I am so in touch with the current generation.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Monday, June 25, 2007
. . .
Rough day today. Checked a friend into rehab yesterday, had a bad day at work, went to visit him this evening. Came home depressed from that. Threw in Syriana, got more depressed. Decided to surf the web, saw the usual reports on death in the Middle East, went to ESPN, and saw that my 2nd favorite pro wrestler from back when I cared about wrestling was found dead in his home along with his wife and 7-year old son: "investigators believe the 40-year-old Benoit killed Nancy and Daniel over the weekend, then himself on Monday". (My favorite wrestler died last year of a drug overdose - that seems to be the way most of them go - OD or a heart attack from steroid abuse).
I'm emotionally vacant - I have no response to any of this tonight. I'm going to sit here for another hour or so, waste time, and then go to bed and hope I get up on time in the morning, which is kind of a crap-shoot since I mis-placed my second alarm.
Why the fuck do blogs always turn into whiny ass bullshit like this? Something about the nature of the medium.
Good night.
I'm emotionally vacant - I have no response to any of this tonight. I'm going to sit here for another hour or so, waste time, and then go to bed and hope I get up on time in the morning, which is kind of a crap-shoot since I mis-placed my second alarm.
Why the fuck do blogs always turn into whiny ass bullshit like this? Something about the nature of the medium.
Good night.
Monday, June 18, 2007
Essay Question/Borat
So this one's less about a movie as about movies. Lukey and I were coming back from the 'Boo, both pretty tired. He had a pretty sweet idea for a short-story/film about a toll booth worker, and I was thinking about that and other things, so I threw this at him: "Essay question: Discuss whether the road trip is an echo of the classic heroic quest, or whether both are echoes of something deeper".
We batted it around for an hour or two - I won't try and put words in Luke's mouth, but in the end, my feeling was that there are two types of heroic quest stories - the type that end at the end of the quest, and the type that end with the return home. Road trips echo the 2nd type, 99% of the time. I'm sure a lot of it is reading the here and now into it, but that second type I think is a metaphor for growing up - we're not sure exactly how to transcend into adulthood, so we create these stories where the young hero leaves his normal world and gets to encounter exotic dangers; strengthened and matured by her trials, she returns home and is now an adult, capable of ruling over/guarding the original home. Road trips echo this to a certain extent, in that whatever worries at home are left behind and traded in for strange new adventures - however, you are not guaranteed to return from a road trip as a strong and capable adult/ruler.
Fulfilling my contractual obligation to mention a movie, I finally saw Borat recently. It definitely falls into the quest/return motif; I thought it was a nice, sentimental take on that motif. Had some funny bits too. I wasn't really shocked by anything - I don't know if that's a result of hearing about the movie for so long before I saw it, or just my natural unflappability (I'd like to think it's that second option).
We batted it around for an hour or two - I won't try and put words in Luke's mouth, but in the end, my feeling was that there are two types of heroic quest stories - the type that end at the end of the quest, and the type that end with the return home. Road trips echo the 2nd type, 99% of the time. I'm sure a lot of it is reading the here and now into it, but that second type I think is a metaphor for growing up - we're not sure exactly how to transcend into adulthood, so we create these stories where the young hero leaves his normal world and gets to encounter exotic dangers; strengthened and matured by her trials, she returns home and is now an adult, capable of ruling over/guarding the original home. Road trips echo this to a certain extent, in that whatever worries at home are left behind and traded in for strange new adventures - however, you are not guaranteed to return from a road trip as a strong and capable adult/ruler.
Fulfilling my contractual obligation to mention a movie, I finally saw Borat recently. It definitely falls into the quest/return motif; I thought it was a nice, sentimental take on that motif. Had some funny bits too. I wasn't really shocked by anything - I don't know if that's a result of hearing about the movie for so long before I saw it, or just my natural unflappability (I'd like to think it's that second option).
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Infernal Affairs v. The Departed, Round 2
Opening note - tired and need to get to bed, so this will be brief.
Infernal Affairs was better than I remembered it. It's much shorter, so it grows on you with repeated viewings. The characters don't get quite as much development, but the acting gets the same amount done as the American all-star cast, with less lines to work with. Lau and Leung are even better on repeat viewing, and I like their interpretations of the characters better than the re-make's interpretation. I was right about Lau's character vs. Damon's - Lau turns on his boss after the cop takes the roof dive - there's nothing about Feds. Lau wants to be a real cop - as is drummed home by I.A.'s ending, which is a nice repetition of one of its beginning scenes.
Final Score - Infernal Affairs has better acting, better story in a shorter time, better themes, better framing and shot selection. The Departed is funnier, develops more characters, has slightly better music, and better editing. Infernal Affairs is the clear winner, even before you factor the whole "it's the original" factor. Its only real weaknesses are its short run time (under 2 hours) and the fact that the editor likes to splice in flashbacks at key moments so you remember why these moments are important. Other than that, it's a better film by far. I still like The Departed, but I don't think there's a real comparison.
G'night and good luck.
Infernal Affairs was better than I remembered it. It's much shorter, so it grows on you with repeated viewings. The characters don't get quite as much development, but the acting gets the same amount done as the American all-star cast, with less lines to work with. Lau and Leung are even better on repeat viewing, and I like their interpretations of the characters better than the re-make's interpretation. I was right about Lau's character vs. Damon's - Lau turns on his boss after the cop takes the roof dive - there's nothing about Feds. Lau wants to be a real cop - as is drummed home by I.A.'s ending, which is a nice repetition of one of its beginning scenes.
Final Score - Infernal Affairs has better acting, better story in a shorter time, better themes, better framing and shot selection. The Departed is funnier, develops more characters, has slightly better music, and better editing. Infernal Affairs is the clear winner, even before you factor the whole "it's the original" factor. Its only real weaknesses are its short run time (under 2 hours) and the fact that the editor likes to splice in flashbacks at key moments so you remember why these moments are important. Other than that, it's a better film by far. I still like The Departed, but I don't think there's a real comparison.
G'night and good luck.
Opening Statement/The Departed
So . . . been a long time since I played this game. December 20th, 2005 officially. And at least another year before that since I stopped doing this in any real sense. Any way, out sick today, let's give this another go. New rule - every post is at its heart a movie review - I may ramble a bit around before and after, but every post is a movie review. So first on the list, Marty Scorsese's only Oscar winner, The Departed.
Personal history - I saw Infernal Affairs back in . . . damn, when did I see that? Let's see, I was in A-Squared at the time, so . . . late '04/early '05? I was in the middle of a man-crush on Andy Lau (still active, just dormant at the moment) at the time, and it also had Tony Leung (the short one), so I was pretty excited. Stephanie Zacharek, who is a whole series of posts in and of herself, wrote a great review of it. Rented it, watched it two or three times, loved it. When I heard that there was going to be an American remake, I was depressed. When I heard it was Marty, I got a little interested. I'd also started to come around on Leo - he almost single-handedly crippled Gangs of New York, but he'd gotten better since then. Anyway, I'm rambling - long story short, I went and saw The Departed as soon as it came out. I walked out, I said it was great. Recommended it to all my friends, said it was one of the best re-makes out there, etc etc etc.
Anyway . . . it suffers on re-viewing. Watching Jack Nicholson make rat faces and wave his plastic dick around . . . that hurts some. It was funny on the first viewing, but I get the feeling each successive viewing, Jack-O's gonna get just a little bit more annoying (which hurts, because I like seeing more of his character, having the movie be broader than just the central two).
The themes bugged me a little bit - they kept a lot of the strong themes from I.A. - identity, trust, lying, not being sure who you really are - the no-brainer stuff the movie is built around. But the additional themes - fatherhood, sexual strength - weak additions, in my opinion. The contrast between Leo (impregnates Matt's girlfriend)/Marty Sheen (son at ND, the Holy of Holies for the fucking Mick race of which I am a member) and Matt(see note on Leo, also victim of "it happens to a lot of guys")/Jack("Is that what this is about? All those murders, all that fucking, and no sons?") . That stuff didn't move me at all - maybe because I don't have a ton of Daddy issues, I dunno.
Anyway, a LOT more sex in the american version, most of it to little or no point - surprise surprise. On to my next major quibble - Matt Damon's turn/the ending. Now I'm going to have to re-watch I.A. to check, but in my memory, there was a little more blurring - Tony Leung definitely got a taste for the work, definitely had a little more fun being a mobby than he should have. Andy Lau offed his boss because he loved being a cop and wanted to get out from under - there's a lot of that in Matt Damon, but he's made a lot less rounded - Matt Damon is much more about the money and the power. He shoots down Nicholson because he's afraid he'll give him up to the Feds - watch the D. again - the sequence goes like this:
01:51:54 - Damon and Nicholson argue over tactics, after Sheen's death. Still pretty clearly on the same side, even if they have been starting to squabble.
01:52:25 - Nicholson and his girlfriend have an exchange in which she implies that he's gay and he defensively over-reacts
01:52:49 - Leo and Vera (the all-american psych counselor) have a touching (and very heterosexual) "I can't see you anymore" moment
01:53:58 - Matt find's Sheen's phone (getting Sheen's blood on his hands - one of those subtle moments that doesn't try and brain you over the head with anything) and calls Leo. This actually leads to a great bid that I truly enjoy with the two of them on the phone afraid to speak, followed by the tense moments leading up to Leo calling back, and Matt trying to land him. Good cat and mouse.
01:57:00 - The money shot - Matt finds a photo in Sheen's files of Jack meeting with the FBI, along with notes to the effect that Jack is an informant.
01:57:27 - Long tangent with the "was Delahunt an undercover officer as well?" sub-plot. I don't know on this one - it was a mystery to me in I.A., it remains so in the re-make - I lean towards No both times.
01:58:40 - Cue the Dropkick Murphys, it's time for a bunch of people to die. At the start here, you still get the feeling Matt is not quite sure what to do about Jack-O.
01:59:15 - Jack screams at Matt. Music stops. Shot of Matt collecting his thoughts. Matt decides to fuck Jack. Re-cue music (I do really enjoy the use of music in this - great music, great music editing).
02:01:17 - One of the little moments that I love - Leo tries to warn Jack that he's been set up and is going down tonight; he can't say too much of course, but it just flares up in him suddenly - loyalty, a sense of fair play, who knows. "Do you always know why you do things?"
02:01:57 - Extended well-choreographed violence.
02:03:29 - Big final scene w/ Matt and Jack - "You were gonna sell me out" "who, me? never!" "bla bla bla" "bla bla bla" *exchange of shots with pistols as even more over-done symbols of sexuality than normal*
Okay, that went on a little longer than I thought. I may need to hire an editor if I keep doing this shit. Anyway, long story short, after I first saw le Departed, I was of the opinion that it was equally good as I.A., just different and that you couldn't really pick between the two. Now I'm of the opinion that Infernal Affairs is clearly the better movie - I still like the Departed, but it doesn't measure up anymore. Just to make sure, I'm going to go rent I.A. now and see if it holds up to my rosy memories of it. Part II of this post to follow.
Personal history - I saw Infernal Affairs back in . . . damn, when did I see that? Let's see, I was in A-Squared at the time, so . . . late '04/early '05? I was in the middle of a man-crush on Andy Lau (still active, just dormant at the moment) at the time, and it also had Tony Leung (the short one), so I was pretty excited. Stephanie Zacharek, who is a whole series of posts in and of herself, wrote a great review of it. Rented it, watched it two or three times, loved it. When I heard that there was going to be an American remake, I was depressed. When I heard it was Marty, I got a little interested. I'd also started to come around on Leo - he almost single-handedly crippled Gangs of New York, but he'd gotten better since then. Anyway, I'm rambling - long story short, I went and saw The Departed as soon as it came out. I walked out, I said it was great. Recommended it to all my friends, said it was one of the best re-makes out there, etc etc etc.
Anyway . . . it suffers on re-viewing. Watching Jack Nicholson make rat faces and wave his plastic dick around . . . that hurts some. It was funny on the first viewing, but I get the feeling each successive viewing, Jack-O's gonna get just a little bit more annoying (which hurts, because I like seeing more of his character, having the movie be broader than just the central two).
The themes bugged me a little bit - they kept a lot of the strong themes from I.A. - identity, trust, lying, not being sure who you really are - the no-brainer stuff the movie is built around. But the additional themes - fatherhood, sexual strength - weak additions, in my opinion. The contrast between Leo (impregnates Matt's girlfriend)/Marty Sheen (son at ND, the Holy of Holies for the fucking Mick race of which I am a member) and Matt(see note on Leo, also victim of "it happens to a lot of guys")/Jack("Is that what this is about? All those murders, all that fucking, and no sons?") . That stuff didn't move me at all - maybe because I don't have a ton of Daddy issues, I dunno.
Anyway, a LOT more sex in the american version, most of it to little or no point - surprise surprise. On to my next major quibble - Matt Damon's turn/the ending. Now I'm going to have to re-watch I.A. to check, but in my memory, there was a little more blurring - Tony Leung definitely got a taste for the work, definitely had a little more fun being a mobby than he should have. Andy Lau offed his boss because he loved being a cop and wanted to get out from under - there's a lot of that in Matt Damon, but he's made a lot less rounded - Matt Damon is much more about the money and the power. He shoots down Nicholson because he's afraid he'll give him up to the Feds - watch the D. again - the sequence goes like this:
01:51:54 - Damon and Nicholson argue over tactics, after Sheen's death. Still pretty clearly on the same side, even if they have been starting to squabble.
01:52:25 - Nicholson and his girlfriend have an exchange in which she implies that he's gay and he defensively over-reacts
01:52:49 - Leo and Vera (the all-american psych counselor) have a touching (and very heterosexual) "I can't see you anymore" moment
01:53:58 - Matt find's Sheen's phone (getting Sheen's blood on his hands - one of those subtle moments that doesn't try and brain you over the head with anything) and calls Leo. This actually leads to a great bid that I truly enjoy with the two of them on the phone afraid to speak, followed by the tense moments leading up to Leo calling back, and Matt trying to land him. Good cat and mouse.
01:57:00 - The money shot - Matt finds a photo in Sheen's files of Jack meeting with the FBI, along with notes to the effect that Jack is an informant.
01:57:27 - Long tangent with the "was Delahunt an undercover officer as well?" sub-plot. I don't know on this one - it was a mystery to me in I.A., it remains so in the re-make - I lean towards No both times.
01:58:40 - Cue the Dropkick Murphys, it's time for a bunch of people to die. At the start here, you still get the feeling Matt is not quite sure what to do about Jack-O.
01:59:15 - Jack screams at Matt. Music stops. Shot of Matt collecting his thoughts. Matt decides to fuck Jack. Re-cue music (I do really enjoy the use of music in this - great music, great music editing).
02:01:17 - One of the little moments that I love - Leo tries to warn Jack that he's been set up and is going down tonight; he can't say too much of course, but it just flares up in him suddenly - loyalty, a sense of fair play, who knows. "Do you always know why you do things?"
02:01:57 - Extended well-choreographed violence.
02:03:29 - Big final scene w/ Matt and Jack - "You were gonna sell me out" "who, me? never!" "bla bla bla" "bla bla bla" *exchange of shots with pistols as even more over-done symbols of sexuality than normal*
Okay, that went on a little longer than I thought. I may need to hire an editor if I keep doing this shit. Anyway, long story short, after I first saw le Departed, I was of the opinion that it was equally good as I.A., just different and that you couldn't really pick between the two. Now I'm of the opinion that Infernal Affairs is clearly the better movie - I still like the Departed, but it doesn't measure up anymore. Just to make sure, I'm going to go rent I.A. now and see if it holds up to my rosy memories of it. Part II of this post to follow.
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