Why the World
Doesn't Need Superman
All desires aside to see the man fly, NRO's Thomas Hibbs thus reviews:
The ending casts Superman, not so much as savior of the human race, much less an inspiring model for young boys, but as the [feminist revision of a] redeemer of the romantic dreams of jaded women in compromised relationships. That might be an odd way to extend the Superman legacy, but, hey, it might just expand his target audience.
I mean, sure the prototypical man had/has weakness, which makes him different than the perfect Savior. Still, in my book, I'm probably not going to enjoy the movie as much as I might unless he's just a little more typical, a little better archetypal.
“What’s up next for you?”
From the mouth of Bill Nighy (who plays the principal antagonist, Davy Jones, in the upcoming summer fare, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest):
...I’m going to do a film called “Warm Blue Day.” It’s a low-budget independent movie in Los Angeles. It’s with a bunch of people and I have no idea who they are but they seem very clever, and I'm going to go because it's a very nice script - very interesting and mysterious and big-hearted.
“Now what on earth,
” I can hear you asking,
“is
this man going to do with
this fine actor?
”“Bling, bling?
” (Partial answer found
here.)
Freestyle Reviews
Nacho Libre: don't believe the reviews. It's *great.*
States of Grace: do believe.
And see them both. Amen.
Update
It's the "The Golden Age of Hollywood" Film Festival:
Saturday, June 24, 2006
7:00pm Red Carpet
7:30pm Films
Santa Monica Stake Center
3400 Sawtelle Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90066
**Formal swanky dress is requested**
From the mouths of the LA 1st ward Activities co-chairs:
...make sure to arrive on the Red Carpet on time to assure a good seat in the theater. The films are quite amazing this year...
Happenings
If you're in Los Angeles this week, it's a good week for film happenings.
The LA Film Festival kicks off on the 22nd, and I plan on attending one, two, or maybe more screenings. Little did I know that fellow church-goer Rich Raddon runs the festival, which made for an exciting discovery. His picks? For narrative, Ira and Abby is a front-runner about a "hastily married couple quickly devolve[d] into a life of affairs, meddling parents, and therapy." Sounds fun, but I kind of wish I'm Reed Fish were playing, as that seems more my paradigm (coming of age, trying-to-find myself). (I know, picky, picky, aren't eye.)
Still, I'm rather hopeful of Quinceañera, since, well, this is Los Angeles, and I think I'll love the perspective. (It makes me think slightly of Christian Vuissa's Roots & Wings, maybe just in tone, if not loosely topical.)
Also going on this weekend, for those of us Mormons who like to gather under the auspices of art, there's the annual Hollywood-style Mormon singles glam film festival, which name has been changed probably again. (Was once duped "The Acadamy Awards," which wasn't really academic, if slightly institutional; then went to being the "Golden Apple Film Festival," which seemed about as out of sync with anything singles or Mormon related.) I am happy to discover that a film I worked on last summer will be making an appearance. So maybe I'll show up. 
(I'm the one pictured above without a head. ;)
On another front, which is really just to serve as a reminder, States of Grace will be closing on Thursday in Hollywood, so it's probably now or never. FYI, my family swears by this film, though I have yet to see it.
Two Thumbs Up
Nacho Libre: absolutely loved it.
Jared Hess stole my idea. (Okay not really, but sort of.)
Interview on a Doll
Excellent Q and A over at the Times and Seasons. Director Greg Whiteley answers questions I'm sure many of you have had about the New York Doll. My favorite insight from Whiteley, which I think explains his brilliance:
I think I was only pretending to be a documentarian in order to be a good friend. I think there is a line you can crcoss where you are not acting in the best interests of the film and you lose your objectivity. However, I find “objectivity” to be philosophically impossible. Fortunately, my favorite films do not seem to care very much for being seen as “objective.” I think what people are really hoping for when they see a film or read a book –fiction or not–is that the maker is honest and that she or he does not bore you.
I love that. Lucky early birds may be able to take Whiteley up on an offer (see his posting in the comments section) of a burned CD of the
New York Doll soundtrack, since apparently it's not being released (what a tragedy).
Also found this early post regarding the ending of the film [NOTE for those who haven't seen the film: spoiler alert!]: "
Mormon Punk Rock Pioneer..."
Another Adventure in Movie Games
I've heard entertained on several occasion, perhaps especially by my brother, about the potential for convergence in video gaming and the cinema. On some level, I suppose I can see the potential, although it's hard for me to imagine a viable setting for a bunch of people sitting down in a theater to play a video game or choose their own adventure. Thus says the father, Shigeru Miyamoto, of "the world's hottest-selling game ever," Super Mario Bros.:
[Q] You've been called the Steven Spielberg of video games. Recently, some gamers have been making movies using game software. Are games and movies converging?
[A] It's a common comparison, but I don't think it's an appropriate one because movies aren't interactive the way games are. Even so, I've learned a lot from movies. For instance, I pay attention to how movies use music to create a mood, how many camera angles there are, or how the director sets up a scary scene.
Rather, a more suitable arena for such a convergence seems to be in terms of so-dubbed new media: online, through new or current DVD technologies, or through gaming consoles, etc., etc.
Aside from movies about games (I'm thinking of Mario Bros.), game and movie convergence seems closer. On one level, games have become so intricate, they are already like movies in a way. The reference in the above quote about "gamers...making movies using game software" is absolutely correct. I've seen a few of these, when I was first redirected from a Wired article to vids like
this. Many of these are created with a PC Game called
The Movies (more
examples here). My favorite video-game-to-movie translation comes in the form of "flash sprites" at the hands of Alexander Leon,
over here.
But here's the latest iteration I have discovered in movie-game convergence.
Two movie websites I've seen this summer have taken a trendy turn toward gaming. In the fray are
Nacho Libre's
Nacho Kung-Fu and
Monster House's
Thou Art Dead. Come to think of it, our local home-grown
Think Tank has it's own game. Curiously, these movies have ramped up games that are a little more stylish than standard Internet-related movie website fare. They hearken to early Nintendo/ Sega/ Commodore 64 days when two-dimensional games were the way of the world.
Where do these next generation throwbacks come from? I have my suspicions.
The word trendy figures prominent. I saw it first on a website that has little to do with movies, although you could argue that its syndicated animation is the best case study for this type of new media I'm talking about:
Homestarruner.com. It all began with
Trogdor...and then it went
here and
here...and then it got really out of hand
here...perhaps you can see what I talk about.
My favorite recent gold find is more a personal portfolio website, but it incorporates something of a game-style play to browse. Check it
here.
So where is all this heading? Who knows. But the game industry is known for being a multi-oogilian dollar industry. (I don't know the actual numbers, or I'd cite them, but I know they're up there.) Movies and games seem primed to converge in some miraculous way at some point in time.
Ultimately, I think the best movie-game combination would somehow involve a re-release of
War Games.
Blood-O-Ween
Just had to point out this fun/weird/maybe-too-crazy one, pointed out by Jared, who had it pointed out by Nate:
The film is a mockumentary about two guys trying to make a Halloween sound effects tape and how they go about making the tape. It's a pretty simple premise, but through the process of making the tape is where the fun really comes out. We had been shooting it off and on for about a year and it was finally completed a few months ago. It runs about 37 minutes and there are people who have really liked it, and there are people who have blasted it. It's definatly [sic] has a certain type of humor.
Past Runs
This is surely a bit old, but I'm in a pensive, reflective mood right now, so I thought I'd throw out a shout for the good old Jay's Run.
Huzzah!
Enjoy it again.
Quote of the Day
I'm inclined to feel sanguine about a director, who, when asked to expound on his philosophy of filmmaking, picks a booger from his nose and flicks it out a car window.
Read it
here.
Lie of the day:
Mitt Romney makes a cameo appearance as a Mormon with 14 husbands.
Found that one
here.
Some kind of luchador...
Check out the exciting new look. I like it.
Also, merchandise.
And finally, a more interesting delve into the world of the luchador, in the New York Times 3 days ago. [Registration may be required to read it.]
All desires aside to see the man fly, NRO's Thomas Hibbs thus reviews:
