Musings

Another Christmas come and gone, and with it, so too goes the year 2005, which was the first year I've worked an entire calendar year since graduation. Lemme tell ya, it sucks. But I could have it worse and REALLY hate my job. But I don't; for the most part I enjoy it, its just frustrating, but I think that comes with the territory for just about anything.

Christmas this year wasn't a particularly happy season, as Steph's family has been going through some hard times to put it mildly, so I knew coming into it she wouldn't be super into it; that and the fact that she works retail as well so the joy has been sapped from Christmas working at TOYS R US.

So I'll skip over Christmas, as it wasn't great for me either, my grandmother was here for it and that caused some serious friction, which I wasn't really involved in but had to 'enjoy'. Anyhow boo hoo we can't choose our family.
I like the year in review thing, so I'll try my hand at that, but not right away b/c I have to eat my lunch (you see I'm here at my desk at work right now with leftover Turkey etc. in front of me.) I'll get back to you in a while. If I don't...
have a good new year, and don't worry its an overrated time anyhow.
Cheers.

Movie Reviews Again

Here I am, back as promised, only a few days later as opposed to a week or so.
So last post was WALK THE LINE & JUST FRIENDS; This post will be: CINDERELLA MAN & SYRIANA.
Please read, and for those of you who know me enough to respect my opinion (on most matters other than Pink Floyd) then take my word and enjoy these flicks.

(1) CINDERELLA MAN
Russell Crowe is one of my favourites, ever since Gladiator which still ranks in my top spots for movies. Renee Zelwegger does not rank as a favourite, and her pouty, whining face makes me want to kick small animals. (Note to reader, no small animals were kicked during the viewing of this movie or writing of this blog) Luckily enough for us, even though it is a lead role, she definitely doesn't take up enough of the movie to ruin it. Other than Russell, the real star of this movie is Paul Giamatti, who you might recognize from Sideways, last year's 'it' movie. Paul is cast as the manager to Crowe's Jim Braddock the boxer, and comes close to stealing the scenes he is in. His body, facial expressions and body language do so much to convey the serious nature of the times of 1930s New York City and the devastation wrought by the Great Depression.
One scene in particular where Zelwegger is confronting Paul about training Crowe again after he had been forceably retired is priceless and if it doesn't win you over to Giamatti's character, then nothing will.
I hate movie reviews that give away pretty much the whole plot line, so I also find myself confined as to what I can tell you about things without giving it away.
The boxing scenes are very well done, and although I don't like boxing and don't consider it a sport, this movie comes as close to showing the humanity of a boxer as a man first and foremost. But make no mistake, although this is a boxing movie, you will have no trouble getting your girlfriend to see it, and you can tell her rest assured there is far more than boxing.
I would almost hesitate to call it a boxing movie, lest you worry uhoh, Depression era Rocky!
Don't worry about that. First of all, Russell Crowe ain't no Sly. Secondly, the historical context makes the depth of the movie far greater than the Balboa saga. I would almost call this an historical film with boxing in it, but that would be going too far.
Suffice it to say, this movie isn't re-inventing the wheel, its not some new bold vision of cinematographic genius, but its very good, and should garner a whack of Oscar nominations when that time rolls around...and the movie it will be going against in some of those categories is the next one I am going to review:

(2) SYRIANA
Let me start off this post by saying that its been a long time since I came out of a movie theater with so many cogs and wheels spinning in my brain; and not because I was trying to figure out what happened, but more because it had my brain going the whole time, and it got me angry.
If you find yourself at the megaplex with another Artsy person (and I mean Artsy as in ARTSCI, not Foreign Cinema and Avant Garde Cusine) or pretty much anyone who doesn't live with their head up their ass, then go see this. I might not go with your American Cousin who says that he won't forgive you for not joining the war in Iraq, nor would I go to the film if you want 2 hrs of fluff or to laugh or to see crazy action effects. Go to the show if you want to see a modern classic which weaves together 4-5 different people's stories as it relates to the bigger picture. This film was directed by the same guy who wrote Traffic, and if you at all enjoyed or know about that movie, then the directorial style is much the same, jumping between different storylines which you aren't sure are related but will soon come together.
This is the kind of movie if you showed your high school English teacher, he/she would give you an A for sure (which we all know you don't get in High School unless you're reading Chaucer or balling the teacher). Thematically, this shows characters who all seem so very different yet have so many similar things going on. Father/Son relationships, "soldiers" being used and spat out by its commanders, betrayal, profiting from killing someone/selling someone out; honest people giving up in a corrupt system, etc etc etc. And thats not even counting the major themes of the US and their "overseas oil interests" which is the thread that weaves all this together, and does so very well.
This is all well and good, but not without knowing someone in it: George Clooney, who put on weight and changed his whole gait and manner and grew a scruffy beard to play CIA op Bob, based on real-life CIA operative Bob Baer, who infiltrated Hezbollah in Beiruit, Lebannon in the 80s. Clooney is amazing, and more power to him for not just rolling with his 'modern day Cary Grant' look and success. He also executive produced the film, so you can tell he believes in it a lot. George does a great job of playing the spy who "didn't use to need to know" why he did what he did, but comes to realize that maybe he's been played his whole career by the very people he works for.
Matt Damon, as an analyst who becomes embrolied along with his whole family, in the affairs of the Emir of the Middle Eastern nation which has such close ties to the US (hint...gee could it be Saudi Arabia?) Damon is great, and brings the intensity of his good movies, and ties it in with just a tad of the wimpiness of his character. I'll let you decide if he's a good guy or a bad guy, as with every character in the movie its a judgement call.
Keep your eyes on new-ish guy JEFFREY WRIGHT, he looks like Billy Dee Williams from far away. That alone makes him cool. Wright plays a rising lawyer in a major law firm hired by a top oil company to investigate their merger with a smaller company as being all legal-like. We see how he is initially a very principled man and we see what happens along the way if he is able to maintain his principled, or be sucked into the game.
Others in major roles incluce CHRIS COOPER, CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER (both as oil company heads) and Star Trek DS9 alumnus ALEXANDER SIDDIG, in a brilliant turn as the elder son of the "Saudi" Emir poised to take control of his country...or is he?
The young Pakistani boy who comes into the story in his own way is also a very well performed and humanizing portrayal of the kind of people we are able to judge here without a second thought; after this movie I think it might give you reason to pause and think about it.
As I mentioned already, with almost everyone involved, you can make your own decisions about the good/bad right/wrong, etc; but rest assured its a powerful movie and if it doesn't have you talking for a while afterwards then you must be a mute.


Thats it thats all theres no more.
stay tuned for our next episode, where I will write about whatever pops into my head when it seems due time for a new entry.

Cheers

Movie Reviews for my homies

Not too bad, only let about 10 days go between posts, which for me is pretty good.
I've decided with all the good movies I've seen in the past few weeks (as opposed to the shite I usually subject myself to in the fact that my girlfriend perhaps has a tendency to prefer the romcom, and not always wanting to see a historical action movie or some cool concept movie) that I would pass on the good word and save you all from the wondering.

This will be in the order that I've seen them or so I recall seeing them in.

(1) WALK THE LINE
Let me say off the bat, Johnny Cash is the MAN. Literally figuratively and in all senses of the word. Johnny Cash's music and life has been inspirational to me in the last few years when things have looked their darkest. The Man in Black spoke to me on the most simple level and in many other ways. Good thing I'm not talking about organized religion here, but yes I am gushing.
This movie is NOT Ray. That was a fantastic movie and Jamie Foxx literally became Ray Charles. Joaquin Phoenix does not achieve that level of amazingness, but he was pretty damn good, and earned major bonus points for actually doing all the singing himself. Reese Witherspoon is the story of this movie, her portrayal of June Carter Cash is bang on, right down to the southern mannerisms of this Southern born girl (I didn't know that Reese was from the South). I won't tell you what happens, b/c this is a biopic so you kinda know whats gonna happen.
The music is huge, it takes centre stage in the film, which is how it should be, as Johnny Cash's music will probably join Cockroaches and Keith Richards as the only things to survive Armageddon.
Phoenix really gets into the role, does him well, getting the good and the bad of his life down and showing you just how REAL Cash was above all else, with everyone in music, and in life, Johnny Cash was REAL.
And this movie is good. REAL good. Great.
go see.

(2) JUST FRIENDS
This is Mr. Alanis Morisette's latest flick, one of said romcoms my gf enjoys, but this time I was more than willing to go, since I think Ryan Reynolds is hilarious. Van Wilder was a riot, and he was the best part in the shitty movie known as Blade 3. This time he plays a guy who was a fat guy who was in love with his best friend in high school (played by the 'I only play one character' Amy Smart from such flicks as Road Trip & Outside Providence both worth seeing but not for her). At the end of high school she finds out he was in love with her and he runs off, never to be seen again, but ends up returning 10 yrs later as a super successful and much lighter version to his New Jersey home (shades of Garden State but not depressing). Many hilarious anecdotes follow and we all laugh. Highlights being the fighting between Reynolds and his younger brother, and the sleazy Chris 'I was Oz in American Pie' Klein as another geek turned smooth guy who competes for the girl's love. Also the hockey scene is pretty decent.
worth a rent or cheap night, but not full pop.

I have 2 more but my lunch break is over so I will continue again.
Cheers.
Stay tuned for reviews of : Syriana & Cinderella Man, do NOT stay tuned for a review of Harry Potter as I won't be seeing it.

Harvard Rock City.

If you know me you know I'm a football man, I'm also in the unfortunate position of cheering for a team that seems to have bipolar disease. Sometimes they pile 17 pts on the 'great' Indy D, other times it takes them to OT to beat the worst team in the NFL.
You know I was this close to giving up on them weren't you? (holds fingers 1 inch apart) :-)
I pretty much gave up on my team behind a QB who had the joyful luck of being the replacement to Chris Chandler this year. Of course #1 QB goes down #2 fills in admirably, more so than he had any right to, then #1 comes back, goes down again, #2 comes back in, goes down, #3 comes in throws 300yds+ 3 tds in his first NFL game. and spent his glory days at the notorious football powerhouse...Harvard.
Had the rams lost to the Texans I might well have burned all my St. Louis football paraphenalia.
Steve, ironic isn't it that both our teams found it to this point in the season thru stupid coaches, backup QBs, and playing without top recievers or a running game to speak of.
Unfortunately for me, we have no special teams since the first play of the season.
Oh well, in the NFC the way things go we could be fighting for the title in a month...