June 2012
9 posts
The Lessons of Watergate →
nationalreview.com
Fred Thompson:
What seldom if ever is mentioned in Watergate discussions is what was going on in the country at the time the plumbers’ unit was formed. Starting in 1969, anti–Vietnam War activity had turned violent. Bombings were commonplace. The University of Wisconsin bombing, which killed one and injured several, occurred because the school was doing research for the Army. The Weathermen failed in a bombing attempt in New York City. The U.S. Capitol was bombed. The killings at Kent State occurred and the reaction was tremendous, as mobs took over campuses. Hundreds of thousands of protesters swarmed Washington with the announced intention of shutting down the government. More than 17,000 troops and police surrounded the White House to protect it. And, of course, the Pentagon Papers were printed in the New York Times and the Washington Post. Obviously, strong but legal countermeasures were called for. But gradually, legitimate concern morphed into something quite illegitimate.
Thompson (now primarily known for his acting) was involved directly in Watergate’s aftermath. This article on NRO paints some much-needed context around those events.
Barton Fink (1991)
While certainly not my favorite Coen Brothers movie, something about Barton Fink keeps me coming back. I like the way it lampoons the pretentions of the Hollywood (and New York) elite, and the understated humor throughout.
Though there are few blatantly funny scenes, notwithstanding one line in particular which still had me laughing minutes later, I enjoyed the situational humor permeating the whole runtime. It’s the dramatic irony of seeing Fink’s disconnect from the common man, even as he condescends to one, of writing a movie about a wrestler though he’s never seen a wrestling match, of claiming to want to bring theater to the masses while not seeing the already-broad appeal of cinema.
Of course, I couldn’t talk about the movie without heaping praise on John Goodman, who really steals the show. He plays his character in a pitch-perfect manner, bringing a dead-on earnestness to him.
Links: IMDb | Blu-ray (import) | DVD
Prometheus (2012)
I shielded myself from almost all media regarding Prometheus. As soon as I heard Ridley Scott was making a semi-prequel follow-up to Alien, I knew I wanted to see the movie. I didn’t want any premature expectations going into it.
I came away thinking it was the best science-fiction movie to come out in the last decade (at least). Scott took the same basic plot structure and similar archetypes from the original Alien and builds on it in almost every way.
A sci-fi movie taking place in the future rises and falls on making me believe the technology there could exist. Alien made its technology believable by making the ship big and dirty, rather than sparklingly clean. The crew were like a bunch of long-haul truckers piloting a big rig. The ship wasn’t pretty at all.
The technology imagined for Prometheus succeeds in a different way. It blends technology we currently have with that which is just on the horizon. The devices use touch interfaces like an iPhone, but rather than plastic or metal, they’re thin blocks of glass. Holographic projections, seen throughout the movie, are already being researched and may soon be seen in real products.
Obviously we’re nowhere near having hypersleep or deep-space travel as shown, but I think we accept those technologies as tropes of the genre. We’ve seen them not only in the original Alien series, but in many other space movies. Will we have them in the next 80 years? It’s not beyond believability. Imagine showing someone an iPad eighty years ago.
And of course, I have to mention Michael Fassbender’s performance as David, the most recent in the line of strong Synthetic performances. I like how he brings a quasi-humanity to the allegedly soulless android role.
If I had one complaint about Prometheus, it would be that I wish it had ended with a more clear-cut path to the beginning of Alien. The pieces were there, but it didn’t all quite come together. Who knows, maybe they’ll make Prometheuses to bridge the gap.
Drive (2011) →
imdb.com
Drive had me enjoying the ride. I dug the retro 80’s music and typography, and the strong, silent character Ryan Gosling plays well (I’ve actually been liking him quite a bit these days). The chase scenes were decent, and the brutality of the violence surprising and chilling.
Ultimately, though, it lost me at the end. It felt like the screenwriter just didn’t know how to end the movie, and punted. If only Hossein Amini, the screenwriter, had taken Robert McKee’s advice. The ending left me so unsatisfied that I feel like the whole movie was a waste of my time.
It wasn’t though, and that’s what stinks. There was a lot to like, but I probably won’t watch it again.
Stand By Me (1986) →
imdb.com
I’ve seen Stand By Me many times. I first saw it during my Junior-year high school English class as an example of a bildungsroman1, or a story about growing up, rites of passage, etc. Every viewing after that was because of my wife, who grew up watching this movie. She loves it to death, and can quote most dialogue from it verbatim.
It’s easy to understand why. It’s a story about kids coming into their own, and defeating their elders. They still act juvenile, but you can tell that their teenage years are right around the corner.
Of the main four kids, each has his own character, and I guess that everyone who watches the movie relates to at least one of them. Personally, I see myself as equal parts Vern and Gordy, a little chubby, a little awkward and naive, but with a passion that would hopefully propel me to greater things2.
And then, there’s the music. Every song fits the milieu perfectly, and they’re all great songs from the period. I especially liked the instrumental down-tempo take on the title track during the falling action.
I noticed on this latest viewing that it establishes a formula that led The Wonder Years to later success. You have a story about a young man’s middle school years with his buddies, narrated by his older self. Much of the non-juvenile comedy in the movie comes from Gordy’s older self’s mature retrospective.
Both The Wonder Years and Stand By Me stand as successful examples of “dramedy”. A lot of their appeal results from the comedic portions, but the reason you keep coming back to them over the years is because of the lasting value of the story.
I highly recommend this movie to anyone who hasn’t seen it.
