Superlative King

Friday sees the release of Cinderella Man, starring Russell Crowe and directed by Ron Howard. From the commercials, it would seem to be your standard Rocky-ish rooting-for-the-underdog type movie. The way the advertising campaign is portraying the film, the film draws a comparison with how this real-life boxer helped to lift people's spirits during the dark days of the Depression.

My first thought upon hearing all this is that I've already seen this film, and I liked it better when it was about three guys and a horse named Seabiscuit. Yet if I eventually go see it in the theater, then I won't go in with any preconceived notions. It could very well tread this similar and recent ground yet still be original in it's own way and, overall, a darn good film.

All of this backstory is building up to a commercial I saw for the movie this morning that ran critic blurbs throughout. The final blurb announced something along the lines of, "This is one of the best movies ever made!". Quite a statement. Then I saw that it was uttered by Larry King.

(Sigh)

I'm not saying that Larry King isn't entitled to his opinion, but it's pretty much conventional wisdom that those whose job it is to interview celebrities are going to have nothing but platitudes to say about them and their work. Of course, we don't see similar quotes from Katie Couric and the like in these commercials, but then again I imagine they restrain themselves from making such out-and-out praise. At the very least, they refrain from saying anything so blurb-worthy as King's comment.

It's not as if there are any laws being broken here. Yet scruples would seem to dictate that the studios not use such quotes from someone whose position restrains him from being an impartial...er...critic. And it's not like they would be reaching for straws, here, in terms of positive press. There appears to be plenty of actual critics that like the film. The Tomatometer rating for Cinderella Man currently stands at a high 87%.

So it may very well be that good a film. Hell, it may be an Oscar contender, for all that signifies. But let's leave King's sliced bread pronouncements out of it.


And a side note to the people who designed the Cinderella Man website: As good as it is, I think the soundtrack to Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story is pretty much played out for it's use in trailers and promotional material. They got it playing during Iron Chef montages, for crying out loud! Give it a rest!


(This can also be viewed at Blogcritics)

Movie Quotes: Dogma

The greatest irony of Dogma, considering the controversy that errupted upon it's release, is how bloody theistic the damn thing is. Kevin Smith is a fervent Catholic, by all accounts, and his movie seeks to poke fun at the institutions of religious faith whilst maintaining a strong adherence to faith itself. Mrs. Mosely, who is a Christian through and through, very much enjoyed it when I first showed it to her. An open mind is a glorious thing.

I adore this film, though I will admit to its faults. Acting-wise, some of the players are lacking. Jason Mewes can get on your nerves after awhile. Finally, they could have easily lost a monologue or two and drastically sped up the pace of the film.

Yet the dialogue is also the strongest part of the film, notably in the two major exchanges between Bethany (Linda Fiorentino) and Metatron (the priceless Alan Rickman). Yet, given the choice of one scene to present as an example of the writing, I have to choose a tense scene between the two angels Bartleby (Ben Affleck) and Loki (Matt Damon). The character development of these two semi-villians is wonderful, and gives us a real feel for them.

Bartleby: I was close. You know, I was so close to slittin' that bitch's throat. You know how that felt? Righteous. Justified. Eager, even.

Loki: You all right, man? Your eyes are kinda...

Bartleby: My eyes are open. For the first time, I get it. When that little innocent girl let her mission slip, I had an epiphany. See, in the beginning, it was just us and Him. Angels and God.

Loki: Uh huh.

Bartleby: Then he created humans. Ours was designed to be a life of servitude and worship...and bowing and scraping and adoration. He gave them more than He ever gave us. He gave them a choice. They choose to acknowledge God, or choose to ignore him. All this time we've been down here, I've felt the absence of the Divine presence. And it's pained me... As I'm sure it must have pained you. And why? Because of the way he made us. Had we been given free will, we could choose to ignore the pain. Like they do. But no! We're servants!

Loki: Okay... You know, all I'm sayin' here, is one of us might need a little nap.

Bartleby: [claps hands] Wake up! These humans have besmirched everything He's bestowed upon them. They were given Paradise - they threw it away. They were given this planet - they destroyed it. They were favored best among all His endeavors, and some of them don't even believe he exists. And in spite of it all... He hath shown them infinite f*cking patience at every turn. What about us? I asked you... Once, to lay down the sword, because I felt sorry for them. What was the result? Our expulsion from Paradise! Where was his infinite f*cking patience then? It's not right! It's not fair! We've paid our debt. Don't you think it's time... Don't you think it's time we went home? And to do that... I... I think we may have to dispatch our-our would be dispatchers.

Loki: Wait. Wait. Wait. Kill them? You're talking about the Last Scion for Chrissakes! And what about Jay and Bob? I mean... Those guys were all right.

Bartleby: Don't. Don't my friend. See, don't let your sympathies get the best of you. They did me once. Scion or not, she's just a human. And by passing through that arch, our sins are forgiven. No harm, no foul

Loki: My God. I've heard a rant like this before.

Bartleby: What did you say?

Loki: I've heard a rant like this before

Bartleby: Don't you f*ckin' do that to me

Loki: You sound like the Morning Star.

Bartleby: You shut your f*ckin' mouth!

Loki: You do! You sound like Lucifer, man! You f*ckin' lost it! You're not talkin' about goin' home Bartleby, you're talkin' about f*ckin' war on God. Well f*ck that. I have seen what happens to the proud when then take on the throne. I'm goin' back to Wisconsin.

Bartleby: [Bartleby violently throws Loki against a pillar in the parking garage] We're going home, Loki! And no one, not you, not even the Almighty himself, is gonna make that otherwise.

"not a joke...not a movie"

One last thing before I go: Greg Saunders, with a little help from Warren Beatty, does a great job skewering Arnold Schwarzenegger and his whole style of politics.

And the FDA says if I make a face, then it might stay that way

Given that superstition concerning the dangers of self gratification, this is a new facet to think about:

FDA probes links to Viagra and blindness

"You're standing on my neck"

I'm having a nostalgia flashback today after discovering that MTV still has oodles of Daria content on its site. Folks like me remember this show with such fondness. Be sure to check out the "Flipbook: Alter Egos" for a collection of 220 (!) images used during the end credits of the series during its four year run.

Also check out Outpost Daria for more Morgendorffer goodness.

Jax Film Fest: The Wrap Up

Well, the festival is over and it was a good ride. I ended up not seeing as many films as I had originally intended, but I don't feel cheated. I saw plenty of great stuff and it's left me looking forward to next year. Some thoughts:

I'm considering volunteering at next year's festival. I don't know what capacity I would do it in, but I would like to perhaps have some input on the introductory clip they tacked at the beginning of every show. The purpose of the clip is to welcome everyone to the festival, mention the sponsors and command everyone to turn off their damn cellphones. The style of visuals and music, however, seems like a dreamy, art school Night of the Living Dead piece. After watching this for the seventh time on Sunday, I can say that this could definitely be improved.

Theater Jacksonville and the San Marco Theater, which are within a block of eachother, are the only two Festival venues I visited. This made for an easy Friday as I could just park and hang around the square all day. The last time I went to the San Marco Theater a year ago, their chairs were structured so that they slid forward, which is really uncomfortable for movie theater seats. This design flaw has since been fixed, and the seats are now mighty comfy. Add to this the fact that there are tables where every third seat should be and this pattern is staggered with each row. This results in seats with an aisle to one side and a table on the other. Suffice to say that I made quick claim of such seats for each showing.

The reason for the tables is the various foods that the place serves up. You can order a mini pizza and stay at your seat with one of those vibrating-LED-coasters to let you know when to pick it up. Very cool. The theater also serves up beer by the pitcher, which pleases a number of theater goers including the director of Murderball in the Q&A session after the film (He announced to the audience that was the first time he had ever had a beer in a movie theater).

I was happy to discover that one of the films I saw, Brothers, won the Audience award. That film and Murderball are my favorites from the festival, overall. I get the feeling these may be big films come later in the year.

And that's it. Slow posting for the rest of the week and no posting for the weekend as Mrs. Mosley and I attend a family reunion in town. I'll see you after Memorial Day.