In Memoriam: Sidney Lumet

I know this comes a couple days late, but I feel bad not paying tribute to the great film director Sidney Lumet.  Lumet got most of his early work behind the camera in television, but he of course remembered more for the stellar films he directed on the big screen.

Lumet's first huge film was one of the best courtroom dramas of all time 12 Angry Men (1957).  This film launched his film career and set him on a great trajectory.  Lumet had a very strong film career with other movies like Dog Day Afternoon, Serpico, Network (my personal favorite), The Wiz, The Verdict, Running on Empty and his last film (written by his daughters) Before the Devil Knows Your Dead.

Sidney Lumet was nominated for the Best Director Academy Award four times for 12 Angry Men, Dog Day Afternoon (1976), Network (1977), and The Verdict (1983); he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium in 1982 for Prince of the City.  His only Academy Award win came in 2005 when he was honored with the Honorary Award.

In his forty years in the film industry Mr. Lumet's crown jewel and most highly regarded film was network.  The film's famous quote that man recite is "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore."  That line was uttered by actor Peter Finch who won a posthumous Oscar for this film.  The film also won Faye Dunaway her only Academy Award in the Best Actress category.  Network also won Beatrice Straight the Best Supporting Actress Academy Award, and Paddy Chayefsky the award for Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen.  Network had 6 other Academy Award nominations and lost Best Picture to Rocky (terrible win).  The film chronicles network television exploiting the rants of an old TV news journalist (Finch) for ratings.  The film tackles the modern era of TV news and the importance of ratings over quality.  This film was ahead of its time and its director Sidney Lumet was brilliant in the director's chair.

As we reflect on his passing here is a video of him speaking about films, what a sad time to lose such a brilliant director.

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Gay Men in Film: From Victim to Sidekick, Isn't there More to Being Gay?

After watching the film I Love You Phillip Morris this past which stars Jim Carrey as Steven Russell who starts off the film in a hospital bed as if he is dying; he talks about his story and how he was very religious and married but was hiding his sexual orientation.  Carrey states that it costs a lot of money to be gay so he becomes a con man and swindles people out of money in order to keep up with the gay lifestyle.  Eventually while in prison for pulling off one of his latest cons Steven (Carrey) meet Phillip Morris (Ewen McGregor) and they fall in love.  The portrayal of Steven Russell is a somewhat typical representation of gay men in that he represents the materialistic gay man who wants everything. Phillip Morris represents the victimized gay male.  The love between Phillip and Steven is real, but their relationship rarely seems about them, and is more about Steven's misunderstanding his own life.  After watching this I saw a direct correlation with the film Catch me if you can, the whole con man story, but DiCaprio's Frank Abignale is far more redeemable and even celebrated in the end, while Steven is never seen as sympatheic.  Maybe the connection is limited, but I felt comparing a hetersexual and homosexual con man story and showing their differences helps show the disparity in the way that different groups are portrayed in film. 

Carrey's character does represent a different type of role for gay man and it was fun to watch that, but there are such a small number of films made where gay men are represented in leading roles where they aren't the victim of violence or die of a disease (most likely HIV or AIDS).  The other complicated part is that this movie was ready to be released last year but because of the content and the original NC-17 rating it did not get released until over a year after its initial release date.  Even in the original poster there is only a picture of Jim Carrey's character (the lead in the film), but there is no picture of his male love interest Phillip Morris.  The above seen movie poster is a later version.  When people create movies like this that dare to be different and push boundaries there is often push back and real stories do not get told.

One of my friends asked me once, "Why do you get excited when you see a gay character in a movie?"  My answer was simple, because it is someone whose story I can relate to.  This happens more in television.  When i was coming up with the list of some of my favorite mainstream movies (and I emphasize mainstream) here is what I cam up with: The Birdcage, Brokeback Mountain, Philadelphia, Milk, Rent  and A Single Man.  Four out those six films portray men who are either killed in a violent act (Brokeback Mountain, Milk) or dying of AIDS (Rent, Philadelphia).  The Birdcage is hilarious but gives the impression that gay men are obsessed with being woman (although the other undertone is that Robin Williams and Nathan have a stronger relationship than most heterosexual couples).  The constant portrayal of gay men as victims presents gay males with that as a constant and singular identity.  The media can be the primary source where people learn about gay males and thus seeing many gay men dying on screen with AIDS paints the picture that it is only gay men who have the disease.  

In comedies gay men have become overrepresented as the gay best friend to a girl.  This plays out in My Best Friend's Wedding, The Object of My Affection, Mean Girls, Monster-In-Law, She's the Man, and many more.  Within the context of the film movies rarely show gay males as the lead in a romantic comedy without leaving room for certain stereotypes (The Birdcage-La Cage Aux Folles does it a little better).  There are niche companies that have created their own gay films that are romantic comedies, but they are rarely seen by a non gay audience.  Movies like The Broken Hearts Club, All Over the Guy, Adam and Steve, and Trick.  These non mainstream companies make these movies on small budgets and rarely attract big talent, so the quality tends to suffer.  How can you not laugh at Nathan Lane and his attempt to play it straight in The Birdcage, or at Rupert Everett as he pretends to Julia Robert's fiance in My Best Friend's Wedding.  The problem is gay men need to have their romantic stories told also so viewers can see that there are more stories in this world.

One other probelm is that within film gay males are portrayed as mainly white.  There is a lack of racial and ethinc diversity when showing gay men.  The one black gay male I can think of is Cuba Gooding Jr. in As good as it gets who is the movie for maybe fifteen minutes.  The only movie I can think with an all black male cast is Noah's Arc: Jumping the Broom, which is essentially a TV movie because they made it as a conclusion to the cancelled TV show.  Lee Daniels who directed the Precious is an openly gay male and hopefully this will help bring some racial diversity to gay films.  I could not think of any Asian or Latino gay males represented in film, and no Hank Azaria in The Birdcage only plays Latino.

Hollywood has started to do better, but it just isn't enough.  There are numerous gay film makers out there that are starting to make waves and creat movies that create an opportunity for people to understand what it means to be a gay male.  Ryan Murphy (Glee, Running with Scissors), Gus Van Sant (Milk), Todd Haynes (Far from Heaven).  Murphy has taken on the characters Kurt and Blaine in Glee, but has never had any gay men in his film subject matter.  Van Sant has taken on numerous gay male characters but most of his films are small independent films, and Todd Haynes had Dennis Quaid in Far from Heaven, but most of his material has focused on women.  As television continues to break more ground, the film industry needs to step up their game and market to different audiences, now is the time to take risks and reach a new niche market.

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Mia Wasikowska's Career Will Not be Lost in Wonderland

I first saw this great actress spilling her guts out in therapy with Gabriel Byrne on In Treatment; her role in this show highlighted a great acting talent for the future.  I was in awe of her performance and hoped she would find great roles that would catapult her film career.  Well my good thoughts for her film career (I'd like to think my good thoughts) landed her the role in the second highest grossing film in 2010, Alice in Wonderland.

Before Alice in Wonderland Wasikowska had a few small roles in some films and short films.  Two high profile films she had roles in were Amelia (the story of Amelia Earhart) and Defiance (a film about Jewish brothers in Nazi occupied Eastern Europe).  Both films had critical potential but neither highlighted Wasikowska's true talent. I hated Tim Burton's adaptation of Alice in Wonderland, all he knows how to do know is make a film look good, but the delivery just isn't there, but this is not a rant about Tim Burton that will come later.  Wasikowska was great as Alice; she kicked butt was confident and pulled off a strong performance in a weak film.

Wasikowska's strongest role in film to date is her role in the the film The Kids are Alright.  In the film Wasikowska plays Joni the daughter of two lesbians who wants to find the man whose sperm was used to help create her and her brother.  Sounds like the great American story (well I think so).  Wasikowska knocked it out of the park with this role; she was strong fierce and played the the naive teenager on the verge of adulthood well.

Currently Wasikowska is gaining critical buzz with her performance as Jane Eyre in the film Jane Eyre (of course).  The film is not playing around me but it looks fantastic and she appears to give a wonderful understated performance.  When you look at this actresses upcoming films she is working with some pretty impressive people Gus Vant Sant (Director-Good Will Hunting, Milk), Nicole Kidman, Collin Firth Glen Close and so many more.  Her career is just about to take off so pay attention to this rising actress as she steals the spotlight and is most likely nominated for an Academy Award within the next year or two.

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Why Aren't Movies Funny Anymore?

So tonight I sat in my apartment and after finishing a LONG homework assignment for grad school and decided I needed a good laugh so I put in the movie Due Date with Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis, and well....I laughed once.  I remember watching the trailer and thinking, well it won't be a great movie but it will make me laugh, boy was I wrong.  The jokes are lame and cheap-this movie just makes me think that the director Todd Phillips (The Hangover) future film The Hangover 2 will be filled with the same cheap jokes which will ruin the creativity.   The genius behind a great funny movie is that jokes are original and that they spark tremendous laughter.  Todd Phillips did Old School and Road and the reason they are both uniquely funny is because the jokes work in one film and there is no need to rehash the same jokes in a sequel.  A great funny movie is rare today, and in a time when people need to laugh most I have to ask the question, why aren't movies funny anymore?

There have been so many movies lately that just remind me how hard it is to make someone laugh, and movies are just not having much success in the comedy department.  The plots of many comedies have tried to be too cool or too out there like Due Date.  The movie tried adding in random gags that make no sense to the plot.  This plot device is overdone.  Danny McBride's "handicapable" war veteran who beats Robert Downey Jr. with a night stick is pointless and by no means funny.  Oscar winner Jammie Foxx plays a man who is still in love with Downey Jr.'s wife and there is this joke or fear that he actually slept with her and the baby will be black, but the joke never goes anywhere, and the character is pointless to the story, just a plot device to give the two main characters a car as they travel across the country.  Maybe I am over thinking this, but the humor was lost on me.

There have been a slew over movies that should be or should have been funny in the last couple of years but they have either flopped or have just been duds.  Little Fockers is a prime example of taking a film series too far.  The characters are shells of themselves from the first film.  The gag of Robert DeNiro being a tight ass former CIA agent was funny once, but it is getting old.  Jessica Alba you can't act give-up, not are you funny (just a side note).  I often wonder when I watch a movie like this that is intended to be funny and it ends up being terrible how you talk about your work as an actor.  Not every successful funny film needs a sequel (Legally Blonde) or to become a series of films (American Pie).  When the joke gets stale no when to throw in the towel-take a hint Ivan Reitman do NOT do Ghostbusters 3.

When I talk about bad comedies there is no way I can't mention Adam Sandler.  Sandler has had some movies that were pretty funny: Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore, and The Wedding Singer.  After that in my opinion he just kept peddling crap: The Waterboy, Little Nicky, Mr. Deeds, 50 First Dates, The Longest Yard, Click, Grown Ups, Funny People, You Don't Mess with the Zohan, Just Go with It, I Know Pronounce you Chuck and and Larry-I may be missing a few, but that is such a long list of movies that have wasted people's time!  Sure his movies have collectively had funny moments, but overall he keeps peddling the same movie with a different attractive actress.  When Snadler stepped outside of his cliche funnyman role in Punch-Drunk Love he wasn't half bad. Stop making the same movie and leave classics alone.  Create something new, your box office clout is starting to fade.  Just Go with It barely made 100 million dollars. 

I also have to add to this be careful Vince Vaughn you are falling into the same pattern.  The movie Couples Retreat had all their funny moments in the previews and when I sat through the movie I felt like I wasted 8 dollars.  The child peeing in the store was the funniest part of the movie, that kid was hilarious and they should have paid him what they paid their bigger stars.  A lot of movies put their best moments in their trailers now, and it really ruins the element of the joke because once you watch the joke over and over again in commercials it no longer gets the laugh it should get.  Television comedies are far superior to the comedy done in films today.  Both 30 Rock and Arrested Development help keep you engaged without making you feel like an idiot.  Tina Fey is a genius her only feature film she has directed is Mean Girls and it probably one of the funniest films of the the 2000s; she also is the brain behind one of the funniest television shows ever.  Give this woman more writing to do in film maybe she can save films from their comedy slump.

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Movie Scores: These Are A Few of My Favorite Things

So after a long journey of flying for four days staright, I am back and well I need more rest, but I have missed writing in my blog.  As I was traveling I thought about several entries I could blog about, and this was the one I was most excited about so here it goes!

My favorite part about a film beyond the screenplay, the acting, and the direction is the score.  A dynamic score hooks you into the plot of a film.  The music sets the tone and makes you feel the joy, the pain, the drama, and every emoiton possible.  The composers are directing the viewer to make you feel a certain way when you watch a movie.  It is a different type of direction, which captivates most audiences without them being aware. Some recent movie scores have made me fall how passionate the composer wants to convey the message of the story.  Here are my some of my favorite recent movie scores:

Beauty and the Beast-Alan Menken (1991)-It may be tale as a old as time but the music by Alan Menken makes this one of the most memorable animated love stories.

Forrest Gump-Alan Silvestri (1994)-As the feather floats away in air at the end we realize that Silvestri's music pulled us into the life of this simple man with such a complex history.

The Lion King-Hans Zimmer (1994)-My favorite score for an animated feature.  The Lion King uses power and strength to convey the the journey of Simba the young lion to becoming The Lion King.

Seven-Trent Reznor (1995)-Rezner captures the bleakness and dispair of this film well.  The film is so dark and gritty and the music keeps you there from the grusome murders to the struggle to find hope.

American Beauty-Thomas Newman  (1999)-Those piano keys signify the hallowness of Lester Burnham's tragic suburban life.  Newman's emotional grasp of suburban life makes this some of the most beautiful music.

The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring-Howard Shore (2001)-This epic score fits the size of the film.  The music carries you from the shire to the battle at end with wimzy and and bravado.

Catch me if you Can-John Williams (2002)-John Williams is a great composer and this is my favorite score he has done in years; he transforms the world of a con man into this playful music that hooks you in.

Brokeback Mountain- Gustavo Santaolallo (2005)-Two cowboys fall in love-and the guitars make you feel the pain and anguish of a love that can never be.  This selection entitle "Wings" is my favorite track in a score ever.

Pride and Prejudice-Dario Marionelli (2005)-I fell in love with Elizabeth Bennett, Mr. Darcy, and this film because the music made me understand their love more than I ever have.

The Dark Knight-Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard (2008)-These men captured the dark twsited rampages of the Joker as he ripped through Gotham City. The opening sequence music sets the tone for this film and just makes this film great! 

Film music captures our hearts, terrifies us, and keeps us gripping on our seats to see what will happen next.  Take the time to explore the musical component of film and you will thank me I promise.  In fact your heart may go on to love film score forever.

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The Epic Journey: My Five Favorite Movies About Traveling

So I will be away from my blog again this week (starting Tuesday)  I will be traveling some more to Montclair, New Jersey and Atlanta, Georgia.  It will be a long week, but it made me think about how traveling is a big theme in movies.  The journey often starts out simple-or as if everything should be smooth sailing, but then things go terribly wrong.  No, Are We There Yet? is not going to be on this list.  Within some movies the journey was always meant to be a troubling, but we can't help enjoy the end result.

1-Easy Rider (1969) The classic tale of disillusionment as two bikers Wyatt (Peter Fonda) and Billy (Dennis Hopper) travel across America from L.A. to New Orleans for Mardi Gras.  Now I watched this in my religion class back in high school because my teacher was a hippy and love this film.  The movie shows the heart of 1960s America and even through the tragic ending the film points out that sometimes the simplest journeys are the most complex.

2-Up in the Air (2009) Jason Reitman directed this brilliant film about Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) who lives his life in airplane; he lives to travel and hates to be settled down in his home.  As Bingham encounters Natalie Keener (Anna Kendrick) his young protege, and Alex Goran (Vera Farmiga) he suddenly starts to have a change of heart and feels that his life like his back allegory is empty and shallow.  This film tells a tale of how their is value in home and settling down, and constant travel is just an easy escape from life's pain that can not be prevented.

3-Back to the Future (1985) Sure it's about time travel, but the movie is still about Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) going back in the past and watching his parents eventually meet up and fall in love.  This movie is just plain great, as a kid you always wonder what your parents were like as teenagers, well Marty McFly gets to see them in all their glory.  What a great alternative type of travel.

4-Y Tu Mama Tambien (2001)  When two best friends and and a twenty-something woman go a road trip they end learning more about love, sex, and their friendship.  What starts as fun road trip turns into a heartbreaking journey as Tenoch (Diego Luna) and Julio (Gael Garcia Bernal) evolve from teenagers to men as they try and impress Ana (Ana Lopez Mercado).  The boys friendship is changed forever by this journey and in the last encounter they have you realize that some journeys break things rather than restore.

5-National Lampoon's Vacation (1983)-This to me is one of the funniest movies about a family trip gone wrong. Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) and Ellen Griswold (Beverly D'Angello) take their two kids Russ and Audrey on a road trip across the country to get to Wally World.  With great appearances Imogene Coca (Aunt Edna) Randy Quaid (Cousin Eddie) and John Candy (as the security guard at Wally World this film has you rolling on floor.  The family endures weird, relatives, a death on the road, Christie Brinkley in a red convertible, and holding up an amusement park.  This journey is hilarious.

I love to travel, but not two places in one week-but I will cope and hopefully this trip will yield some fun results.  There are so many great movies about travel it was hard to pick, but here is a quote from The Motorcyle Diaries which would have been number six on the list:

"This is what traveling does to you. It changes you. That’s probably the strangest feeling and confusion you get when coming home again. You are not the same person coming back as you were when you left. At least that is what it did to me, massively."

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Scream 4: One Movie I am EXCITED to see this year!

So I am not a big horror movie fan-the movies are usually pretty bad-they always have bad actors, bad dialogue, and are well dumb.  In 1996, the words "What's your favorite scary movie" were uttered and I was hooked.  Scream was not only a great horror film ,but it used irony to poke fun at horror movie cliches.  *Spoiler Alert* (if you have not seen this movie-which if you haven't by now its already been ruined for you)  Drew Barrymore getting killed off in the opening sequence still give me chills.  This was a brilliant film opening.  The characters are also fun-my personal favorite is bitch new reporter Gale Weathers played with great comic timing and gusto by Courteney Cox. 

I think the great thing about all three of these movies is that they never pretend to take themselves too seriously.  I like comedy best, and Scream can be viewed as a very very dark comedy.  Now I don't think the subject is funny-so before I get in trouble for that-I think the the way the characters can make fun of the horror genre is unique, like in the scene below.

The mayhem continued in Scream 2, with the some main cast members returning from the original film-Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), Gale Weathers (Cox), Deputy Dewey (David Arquette) Randy (Jaime Kennedy), and Cotton Weary (Liev Schrieber).  There were also several fun cameos Jada Pinkett Smith as the first-well second victim, Rebecca Gayheart and Portia De Rossi as bimbo like sorority girls, and who can forget Sarah Michelle Gellar as Cici the film geek and sorority girl all rolled into one.  The tag line is brilliant "Someone has taken their love of sequels too far."  Even within the movie they focus on how bad sequels can be, but this sequel lives up the original.  The killer-well one of the killers is so unexpected that gasped when I saw the ending for the first time.  This is actually my favorite of the trilogy. 

Then came Scream 3.  It is not as bad as many say that it is but it is by no means a jewel in the crown of this film franchise.  The rules in this film highlighted the absurdity of the third film in a trilogy.  The deaths are crazier, the killer is hard to kill (and he was) and even the main character can die-but she doesn't.  The story behind the killer being Sidney's mothers son prior to her time in Woodsboro is clever because it speaks to her mother being a slut, but I was not thrilled with the reveal.  Scott Speedman was not as convincing to pull this off-all I could see was Noel from Felicity.  The best part about this film is Parker Posey's character Jennifer (who plays Gale in the movie within the movie that chronicles the future murders.) Posey is hilarious and her banter with Courtney Cox (the real Gale) make this worth watching over and over again.

Now ten years later in Scream 4 Sidney Prescott returns home to Woodsboro as the last stop on her book tour and the ghostface killer is not pleased she is back and starts going after her and killing other people based on the first film.  The sacred three are back: Campbell, Cox, and Arquette.  The new cast is pretty great-and well the trailer just makes it look bad ass (see down below).  The poster is well made and as my friend Stephanie would say (or well I would say she would say this) "I'm plotzing." There are new rules for a new millennium and new technology. Who will the killer be? Will they kill off one of the original three?  We will find out on April 15th 13 days from (not like I am counting.)  All I know is I will be at the movie theatre at midnight on opening night as this movie opens pretending to brave and not get scared as the release of my most anticipated sequels this year is released.

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