So, two days ago, I posted about a freemacbook. I had a spike in traffic, and I am wondering if anyone participated? I wasn’t planning on asking, but I received feedback from a few readers that they were not going to be participating and did not think it a wise venture given the difficulty of referrals and the like–I am beginning to agree with them. Given that, I’m unsure if the endeavor is worth continuing. So, shoot me an e-mail or comment if you decided to help. If nobody did, then I’m dropping the plan and focusing on selling stuff to make the funds needed. If people decided to give it a shot, then I will keep it running. Thanks!

CC

I remember hearing about G.I. Jane in high school. That supposedly hot actress from some film I hadn’t seen called Ghost was gonna go out for the Navy S.E.A.L.S and even shave her head. It was a big deal. I remember it well. It’s now some 10 years after the media event; and oddly enough, I remmeber the frenzy over the movie more than the film itself, which I happened to catch in just the last few months. Funny thing, that is.

I think it’s a testment to what I would call “High Concept, low execution”. The apparently brilliant Ridley Scott helmed the piece, but it felt like a fairly standard outing into action movie territory, only without good action. In fact, I think G.I.Jane is the first movie I’ve ever seen where the training montage in the middle of it is the most interesting part of the movie. What’s more, I wasn’t interested in the character, but the actress. I’d seen Demi Moore in a few things prior to this flic, but tshe really sold me during that training montage, I mean I almost felt my own muscles tear. Too bad I can’t say the same for the rest of the film. Even Viggo mortenson, now famous for his role as Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings couldn’t get me interested in S.E.A.L training; adn if anyone could, I would except it would be the King of Middle Earth. No, G.I. JAne, for all its intended pomp and righteous indignation sure didn’t do it.

To be honest, it just felt likea re-hashing of other better movies but thought more of itself becuase of its “Big message”. I mean, come on, here’s the recipe. Rocky meets Top Gun sprinkled with a message of female empowerment for the ladies and a hot actress for the fellas. It’ll work for everybody because those movies did well, adn these added elements are sure to get the skeptics in the seats. Yeah, it doens’t really look like it, the movie only brought in $48 Million demestic, and I can almost guarantee that barely earned for the studio after the costs to produce and promote this thing.

I’m giving G.I.Jane a 3. Maybe I’m being too harsh., I didn’t hate the movie, but I really wasn’t impressed either. Once again, Ridley Scott doesn’t do it for me. Sure, this was an adequate drama with some interesting stuff and serviceable performances, but it just wasn’t much more. It was “meh”. Yes, I dug the training montage, but the execution of this concept was mediocre to me.

Sylvester Stallone is one of those “love him or hate him” types. people who don’t like him or his film really don’t like him. Those who who dig sly give him a great deal of passes, apologetically defend his work, and always await his next outing, no matter how desperate, tired, hackneyed, or awful it seems. I mean, Sly is one of those actors who was getting top-dollar one minute and the next was hitting straight to DVD at blockbuster. The guy isn’t the best actor ever, but Rocky and First Blood were masterpiece that showcased dimension and range.

One of the later films from Sly’s career, one that I believe shows his range well and gets overlooked becasue it wasn’t the “resurrection” people thought it needed to be in order to be good, was Get Carter. The film is a remake of the cult classic 70s movie starring Michael Caine. In this new versions Sly plays Jack Carter, who returns to his hometown in Washington State to investigate and avenge the death of his brother, Richie.

The movie is as much a character study as it as a plot-driven action thriller; and frankly, I think that’s the reason it received such a cold reception. Those wanting sly to return to his form in Demolotion Man were left wanting in the action arena, and those looking for a character driven drama were left with far too much action. On top of this, Get Carter. was no basic, by-the-numbers studio picture. Director Stephen T. Kay was not interested in common shots or lighting techniques. His film is experimental and highly stylized. His score is unconditional mish-mash of seasonal techno and tried-but-true house standards like Moby. Combine all these elements, and you have one mess of an investment. It’s far too stylistic for the mainstream movie-goer, but too locked into by-the-numbers action beats for the indy crowd. It’s box-office failure was destined from the moment Kay decided to be a director and not a muppet.

So, here we have a picture that left most unsatisfied, and it’s plain to see why. Luckily for me, I saw Get Carter on DVD with no build-up, hype, or expectation. Frankly, I love it; and I think that for all its faults, it’s a solid flic. Stallone shows range the likes of which I hadn’t seen from him outside of Copland or First Blood. His performance is excellent, adn he’s surrounded by excellent support. Miranda Richardson, Rachel leigh Cook, Alan Cumming, John C. McGinley, Michael Caine, and the brilliant Mickey Rourke all aide in elevating a basic script into an interesting yarn. Kay’s direction is experimental and, if nothing else, always interesting. His editing is crisp and vibrant. The music choices are fitting. Overall, the movie is one of those little gems that was released and lost in the mix, but those who’ve seen it and appreciate it will ensure it has a solid shelf-life for years to come. There’s a car chase that leaves a bit to be desired, and the script has its shortcomings, but overall the cast and crew elevate the flic to excellence.

I am giving Get Carter a solid 5. It earned it.

Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey may be one of the best Documentaries I have ever seen. I say this for two reasons. First, it is a “Documentary” in the strictest sense of the world, it documents the history of heavy metal and its current state. Second, the filmmaker, Sam Dunn, truly seems to be exploratory in his quest to tell the “metal” story. He doesn’t seem to be saying, “See, Metal is good. It’s not evil. Come listen.” He’s saying, “I’m a metal fan. Here’s what metal is. Take it or leave it.” Which is pretty much the best way you cna make a case for anything. Sure, it would have been more “even” if the interview talked to tipper Gore or families of children who committed suicide to metal, but that’s not what A Headbanger’s Journey is trying to accomplish. This documentary is simply trying to explain what metal is, so that those who encounter it know what they’re seeing.

Metal has different sides, sub-genres, and a variety of deimensions. It’s not all hell-raising and mayhem, though that’s part of it. It’s not all violence and ruin, though that’s parrt of it too. It’s really music about power–power to be strong and free, if nothing else. It’s reactionary music, like punk, only with a different flavor. The documentary shows us this; and for all intents and purposes, shows us it with honest thoroughness. The movie analyzes sound, culture, fans, relgiion, censorship, and other aspects of the genre, condemning its faults and praising its strengths.

Metal: A Headbanger’s Jounrey is a praiseworthy analysis of the genre well worth a viewing.. It’s a fascinating analysis of its subject, and I wholly recommend it with a warning, it’s as insane, rough, and grotosque as the most extreme bands it examines, so view with caution.

Like all documentaries, one must watch, Wal*Mart: The High Cost of Low Price with an eye for manipulation. The film is an incredibly well-paced and produced diatribe against the retail chain, with amazing focus and conviction. It’s the type of documentary that you watch and think, “What the hell did Wal*Mart do to piss this filmmaker off?” We never find out in the documentary, which makes it all the more powerful. Unlike a Michael Moore documentary, in which the filmmaker puts himself at center stage to cloud the issue and lose focus, WM:THCOLP, is only interested in those directly affected by the corporate giant, and it tells their stories with sweeping sentimentality that would make Charles Dickens proud.

I really can’t stress this enough. Wal*MArt: The High Cost of Low Price is one highly manipulative piece of film making. From the music cues to the shot selection, it’s a highly-skilled piece of anti-mart propaganda. Leni Reifenschtal would be proud. The film makes you want to kidnap the Walton children and torture them for their greed and implied villainy. It makes you want to form a mob and burn your local Wal*mart to the ground. It makes you want to get a law degree just to attack the corporation at a legal level. It does all of these things well and with conviction.

Why do I say this, well, when the documentary started, and the opening shots and facts begin to unwind, all could say, “What, Commerce is bad? Businesses close as their competitors grow. That’s not hard to grasp.” Then the documentary began to juxtapose Wal*Mart’s own propaganda against the stories of those they’ve hurt, and my goodness, did the tone change. The documentary really had nothing to say about commerce or capitalism, but it had everything to say about a company that was destroying these things and earning a buck along the way. Taking a moment after the documentary, I could only say, “You know, these problems they’re mentioning, probably constitute 7-8% of the total operating energies in all of the wal*mart corporation; but damn it, when 7-8% of operational energy can affect and, in some cases, ruin from 12,00-20,000 lives, that’s a huge F*cking problem.”

I mean, let’s face it, even if 50% of all Wal*mart stores (i think there’s about 4000, so 50% would 2k) had two violent crimes a month for 2 years (meaning approx 9600 violent crimes in two years), and 10 million people a year make trips to Wal*mart, that would mean there would been a single violent crime for every 1,000 or so shoppers, which isn’t a terrible statistic (0.1%) BUT here’s the thing. If Wal*Mart could have stopped 60% of those violent crimes by only spending 1% of their profits ($280,000), then they had better do it. And that’s really what it comes down to. Sure, Wal*Mart’s a corporation, but they are a morally reprehensible one, and there are other, better companies out there.

In the end, Wal*MArt: The High Cost of Low Price is actually a startling documentary that is much, much, much more frightening than I would have thought. Yes, it’s heavy-handed and one-sided. Yes, It’s manipulative. However, for a company of this size and magnitude to act in the way they do at the highest echelon’s of leadership is utterly disgusting. It’s sickening, and that’s really the bottom line.

Special Thanks to The Movie Blog for posting this, otherwise, I’d have never have found it.

So, friends. It’s true. All this time, I thought it was a lie, but it was not. I am a derelict. No posts for two days after months of day-to-day meviews and updates…I’m lazy, and I apologize.

So, today, I was listening to my favorite podcast from Doug Nagy once said, “you like what you like, and you should never have to apologize for it.” I hold to that mantra like John 3:16. However, we live in a world wherein people feel their personal opinion constitutes objective fact; and as a result, many people spend time invalidating the opinion’s of others in order to more validate their own. They say, “Well, you have bad taste because you like this, but I have good taste because I like this.” Sorry, that’s horseshit–sorry to swear, but that’s the only word to fully describe it. I mean, even movies that 99% of people think are excellent, some people think are pretentious crap; and some movies that few if any people think are “good” objectively, alot people enjoy.

Anyway, that’s my take. The only reason “Guilty pleasures” exist is because people have the potential to be assholes and attempt to invalidate other’s opinions in order to make themselves feel smarter or cooler. Whatever. I say, like what you like; and if someone gives you crap, then tell them to go drown themselves in a river. However, lists are fun, so I figured, I’d take a minute to give movies that some people would say are “Guilty Pleasures”, but I would say just rock my socks off like a hurricane. So, here ya go. If you think these movies are awful, and I shouldn’t even think about possibly liking them–well, there are rivers everywhere, find one, do the world a favor, and drown yourself.

TOP 7 So-called “GUILTY PLEASURES” for the Stage

ROAD HOUSE
POINT BREAK
YOU GOT SERVED
ROCKY V
DAREDEVIL
STREET FIGHTER (Yes, the Van Damme one)
RAPID FIRE

Got your own movies that people give you crap about? Use the stage to speak your mind and let your voice be heard. Leave a comment, and I will salute you!

First, Jam and I began watching Heroes, and it is excellent.

Second, Work on Let’s Hear It For The Boys continues, and the film will be fantastic!

Third, Thanksgiving is coming. I’m a splurge on that day. Tasty.

Fourth, The Office this week was incredibly dramatic. It felt a bit uneven, but I still really enjoyed it.

Movie Moment of the week: When Michael Wilson completely screws up his interview appearance in the documentary, Michael Moore Hates America.

Quote-of-week. “You’re gonna F**k it up” Penn (from Penn & Teller) in Michael Moore Hates America.

REASONs-MY-WIFE-IS-AWESOME-OF-THE-WEEK: She gave me an early Christmas gift–an amazing IPOD SHUFFLE that can clip onto my waist while I run. It’s perfect and awesome!

Song of the Post: “Via Purifico” by Nobuo Uematsu, from Final Fantasy X: Piano Collections.

I totally updated the Song of the Post, Meview, and customs archives. Check em out by clicking the icons above!

I am a fan of David Fincher. I think he has style and excellent control of tone and pacing, even when the script he’s been given is less then amazing. In fact, Panic room is one of those movies that, without him, probably would have been terribly lame–we’re talking B-movie straight to DVD lame. Fincher’s use of lighting, tone, and terror carry the movie much more than the story ever could.

The story, for those unaware, is of a recently divorced woman and her daughter, who move into a new home that contains a “panic room”–a sort of human safe wherein the owners can lock themselves in the event of home invasion. Of course, the night they move in, burglars arrive looking for three million dollars. It’s cat and mouse for the rest of the films, with the upper hand constantly changing from one side to the other.

Yeah, it doesn’t sound amazing on paper. I get that. However, it is entertaining. The performances from Jodie Foster, Forrest Whitaker, Dwight Yocum, and Jared Leto are excellent–even the young actress doesn’t bring the movie down in terms of acting. Also, the dialogue is good, for the most part. I also dug the visuals. The only contention is that script is incredibly limited in its goal (to center the movie around the “Panic Room”). The story wants to be confined, almost more like a play than a movie–and I don’t really like that; but it makes sense since the story is about–ta-da, confinement.

So, that being said, Panic Room is getting a 4 from me. It’s good. Not great or alright, but good. The performance, style, tone, and dialogue are all good–but they can’t save the mediocre story.