It Might Get Loud (2009)

I love blogging when there is related music to play while I'm writing (even though the lyrics pose a slight problem to my compositional ability). This rock doc puts together three guitar giants from three different generations: Jimmy Page (Yardbirds and Led Zeppelin, born 1944), The Edge (U2, 1961), and Jack White (White Stripes and Raconteurs, 1975). I saw U2 at the Los Angeles Coliseum sometime in the mid 1980s and Led Zeppelin at the Boston Garden during the 1969-70 academic year (they opened with Whole Lotta Love). Wow. When I made today's playlist based on these three virtuosos I already had 94 songs in my itunes library. Page was a studio musician before he joined the Yardbirds in 1966 (check out the outfits in the archival video!), and they changed their name to Led Zeppelin in 1968. Though Robert Plant's voice is great and important to the latter group's sound, it wouldn't have been Led Zeppelin without Page's guitar. Likewise, Bono sings beautifully, and it's essential, but The Edge's guitar (with lots of technical doo-dads) gives U2 its, er, edge. Those are my opinions; Page and Edge say nothing of the sort. In the movie Edge takes us to the Dublin high school where he met the future co-members of U2. Jimmy Page invites us into his home for part of the footage, and the shelves behind him are filled to the ceiling with music on all media. Jack White comes off as the most offbeat (you should forgive the expression) of the three hard-core musicians. I always thought he and bandmate Meg White were siblings, and he introduces her in a clip in the movie as his "big sister." Turns out they were married and he changed his name to hers before they divorced (Phillip already knew this). His claim that he is the youngest of ten is apparently unproven either way. He, too, loves electronic enhancement to his guitar and vocals and the three men together have amassed an impressive collection of guitars and subsidiary equipment (not to mention the coke bottle contraption White makes at the beginning). The list of songs at the end of the movie (you won't be tempted to leave because they perform together during the entire run of the credits) is so long that it goes from pages 16-21 of the press kit. There's other fun info in the press kit (I'm not too worried about spoilers since it's a documentary!).

My regular readers know how much I love music of all kinds, and this movie was heaven. If it's still playing when Amy comes home for fall break in two weeks, I'll gladly see it again. Jack commented, as we left the theatre yesterday, "We could recommend this to everyone."

TV shows--the 2009 fall season

Here's what's good, in my humble opinion. In the interest of posting this sooner rather than later, I'm not going to delve too deeply in the actors' resumés. Of course, there are a number of perfectly good shows that I just can't or don't keep up with, such as Mad Men (AMC), despite its many Emmy wins, Damages (FX), and many of the comedies. I hope I can get around to watching as many of these as I say I will, but time will tell. Because we have digital video recorders, netflix, hulu, and network websites, we no longer have to be in front of the screen on anyone's schedule but our own. For info on last week's Emmy Awards, go here and click the drop down menu to change category.

OLD SHOWS
30 Rock (NBC) is starting later this fall for its 4th season. It has deservedly won a lot of Emmy Awards for star, creator, and writer Tina Fey, star Alec Baldwin, and the rest of the writers.

Big Love (HBO) season 4 will start in January. Complicated but always interesting, about a man with three wives, with Bill Paxton, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Chlöe Sevigny, Ginnifer Goodwin, and Mary Kay Place and Harry Dean Stanton as Sevigny's character's parents.

Breaking Bad (FX). I wrote about this a year ago after Bryan Cranston won the Emmy for starring. He won again. Second season is over. Watch for the third (after you see the others).

Brothers & Sisters (ABC) will start Sunday night (season 4). Sally Field is great as the matriarch of a family of five adult children, including Calista Flockhart (Ally McBeal) and Rachel Griffiths (Six Feet Under, Muriel's Wedding (1994)).

Californication (SHO) also starts on Sunday (season 3). David Duchovny is brilliant as a sex-addicted writer who has a complicated relationship with his baby mama (Natascha McElhone) (the "baby" is a teenage girl). Evan Handler (Charlotte's husband Harry on Sex and the City) and Pamela Adlon (Lucky Louie's wife) are also really good.

Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO). Larry David has hit a new level of cringe with this (season 7) premiere. Funny stuff. I didn't watch it before I met Jack. He will happily watch episodes that he has seen before.

Desperate Housewives (ABC). I still have to watch the last two or three episodes from last season. I may or may not take it up again. I'm set to record the season 6 premiere Sunday in case I want to continue.

Dexter (SHO). Shout out to producer Robert Lloyd Lewis. Dexter is bloody, sick, twisted, about a serial killer who kills only bad people. Don't watch it before bed, but do watch it. Season 4 starts Sunday.

Entourage (HBO) is sti-ill going on season 6. I'm glad they're back to the punchy endings before the blackouts that end each episode. Good fun. And everyone agrees that mean Hollywood agent Ari Gold is modeled after Ari Emanuel, brother of President Obama's chief of staff Rahm Emanuel. By the way, pretty much every woman on the show is effin nuts.

Flight of the Conchords (HBO). Bret and Jemaine started with a hilarious HBO comedy special and went on to star in two seasons of this series. I really hope it comes back. They have songs on iTunes and CDs as well, which I also recommend.

Gary Unmarried (CBS). The second season is under way, starring Jay Mohr (did you see Action, his one-season Fox series? Do so. He played a cruel producer). Sometimes this drags a bit but I always laugh.

Grey's Anatomy (ABC). Haven't yet seen the season premiere yet. But I'll watch it and the episodes that follow. Guaranteed.

Who among us doesn't love House (Fox), the misanthropic diagnostic doctor? I've been a fan of Hugh Laurie since he was half of a comedy duo with his fellow Englishman Stephen Fry. I loved watching the premiere today, though perhaps it had fewer laughs than usual (it's not a comedy anyway). Excellent use of mood music and it was wonderful to see Andre Braugher (Homicide: Life on the Street) and Franka Potente (Run Lola Run (1998) and others). Season 6 will be available on hulu starting September 29. Or watch it on the Fox website.

Hung (HBO). This half hour about a divorced down-on-his-luck teacher/male prostitute is a little odd, but Thomas Jane is hunky (sorry, girls and boys; no full frontal, even on HBO) and Jane Adams is adorably neurotic, as usual.

Lost (ABC). I'm getting tired of it, but want to see how it ends up when season 6, its last, starts early next year. Michael Emerson won an Emmy for playing Ben. I hate Ben! Everyone hates Ben! Don't reward his bad behavior!

Monk (USA) is in its last ever season. There have been some fabulous episodes and some not, but I will remain loyal until -sniff- the end. Hulu doesn't look like a good bet, so check the USA website, or wait for DVD.

The New Adventures of Old Christine (CBS). Like its brother show, Gary Unmarried, it can drag, but there are always laughs. Julia Louis-Dreyfus stars; Clark Gregg, director of Choke, co-stars, along with others.

Nip/Tuck (FX). Nasty, but can't stop watching (except when they show the bloody plastic surgeries). Misanthropic and especially misogynistic, but very well done. Season 6 will start in mid-October.

Nurse Jackie (SHO). Season 1 just ended. Also sick and twisted and highly recommended by both of us. Starring Edie Falco from The Sopranos. Her illicit lover is played by Paul Schulze, who was Father Phil in The Sopranos. Haaz Sleiman (The Visitor) and Merritt Weaver (the production assistant on the unfortunately cancelled Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip) also contribute.

The Office (NBC). Another of Jack's faves. Watch every episode (I can't vouch for the British version). Season 6 started last week.

Penn & Teller: Bullshit (SHO). We catch this from time to time. Always irreverent. Usually hilarious. And they like to throw in gratuitous nudity, because it's cable and they can. Now in its 7th season.

Private Practice (ABC). Soapy, chick TV. Everyone is gorgeous. Beautiful Santa Monica vistas. Season 3 will premiere October 1.

Psych (USA) is always fun. Season 4 started in August and will run to mid October.

Rescue Me (FX). As the ad says, "When you're laughing one minute and crying the next, that's good TV." Denis Leary and his fellow NYFD members are still working out their grief over 9/11 and their macho tendencies, as well as Leary's character's alcoholism and everyone's dysfunctionality. Season 5 just ended with quite the cliff hanger. Start at the beginning and watch it through. I got Jack to watch this and he's hooked.

Royal Pains (USA) with a shout out to producer Jon Sherman. The first season is now over and only the last 5 episodes are available on hulu and USA, so you may want to wait until the DVD release. Always gorgeous establishing shots of the Hamptons and funny banter. And Campbell Scott with an accent!

Ugly Betty (ABC). I still have to watch the last half of last season. Now that I don't watch this with Amy I may or may not go on. Whoops. Season 4 premiered tonight and I didn't record it. Hmm.

United States of Tara (SHO). Toni Collette won an Emmy for playing Tara, a woman with dissociative identity disorder (used to be called multiple personality disorder). This is the second most sick and twisted of the bunch, after Dexter, and Weeds is a close third (all Showtime, as it happens). It is brilliant, funny, touching, and we can't wait for season 2 next year. I wrote about it earlier in the year.

Weeds (SHO). Mary Louise Parker's main character started the series as a suburban widow who sold pot to support herself and her two sons, but it has spun out considerably from there. What will they think of next? Just when you think they've gone out on a limb, someone does something more outrageous. Season 5 just ended and it will return. Parker and co-star Elizabeth Perkins were nominated for Emmy awards.

NEW SHOWS
Accidentally on Purpose (CBS). I plan to watch it because I like Jenna Elfman.

Bored to Death (HBO). Jack & I enjoyed the pilot the other night. Jason Schwartzman (Rushmore (1998), I Heart Huckabees (2004), The Darjeeling Express (2007)) often annoys me, but I didn't mind him this time.

Community (NBC). Pilot was funny and the show was well reviewed in the New York Times. I'll try another. This is following The Office for now until 30 Rock starts up, then it will be on earlier.

Cougar Town (ABC). The pilot dragged a little but had its moments. Courtney Cox was great in Dirt (FX), but that was unfortunately cancelled. I'll give it another shot next week.

Eastwick (ABC). I loved the movie The Witches of Eastwick (1987) with Cher, Michelle Pfeiffer, Susan Sarandon, and Jack Nicholson. I plan to watch this pilot on hulu or the ABC website and record subsequent episodes on my DVR if I like it.

Glee (Fox). If Amy still lived at home we would probably watch this together. It's family friendly (as long as you can explain to your kid what a "celibacy club" might be and don't mind some suggestive dance numbers). I liked the first two episodes of this high school musical series enough to start catching up online until I can watch on my DVR. Apparently the rest of the public did, too, because after two episodes Fox ordered up another bunch of 'em. Ryan Murphy, who produces Nip/Tuck, above, is trying something completely different with this one. It's corny but fun to see the kids putting on show after show (and they have, so far, left out the no-talents--everyone can sing and dance, even the kid in the wheelchair!).

The Good Wife (CBS). Drama starring Julianna Margulies as the wife of a philandering disgraced politician. As David Letterman said tonight, "Where do they come up with this stuff?!" I plan to record the pilot tomorrow night.

Modern Family (ABC). The pilot was good and this is on my DVR. Here's how it works: Ed O'Neill's character (Married With Children) is married to his young second wife, from Colombia, who comes with an 11-year-old son. Ed's character has 2 kids, roughly the same age as his wife. One is played by Julie Bowen (Boston Legal), whose character is married with three kids. The other is Jesse Tyler Ferguson, whom I liked in the now-cancelled series The Class, and I like him in this, as a gay man in a committed relationship, and when we first meet them they are bringing their newly adopted daughter home from Vietnam. It's sort of a mock-umentary, because sometimes the characters address the camera directly.

CANCELLED SHOWS THAT I LIKED (see link)
30 Days (FX). Morgan Spurlock put himself and others in alien situations for 30 days, much like in his feature documentary, Super Size Me (2004). The only reality show I watch (other than HGTV, maybe once a month, if I'm on the treadmill and something catches my eye).

Everybody Hates Chris (CW). Chris Rock co-created and narrated this semi-autobiographical series about a boy growing up in the Bedford-Stuyvesant area of NYC in the late 80s.

Pushing Daisies (ABC). Many producers worked on this but I always think of Barry Sonnenfeld, who directed the Addams Family and Men in Black movies/sequels, and was director of photography for the Coen brothers on Blood Simple and Raising Arizona, among his many credits. The visual style of this series was distinctive, with circles of some sort in nearly every set/scene. Kristen Chenoweth and Ellen Greene, both Broadway stars in their own right(s), broke into song not often enough for my taste. Chenoweth won the Emmy for supporting actress and, as part of her acceptance speech, said she was looking for work.

Samantha Who (ABC). It was cute. I liked it.

The Starter Wife (USA). Debra Messing starred as the ex-wife of a Hollywood producer in the miniseries and series. It was based on a novel by Gigi Levangie Grazer, who, when she wrote it, was married to Brian Grazer, Ron Howard's and Tom Hanks' producer. Art imitated life when he divorced her later. The series was entertaining.

Departures (Okuribito) (2008)

Lots of funerals, no weddings. This immensely satisfying Japanese movie won the Oscar for best foreign film earlier this year, and won 10 Awards of the Japanese Academy (with 3 other nominations), including best film, director, cinematography, actor, and supporting actor and actress. The supporting actor, Tsutomu Yamazaki, looked vaguely familiar, and now I know why. He starred in one of my all-time favorites, Tampopo (1985), a comedy. None of the other names rang a bell for me. I laughed, I cried; I loved the pictures, the sets, and the music (here's one song). It's about a classical cellist who takes a job preparing the dead for funerals. It started out funny, then turned to recurring themes of loss. When I travel I often plaster my camera to my face because everything seems so fresh and exciting. The photography in this made me think of that feeling. From the opening Fargo-like shot of a car traveling through a snowstorm, to the home that our hero Daigo and his wife Miko make for themselves in Yamagata, to the public bath house, everything is beautifully lit and shot (the Japanese even have a separate award category for lighting, which this won, natch). See it when you can.

The Informant! (2009)

The trailer for this was very funny and Jack and I looked forward to seeing the whole thing, which is based on the 2000 Kurt Eichenwald book “The Informant,” the true story of Mark Whitacre, a whistle-blower in the Archer Daniels Midland price-fixing scandal. We were not disappointed. This comedy stars Matt Damon (his only Oscar was for co-writing Good Will Hunting (1997), in which he starred, but he was good in the Bourne series (2002, 2004, 2007) and great in The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999), The Good Shepard, and The Departed (both 2006)) in big glasses, a blow-dried wig, funky mustache, and continuous inner dialogue that we can hear (ADD at ADM!). The trailer showed Damon messing up right and left, but the plot was way thicker than that and I refuse to give away more to those who don't know the whole story (as we didn't). The main FBI agents are ably played by Scott Bakula (TV shows Quantum Leap (1989-93) and Murphy Brown (1993-96) among others) and Joel McHale (whom I saw the very next night starring in the new NBC comedy Community). Director Steven Soderbergh (some that I liked were his first feature, the excellent Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989), which won him the Palme d'Or at Cannes; Spalding Gray's monologue movie Gray's Anatomy (1996); Erin Brockovich (2000); Traffic (2000), which won him an Oscar; and Ocean's Eleven, Twelve, and Thirteen (2001, '04, '07), which also featured Damon) cast a number of stand-up comedians in this: Jimmy Brogan, Patton Oswalt (cables series Lucky Louie and United States of Tara), Rick Overton, Tom Papa, Paul Tompkins, Bob Zany, as well as Tommy Smothers as Dwayne Andreas, ADM's CEO, and Dick as a judge later on. Shout out to Jodi: Clancy Brown is in it, too!

UPDATE: I almost forgot. The wonderfully cheesy Marvin Hamlisch retro music was integral to the mood of the bumbling informant. It would have been a different movie without it.

My One and Only (2009) in Ventura, CA

In the 19 years I lived in Los Angeles I never visited the town of Ventura, up the coast past Malibu and Oxnard. This weekend it is a beach destination (albeit a cloudy one, with temps in the 60s). Jack & I walked a little over a mile to Pete's Breakfast House, and then walked off our french toast and pesto omelet another mile and a half to the Century Theatre, of the Cinemark chain, to see this new release and wait for the sky to clear. It didn't, but we walked back on the sand, and it was half the length (I do miss the sea, and am so lucky I get to visit oceans as often as I do). It's great inside, too, with cushy rocking seats, excellent sound, and the signature Cinemark black and white checkerboard tile.

This period piece (1950s) was inspired by incidents in the life of actor George Hamilton, who was one of the producers. It was written by Charlie Peters, who also adapted, among other things, Frank Parkins' book into the funny Krippendorf's Tribe (1998), and the director was Richard Loncraine (the Michael Palin vehicle The Missionary (1982), the Sting vehicle Brimstone & Treacle (1982), and the cute (I mean that in a good way) romantic comedy Wimbledon (2004) with Kirsten Dunst and Paul Bettany, before Bettany started to get typecast as a villain).

Young George (Logan Lerman--he was the son in 3:10 to Yuma (2007), and I haven't seen Gamer (2009) yet) is the narrator and provides the point of view, but Renée Zellweger (she was fabulous in the twisted Nurse Betty (2000), Chicago, White Oleander (both 2002), and the Bridget Jones movies in 2001 and 2004) is the star, as his mother Ann, who leaves George's father (Kevin Bacon) in the first five minutes, and spends the rest of the script looking for a new husband. Mark Rendell (he was in the wonderful Charlie Bartlett in 2007) is excellent as George's effeminate brother Robbie, Nick Stahl is yummy as neighbor Bud, and Chris Noth (Sex and the City's Mr. Big on small and big screen) and David Koechner (Thank You for Smoking (2005), Extract) play some of the louts in Ann's life.

Mention must be made of the picture cars: the ones on the screen. The family travels the country in a beautiful Cadillac (the scene on a boat in that link must have been cut) and lots of other cars are lovingly lit and shown in all their glory. Creative costumes and good music, both the Mark Isham (I love his work, and wrote about him in The Times of Harvey Milk) score and all the songs from the era. I have asked my fellow moviegoers on the imdb message board to help me name the songs. There are a couple of sly references to Hamilton's becoming the tannest white guy in Hollywood ("Go get yourself some color, George, you're paler than a nun's behind."). This movie was an entertaining diversion, and worth our time.

9 (2009)

Jack & I were excited to see this. We thought it was going to be another wonderful Tim Burton (Beetle Juice (1988), Edward Scissorhands (1990), Batman Returns (1992), Sleepy Hollow (1999), etc.) movie, with music by Danny Elfman (all of the above and much, much more). But nooo! Writer/director Shane Acker fleshed out his 2005 Oscar-nominated short (it also won a Student Academy Award for animation) into this feature about some rag dolls (nine of them, each with a number instead of a name) who have survived an apocalyptic war between humankind and machines. Burton produced it, and Elfman composed "music themes?" Hmph. Lots of peril for the little creatures, led by the titular 9 (voice of Elijah Wood (profiled in Filth & Wisdom)), as they are chased by the big bad machines (too scary for kids, I think). Other voices: Martin Landau, John C. Reilly, Christopher Plummer, Crispin Glover, and Jennifer Connelly. The animation kept me alert for the first 50 minutes or so, and then I started sighing and checking my watch (it's very short, so that was only another half hour). We saw it opening day, 9/9/09. I will give it a 9, for symmetry, but that would be on a scale of 18.

Tetro (2009)

Francis Ford Coppola (say COPE-a-la) is probably best known for the game-changing Godfather series (1972, 74, 90) which won him 4 of his 5 Oscars, but he has written and directed much more (his other Oscar win was for Patton (1970), he was nominated for The Conversation (1973), Apocalypse Now (1979), and for producing American Graffiti (1973) with his pal George Lucas). One from the Heart (1982) was important to me, as I moved to LA that year to try to get into the movie business. I loved The Cotton Club (1986) and Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988), and enjoyed the cast and crew screenings of The Outsiders, Rumble Fish (both 1983), and Peggy Sue Got Married (1986). It was around then in the mid 80s that Judy and Helene took me to Coppola's September Harvest party in Northern California, which happened to coincide with one of those big orange full moons. A celestial evening by all accounts.

Tetro was an important project to Coppola, and it is beautifully shot in (mostly) black and white, with evocative mood music. Newcomer Alden Ehrenreich, who from certain angles looks a lot like Leonardo diCaprio and was "discovered" by Steven Spielberg at a bar mitzvah, stars as Bennie, 18, who arrives in Buenos Aires to find his estranged older brother Tetro (Vincent Gallo). I have seen both of the features that Gallo wrote and directed, Buffalo 66 (1998) and The Brown Bunny (2003) (the latter achieved some notoriety, about which you can read in this link, but beware of spoilers to that movie). In both, I found his characters narcissistic, mercurial, and generally detestable. The character of Tetro was no different. Perhaps he touched a nerve. Young Ehrenreich was good, and Spanish actress Maribel Verdú was wonderful, with her dazzling smile. You might have seen her as the sexy older woman in Y tu mamá también (2001) or in the nastily violent (both physical and mental) Pan's Labyrinth (2006). With Klaus Maria Brandauer (Out of Africa (1985)) as Bennie and Tetro's father and uncle. Tetro is pretty serious, with few laughs (except for some of the outlandish costumes), but all in all, definitely worth seeing, especially if you can be more objective than I. And here's some interesting trivia, with no spoilers.

Extract (2009)

Writer/director Mike Judge is best known to me for Office Space (1999), the comedy which has a cult following and was based on Judge's 1991 animated short, but he also wrote and produced Beavis and Butthead on TV (1993-97). The less said about Idiocracy (2006) the better. But this one, which takes on a different kind of employment, stars Jason Bateman (so good in Arrested Development (TV 2003-06), Juno (2007), Hancock (2008), and State of Play) as Joel, the owner of a business that manufactures a few kinds of food extracts. Despite some lukewarm reviews Jack & I liked it and laughed out loud many times. Sarah & Phillip were quieter than we were, but when I looked over they were smiling. The imdb summary gives more plot information than I had going in, so leave that alone if you haven't seen it. Kristen Wiig (on Saturday Night Live since 2005, small parts in 2007 in Knocked Up and Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story and Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008), slightly more to do in Adventureland) looked lovely but didn't do much in this one either. Bateman was up to the task of carrying the picture, with the able help of Mila Kunis (every episode of That 70's Show (1998-2006), Forgetting Sarah Marshall), J.K. Simmons (the dad in Juno, the editor in Spider Man (2002, 2004, 2007), CIA guy in Burn After Reading, and lots more), Clifton Collins, Jr. (great in Capote (2005) and Sunshine Cleaning), David Koechner (who has done a lot of comedy, but my favorite was Thank You for Smoking (2005), where he played one of the Merchants of Death) as the annoying neighbor, Dustin Milligan (the latest incarnation of 90210 on TV) as the dim pool guy, and Ben Affleck (some I liked were Chasing Amy (1997), Shakespeare in Love (1998), Hollywoodland (2006), He's Just Not That Into You) reprising his Dazed and Confused (1993) stoner roots as the bartender in a straggly wig. Character actress Beth Grant, whose character wears a hairnet and works on the assembly line, is one of those, "Oh, that person!" people. She has 135 credits so far, many of them one episode of various TV series. One more hair credit: Kiss musician and reality TV guy Gene Simmons is hilarious in his helmet hair (which is not exclusive to this movie). In the trailer, Judge is the bald guy wincing and ducking after Collins gets hit. Funny stuff.

Taking Woodstock (2009)

Many of my friends think I went to Woodstock 40 years ago. Even my daughter thought so. But my mother wouldn't let me! I had graduated from high school two months before and she said no. My older brother, 21, went, and when we looked at the news on TV she said triumphantly, "See?!? It's raining!" Oh well. I saw a lot of rock & roll in the years that followed and sacrificed the upper edges of my hearing to that hobby. You won't see any of the Woodstock musicians in this movie either. For that, watch the 1970 documentary, Woodstock, which I believe has been re-mastered for the anniversary. 

This new one, based on a memoir by Elliot Tiber (né Teichberg) borrows from the documentary some split screen action, but its focus is entirely away from the stage (yes, children, there was only one stage at Woodstock, not 5 or 10 like the festivals of today). Tiber states in his book (and the movie) that he helped the Woodstock promoter, Michael Lang, to connect with Max Yasgur after their original location was shut down, although Lang and Yasgur's son disagree with that part. 

 In any case, Jack & I liked the movie. It's supposed to be a comedy, but director Ang Lee (all of these are worth seeing: Eat Drink Man Woman (1994); Sense and Sensibility (1995), which won an Oscar for writer Emma Thompson; Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), which changed the look of martial arts movies and won 4 Oscars, including Best Foreign Film, and a pile of prizes from others; Brokeback Mountain (2005), which won 3 Oscars including Best Director and Adapted Screenplay, and more awards; and The Ice Storm (1997), to which Taking Woodstock is supposed to be a kind of companion piece*) hasn't had much experience with making people laugh. Writer James Schamus worked with Lee on all of the above, and admits in this letter that comedy is a new direction for them. *This article discusses how the two movies are connected and an amusing bit about hair. 

Demetri Martin was unknown to me before I saw the trailer for this, and then he had a cameo as himself in Paper Heart. He's a comedian and was on the writing staff of Late Night with Conan O'Brian for 136 episodes (2003-04). He's more of a straight man in this movie, and after seeing his wry stand-up, you won't be surprised. British actress Imelda Staunton, whose character as Elliot's Russian Jewish mother is described as "a battalion," is impressive, as always (deservedly nominated for an Oscar as Vera Drake (2004), she last worked with Lee in Sense and Sensibility). Henry Goodman, as Elliot's father, is new to me; he's English as well, and has plenty of movie credits, but has been recognized for his work in English theatre. He brought a lot to the Jewish husband (yes, it was a speaking part). 6'3" Liev Schreiber (who was in the wonderful A Walk on the Moon (1999), which had a sequence set at Woodstock, as well as The Painted Veil (2006), Defiance, and dozens more) looked great in a dress and long blond hair. 

With Jonathan Groff (Tony winner for the Broadway musical Spring Awakening) as Michael Lang, the fine actor Emile Hirsch (The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys (2002), Alpha Dog (2006), Into the Wild (2007), Milk) as a burned-out Vietnam vet, Kelli Garner (do see Lars and the Real Girl (2007)) and Paul Dano (so good in There Will Be Blood (2007), as well as the wonderful Little Miss Sunshine (2006), the powerful The King (2005) and The Ballad of Jack and Rose the same year) as the hippie couple featured in many of the photos, and Eugene Levy (writer and actor in Waiting for Guffman (1996), Best in Show (2000), A Mighty Wind (2003), and For Your Consideration (2006)) as Max Yasgur, who says "They're charging a dollar! For water! Can you believe it?" This may not be a comedy, but it's sweet and mellow, dude. Tune in.

Inglourious Basterds (2009)

Mayhem and murder, definitely not for the faint of heart. Hundreds of dead, gallons of blood, revolting close-ups of gore (those who know me or have read babetteflix since the beginning are aware of my practice of covering the middle of the screen with my hand until the torture subsides, as in Body of Lies). This is to be expected from writer/director Quentin Tarantino. But it all fits and advances the story, that of a ragtag group of soldiers in World War II France who kill Nazis. My one other negative: at 2:32, it's too long. We got it--there are periods of suspenseful silence, seemingly in real time, to underscore the fear of the characters. Both Jack & I agreed that if a minute or two had been trimmed from various scenes, a half hour's shortening would have improved the final product.

That being said, this is damn fine filmmaking. Say what you will about Tarantino, he loves the movies. He references other work in his work, yet he is a complete original (although this is based loosely on a 1978 Italian B-movie with the words spelled correctly, Inglorious Bastards). That director, Enzo Castellari, had a cameo as a Nazi general in both movies. Lead actor Brad Pitt (I liked Twelve Monkeys and Se7en in 1995, Babel (2006), The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and he was very funny in Burn After Reading) is really growing as an actor, especially his comic timing. I know, it's hard to believe that this one would be humorous, but lots of parts are, interspersed with the tension and noisy killings. Christoph Waltz (a long list of credits in German TV and movies) is incredible here, and the voters at Cannes agreed, giving him the Best Actor Award for his role as the smart, smarmy, multi-lingual Nazi Colonel Hans Landa AKA "the Jew Hunter." I don't know the work of horror movie writer/director Eli Roth, but he plays Donny Donowitz, one of the Basterds. I recognized two other Basterds from TV, B.J. Novak (The Office) and Samm Levine (Freaks and Geeks), but Novak has about five lines, and if Levine has one, I missed it. Mike Myers (I liked Wayne's World and the sequel (1992-93) and the Austin Powers movies (1997, 1999, 2002), and really need to see the Shrek movies) has a cameo, playing it straight for a change, as General Ed Fenech (here's a tidbit about the name). Mélanie Laurent (many French movies, some of which I noticed, none of which I saw, and she won some film awards in France) as the cinema owner, plays her grace-under-pressure quite well. Taking a cue from Tarantino's encyclopedic references, I'm certain that Laurent's character's pseudonym, Emmanuelle Mimieux, is taken from the Emmanuelle movies and the French actress Yvette Mimieux, who starred as "Melanie" in Where the Boys Are (1960). Harvey Keitel and Sam Jackson, frequent Tarantino collaborators, have voice-over cameos. German ex-model Diane Kruger, as the actress Bridget von Hammersmark, is good as well. And I must mention that Tarantino named an autograph-seeker Babette, after me. Just kidding. I haven't personally met him, although once, right around Pulp Fiction's release, I gave up my table at a chic Hollywood restaurant so that he, comedian Margaret Cho (his squeeze at the time), John Travolta, and a big group could sit together (we had already finished our dinner and the maître-d thanked us and gave us desserts at another table).

Oh! I almost forgot to give high school dropout Tarantino's own history. I had read that his debut feature, Reservoir Dogs (1992), had a gruesome scene of torture in real time. So when the character was tied up and the music got eerie, I simply left the theatre and waited outside until that music subsided (this was before I began putting up my hand). Pulp Fiction (1994, which won him, among others, the Oscar, Golden Globe, and Independent Spirit Award for Original Screenplay, and the Independent Spirit Award and Cannes Palme d'Or for directing) is always credited with reviving Travolta's career. Both features changed the face of movies, in my humble opinion. Jackie Brown (1997), which re-started Pam Grier's career, was great, too. I thought Kill Bill 1 and 2 (2003-04) were really good, though some disagree, and I can't give an opinion on the Death Proof part of Grindhouse (2007) because Jack & I didn't go when it was released as half of a 191 minute double feature with Robert Rodriguez' Planet Terror. Tarantino occasionally produces and writes for other directors, such as coming up with the story for Oliver Stone's Natural Born Killers the same year as Pulp Fiction.

The imdb bio has some interesting factoids without spoilers. Then, after you see it, check out additional trivia and listen to Terry Gross interviewing Tarantino on NPR's Fresh Air.

District 9 (2009)

The first of three 9 movies (that I know of) to be released in 2009, this sci-fi thriller is unexpectedly deep. Set in Johannesburg, South Africa, it's unclear who the good guys are: the white humans or the aliens (I'm pretty sure it's not supposed to be the mercenary Nigerian gangs), and as such, it deals with apartheid while using species instead of races to get the point across, complete with a racist epithet that the humans use for the aliens. In 2006 South African director Neill Blomkamp made a 6 minute short called Alive in Joburg, and then fleshed it out into District 9 with the producing help of New Zealander Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings series (2001-03), King Kong (2005)). This starts in documentary style, showing the aliens' mothership, the ghetto (district) to which they've been assigned, and background on the unlikely leading man, a doofus named Wikus (in the Afrikaans accent it sounds like FIK-us), played by Sharlto Copley, who had a different role in the short, as well as a producing credit. District 9 has a high body count and plenty of blood, some red and human, some black and alien. If you like science fiction and/or thrillers, and don't mind violence, then check it out.

Updating in 2015: this will definitely cause MPMS (motion-picture-motion-sickness) so those afflicted should not go to a revival on the big screen. Here's the running list of nausea-inducing movies for us sensitive souls.

Adam (2009)

Adam is not a rom-com (romantic comedy), though it does contain a joke involving a waiter named Rom. About a young man with Asperger Syndrome and the woman with whom he begins a relationship, it won the Alfred P. Sloan Prize at Sundance for its depiction of science and technology (the title character is an engineer). This was fine entertainment, and the three of us (plus about 6 more) did not regret our two hours in the dark on a glorious fall afternoon today. Hugh Dancy (HBO's Elizabeth I (2005), The Jane Austen Book Club (2007), and, regrettably, Confessions of a Shopaholic) did a wonderful job as the afflicted protagonist and Rose Byrne (I didn't watch Damages on FX, but did see her in Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette (2006) and the sci-fi thriller 28 Weeks Later (2007)) managed just the right balance of sensitivity, humor, and realism as the "NT" (neurotypical) object of his affection. Both are gorgeous, though Dancey's character didn't get to smile much. I'm not educated about Asperger's nor autism, but the movie seemed unbiased, and a quick look on google found Asperger's and autism communities praising it. Writer/director Max Mayer only made one other feature (his other career was as a theatre director), Better Living (1998). I haven't seen anything else that Cinematographer Seamus Tierney shot, but his work in this was noteworthy. In the second link below Mayer refers to a shot that starts on a leaf and pulls focus to a van parked below. I clearly (ha) remember that shot, and Jack & I whispered many times to each other today about excellent photographic compositions. Frankie Faison, Peter Gallagher, and Amy Irving all turned in good supporting performances.

I have two links for you to check out after you see this (which you should do): an NPR interview with Mayer, and another which discusses an alternate ending (complete spoiler).

Update: I forgot to add yesterday how much I liked the scene in the school with the kids talking about a book they had read. It seemed completely improvised but I haven't found any research to back up my guess.

Paper Heart (2009)

Both the movie and the star, Charlyne Yi (great smile, fantastic dimples), could be described as a cute little slip of a thing. Yi, who shared the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at Sundance with director Nicholas Jasenovec for writing this, had a small role in Knocked Up (2007) and a few other projects before this, where she also produced, composed, and designed the puppets (which alone were worth the price of admission). According to this "documentary" (quotes are mine because I think it was all staged. You be the judge), she is also a guitarist and stand-up comedian. The subject of the documentary is love, in which Yi does not believe. Then, supposedly during the making of the movie, she begins a relationship with actor Michael Cera (Arrested Development (TV 2003-06), Superbad (2007), Juno (2007), and Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist). Seth Rogen and others have cameos, as well as Yi's parents, Luciano and Lydia Yi. Jasenovec doesn't play himself. Instead an actor, new to me, named Jake M. Johnson does the honors. The music is sweet. From a blog called The Playlist, this post has the soundtrack details and some outtakes. Jack and I were really glad we got to see this cute little...you get the idea.