Talking 3 of My Favourite Television Programs (Part 1)

It's that time again for me to divulge more information on some of the best on screen forms of entertainment.  I'm doing it a little different this time though, as I feel like some love should be thrown in the direction of TV.  No longer is it considered an inferior form of screen presence, as some of the best performances I have ever seen reside on the television programs that I'm about to list.  So without any further ado...

Spoilers follow...

1) Mad Men (AMC)

With the newest season right around the corner, Mad Men is about a group of advertising executives and their turbulent lives in the 1960's.  As an advertising student it is my dream to one day live the life of Don Draper, however I do understand that I would be fired instantly if I pulled even some of his most tame antics.  Thankfully, that doesn't make watching him pull off those antics any less fun.  I watched the first four seasons on Netflix a couple of years ago in the span of a month.  This show is unique for me in the sense that it took me about the entire first season before I really started getting into it.   Many people may find the show to be dry or boring, but it's the characters that you invest in that make it worthwhile.  A lot of it has to do with the development of these characters.  In the pilot episode none of the characters were particularly good people, with the exception of one (Peggy, I'm looking at you).  No, not every character needs to be good but I think they need to be redeemable.  Every episode reveals a little bit more about each character that I can hardly wait to see where they go next in their journeys.  Not to mention, the time period is the glamourous 60's and the evolution of that time.  I have loved seeing the stylistic changes in hair, clothing, and music that that era provided the world.  Mad Men is one of the most consistent shows on television with great writing and acting.  It'll be a sad day when this one ends.

2) Shameless (Showtime) (U.S.)

I put this U.S. in brackets because Shameless is an American remake of a popular British television program of the same name.  This show allows us to enter the homes of the aptly shameless Gallagher family.  The Gallagher's put the fun in dysfunctional. Whenever I try to describe this show to people I always say it's like the movie Cheaper by the Dozen, but with an alcoholic father and a house on the other side of the tracks.  Gallagher patriarch, Frank is shameless in every sense of the word.  He leaves five of his children to be primarily looked after by his eldest daughter (only in her early twenties).  He has had sex with his girlfriend's daughter. He has given a baby Vicodin to fall asleep.  I could keep going, but it would ruin your experience if you were to ever watch it.  His children are no saints either, but what they do is mainly out of necessity for survival than pure selfishness.  You might be wondering why I find this show so good, because what I've described sounds all kinds of screwed up.  This is true, but this is also a comedy...sometimes dramady.  This is one show that balances dramatic and comedic elements perfectly.  There is almost never a dull moment, and my jaw is typically dropped by the end of every episode.  This is the kind of family that you peek in on and suddenly feel a lot better about how yours is.

3)  Boardwalk Empire (HBO)

If you love gangster movies, then I would imagine you would love Boardwalk Empire.  Starring Steve Buscemi as the fictional Enoch Thompson, this program is about bootlegging alcohol in 1920's Atlantic City.  Like Mad Men this is another period piece that is so well acted and presented.  In addition to seeing Enoch's descent into becoming a full fledged gangster, we are also witness to the rise of real life gangsters such as Al Capone and Lucky Luciano.  Again, some people may find this program to be "boring".  There is a lot of talking in this show, there's no doubt about that, but it's absolutely necessary to set up the very intricate story lines.  Don't be alarmed though, because there are also some very entertaining shootouts.  They don't happen every episode, but when they do you'll wince in the realism and decadence of the scene.  Like many of the shows I watch, this wont be everyone's cup of tea, but if you like the crime genre and aren't afraid of the gratuitous sex and violence that all HBO programming offers, then you should really give Boardwalk Empire a shot.

Part 2 will consist of three more television favourites of mine.




imdb.com
netflix.ca

Talking 3 Comic Book Films that Aren't Batman Related

Snowballing off of my last post about three of my favourite films that one might not have expected, I've decided to write about three of my favourite comic book films.  Now, because my three favourite comic book films reside within Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy and I've already somewhat touched base on that in previous blog posts I'll be covering three different comic book films that hold a special place in my heart.

1) Watchmen (2009)

Watchmen is a film that comic book purists will either love or hate.  For the longest time the graphic novel was deemed un-filmable and eccentric author Alan Moore decided to disown the film property after a failed experience with trying to successfully produce a screen adaptation of one of his works.  Eventually the film reigns were handed off to director Zack Snyder (Dawn of the Dead, 300) and screenwriter David Hayter (X-Men).  Together they produced what I believe to be one of the best screen adaptations of a graphic novel.  I believe they at least did the best they could have on a literary specimen such as Watchmen.  Yes, there were some changes in the story told on screen as apposed to the source material, but I also understand that sometimes certain changes need to be made in order to make a comic book film generally well received to the average movie going audience.  Certain elements of a comic book just don't always translate well to a screen adaptation.

Even so, Watchmen is about a group of retired superheroes in an alternate reality in 1985 where Richard Nixon is still president and the Cold War is at it's height.  These retired heroes are brought back into action when one of their own is found murdered and the investigation reaches a startling discovery.  This film and source material touch base on a superhero noire mystery set against the backdrop of the unease during the Cold War.  It's brilliantly executed and the visuals are astounding.  Zack Snyder has a very keen eye for both action and set design that truly gives his films a unique tone.  I highly recommend checking this film out and even reading the graphic novel if you ever get a chance because it really makes you think about the ethics of politics and war.    

2) Iron Man (2008)

While Watchmen presents a more intellectual look at the comic book film genre, Iron Man is just pure fun for multiple reasons.  Firstly, it brought back the career of one of my favourite actors Robert Downey Jr.  Secondly, this film single handedly turned a significantly lesser known comic book hero into a household name.  Thirdly, it set in motion what would ultimately become the epic on-screen ensemble known as The Avengers.  Honestly, when I first saw the bonus after credits sequence I was excited, but didn't get my hopes up that someday the super team of Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, & The Incredible Hulk would ever be on the same screen together.  Excluding The Avengers, I found Iron Man to be the best executed film in phase one of Marvel Studios' Avengers saga.  It set the ground work for an exciting franchise filled with great and loveable characters and performances.  It provided us with an awesome and bald Jeff Bridges as the film's villain Obadiah Stane (Iron Monger).  I actually cared about the on-screen love interest Pepper Potts played by Gwyneth Paltrow.   While the sequel would be fairly disappointing, I have high hopes that Iron Man 3 will take us back to the incredibly well balanced story and action of the original movie.

3) Blade (1998)

You may be thinking to yourself "That was a comic book movie?", to which I say it can be argued (and I would) that Blade set the trend for the foray of comic book films to come over the next fifteen years.  Before X-Men, Spider-Man, Daredevil, Fantastic Four, Batman Begins, IronMan, etc..., Blade kicked the crap out of vampires and provided movie going audiences with some of the best fight scenes and action on film.   Maybe that's a stretch, but I just really love this movie.  Blade ultimately proved to Hollywood that a comic book adaptation can be successful. While it has noticeably aged since it's release, Blade is the sort of balls-to-the-wall action movie that made the 90's so great.  In an age where vampire movies are all lovey-dovey, this movie gives us vampires that hide in the shadows amongst the humans and harvest their blood for ultimate survival.  No, the performances aren't Oscar worthy, but Wesley Snipes plays such a badass character throughout that all you really care about is watching Blade wield his sword, cutting some vampires to ash.  If for anything else, watch Blade for the sheer adrenaline rush that it provides.  If you aren't a pansy, you'll enjoy the movie.


www.imdb.com

Talking 3 (Unique) Personal Favourites

Now that Oscar season is over I realized I have to start thinking up new blog topics.  I thought to myself "where should I start?".  Well,  I'm looking to change the foundation a bit by picking three films that are some of my personal favourites, but that others may not have known I liked.

1) Misery (1990)

This is the film that introduced me to the unstoppable force that is Kathy Bates.  Seriously, she nailed this role (and got an Oscar for it too).  Ms. Bates plays Annie Wilkes, super-fan to James Caan's Paul Sheldon, the writer of her favourite series of books.  Annie rescues Paul after a car wreck in a secluded Colorado town.  To his knowledge it's Annie's intention to look after him until the authorities can pick up Paul and take him to a hospital.  That wouldn't make a fun movie though, would it?  No, instead Annie decides to keep Paul.  Literally.  She decides to keep her favourite writer, injured in her home.  When Paul starts to get wise to her game she decides to induce one of the most cringe worthy methods of torture on Paul by taking a sledgehammer to his knees in order to keep him put.  This film holds up as one of my favourite thrillers mostly due to how convincing Kathy Bates was.  She presented such an unbalanced and lonely individual that can change with the flick of a switch.  To this day I consider it one of the greatest performances I've ever seen.  I also can't help but think how this scenario might someday happen to Stephanie Meyer and a crazy Twilight mother/daughter fan club.

2) Halloween (1979)

Halloween was the film that kick-started the slasher craze into the 1980's.  Although many attempted to imitate, none ever duplicated the scariness or the success of John Carpenter's horror classic.  Starring Jamie Lee-Curtis,  Halloween is about an escaped mental patient by the name of Michael Myers (no, not that Mike Myers) that comes back to his hometown on Halloween night only to stalk and kill a trio of babysitters.  I wrote in an earlier blog post about the importance of music in film.  I don't think there is a greater example of how necessary the musical score is to a movie than Halloween.  Without the music all we'd have is a cheesy, somewhat boring 1970's exploitation horror flick.  Carpenter's score adds that extra ingredient that sends chills up our spines and has gone on to be one of the most iconic themes in film history.  Halloween went on to become one of the most successful independent films of all time raking in over $60,000,000 worldwide on a budget of $325,000.

3) American Beauty (1999)

Director Sam Mendes and writer Alan Ball gave us a glimpse inside the imperfect lives of the seemingly perfect Burnham family.  Starring Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening, and Thora Birch, American Beauty aims to analyze where something in one's life can go so wrong.  When did the beauty in life get lost in between dead-end jobs, routines, social status, and all that other crap that people worry so much about.  I remember seeing this film when it first came out...so I was lets say at best 8-years-old.    I had no idea what the hell was going on in this movie.  It was confusing and seemingly had no real plot, but then again I was eight and a) wasn't the intended audience & b) probably shouldn't be watching a movie with so much dysfunction.  Again, I'd like to thank Mom & Dad for letting that one happen.  In all seriousness though I commend them for believing I was mature enough to watch that film at my age.  Anyways, a few years ago this came on television and I re-watched it.   It instantly became one of my favourite films.  It was something different that begged to be analyzed and questioned.  It's the kind of movie that requires a discussion after watching it with a group of people.  It was a film in every sense of the word because it welcomed us to sit back and look at this family as it crumbles before our eyes and attempt to figure out why this happened.

www.imdb.com

Talking Oscar Night

So it has come and gone.  Arguably the most important night in Hollywood, the 85th Annual Academy Awards.  And what a night it was.  Overall I'm happy with whom the Academy chose as the winners and I although I managed to see only four of the nine nominated films for Best Picture, Argo was one of those four and needless to say I was happy to see it take home the top prize.  It was nice to see Ben get a lot of the recognition considering his Best Director snub.  I'm somewhat surprised that he spoke so quickly during his speech though.  I'm just saying, if I won Best Picture at the Academy Awards, I would take my time with the speech.  After all, there's no higher honour than Best Picture.

Other notable mentions were Quentin Tarantino taking home the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.  Nobody deserved it more, especially after his speech where he humbly thanked the cast that delivered his words on screen perfectly.  Christoph Waltz managed to once again snag the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, which was again well deserved as he has now proven that he is one of the absolute best actors working today. We also got to witness my future wife, Jennifer Lawrence make her fall up the stairs to receive her Academy Award for Best Actress, which proved to be one of those moments that was bound to happen considering some of the dresses those ladies were wearing.  She recovered gracefully however to accept her award.  Of course, Daniel Day-Lewis winning in the Best Actor category was a shoe in, especially after seeing Lincoln earlier that day.  He truly embodied the spirit and body of good ol' Abe.  Lastly, Anne Hathaway was able to scoop up her first Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Les Misérables.  I have yet to see the film, but from the clips I've seen, Anne seems to have truly put on her best performance and deserved the recognition for it.  If it wasn't for her turn as Catwoman, I'm glad it was for her playing a French prostitute.

I also liked how this year had the theme of music in cinema.  I'm a huge believer that music adds so much to film.  If you were to take out some of the musical scores to some of our most beloved films, they wouldn't be nearly as good as they are perceived to be.  Scores from horror films such as Jaws, Halloween, and Psycho define the unsettling tone of the movie.  The heart-pumping scores from so many of the actions films that are released today provide us with that sense of excitement when we see James Bond fighting a thug on top of a train or seeing Batman chased through the streets by dozens of police cars.  Film scores are some of the most underrated pieces of music. They can often be inspiring, exciting, frightening, etc...  I was very happy that some recognition was finally aimed toward them.  How awesome was it that people got played off the stage to the theme from Jaws?

How about Seth MacFarlane as host?  I get that a lot of people don't seem to care for Seth's humour, but I love it.  Understandably he had to tone it down to an incredible degree for the Oscars but he still managed to get a few dark humoured jokes in there.  That Lincoln joke was amazing.  I also thought it was a nice change of pace to open the show right up with Seth, followed by that skit with William Shatner.  Lets face it though, no matter who hosts,  nothing can be worse than when Anne Hathaway and James Franco took the stage in 2011.  Anne tried her best, but Franco definitely wasn't feeling it.  I'm hoping that Seth is asked back for next year as he managed to provide an entertaining and fresh sense of humour to a night that at times can be kind of boring.  I'm looking at you technical awards.

www.imdb.com
www.comingsoon.net

Talking Nolan

It's time to depart from the macabre world of Tarantino and walk into a world filled with wondrous spectacle brought to you by Christopher Nolan.  The one man that is tied with Quentin as my favourite director.  He has managed to reinvent the Blockbuster film as a film that can balance action and story simultaneously while keeping the audience wanting more.  His films, like Quentin, have a tone that he has mastered.  You know when you are watching a Chris Nolan movie that you should expect an epic experience.

I would be remised if I didn't mention that this past July, Nolan and company brought us the epic conclusion to his Batman saga, The Dark Knight Rises.  The people reading this that know me well enough are probably rolling their eyes right now.  Truth is, I'm a gigantic Bat-Fan.  I'm a comic book fan and Batman is undoubtably my favourite superhero.  I've read countless Batman graphic novels and am enamoured with the mythology that surrounds the character.  So, I suppose you may think that I'm biased in general to Nolan's Batman films as some of my favourites simply because they're Batman films.  That isn't the case.  Chris Nolan is somebody that truly knows how to get this icon across on screen.  He takes the best parts of the comic books and puts his own spin on it to the point where fans have coined the term "Nolanize" (e.g., How will Nolan Nolanize Catwoman?).  As in taking something from a comic book, normally considered unrealistic making it more realistic.  He finds the happy medium between fantasy and realism, which is why he (in my opinion) was responsible for creating the perfect Batman trilogy.  

Lets pump the breaks a minute and go to Nolan's first mainstream foray into cinema; Memento (2000).  Starring Guy Pierce, this is an innovate neo-noir film about a man with short-term memory loss trying to track down his wife's killer.  If anything, it's incredibly different than the movies that Nolan makes today.  Likely due to the $9,000,000 budget that he and the crew were working with.  Yes, that amount seems like a lot, but when comparing it to the estimated $250,000,000 budget of The Dark Knight Rises, it doesn't really hold up.  Even so, Memento was Nolan's true introduction to movie-going audiences.  I mentioned earlier that the film was innovative.  That word is thrown around freely these days, however I honestly couldn't think of a better word to describe this film. That's because Memento is presented backwards.  You may be wondering how this could be, but the best way to understand is to sit down and watch the movie. 

There's a lot more I could say about Chris Nolan, so perhaps I'll save it for a later blog entry.  I'm somewhat ashamed to call him one of my favourite directors without having seen his first film Following (1998) and The Prestige (2006).  Something I plan on doing something about in the next few months.  With that said, he is another director that seems to top himself every time he puts out a new film.  I appreciate a director that evolves and takes risks.  Nolan's style takes a turn towards old Hollywood where the audience can marvel at a film with tremendous scope and storytelling that once the credits appear at the end, you know that you have witnessed something special. 

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0634240/?ref_=sr_1

Talking Tarantino

This blog entry is dedicated to one of my absolute favourite film makers; Quentin Tarantino.  The man's name is synonymous with over-the-top violence, memorable characters and in many instances controversy.  What's that old saying? Controversy creates cash.  That is just what Mr. Tarantino has done for the last 20+ years in Hollywood.  He is solely responsible for some of the greatest films ever made while remaining fresh in movie-goers minds every time he puts out a new feature.  I truly believe he's one of the best screenwriters and directors of all time.

I should begin with stating my love for Quentin's dialogue.  At one time I was an aspiring screenwriter...let's just say I dabble in it now (Advertising kind of put that one on the back-burner). What draws me to screenwriting is that you have an outlet to play out whatever you want for your story.  Do you want to write about an epic sci-fi adventure? crime? horror?  The possibilities are endless.  I fell in love with the possibilities.  However, what truly captured me was what I could create when it came to my characters and more importantly what they would say.  I love writing dialogue.  Probably because it's something that allows me to think about what I would say in real life and bring that realism to a piece of fiction.  Then again sometimes it's fun to write something for a character that is nothing like you.  They can be the biggest badass in the world, or a crazed killer and whatever they say is up to you.

The point of my dialogue rant is that I personally believe that there are very few screenwriters that can make dialogue seem "real".  Or at least give off that effect.  Truth be told, not every screenwriter has to. A lot of films that are released are visual spectacles that rely on special effects or and good direction.  That's fine and it works.  I love a good spectacle.  However, Tarantino offers this alternative perspective that isn't given enough credit.  He writes in a way that makes you feel like you have had this conversation before.  He touches on taboo topics that we've thought about, but perhaps were too politically correct or timid to talk about.  For example...two of my favourite conversations to take place on film are in Tarantino flicks.  Please, do yourself a favour and watch the following clips.

 Exhibit 1:  Reservoir Dogs

I love this scene.  Not because Steve Buscemi is gracing my visual presence with his acting genius, but because this conversation...well, it's more of an argument is so real.  Two sides are presented about something that I'll admit...I've often thought of.  Now, I believe most people would side with the waitress getting a tip, but what can't be argued is that Mr. Pink's case is justified.  He makes valid points and every time I watch this scene I almost feel like I'm sitting with the group.  That's effective screenwriting.

Exhibit #2:  Pulp Fiction

It was really hard to pick just one clip from one of my favourite movies of all time to show an example of why I love Tarantino's dialogue, but I feel like this is the best example from Pulp Fiction.  These two fine actors (who I will not name because if you don't know who they are then you've most likely been living under a rock) are talking about foot massages!  That is the basis for a nearly five-minute scene, and yet it's written in a way that compels you to listen, make judgements and once again hear both sides.  You'll also find yourself siding with one of the two characters. My personal opinion...throwing Tony Rocky Horror out of a window for maybe massaging Mia Wallace's feet was a bit excessive.  

Perhaps it's time for me to climb out of Mr. Tarantino's ass.  I just can't help but continually be impressed by what he churns out.  Every one of his movie's is the same but different.  He has created his own style by borrowing a little bit from different auteurs throughout the years and has made some of the most entertaining, outlandish, hilarious, and intense films ever made.  His films are the films that I aspire to write and make.  I look forward to seeing what he comes up with next.





http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000233/?ref_=tt_ov_dr

Talking Argo

This past weekend I had to opportunity to pay a visit to the movie theatre, so being me I obviously capitalized on it.  The choices were Lincoln or Argo.  I want to see both before the Academy Awards, but seeing as Argo just won the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture Drama it seemed like a clear indicator that that's the film I should see before the big night. On a side note, it was my birthday a little over a week ago and I got a Cineplex gift card and there's nothing quite like a free movie (at least on my end).

For those of you who might not know, Argo (directed and starring Ben Affleck) is about a CIA operative that sets up an elaborate plan to rescue six American diplomats stranded in Iran during civil unrest in 1980.  The plan you ask?  Set up a fake movie location scout with the intention of passing off the six would-be American prisoners as a Canadian film crew in order for them to get back home.  All the better is that this isn't just some hollywood screenwriter's idea for a good movie; this actually happened.  I was yet to be born, but from what I understand this was a major event in the late 70's and early 80's.  More close to my heart is the fact that the Canadian government played a major role in the rescue of the Americans.

Argo proved to be a compelling story about an incredibly tense situation and how one wild idea could either pay off or everything could go terribly wrong.  Affleck was successful in bringing this historical event to the big screen after the case itself was declassified in the 90's.  The film stands as an interesting and insightful political thriller that any citizen of the United States or Canada should go out of their way to see.  I say this because unlike a lot of films put out today, Argo ultimately sends the audience home with the positive message of how governments came together in the attempt to rescue these people.  There are moments of seriousness, hilarity, tenseness and relief as any good film should manipulate the viewers emotions to feel for the characters on screen.

After seeing the film, Argo seems like an odd choice for the Academy to notice and if it hadn't just won a major movie award I would say it would be a long shot to win on Oscar night.  Not because it's inferior to the other pictures nominated, but because it doesn't seem like the type of film usually recognized with the prestigious golden man.  I've now seen only three of the nine pictures nominated in the Best Motion Picture category, but if I was to just judge based off of the three I've seen then it should be a tough race.  The diehard Tarantino fan in my wants to say Django Unchained should take it and my undying crush for my future wife Jennifer Lawrence makes me want Silver Linings Playbook to win.  However Ben Affleck was able to put together an excellent ensemble of actors and actresses for a film that puts the often criticized governments of Canada and the U.S. in a positive light, and for that reason it wouldn't be a crime for him and the crew to be recognized for the superb storytelling displayed in Argo.










http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1024648/?ref_=sr_1