HappyThankYouMorePlease...seriously more please

“I belong to the blank generation and I could take it or leave it each time.”
--Richard Hell and the Voidoids

Congratulations Josh Radnor, you have achieved Zach Braff status. Now don’t let it get to your head. I like How I Met Your Mother too much for you to ruin it by letting success go to your head. Besides, we already lost Two and Half Men to Tiger-blooded winning.

At any rate Radnor’s new film HappyThankYouMorePlease was pretty much what I expected it to be. There were a couple of surprises here and there and some memorably clever lines, but overall it felt incomplete. I did have a very distinct “I want more” feeling as I left the theater. Radnor wrote, starred and directed in a film following three different but connected storylines.

Sam Wexler (Radnor) finds a kid (played by Michael Algieri) separated from his mother on the subway and ends up looking after him, though by New York state law he actually kidnapped him. Sam has to balance illegally looking after his kid, his struggling writing career and a new love, [?] which mostly looks like a damaged version of lust on screen. Radnor and Kate Mara (127 Hours, Iron Man 2, The Shooter) really did not have the sort of on screen chemistry you would expect for a love story. But there was this sense of detachment throughout the movie.

The other plotlines are spearheaded by Malin Ackerman (Watchmen, The Proposal, Couples Retreat) and Zoe Kazan (Fracture, Me and Orson Welles, Revolutionary Road). Ackerman had what could have been a very challenging role had the writing chosen to steer it in that direction. Instead of running with the more predictable Alopecia sufferer struggling with concept of the beauty within, she plays more of a semi-drunk idealist who struggles with self-esteem issues based solely on the outward look of other people. Unfortunately her character was not very well developed and she just sort of came off as an image obsessed, neurotic complainer dressed like Erykah Badu. Kazan’s plotline was your standard twenty-something coming of age story which forced her and her boyfriend—played by Pablo Schreiber (Lords of Dogtown, Vicky Christina Barcelona, The Wire)—to make those big life decisions that all come upon people in their 20s. I did find it funny that they made a reference to Woody Allen films being of poor quality since he comes out with so many. One of those really bad Allen films: Vicky Christina Barcelona. I had a good laugh about that.

Even though the acting was not top notch there was still a big theme that was able to peak through and really caused me to draw more comparisons to Garden State than were probably healthy. Radnor did a good job of alluding to and showing how our generation is one that often seems like a group of children walking around in our parent’s shoes. It really seemed to me that he clearly did not think we as a generation were ready to be what our parent’s are, nor are very excited to assume that role thrust upon us by age. And so Radnor makes jokes about playing house with a one night stand and a child he stole off a subway. That alone made the movie tolerable. I never thought I would find myself saying that a film’s appeal to hipsters would be its saving grace. The music was a big part of that hipster appeal and was used to further that detached feeling that came with the film. However, at times even the music seemed to be detached from the film.

PleaseThankYouMorePlease did not make many deep statements and the social commentary that was addressed by the film seemed forced and pedantic. It is not a terrible date movie and if you are a fan of Radnor’s brand of dry wit it is worth a watch and a bag of popcorn.

Making the Grade

Acting: The acting was a bit hollow and shallow at times and there was a serious lack of on screen chemistry from actors who are known to have far more talent and ability. They did provide a few laughs but no real heartfelt, warm and fuzzy moments. Malin Ackerman did take a risk playing someone with Alopecia but it was a small one and didn’t have as much conflict as it could have. If she was supposed to play a character that draws attention away from her condition, why give her Alopecia in the first place? C+

Special Affects/Visuals: There was a visual homage or two, but not very inventive camera work. It was pretty much what you would expect from a directorial debut by someone who stands in front of the camera for a career. But it wasn’t a film that was too difficult to look at. C
Music/Sound: Trendy indie music that will go out of fashion in a few years when the hipsters find the next undiscovered act. The music did not really add anything to the movie, except justify all of the actor’s unwashed hair. The kid's art was kind of cool though. D+

Rewatchability: This movie will go out of style when the soundtrack does. Not a bad date/cuddle movie and not a waste of a spare hour and a half. But I am willing to bet the second time you see this film will be when it’s playing on the CW as their “Saturday matinee” 10-15 years from now. C

Overall Grade: C

Movies that will make you read

“A film is—or should be—more like music than fiction. It should be a progression of moods and feelings. The theme, what’s behind the emotion, the meaning, all of that comes later.”
--Stanley Kubrick

So I have been doing a lot more reading lately and it has slowed how many movies I have watched some. I think it is high time that I stop melting my brain and exercise it a little bit more. I do a fair bit of mind melting (not to be confused with mind melding) at work and on the weekends. However, when I have been watching movies, I find myself watching movies based off of books. Most recently I watched The Baader Meinhoff Complex and while the movie is great, after the movie was ended I wanted desperately to read the book.

People, including myself, always say that the book is better than the movie. But, sometimes I feel like some movies are not given the credit they are due. Yes, the book is probably better, but not every movie is as bad as Where the Wild Things Are or About a Boy. That being said here is a list of movies that made me want to read the book on which the movie is based. Do not expect to see Harry Potter or the Lord of the Rings on here, because those movies were awful representations of the books.

The Baader Meinhoff Complex
Director: Uli Edel
Author: Stefan Aust

Did you not think this would make this movie/book would make the list? It was the inspiration for this entire blog post. Duh… Anyway, I absolutely loved this movie. The subject matter is interesting and the characters are very well crafted and portrayed. No sooner had the credits finished rolling, I was on the interwebs trying to find as much information about the Red Army Faction as possible. The movie left me with a couple of questions and I figured that it would have been impossible to include all of the information and stories about a militant organization that was in existence for nearly 30 years. But, I also wanted to learn more about each of the original members of the group, and not just because they and the time period in which they existed is so interesting, but also because the people who played them, did so with such style and ability that I just couldn’t get them out of my head until I knew as much as possible about them. Plus, I guess I am a sucker for tragedy.

High Fidelity
Director: Stephen Frears
Author: Nick Hornby

This was the movie that made me fall in love with Nick Hornby. It blended many of my favorite things: Dysfunctional characters, music, snobbery, an original love story and angst that goes far beyond the teenage years. When I actually read the book I realized how perfectly cast this movie was. John Cusack pretty much played himself, or every other role he has ever done. But Cusack and Jack Black were not even the most intriguing bits of this movie, it was the character Dick (Todd Louiso) who I found stole every scene he was in and acted every bit of Hornby’s original character. High Fidelity is not only my go-to feel-good movie, but it has been something that has been a part of my life since the first time I saw the film. I am constantly making top five lists, I have similar sorts of elitist music debates with friends and I find myself asking the same questions from the film/book on a monthly basis. Any movie that I find myself watching at least two or three times a year is noteworthy in my opinion, but a novel that I tend to read almost every year and recommend to pretty much anyone who is looking for something to read makes it a deadly combination that needs shouting from every rooftop. Not to mention this has been the only Hornby novel to date that has done true justice to the book. About a Boy was an absolute failure that fucked up the ending and now sits on my personal “movie shelf of disgust.”

Trainspotting
Director: Danny Boyle
Author: Irvine Welsh

I hear a lot of people debating if Trainspotting or Pulp Fiction is the greatest idie film ever created. Even though Pulp Fiction is a great film my allegiances lie firmly with Danny Boyle and Trainspotting. I will admit that Boyle is one of my top five favorite directors (see, I told you High Fidelity had a major impact on my life). This was Boyle’s second film and it put him and Ewan McGregor on the map. I defy you to walk along any floor of any college dorm in the country and not find a poster dedicated to this movie. It’s just a gritty, funny, dark, film and it has an amazing soundtrack. The cast is amazing, the directing is amazing and the writing is amazing. So naturally, I wanted to read the book as soon as the movie was over. As it turns out my life has not afforded me the opportunity to read this book just yet. But I will by the end of this year I guarantee it. This, like all the other movies on this list, makes me want to read the book because the characters are just so damn interesting. It is their stories and the way they are carried out on screen that just makes me drool. I want to know more about Tommy and his life before and after he is introduced to heroine. I want to know why Sick Boy is so callus. I want to know everything about Mother Superior’s muddled past. I want to know pretty much everything about Renton. And I really want to know why the novel is called, “Trainspotting” and not just how Boyle believed it was meant to be called, but why Irvine Welsh gave it said title.

There Will Be Blood
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Author: Upton Sinclair (Novel title: Oil)

There is one reason and one reason alone that I want to read this book. Daniel Day-Lewis. I have not read “Oil” yet and that is mostly because I read “The Jungle,” by Upton Sinclair and absolutely hated it. I was bored to tears. But the acting by Day-Lewis was just so phenomenal that it convinced me to give Sinclair another chance, especially when knowing how important Sinclair was to the progressive movement in US history did not. Milkshakes aside, Day-Lewis, owned, pwnd and everything in between while developing one of the most memorable characters of the past decade. Not much else to say about that.

Jurassic Park
Director: Steven Spielberg
Author: Michael Crichton

In this not-so-humble blogger’s opinion, Jurassic Park is the most quotable movie in the history of movies. Ever. I will not be moved from this opinion. Those quotes had to come from somewhere right? So, why not go to the source. Plus the Crichton-Spielberg duo is an absolute powerhouse. Crichton is was the science-fiction giant of his era, one that Orson Scott Card could only dream of being (and I love me some Card). Spielberg is the king of the sci-fi, action, thriller film genre. Yeah, I said it James Cameron, just because you can make pretty movies or sequels to other awesome sci-films does not make you as BAMFy as you think you are. Point Break was awesome though. But, I digress; the movie made the book a necessary read for me, because I love Dinosaurs and because it was so much fun picturing the character in the book as they were depicted by Samuel L. Jackson, Jeff Goldblum, Wayne Knight, Bob “shoooooooot ‘errrrrrrr” Peck*, Richard Attenborough etc…Yes, Sam Neill and Laura Dern were very important characters, but the previously mentioned characters had me holding onto my butt from laughter and awesomeness. Additionally, on a totally nerdy level I wanted the chaos theory explained to me in a way that only Crichton could. It was pretty obvious that Spielberg chose to ignore this very important aspect of the novel, because he knew the better part of his audience was stupid, when it came to theoretical physics. Plus, did I mention that dinosaurs are fucking awesome?

*It was not until doing the research for this article that I realized that Bob Peck had died in 1999 after a long battle with cancer. He was only 53; sad not only because he was so young, but also because he was a brilliant actor. May Peck and Crichton both rest in peace while fighting dinosaurs wherever they may be.

Fight Club
Director: David Fincher
Author: Chuck Palahniuk

Much like High Fidelity did for Nick Hornby, Fight Club, introduced me (and I am sure many others) to Chuck Palahniuk. Fight Club was just so different from anything I had really seen before, because it put both sides of a schizophrenic mind on screen and let them—quite literally—duke it out. It was a perfectly cast movie, and again to this date is the only Palahniuk movie to be totally faithful to the humor, grit and overall plot of the original story. This could change if Hollywood listen’s to my pleas and actually casts Jessica Biel as the lead in “Invisible Monsters.” Either way, this movie makes the list on its sheer mass appeal alone. But that does not mean it still wasn’t an amazing movie, until TNT decided to play it three times a month.

A Scanner Darkly
Director: Richard Linklater
Author: Phillip K. Dick

There were a number of P.K. Dick novels turned movies I could have picked, but this one was the most original. It also helped me shrug off my dislike for “Radiohead” by contextualizing their music in a way that separated it as far away from “Creep” and the mid-90s Mtv affinity that caused them to be overhyped and overplayed as much as humanly possible. I really wanted to read this book after seeing the movie mostly because of the content matter. The rotoscoped dystopia was great, and Richard Linklater, Keanu Reeves, Woody Harrelson, Robert Downy Jr., Winona Ryder, and Rory Cochrane (he used to be on CSI: Miami) did a great job of bringing it to life, but I was most intrigued with the idea of getting behind the eyes and into the mind of a drug addict and I knew instantly that the novel would provide so much more than the movie ever possibly could. The movie was still awesome and very under-appreciated especially since everyone stains their jeans over Waking Life.

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
Director: Garth Jennings
Author: Douglas Adams (movie is based off of the series)

This really wasn’t that great of a movie. But it allowed just enough of Douglas Adam’s unique brand of British humor to shine through that I immediately went out and got the entire series on book, listened to as many of the BBC radio broadcasts and watched the very poorly made television series within a few months of seeing the film. The acting was good enough, though not the best that the cast could have offered. However, I pretty much blame Garth Jennings the mastermind [?] who brought us Son of Rambo for poor direction. Nevertheless, I laughed, and then once I read the books I laughed so hard I fell and forgot I was going to hit the floor. Yep, Adams made me laugh so hard I was able to fly for a little while. Even though the movie was not great, it opened a very important literary door in my life.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
Director: Edgar Wright
Author: Bryan Lee O’Malley (graphic novel series)

This was a graphic novel series that I had always wanted to read, but never really cared enough to read until I saw the trailer and then the movie and fell in love with the story. The movie and all of the influences it drew upon, both from the novel and from O’Malley’s own inspirations made for a sorts of intrigue that had me on the edge of my seat. Sadly, nobody wanted to see the movie with me because they thought it would suck. BUT THEY WERE SO FUCKING WRONG!!! If you read this blog you know how much I loved this movie. Though I must sheepishly say, I still haven’t read the graphic novels yet. I will get around to it eventually.

The Quiet American (2002 not 1958)
Director: Phillip Noyce
Author: Graham Greene

This is a novel I have not read yet either. But I feel like both the book and the movie do not get the credit they are due. Both overlooked because of the success of Apocalypse Now/”Heart of Darkness.” But the movie showed the range of both Michael Caine and Brendan Fraser (who knew right?). The pacing was slow the drama intense and it was centered in a very real but often unspoken period of time in Indo-Chinese history. When people think Vietnam they think American quagmire, but rarely do people think French colony and that was probably the biggest draw for me. It was not your stereotypical war movie. Plus, I had read “The Destructors,” which is one of those semi-controversial short stories that all English classes read at some point. But, as you all know that debate was covered in Donnie Darko. I really enjoyed “The Destructors” and I really enjoyed the film adaptation of “The Quiet American,” so it made me want to read more of Greene’s work. End of story.

Honorable Mentions

Never Let Me Go
Director: Mark Romanek
Author: Kazuo Ishiguro
I haven’t seen the movie yet, but the trailer looked good. I also really liked Ishiguro’s “Remains of the Day.”

American Psycho
Director:
Author: Bret Easton Ellis
I enjoyed the movie, but when I need to choose between Ellis and Palahniuk, Palahniuk wins every time. I hope they never remake “Less Than Zero.” That book is sacred cow in my eyes.

Blade Runner
Director: Ridley Scott
Author: Philip K. Dick (novel title: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep)
Great story, very overrated movie. Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer and Sean Young are all still BAMFs though. And Ridley Scott is still a better sci-fi director than you James Cameron.

Minority Report
Director: Steven Spielberg
Author: Philip K. Dick
A great short story and a very underrated but excellent film. I just liked A Scanner Darkly more. Suck it James Cameron.

Sleepy Hollow
Director: Tim Burton
Author: Washington Irving (novel title: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow)
This movie sucked big time. But it made me really want to know how much creative (if you can call it that) license Burton took when making this crap factory of a film.


**A Note** You are not all bad James Cameron.

Poetry: A film review

“The Unsaid, for me, exerts great power…”
--Louise Gluck

Alright, I want to preface this film review by saying that I hate going to movies with old people. They always choose to sit in the outermost seats at the theater even if the row is empty, forcing people to do the “kiss my ass-stare at my crotch” shuffle past them, because they are far too old and slow to actually stand up in a timely manner. Plus, each and every one of them has already formed an opinion of how good or bad the movie is going to be, before they even take their seats. Then they proceed to remind everyone around them how right they were from the beginning. Do not get me started on the constant standing up to use the bathroom 20 times during the film either. But, I guess I have to stomach all of this to see an excellent film whose lead is a 66 year old woman.

The simplicity of this poster belies the theme for the film. Lot's of subtext there. Pun intended.

Now that I have the old people tirade out of my system, I can now review the film.
As I waited for the movie to start, I noticed I was one of three people in the audience that were under the age of 30. The rest of the small audience were no younger than 55 at best, and all of the old men were very crotchety, clearly having been dragged by their wives for a Saturday at the movies. Suffice it to say, there were not many happy people in the audience for Poetry, but it didn’t stop me from enjoying the film and hating old people at the same time.

First and foremost, the trailer for Poetry was easily one of the most deceptive trailers I have ever seen. They make it look like it will be a heartwarming tale of a Korean woman who was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and uses poetry as a way to come to terms with the affliction that will eventually kill her. To borrow a phrase from a radio engineer I once knew, “WRONG.”

The fact is the Alzheimer’s is referred to only twice and is really only a device that get’s the main character, Yang Mija (Jeong-hie Yun), to the hospital and involved in the actual plot of the movie, though it is not really necessary, because the plot of the film, in reality, comes to her. Without giving anything away, the movie is actually about an elderly Korean woman struggling to find a voice in society where she has none and has become comfortable with that role. But, she is forced into a position where she needs to have a voice. A girl in her grandson’s class kills herself by jumping off a bridge. Her grandson, whom she looks after, and his friends are implicated in causing this girl to commit suicide. Yang Mija is forced into a position where she must choose to either protect what is left of her small family and dealing with the empathy she feels for this girl and her mother.

There is a lot of subtext to this film, and the allusion of poetry is used to flesh some of this subtext out, but it is done in an incredibly culturally specific manner. Yang Mija is what Koreans would call Ajuma; an elderly woman, with no job, and a very unique sense of fashion. Ajuma are very strong-willed women that rule those around them with an iron fist and rapier tongue. They are respected as elders but at the same time they are still cast off, because they are old (serving no purpose in a modernized computer age) and women, who are supposed to be submissive to their male counterparts. It is a bit more complicated than that, but this is the best way I can explain the Ajuma in a simplified way based on what I have been told by people who live in Korea. I am sure they will correct me if I am wrong (and I hope they do).

The director Chang-dong Lee (Secret Sunshine, Oasis, Peppermint Candy) directs in a very deliberate style that screams of influence, whether it is intentional or not, of Akira Kurosawa (Seven Samurai, Yojimbo, Ikiru). Sound plays a very specific role in the film and just like Kurosawa, anything you hear in the movie was there for a reason. It also deals with quite a few taboo topics, and at many times you sense the strain of showing such taboo subject matter that was originally meant for a culture that does not discuss, matters of poverty, infirmity, death, crime or self-expression publicly. Korean society seems very orderly and when something throws off that order it is to be hushed up, but I guess that is universal because we certainly do this in the United States. But Chang-dong Lee and especially Jeong-hie Yun approach all of these subjects in a calculated, provocative, but tasteful manner.

On the surface the film is very simple in its development and production, but there is so much more below the surface, which is why I thought it was so fitting that the film began and ended with a river—calm and orderly on the surface, but with so much more below. But, again, the river, the poetry is all allusions to far greater aspects and plot twists that we just don’t get in American cinema anymore. The slow pacing of the film had me on edge at all times because, you constantly wanted to see where things would end, and when the end of the film does eventually come…you are still left guessing. And you are left guessing so much more than Inception could ever offer, because all of the plot holes that Inception attempts to cover up with mind numbingly fun action scenes, Poetry insists on making you guess and draw your own conclusions while covering all of its bases. This is a film that you can certainly watch a dozen times and come to a different conclusion each time.

One final and somewhat unrelated thought, after watching a number of Korean films, I have noticed and find it very interesting that depending on the film’s setting and proximity to Seoul, Seoul becomes more or less mythical. Seoul is the capital of South Korea and it has this manner of becoming its own character in the film, because the characters react to it as if it is a place to fear, a place where your dreams come true, or just a place that is simply better than anywhere else in Korea. Seoul almost appears to be a real life, Korean Emerald City. It is impersonal, powerful, and a place of awe when viewed from the outside. Or it is a place of business, corruption, and power when viewed internally. It is a very interesting dynamic, one well worth studying.

Making the Grade

Acting: The acting is very much based off of one character, as she is forced to appear isolated from her surroundings. Jeong-hie Yun does an excellent job of showing a woman who struggles to find the best parts of life, while maintaining a dignified public persona expected of her by culture. The beauty of the acting is that it is not overly powerful. Instead, it just looked like you were watching a woman go through the day. It was real and that is what made it so good. This is the sort of acting that would be completely ignored by the Academy. A-

Special Effects/Visuals: There were no special effect in this film; it was artistic and beautiful, without the need of bells and whistles, which was very refreshing. If Hemingway directed a movie it would probably look like this. The Kurosawa influences were prevalent, though I do not think they were intentional. A-

Music/Sound: There was really very little music and when there was it was almost meant to be out of place and draw your attention to it. The sound of this film was impeccable and especially since it was a foreign film where reading can sometimes take over other stimuli, the sound of the movie kept you very focused on the film as you read subtitles; a great compliment to the cinematography. A

Rewatchability: I would watch this movie over and over and still see something different each time. However, this film definitely seems to focus its attention on captivating the elderly audience and I am sure they would have a different opinion of the film, so age could be a limiting factor. B

Overall Grade: A-

Quick movie based thoughts

"The reserve of modern assertions is sometimes pushed to extremes, in which the fear of being contradicted leads the writer to strip himself of all sense and meaning."

--Winston Churchill

• Even though this year's list of Oscar nominees was easily the best group since 1994 and I was very excited for the hosts they chose. The Oscars ended but being a total snore. It was pretty obvious who the winners were going to be and I cannot say that I disagreed with any of them. It was nice to see the internal nepotism that has plagued the Oscars the past five years was done away with this year, giving the awards to the most deserving people, especially Colin Firth who was totally screwed over last year by the Academy feeling sorry for Jeff Bridges. I don't care what anyone says, Crazyheart sucked major donkey balls of a Texas sized proportion.

• My one complaint about the Oscars: why wasn't Daft Punk nominated for best original score? They were the only good thing about Tron. Perhaps my dear friend over at This Song Starts a Craze can shed some light on this one.

• I have been watching a lot of Science Fiction type things recently. Go figure right? In doing so, I have come to the conclusion that Isaac Asimov's Laws of Robotics absolutely fail when programmed machines somehow evolve and gain sentience. For those of you who are not nearly nerdy enough to know Asmiov's Three Laws of Robotics they are:

1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.


2. A robot must obey any orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.


3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

It all boils down to not destroying the creator and so a lot of these robotic evolutionary movies are breaking Asimov's laws because they hate Asimov and he has no idea what translates into good cinema *cough, cough* I, Robot. Or Asimov is simply wrong and narrow minded about robotic evolution (I cannot believe I just said that). Perhaps he did not realize how religiously based his laws were. I don't know there is a lot to ramble on here. The one thing I do know for sure is that I have been watching far too much Battlestar Galactica.

• Finally, Korean cinema is probably the most underrated foreign film genre that I have seen so far. In the most hipster of terms, Korean cinema is the new Bollywood, since Bollywood has sold out and gone the way of Hong Kong cinema, or is on the verge of doing so anyway. Nothing against Bollywood or Hong Kong Cinema there are some great movies that have come out of both regions, but Korea seems to be the next untapped film region, and I really hope it doesn't get spoiled by Hollywood like Japan and Sweden have. I will never forgive the fact that someone green lighted American remakes of Let the Right One In (AND decided to call it LET ME IN?!?!?!?!?) or Ringu.

I think I might be back for real this time. Maybe...