Acrentropy has been in business for exactly six months now, and I have finished out the year with a total of 50 full length movie reviews! To commemorate this, I'm presenting a list of all the movie reviews with links. Happy New Year, folks. See you on the other side.
Friday, December 31, 2004
Thursday, December 30, 2004
Review: "The Hudsucker Proxy" (1994)
The title of "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" comes from the 1941 comedy "Sullivan's Travels". In that film, a Hollywood director disguises himself as a hobo in order to write a meaningful screenplay about the human condition. What he discovers is that people didn't want to see that kind of film. They preferred escapism. The Coen Brothers chose that title because after the heaviness and critical raves of "Fargo", they wanted to make films whose raison d'etre was pure entertainment. Fortunately, they had plenty of practice at this sort of film.
"The Hudsucker Proxy" concerns one Norville Barnes (Tim Robbins), who has arrived in New York City fresh off the bus and eager to get into the workforce. Meanwhile, Waring Hudsucker (Charles Durning), Founder and President of Hudsucker Industries, has just plummeted 44 floors to his death. His devious board of directors, headed by Vice President Sidney J. Mussburger (Paul Newman), hatch a takeover plan which involves installing Norville as a puppet President until the end of the year. Intrepid reporter Amy Archer (Jennifer Jason Leigh) smells something fishy almost immediately, and is determined to expose all of these dealings to the public. Little does she know that she'll end up falling for Norville in the process.
When a movie works, I mean really works, there's a giddiness that I cannot contain when watching it. "The Incredibles" and the "Ocean's 11" remake fall into this category. Both of those films are fun in the purest sense, and so is "Hudsucker". Like Norville, the Coen's are so earnest and true in their wish to make people happy with their product that it shows. The laughs come as fast as the characters speak, and we are consistently wowed by the visuals of a 1950's corporate culture run amok.
Speaking of the visuals, some reviewers thought that the movie fails to recapture the feel of screwball comedies because the visuals are too extreme. Trying to completely copy an old movie genre is a tricky business and very rarely works (One exception is "Down With Love", which came very close to it's Rock Hudson/Doris Day progenitors). With "Hudsucker", there are several genres at play. There's a Warner Brothers cartoon vibe to the proceedings as we see characters fall from great heights in the grand tradition of Wile E. Coyote. We see giant clock mechanisms that seem fit for Charlie Chaplin to ride on. We observe swells of music as two characters embrace and fall into silhouette as if in a Douglas Sirk melodrama. But it all fits together and, in the confines of the world this film creates, it never strikes a false moment.
Carter Burwell, who has done the music for all of the Coen Brothers films, is fast becoming one of the most talented composers in Hollywood. Whether it's the mournful Norwegian dirge in "Fargo" or the light Irish melody that pervades "Miller's Crossing", he can truly capture and amplify the spirit of a film thorough his compositions. "Hudsucker", appropriately, has a lot of peppy music that mirrors Norville's attitudes. There's also the aforementioned swells of violins that opens the films that never fails to give me goosebumps. Also of note is Burwell's (and the Coens') use of Aram Khachaturyan's fast paced "Sabre Dance" for a pivotal sequence.
There's not a lot of depth to the characters in this film, nor is there intended to be. Robbins plays the lovable doofus with "big ideas", and brings the perfect amount of naivete to the character. Jennifer Jason Leigh is pitch perfect as the fast talking news gal so well done by Rosiland Russell in "His Girl Friday" (One of Mrs. Mosley's favorite films). And Paul Newman lends the gravitas required for the role of the heavy, chomping on a cigar and looking like the villain he is. And it's also nice to see such likeable actors as John Mahoney, Bill Cobbs and Bruce Campbell in supporting roles.
I've read reviewers that have said this film is really for movie buffs with its references to past classics. With some films I would agree with this sort of evaluation, but not with "Hudsucker". When I watch it, I'm not thinking of the films it may reference but rather the film that it is: A completely perfect joyous movie experience.
Ten out of Ten
"The Hudsucker Proxy" concerns one Norville Barnes (Tim Robbins), who has arrived in New York City fresh off the bus and eager to get into the workforce. Meanwhile, Waring Hudsucker (Charles Durning), Founder and President of Hudsucker Industries, has just plummeted 44 floors to his death. His devious board of directors, headed by Vice President Sidney J. Mussburger (Paul Newman), hatch a takeover plan which involves installing Norville as a puppet President until the end of the year. Intrepid reporter Amy Archer (Jennifer Jason Leigh) smells something fishy almost immediately, and is determined to expose all of these dealings to the public. Little does she know that she'll end up falling for Norville in the process.
When a movie works, I mean really works, there's a giddiness that I cannot contain when watching it. "The Incredibles" and the "Ocean's 11" remake fall into this category. Both of those films are fun in the purest sense, and so is "Hudsucker". Like Norville, the Coen's are so earnest and true in their wish to make people happy with their product that it shows. The laughs come as fast as the characters speak, and we are consistently wowed by the visuals of a 1950's corporate culture run amok.
Speaking of the visuals, some reviewers thought that the movie fails to recapture the feel of screwball comedies because the visuals are too extreme. Trying to completely copy an old movie genre is a tricky business and very rarely works (One exception is "Down With Love", which came very close to it's Rock Hudson/Doris Day progenitors). With "Hudsucker", there are several genres at play. There's a Warner Brothers cartoon vibe to the proceedings as we see characters fall from great heights in the grand tradition of Wile E. Coyote. We see giant clock mechanisms that seem fit for Charlie Chaplin to ride on. We observe swells of music as two characters embrace and fall into silhouette as if in a Douglas Sirk melodrama. But it all fits together and, in the confines of the world this film creates, it never strikes a false moment.
Carter Burwell, who has done the music for all of the Coen Brothers films, is fast becoming one of the most talented composers in Hollywood. Whether it's the mournful Norwegian dirge in "Fargo" or the light Irish melody that pervades "Miller's Crossing", he can truly capture and amplify the spirit of a film thorough his compositions. "Hudsucker", appropriately, has a lot of peppy music that mirrors Norville's attitudes. There's also the aforementioned swells of violins that opens the films that never fails to give me goosebumps. Also of note is Burwell's (and the Coens') use of Aram Khachaturyan's fast paced "Sabre Dance" for a pivotal sequence.
There's not a lot of depth to the characters in this film, nor is there intended to be. Robbins plays the lovable doofus with "big ideas", and brings the perfect amount of naivete to the character. Jennifer Jason Leigh is pitch perfect as the fast talking news gal so well done by Rosiland Russell in "His Girl Friday" (One of Mrs. Mosley's favorite films). And Paul Newman lends the gravitas required for the role of the heavy, chomping on a cigar and looking like the villain he is. And it's also nice to see such likeable actors as John Mahoney, Bill Cobbs and Bruce Campbell in supporting roles.
I've read reviewers that have said this film is really for movie buffs with its references to past classics. With some films I would agree with this sort of evaluation, but not with "Hudsucker". When I watch it, I'm not thinking of the films it may reference but rather the film that it is: A completely perfect joyous movie experience.
Ten out of Ten
Wednesday, December 29, 2004
The Death of Lennie Briscoe
According to news reports just coming in, Jerry Orbach died of prostate cancer last night at the age of 69. The "Law & Order" star is a dear favorite in the Mosley household, and his passing will be felt for days to come. I present some Lennie-related links for your enjoyment and remembrance:
The Wikipedia entry for Jerry Orbach
The Humble Page of Great Lennie-Lines
Order your own Lennie Briscoe T-Shirt
And finally, so that all of these links aren't just "Law & Order", The Lumiere Fanlisting.
The Wikipedia entry for Jerry Orbach
The Humble Page of Great Lennie-Lines
Order your own Lennie Briscoe T-Shirt
And finally, so that all of these links aren't just "Law & Order", The Lumiere Fanlisting.
Movie Quotes: "The Hudsucker Proxy"
Christmas time has a tendency to compel critics to recall and talk about their favorite Christmas films, yet I've never come across a movie reviewer do the same for New Years. Maybe it's because they're so close together. There are plenty of films to choose from with important New Years moments in them. "When Harry Met Sally..." comes to mind as one. But my favorite, and a review will be posted tomorrow, is "The Hudsucker Proxy". At the beginning, we see a view among New York's skyscrapers during a snow fall. The camera moves closer and closer to one building and a man that is posed to jump from a ledge. During all of this, we hear the narration of Moses the Clock Man (Bill Cobbs) as he fills us in on the time and place of our story.
Moses: "That's right. New York. It's 1958, anyway for a few more minutes it is. Come midnight, it's going to be 1959, a whole 'nother feeling, the New Year. Yeah, old daddy earth's fixin' to take one more ride around the sun. Everyone's hopin' that this time it will be a little more giddy, a little more gay. All over town champagne corks is a poppin. Over in the Waldorf, the big shots are dancing to the strings of Guy Lombardo. Down at Times Square, the little folks is a watchin' and waiting for that big ball to drop, trying to catch hold of one moment of time. Right now, this is it, i've got it. Of course by then it will be past. But they all happy, everybody having a good time. Well, almost everybody. There's a few lost souls floating around out there. Now if y'all aren't from the city, we've got something here called the rat race. Got a way of chewing folks up so that don't want no celebrating, don't want no cheering up, don't care about no New Years. Out of hope, out of rope, out of time. This here is Norville Barnes. That office he's steppin out of, it's the office of the president of Hudsucker Industries. It's his office. How did he get so high, and why is he feeling so low? Is he really going to do it? Is he really going to jelly up the sidewalk? Well, the future, that's something you can never tell about. But the past, that's another story."
Tuesday, December 28, 2004
Sugar plums dancing in your head 24/7
One of the patron saints of Acrentropy made the news today. George Carlin issued a statement that he was entering rehab for his overuse of alcohol and Vicodin. This is a voluntary move on his part to quit the stuff before it gets too far. Anyone familiar with his past will know that he's been there and done that in terms of drug abuse, and his words make it clear he has no intention of going back down that road. I present a snippet of "Carlin at Carnegie" where he discusses his cocaine-fueled heart attacks with the audience.
Here's the latest from the Comedian's Health Sweepstakes: I lead Richard Pryor in heart attacks two to one! But he still leads me in burning himself up! You see, First I had a heart attack. Then Richard had a heart attack. Then Richard burned himself up, and I said F**K THAT, I'm having another heart attack!"We here at Acrentropy wish him the best of luck and the best of health.
Monday, December 27, 2004
Review: "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events" (2004)
The first Edward Gorey book I ever read was called "The Gashleycrumb Tinies". It contained 26 illustrations of 26 child deaths; one for each letter of the alphabet ("M is for Maud who was swept out to sea. N is for Neville who died of ennui"). Though some of his other works are more obtuse, this particular book is a perfect embodiment of Gorey's black humor. Author Daniel Handler decided to combine the style of Gorey with a Harry Potter-type popular novel and this resulted in the successful "Lemony Snicket" series. There was little question as to whether or not Handler's characters would eventually join the boy wizard on the silver screen. The real question would be if the transfer would work just as well.
"Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events" introduces us to the Baudelaire children: Violet the inventor (Emily Browning), Klaus the reader (Liam Aiken) and infant Sunny the biter (Kara & Shelby Hoffman). They learn from the family banker Mr. Poe (Timothy Spall) that their parents have died in a mysterious fire. They are soon ushered into the care of distant relative Count Olaf (Jim Carrey), an eccentric actor who has designs on the Baudelaire inheritance. The children's stay with him is brief before they are whisked off to other relatives, but Olaf is not easily deterred. With the help of his acting troop, he follows them and makes more attempts at their lives and the lives of others in pursuit of the fortune.
The thing I remember about Jim Carrey's years on "In Living Color" is that a little Carrey goes a long way. In films like "The Truman Show", he plays it straight and can be taken for the length of an entire film. Otherwise, his shtick best left to the small bites of sketch comedy. Obviously, my opinion is not shared by a lot of people if the box office of the "Ace Ventura" films are to be believed. I can also see how the flamboyance and improvisation of the actor Olaf would suit Carrey's talents. Yet his additional role as villain within the darker tones of the film is hampered by his constant yammering. The children come to dread his next appearance because of his murderous nature. The audience comes to dread his next appearance because we know that the camera will be glued to his mug for minutes at a time while he does his thing.
The overall failure of the film is not completely Carrey's fault. The story for this film is taken from not one book but portions of the first three in the series. However, even without ever having read the books myself, I got the impression of a cobbled-together story while watching it awkwardly unfold. The producers didn't have the advantage of J.K. Rowling's "One book/One Hogwarts' Year" template and had to piece together a plot from a larger story that has yet to completely play out in print form. The film's fractured nature, added to Carrey's atmosphere-killing antics, make the film less enjoyable than it could have been.
A long list of supporting roles in this film are played by recognizable faces that are given absolutely nothing to do. This includes Luis Guzman, Jennifer Coolidge, Cedric the Entertainer and the friggin' AFLAC duck (Gilbert Gottfried). Then there's Dustin Hoffman. One review of the film I have read says that Hoffman plays a theater critic that gets big laughs for his few lines. First of all, if he was a theater critic, then there wasn't much indication of that. Second of all, I could barely hear what he said on the two incredibly brief times he was on screen, much less laugh at it. It's made me consider creating a blog post on pointless cameos and putting him at the top of it.
There are pluses to the film. The child actors that are cast are not overly familiar faces. Instead, the filmmakers opted for attractive and interesting looking child actors who can manage the heavy material. In particular, Emily Browning seems very suited for the role of Violet as her face suggests an Edward Gorey character come to life. The mood and ambiance in the various story locations are perfect and something that Tim Burton would be proud of. Oddly enough, cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki and production designer Rick Heinrichs are both veterans of Burton's "Sleepy Hollow", another great achievement in dark atmosphere.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention the happy ending. When you base a film on a series of books with "Unfortunate Events" in the title, you would think they would leave well enough alone. Particularly since the series is now eleven books long and the Baudelaire children have far from seen their last unfortunate event. But happy the ending must be, and it leads me to wonder how much more they plan on chopping up the source material to produce any sequels. I imagine the books' fans get chills at the thought.
If you find yourself buying a ticket to this film, then the best advice I can give is to stay for the credits. It is an extended animated segment that I believe was once intended for the beginning of the film. It also has that Gorey feel to it in spades. Best of all, Olaf is mercifully reduced to a menacing silhouette creeping in from the edges; the only visible detail of which is a symbolic eye. Such subtlety is best left to the animation, I suppose, because Carrey certainly doesn't know the meaning of the word in this film.
Six out of Ten
"Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events" introduces us to the Baudelaire children: Violet the inventor (Emily Browning), Klaus the reader (Liam Aiken) and infant Sunny the biter (Kara & Shelby Hoffman). They learn from the family banker Mr. Poe (Timothy Spall) that their parents have died in a mysterious fire. They are soon ushered into the care of distant relative Count Olaf (Jim Carrey), an eccentric actor who has designs on the Baudelaire inheritance. The children's stay with him is brief before they are whisked off to other relatives, but Olaf is not easily deterred. With the help of his acting troop, he follows them and makes more attempts at their lives and the lives of others in pursuit of the fortune.
The thing I remember about Jim Carrey's years on "In Living Color" is that a little Carrey goes a long way. In films like "The Truman Show", he plays it straight and can be taken for the length of an entire film. Otherwise, his shtick best left to the small bites of sketch comedy. Obviously, my opinion is not shared by a lot of people if the box office of the "Ace Ventura" films are to be believed. I can also see how the flamboyance and improvisation of the actor Olaf would suit Carrey's talents. Yet his additional role as villain within the darker tones of the film is hampered by his constant yammering. The children come to dread his next appearance because of his murderous nature. The audience comes to dread his next appearance because we know that the camera will be glued to his mug for minutes at a time while he does his thing.
The overall failure of the film is not completely Carrey's fault. The story for this film is taken from not one book but portions of the first three in the series. However, even without ever having read the books myself, I got the impression of a cobbled-together story while watching it awkwardly unfold. The producers didn't have the advantage of J.K. Rowling's "One book/One Hogwarts' Year" template and had to piece together a plot from a larger story that has yet to completely play out in print form. The film's fractured nature, added to Carrey's atmosphere-killing antics, make the film less enjoyable than it could have been.
A long list of supporting roles in this film are played by recognizable faces that are given absolutely nothing to do. This includes Luis Guzman, Jennifer Coolidge, Cedric the Entertainer and the friggin' AFLAC duck (Gilbert Gottfried). Then there's Dustin Hoffman. One review of the film I have read says that Hoffman plays a theater critic that gets big laughs for his few lines. First of all, if he was a theater critic, then there wasn't much indication of that. Second of all, I could barely hear what he said on the two incredibly brief times he was on screen, much less laugh at it. It's made me consider creating a blog post on pointless cameos and putting him at the top of it.
There are pluses to the film. The child actors that are cast are not overly familiar faces. Instead, the filmmakers opted for attractive and interesting looking child actors who can manage the heavy material. In particular, Emily Browning seems very suited for the role of Violet as her face suggests an Edward Gorey character come to life. The mood and ambiance in the various story locations are perfect and something that Tim Burton would be proud of. Oddly enough, cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki and production designer Rick Heinrichs are both veterans of Burton's "Sleepy Hollow", another great achievement in dark atmosphere.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention the happy ending. When you base a film on a series of books with "Unfortunate Events" in the title, you would think they would leave well enough alone. Particularly since the series is now eleven books long and the Baudelaire children have far from seen their last unfortunate event. But happy the ending must be, and it leads me to wonder how much more they plan on chopping up the source material to produce any sequels. I imagine the books' fans get chills at the thought.
If you find yourself buying a ticket to this film, then the best advice I can give is to stay for the credits. It is an extended animated segment that I believe was once intended for the beginning of the film. It also has that Gorey feel to it in spades. Best of all, Olaf is mercifully reduced to a menacing silhouette creeping in from the edges; the only visible detail of which is a symbolic eye. Such subtlety is best left to the animation, I suppose, because Carrey certainly doesn't know the meaning of the word in this film.
Six out of Ten
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