Lately, I have reaping great rewards by looking to the Asian film industry when selecting DVDs that will provide me with tremendous entertainment that is not pure rehash. I struck gold again with the fascinating thriller, Old Boy, by Korean writer-director, Chan-Wook Park.
Old Boy (2003) tells the story of Ho Dae-su (Min-sik Choi) who, on the day of his young daughter's birthday, gets blotto drunk and is arrested. After being released from jail, he is abducted and imprisoned in a room for fifteen years. One day, he is suddenly released, receives clothes, money and a cellular and meets the Japanese chef Mido (Hye-jeong Kang), and they feel a great attraction for each other.
However, Dae-su seeks for his captor and the reason of his long imprisonment, only to discover that his captor isn’t finished with him either!
Of course, I won’t spoil the plot for you but it appears to be a standard – albeit clever and violent – revenge flick for the most part. But, then, there is a great reveal, of M. Night Shymalan proportions (good M. Night, as in Sixth Sense and Unbreakable, not bad M. Night, as in The Village). It shows a revenge so diabolically heartless, vile and manipulative, that you might find yourself pausing the movie to digest and appreciate it.
This is one of three movies in a loose revenge trilogy of director Park’s. The other two movies are Lady Vengeance and Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, the latter of which I have seen and is also excellent.
Park has a very stark, intense style and, if there is any lesson in his movies it is, man, revenge is messy and never worth it!
The great thing about his stories is that you can usually sympathize with both the protagonist and antagonist and it is agonizing to watch them go down the road to self-destruction as the situation just keeps getting worse.
Besides the brilliant reveal, Old Boy has some great dialogue, along with interesting voiceover narration by the main character, Dae-su. The violence is alternately gruesome and cartoonish; the scene where Dae-su takes on dozens of thugs is hilarious!
If you watch this and like it, check out the other two movies, as well as the great Three Extremes, which features three shorts from Hong kong, Japan and Korea. Park delivers the story “Cut” and it is, once again, deliciously violent and fiendish!
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Transformers more than just for the eye
In a summer of blockbusters that included third installments of Spider-Man, Pirates of the Carribean and Shrek, who would have thought that it would be Michael Bay’s Transformers that would get it right??
Director Bay delivers the expected loud, slam-bang action that is his trademark but in Transformers we see something from him he hasn’t previously shown a lot of: story arc and humor.
Transformers is, of course, based on one of the most popular toy lines of all time (gee, vehicles and planes that turn into robots – wonder if boys will like those?) and the TV series (there was also an animated movie). The story has alien robot clans, the good Autobots and the evil Decepticons, battling over an all-powerful cube that found its way to earth after the robots’ planet was destroyed in the clan war. Human teenager Sam Witwicky is befriended and protected by one of the Autobots and not only holds the key to finding the cube, but to making the movie as good as it is.
Shia LeBeouf, who recently starred in the surprise suspense hit, Disturbia, creates a fun, beleaguered geek, who must balance the difficult tasks of getting the hot chick and saving the world. Naturally expressive and likeable, LeBeouf gets plenty of laughs as he deals with jocks, the girl, nosey parents, the robots and the good ol’ government agents, who are led by the great character actor, John Turturro.
The other big factor in Transformers is that the story is established well and builds properly. There are no false endings for the sake of further tacked on action sequences, as is the case with all of the Pirates of the Carribean movies, which had to toss in unnecessary and confusing subplots just to use up the action ideas that its director obviously didn’t want to go unused. Transformers progresses logically, taking its time, and has us tingling with anticipation by the time the big baddie, Megatron, enters the fray.
As for the action, Bay still does that as well as anyone, and it comes relentlessly, big, loud and bright – although I would have preferred more wide, pulled back shots. Too much of the action is shot in tight, which makes it hard to figure out just what is happening – made even more confusing by the whirring, rapid transformations.
But, I quibble.
Transformers is great entertainment, filled with humor, a cool story and incredible action. Really, what more could you ask from a movie?
Director Bay delivers the expected loud, slam-bang action that is his trademark but in Transformers we see something from him he hasn’t previously shown a lot of: story arc and humor.
Transformers is, of course, based on one of the most popular toy lines of all time (gee, vehicles and planes that turn into robots – wonder if boys will like those?) and the TV series (there was also an animated movie). The story has alien robot clans, the good Autobots and the evil Decepticons, battling over an all-powerful cube that found its way to earth after the robots’ planet was destroyed in the clan war. Human teenager Sam Witwicky is befriended and protected by one of the Autobots and not only holds the key to finding the cube, but to making the movie as good as it is.
Shia LeBeouf, who recently starred in the surprise suspense hit, Disturbia, creates a fun, beleaguered geek, who must balance the difficult tasks of getting the hot chick and saving the world. Naturally expressive and likeable, LeBeouf gets plenty of laughs as he deals with jocks, the girl, nosey parents, the robots and the good ol’ government agents, who are led by the great character actor, John Turturro.
The other big factor in Transformers is that the story is established well and builds properly. There are no false endings for the sake of further tacked on action sequences, as is the case with all of the Pirates of the Carribean movies, which had to toss in unnecessary and confusing subplots just to use up the action ideas that its director obviously didn’t want to go unused. Transformers progresses logically, taking its time, and has us tingling with anticipation by the time the big baddie, Megatron, enters the fray.
As for the action, Bay still does that as well as anyone, and it comes relentlessly, big, loud and bright – although I would have preferred more wide, pulled back shots. Too much of the action is shot in tight, which makes it hard to figure out just what is happening – made even more confusing by the whirring, rapid transformations.
But, I quibble.
Transformers is great entertainment, filled with humor, a cool story and incredible action. Really, what more could you ask from a movie?
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Behind the scenes in two forms:Fast Food Nation and Jesus Camp
Doing the double feature review here, looking at two movies that offer behind-the-scenes looks: one a documentary, the other a fictional account of actual events.
Fast Food Nation, the latest movie by director Richard Linklater, features of a host of stars in its story about corruption in a meat plant that caters to a major fast food chain. It follows two storylines: one about Don Anderson (Greg Kinnear), an ad executive of Mickey’s fast food chain investigating meat contamination and employee abuse at the plant that supplies his company, the other about Mexicans working illegally at the plant.
The main character in the Mexican story is Sylvia, played by Catalina Sandino Moreno, who was superb in Maria, Full of Grace. Sylvia works at the plant after her husband (That 70s Show’s Wilmer Valderrama) is disabled in an accident there. She, as are most of the other workers, is subjected to abuses, mostly at the hands of a slimy supervisor.
Anderson, while appalled at the conditions at the plant, must consider his career first, especially since his chances of beating the system look slim.
The massive ensemble cast includes Luis Guzman, Esai Morales, Patricia Arquette, Kris Kristofferson, Ethan Hawke, Bruce Willis and Avril Lavigne, who is hilarious as a naïve (aren’t they all?) animal rights activist.
Nation is very entertaining but, while it may be enlightening to some, holds few surprises in its exposure of the evil corporations that are McDonald’s and Burger King. If you’ve seen the excellent documentary, The Corporation, it’s that in a fictional presentation.
Also, Nation is too preachy at times and pretty clear on where it stands, although I loved the scene where the animal rights people try and free the cows, only to find the cows don’t want to go (this is also a mirror image of the Mexican workers, who prefer to stay in their abusive, crappy jobs because their life was actually worse in Mexico).
One thing I hadn’t seen before: the workings of a slaughterhouse, up close. It will disturb and disgust most but, because we’re all mostly soulless drones, we’ll move on in no time and order a burger next time we’re out.
Jesus Camp, meanwhile, takes us inside an American evangelical summer camp for kids. This is a straight up doc, with no clever commentary or manipulation, ala Michael Moore, which is great because it lets the evangelicals actually reveal themselves for the monsters they are.
We watch as children are indoctrinated in a manner reminiscent of those old Nazi propaganda films and are taught about the evils of public education, Harry Potter and homosexuality. Not surprisingly, they are taught to worship a life-size cardboard picture of President Bush.
Feeling the need to add some conflict and balance, directors Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady injected the ramblings of radio host Mike Papantonio, a Christian himself but one who is opposed to the stern, fundamental approach of the evangelicals. There is a nice moment when he takes on the head of the camp, Becky Fischer, on his talk show.
The three children at the centre of the film are alternately cute and frightening; cute because of their naivete and sincerity, frightening because of their zeal and certainty.
If you thought the Crusades and the Inquisition were long gone and could never happen again – think again. The religious right is as strong as ever and training little Christian soldiers to march all over you and your rights.
And, somewhere, Jesus weeps.
Fast Food Nation, the latest movie by director Richard Linklater, features of a host of stars in its story about corruption in a meat plant that caters to a major fast food chain. It follows two storylines: one about Don Anderson (Greg Kinnear), an ad executive of Mickey’s fast food chain investigating meat contamination and employee abuse at the plant that supplies his company, the other about Mexicans working illegally at the plant.
The main character in the Mexican story is Sylvia, played by Catalina Sandino Moreno, who was superb in Maria, Full of Grace. Sylvia works at the plant after her husband (That 70s Show’s Wilmer Valderrama) is disabled in an accident there. She, as are most of the other workers, is subjected to abuses, mostly at the hands of a slimy supervisor.
Anderson, while appalled at the conditions at the plant, must consider his career first, especially since his chances of beating the system look slim.
The massive ensemble cast includes Luis Guzman, Esai Morales, Patricia Arquette, Kris Kristofferson, Ethan Hawke, Bruce Willis and Avril Lavigne, who is hilarious as a naïve (aren’t they all?) animal rights activist.
Nation is very entertaining but, while it may be enlightening to some, holds few surprises in its exposure of the evil corporations that are McDonald’s and Burger King. If you’ve seen the excellent documentary, The Corporation, it’s that in a fictional presentation.
Also, Nation is too preachy at times and pretty clear on where it stands, although I loved the scene where the animal rights people try and free the cows, only to find the cows don’t want to go (this is also a mirror image of the Mexican workers, who prefer to stay in their abusive, crappy jobs because their life was actually worse in Mexico).
One thing I hadn’t seen before: the workings of a slaughterhouse, up close. It will disturb and disgust most but, because we’re all mostly soulless drones, we’ll move on in no time and order a burger next time we’re out.
Jesus Camp, meanwhile, takes us inside an American evangelical summer camp for kids. This is a straight up doc, with no clever commentary or manipulation, ala Michael Moore, which is great because it lets the evangelicals actually reveal themselves for the monsters they are.
We watch as children are indoctrinated in a manner reminiscent of those old Nazi propaganda films and are taught about the evils of public education, Harry Potter and homosexuality. Not surprisingly, they are taught to worship a life-size cardboard picture of President Bush.
Feeling the need to add some conflict and balance, directors Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady injected the ramblings of radio host Mike Papantonio, a Christian himself but one who is opposed to the stern, fundamental approach of the evangelicals. There is a nice moment when he takes on the head of the camp, Becky Fischer, on his talk show.
The three children at the centre of the film are alternately cute and frightening; cute because of their naivete and sincerity, frightening because of their zeal and certainty.
If you thought the Crusades and the Inquisition were long gone and could never happen again – think again. The religious right is as strong as ever and training little Christian soldiers to march all over you and your rights.
And, somewhere, Jesus weeps.
Monday, May 28, 2007
Shortbus is one you want to catch
As the director of Shortbus, John Cameron Mitchell is like that dad who thinks the best way to teach his kid how to swim is to throw him in the water. The movie opens with a barrage of explicit sex shots, from a couple going at it like the puppets in Team America: World Police, to a dominatrix whipping a young man, to a guy performing fellatio on himself.
And, yes, the penises are erect, there is penetration and semen; dripping gobs of semen and some of it shot on the wall as a contribution to a piece of art. And Shortbus is art, not pure porn as some critics have suggested.
Certainly, these opening scenes and others that follow are as hard core as any XXX movie out there but, in true porn, the aim is to arouse and only that; there are no stories and no real actors. Shortbus has stories to tell and it has something to say.
Imagine that: a movie that has sex in it and isn’t afraid of it; that doesn’t us it as a tool of violence or as a sudden, contrived relief of tension between characters.
Shortbus features the huge Canadian talent Sook Yin Lee (host of CBC Radio’s Definitely Not The Opera) as a sex therapist named Sofia who, despite being sexually creative and energetic with her husband Rob (Raphael Barker), has not yet achieved orgasm in her life.
Two of Sofia’s clients are the gay couple Jamie (PJ DeBoy) and James (Paul Dawson), the former of whom is positive and upbeat, while the latter is lost and depressed. They’re in a funk that they try to break out of through infidelity, eventually taking in a naïve young man named Ceth (Jay Brannon) as a third partner.
Meanwhile, the dominatrix Severin (Lindsay Beamish) befriends Sofia and they form an awkward relationship. Toss in Caleb (Peter Stickles), a peeping tom and stalker who is obsessed with Jamie and James, and you’ve got an impressive league of extraordinarily fragile and confused misfits.
The characters all frequent a sex club called Shortbus (in school, the smaller buses were for the challenged and gifted), located in a surreal New York that is clearly still feeling the rawness of 9/11. The tragedy undoubtedly left a lot of the city’s residents numb and the Shortbus characters all seem to be turning to sex as a way of reminding themselves that they are alive, trying to connect with people in the most intense and tangible way they know.
Studies have shown that pregnancy numbers skyrocket in the wake of large disasters, whether they are natural, like earthquakes, or man-made, like 9/11, which saw a 20 per cent rise. The theory is that people feel small and vulnerable and their survival instinct kicks in; the need to perpetuate the race and get in touch with another human being in the most intimate way possible.
That is the essence of Shortbus and what allows it to be both sad and comedic. It is about misfits, people who felt disconnected before 9/11 and only feel more so now. Their attempts to feel and be needed are so desperate and naïve that they are often hilarious.
My favorite scene (spoiler alert!) is when there is a threesome with Jamie, James and Ceth, and Jamie sings “The Star-spangled Banner” into Ceth’s ass. Jamie asks if that’s the first time someone has sang the U.S. anthem in his ass, to which Ceth quickly responds, “No.”
Mitchell also wrote, directed and starred in the tremendously entertaining cult movie, Hedwig and the Angry Inch. He’s obviously not trying to win mainstream audiences with these first two movies; he’s just telling different stories and he’s telling them well. If only all artists were so bold.
And, yes, the penises are erect, there is penetration and semen; dripping gobs of semen and some of it shot on the wall as a contribution to a piece of art. And Shortbus is art, not pure porn as some critics have suggested.
Certainly, these opening scenes and others that follow are as hard core as any XXX movie out there but, in true porn, the aim is to arouse and only that; there are no stories and no real actors. Shortbus has stories to tell and it has something to say.
Imagine that: a movie that has sex in it and isn’t afraid of it; that doesn’t us it as a tool of violence or as a sudden, contrived relief of tension between characters.
Shortbus features the huge Canadian talent Sook Yin Lee (host of CBC Radio’s Definitely Not The Opera) as a sex therapist named Sofia who, despite being sexually creative and energetic with her husband Rob (Raphael Barker), has not yet achieved orgasm in her life.
Two of Sofia’s clients are the gay couple Jamie (PJ DeBoy) and James (Paul Dawson), the former of whom is positive and upbeat, while the latter is lost and depressed. They’re in a funk that they try to break out of through infidelity, eventually taking in a naïve young man named Ceth (Jay Brannon) as a third partner.
Meanwhile, the dominatrix Severin (Lindsay Beamish) befriends Sofia and they form an awkward relationship. Toss in Caleb (Peter Stickles), a peeping tom and stalker who is obsessed with Jamie and James, and you’ve got an impressive league of extraordinarily fragile and confused misfits.
The characters all frequent a sex club called Shortbus (in school, the smaller buses were for the challenged and gifted), located in a surreal New York that is clearly still feeling the rawness of 9/11. The tragedy undoubtedly left a lot of the city’s residents numb and the Shortbus characters all seem to be turning to sex as a way of reminding themselves that they are alive, trying to connect with people in the most intense and tangible way they know.
Studies have shown that pregnancy numbers skyrocket in the wake of large disasters, whether they are natural, like earthquakes, or man-made, like 9/11, which saw a 20 per cent rise. The theory is that people feel small and vulnerable and their survival instinct kicks in; the need to perpetuate the race and get in touch with another human being in the most intimate way possible.
That is the essence of Shortbus and what allows it to be both sad and comedic. It is about misfits, people who felt disconnected before 9/11 and only feel more so now. Their attempts to feel and be needed are so desperate and naïve that they are often hilarious.
My favorite scene (spoiler alert!) is when there is a threesome with Jamie, James and Ceth, and Jamie sings “The Star-spangled Banner” into Ceth’s ass. Jamie asks if that’s the first time someone has sang the U.S. anthem in his ass, to which Ceth quickly responds, “No.”
Mitchell also wrote, directed and starred in the tremendously entertaining cult movie, Hedwig and the Angry Inch. He’s obviously not trying to win mainstream audiences with these first two movies; he’s just telling different stories and he’s telling them well. If only all artists were so bold.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
NHL fans get the shaft again
Well, it sure looks like NBC was a great choice for NHL hockey. This past Sunday, with the Ducks and Red Wings set to go into overtime, NBC decided to switch over to something more exciting: horse racing!
That’s right. And it wasn’t even race time yet. It was the Preakness pre-race show! Hmm. The NHL Western Conference final vs a horse racing pre-show . . . Dave Hodge must have tossed 10 pencils behind his back!*
It’s bad enough that play-by-play guy, Mike Emrick, uses expressions like “padded down” (leg save) and “waffle-boarded” (blocker save). Now the great game of hockey gets pushed aside for midgets on horses going in a circle.
What next? "We are now going to leave game seven of the Stanley Cup final now for the preliminary match of the southeast regional crokinole championships!"
Okay, moving on to even stupider (it’s a word if I say it is) stuff: the NHL finals don’t start until Monday. That’s right: a six-fricking’ day lay-off. I’ll be thinking football by then!
Today is Wednesday. I could have lived with Saturday, always a good night for hockey.
What’s the deal? Is there a dog show at the Honda Centre?
And I thought the NBA playoff schedule was hard to follow.
*(for those of you who are too young to remember, CBC cut from a game once, way back when Dave Hodge was with them. An unimpressed Hodge voiced his disappointment in CBC and tossed his pencil in the air in frustration. Shortly after that, Hodge was sent packing by CBC.)
That’s right. And it wasn’t even race time yet. It was the Preakness pre-race show! Hmm. The NHL Western Conference final vs a horse racing pre-show . . . Dave Hodge must have tossed 10 pencils behind his back!*
It’s bad enough that play-by-play guy, Mike Emrick, uses expressions like “padded down” (leg save) and “waffle-boarded” (blocker save). Now the great game of hockey gets pushed aside for midgets on horses going in a circle.
What next? "We are now going to leave game seven of the Stanley Cup final now for the preliminary match of the southeast regional crokinole championships!"
Okay, moving on to even stupider (it’s a word if I say it is) stuff: the NHL finals don’t start until Monday. That’s right: a six-fricking’ day lay-off. I’ll be thinking football by then!
Today is Wednesday. I could have lived with Saturday, always a good night for hockey.
What’s the deal? Is there a dog show at the Honda Centre?
And I thought the NBA playoff schedule was hard to follow.
*(for those of you who are too young to remember, CBC cut from a game once, way back when Dave Hodge was with them. An unimpressed Hodge voiced his disappointment in CBC and tossed his pencil in the air in frustration. Shortly after that, Hodge was sent packing by CBC.)
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Pan's Labryinth something to behold
I was recently the winner of a 52-inch flatscreen plasma TV in a draw, and the timing couldn’t have been better, with Pan’s Labryinth just being released on DVD.
For anyone who hasn’t yet seen this movie, if you don’t have a big screen TV, find someone who does because that is the only way to truly appreciate this beautiful film.
Pan’s Labryinth is set in 1944 fascist Spain and is the story of a girl, Ofelia, who is fascinated with fairy-tales, who is sent along with her pregnant mother to live with her new stepfather, a ruthless captain of the Spanish army.
During the night, Ofelia meets a fairy who takes her to an old faun in the center of a nearby labyrinth. He tells her she's a princess, but must prove her royalty by surviving three gruesome tasks. If she fails, she will never prove herself to be the true princess and will never see her real father, the king, again.
I was immediately struck by how wonderfully shot Labyrinth is.
It is crystal clear and filled with amazing colors, mostly dark ones, and has breathtaking camera work that swoops along with the fairy and provides breathtaking viewpoints and angles. There are also some great transitions. One of my favorite shots is when the camera crawls around a tree with the fairy, and watches Ofelia’s car drive away.
Labryinth was written and directed by Guillermo Del Toro, who also directed the brooding and stylish Cronos, as well as Hellboy and Blade II. In all four movies, he shows a great knack for working in dark tones and material.
Parents shouldn’t be misled by the mention of fantasy and fairy tale. While Labryinth is both, it is not for children or even the squeamish.
The fantasy aspect has some real frights and gruesome scenes and, in the real world, there are some jarring scenes of violence that are alternately numbing and cringe-inducing. Yet, no matter how horrific the content, it always looks amazing!
There are also strong performances by the cast, particularly by Sergi Lopez as the ruthless Captain Vidal, who matches Ralph Fiennes’ turn as the evil SS commandant Amon Goth in Schindler’s List. Ivana Baquero is charming as Ofelia, and Maribel Verdu shows strength and compassion as Vidal’s maid, Mercedes, who is secretly aiding the Spanish rebels.
Oh, and have I mentioned monsters yet?
The effects are tremendous, with Del Toro opting more for makeup and prosthetics than digital effects. The faun/Pan is very much like the mythological Pan, being a goat below the torso, but his head looks like an ant’s, except with the huge, looping horns of a big horn sheep.
There is also a disgusting giant toad and some other fairies but the most interesting and frightening character for me is a misshapen being whose eyes sit before him on a plate – until he is awakened and places his eyes in the palms of hands.
Pan’s Labryinth is Spanish and subtitled, which shouldn’t matter to true movie buffs because we all know that foreign movies are by and large better than what comes out of Hollywood but, if you’re one of those people who don’t like to “read movies,” make an exception with this one. It is absolutely thrilling and gorgeous to behold.
I was fortunate enough to see it the first time on one of the Imax screens in Silver City in Vancouver a few months ago. If it happens to be still playing at a theatre near you, hurry up and see it. If not, get chummy with someone who has a big screen and rent it.
Your eyes will thank you!
For anyone who hasn’t yet seen this movie, if you don’t have a big screen TV, find someone who does because that is the only way to truly appreciate this beautiful film.
Pan’s Labryinth is set in 1944 fascist Spain and is the story of a girl, Ofelia, who is fascinated with fairy-tales, who is sent along with her pregnant mother to live with her new stepfather, a ruthless captain of the Spanish army.
During the night, Ofelia meets a fairy who takes her to an old faun in the center of a nearby labyrinth. He tells her she's a princess, but must prove her royalty by surviving three gruesome tasks. If she fails, she will never prove herself to be the true princess and will never see her real father, the king, again.
I was immediately struck by how wonderfully shot Labyrinth is.
It is crystal clear and filled with amazing colors, mostly dark ones, and has breathtaking camera work that swoops along with the fairy and provides breathtaking viewpoints and angles. There are also some great transitions. One of my favorite shots is when the camera crawls around a tree with the fairy, and watches Ofelia’s car drive away.
Labryinth was written and directed by Guillermo Del Toro, who also directed the brooding and stylish Cronos, as well as Hellboy and Blade II. In all four movies, he shows a great knack for working in dark tones and material.
Parents shouldn’t be misled by the mention of fantasy and fairy tale. While Labryinth is both, it is not for children or even the squeamish.
The fantasy aspect has some real frights and gruesome scenes and, in the real world, there are some jarring scenes of violence that are alternately numbing and cringe-inducing. Yet, no matter how horrific the content, it always looks amazing!
There are also strong performances by the cast, particularly by Sergi Lopez as the ruthless Captain Vidal, who matches Ralph Fiennes’ turn as the evil SS commandant Amon Goth in Schindler’s List. Ivana Baquero is charming as Ofelia, and Maribel Verdu shows strength and compassion as Vidal’s maid, Mercedes, who is secretly aiding the Spanish rebels.
Oh, and have I mentioned monsters yet?
The effects are tremendous, with Del Toro opting more for makeup and prosthetics than digital effects. The faun/Pan is very much like the mythological Pan, being a goat below the torso, but his head looks like an ant’s, except with the huge, looping horns of a big horn sheep.
There is also a disgusting giant toad and some other fairies but the most interesting and frightening character for me is a misshapen being whose eyes sit before him on a plate – until he is awakened and places his eyes in the palms of hands.
Pan’s Labryinth is Spanish and subtitled, which shouldn’t matter to true movie buffs because we all know that foreign movies are by and large better than what comes out of Hollywood but, if you’re one of those people who don’t like to “read movies,” make an exception with this one. It is absolutely thrilling and gorgeous to behold.
I was fortunate enough to see it the first time on one of the Imax screens in Silver City in Vancouver a few months ago. If it happens to be still playing at a theatre near you, hurry up and see it. If not, get chummy with someone who has a big screen and rent it.
Your eyes will thank you!
Monday, May 14, 2007
Stuck!
Since I just finished a busy weekend being involved in the Skeena Zone Theatre Festival, hosted in my home town of Prince Rupert, B.C., I thought it appropriate to start my new blog site with some comments on that.
In the festival, our club mounted my latest one-act play, "Stuck," which is about an executive at a social service agency who returns to his office late one Christmas night and finds a thief at his desk. From there, a verbal tug-o-war ensues as the thief tries to gain his freedom through words and manipulation. There are also two smaller roles: the wife of the executive and the friend of the thief.
Right off the top, I would like to thank the cast and crew for all of their hard work as we put this show together in a very short time of six weeks. It was rough in some places but, overall and judging by audience response (except for the middle show in the opening run - what was that?!) - it was pulled off quite well.
A special thanks to my good friend, Rod McNish, who directed the play. He had a number of unconventional ideas that were used in both the rehearsal process and in the actual production, which really allowed me to stretch my mind and acting muscles.
There were some who didn't get his set vision, with the three levels: the drunks being on floor level, the office being a couple of feet higher, and the home of the executive a couple of feet higher than the office. The festival adjudicator said if the audience doesn't get it, then the director has failed. I disagree.
In most cases, yes, the director should present something the audience will "get," but, sometimes you have to go outside the normal boundaries and even if the audience isn't consciously aware of what they are seeing, they may be "getting" it on an unconscious level and still be enjoying it. You know, kind of like a David Lynch movie!
Speaking of movies, I'll have a lot to say about that subject in this blog, starting with a review of Pan's Labryinth, which just came out on DVD.
In the festival, our club mounted my latest one-act play, "Stuck," which is about an executive at a social service agency who returns to his office late one Christmas night and finds a thief at his desk. From there, a verbal tug-o-war ensues as the thief tries to gain his freedom through words and manipulation. There are also two smaller roles: the wife of the executive and the friend of the thief.
Right off the top, I would like to thank the cast and crew for all of their hard work as we put this show together in a very short time of six weeks. It was rough in some places but, overall and judging by audience response (except for the middle show in the opening run - what was that?!) - it was pulled off quite well.
A special thanks to my good friend, Rod McNish, who directed the play. He had a number of unconventional ideas that were used in both the rehearsal process and in the actual production, which really allowed me to stretch my mind and acting muscles.
There were some who didn't get his set vision, with the three levels: the drunks being on floor level, the office being a couple of feet higher, and the home of the executive a couple of feet higher than the office. The festival adjudicator said if the audience doesn't get it, then the director has failed. I disagree.
In most cases, yes, the director should present something the audience will "get," but, sometimes you have to go outside the normal boundaries and even if the audience isn't consciously aware of what they are seeing, they may be "getting" it on an unconscious level and still be enjoying it. You know, kind of like a David Lynch movie!
Speaking of movies, I'll have a lot to say about that subject in this blog, starting with a review of Pan's Labryinth, which just came out on DVD.
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