good or bad.

In terms of taste or just love of movies there are two huge influences, my Dad and Ted Larson, my film instructor, and friend from MSU. Unfortunately they are both gone now. but to honor them I try and get my kids interested in Buster Keaton and The Man of La Mancha. Interesting side bar here, my brother Scott and I actually slipped a DVD of The Man of La Mancha into Dad's coffin before he was buried. I hope when I go someone slips in a DVD (or as my Dad would say a hologram thingy) of Hamlet for me to take with on my journey to the Undiscovered Country. He was always convinced that before too long the DVD's would be replaced with (and this is a technical term) Hologram thingy's. Which was an odd stance for a man who's DVD buying habits rivaled my own. Holy cow I just realized Ted was pretty heavy too. Are fat people more insightful about movies or do they just become fat because they spend so much time eating popcorn at the theater? Man, Dad liked the popcorn, I do too, but he really liked it, he'd get the big bucket eat it before the film started and then go back a fill it up again. Then half the time get it filled again to take home and throw away there. But that's a whole nother issue. Anyway see what I mean about stream of conciousness? Dad used to take me to double features at the Fargo theatre I remember seing The Sting and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid one time on a double bill. He also introduced me to a lot of movies that are probably very poorly regarded in general but that have a special place in my heart. The aforementioned Man of La Mancha, Somewhere in Time (almost directly responsible for my daughter Grace), Same Time Next Year. But he also introduced me to some real undisbuted classics like Casablanca, Citizen Kane, and the films of Alfred Hitchcock. Ted showed me the magic of silent films, the Kid, The General, Sunrise. And a true appreciation of films I had seen and dismissed when I was too young to understand them, such as the Graduate and 2001: a Space Odessey.

Now Partialities, which is possibly a ficticiousy word, which in itself may not entirely exist in the human language as it was known before I began blogging. So what am I partial too? Three guesses first two don't count. Kenneth Branagh, to help you understand how deep that runs let me point out that I dyed my hair blonde last fall to go trick or treating with my children as his interpretation of Hamlet (see above photo). I, while your doing that will die of embarrassment. Fantastic!!! Aside from that ... woody Allen, Time Travel, Musicals, Hitchcock, John Wayne (this is new and there will probably be a blog soon addressing this alarming development), Horror films, particulary older black and white (monster fiilms) and films of the Hammer studios in the 60's. But also lately the Italian Giallo style films, Bava, and Argento. The Apatow for lack of a better word clique. Cameron Crowe, Whit stillman, Wes Anderson, Kevin Smith, John Cusak, Charlie Kaufman, Mickey Rourke (before all the plastic surgery and one can only assume brain damage) Tarantino, Tom Hanks, George Clooney, Tim Burton,,,, yeah OK now I'm just rambling.

I would like to close out by saying thanks to Sara for the comments keep them coming. I think there will need to be a future blog dedicated to You and Me and Everyone we Know, I actually know other people who have seen it, mostly at my urging, and they wont leave me alone with their children anymore. To the best of my knowledge you and me and Ali and Roger Ebert are the only people who like this film. let me know if there is anything you'd like me to write about or if there is a top 10 you'd like me to compile please feel free to comment on anything I write with your own views or your own top 10's.

Paging housekeeping to the Blog, housekeeping to the Blog please!

Some housekeeping type items.

1. Am I supposed to respond to "comments" with a "comments" of my own? Well I'm going to play that by ear I think I may just respond in subsequent blogs. Feel free to chime in with your opinions though, if I should be responding to you in "comments" we can do that as well.

2. And this is more of a FYI. I am more in need of a proofreader than any man in history. Sorry about that. I will whenever possible have Ali proofread before I post when not possible hopefully she can retroactively proofread and make the appropriate adjustments. But let's be real here for a second these are blogs, it's not for a grade so let's try and just have fun and overlook the odd typo and even odder punctuation.

3. I have added a blog entry that contains the list of films I have seen in 2008, I will continue to update that as I see films so please check it out from time to time I am unsure of a better way to do that so if anyone has another suggestion please let me know. I was on track for about 1 a day but aside from the three I watched with the kids this last week I haven't actually watched anything on my own one reason is the blogging, I find it a fair trade off.

4. I am finding this to be a creative outlet, something that I now realize has been missing from my lifee for awhile. It's refreshing and fun, I'd like to keep doing it. I know this about myself though, if I think no one but Ali and I are reading it I'll eventually stop because what's the point in wrtiting if no one is reading. So if you are reading please stop back regularly and please please write comments so I know you're there.