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Pirates of the Cinema (and more)
Jul. 30th, 2003 12:19 pm- Before today’s film review, a moment to mark the passing of the British-born, Cleveland-bred comedian, actor, golf enthusiast, and world traveler Leslie Hope, better known as Bob. His contributions to the entertainment world and to the troops he entertained from WWII through the first Gulf War are legend, even if his style of comedy is dated and his politics held in low esteem by many. He was funny often in his youth, a master of timing and the ad-lib. I watched his specials all the time as a kid, and still remember fondly his rather tame but sometimes biting opening monologues. And here's something that still astonishes me. Woody Allen considers Hope a major influence. I doubt that Hope had much use for the nebbish from New York, but Woody loved his work. Let me tell you, that is amazing!
Here is a link to Roger Ebert’s obit on the man: http://www.suntimes.com/output/eb-feature/cst-nws-ebert29.html
- And now, a recommendation before our feature. Last week, I bought the first two issues of a new comic from Marvel, Runaways. The next day, I ran out to find the third and four issues. This series is possibly the best new comic from Marvel in ages, featuring a cast of all new characters, teenagers who are not from the usual cookie cutter, and a great script by Brian Vaughan (of Y - The Last Man fame). You could wait till January, when this comic will come out in TPB - you might have to as the series is an unexpected hit and selling fast. But you could do what I did and track it down. What's it about? I ain't telling, though you can find a good review of the first issues at http://www.thefourthrail.com/reviews/critiques/041403/runaways1.shtml, or info about it to some degree at Marvel.com. But it is a great comic, very Buffy-like. Not in plot but in terms of how it depicts teens, and how it uses pop culture references as part of the characters' mirror on the real world.
Normally, I don't like to recommend anything from Marvel, given their track record for screwing up good comics. But this one is just too good not to promote. Vaughan is already a hot writer, and I think that work like this deserves a wide audience. Buy it, and maybe try giving it to a teen or two. They might like it, too.
- And now, our feature presentation…
We saw Pirates of the Caribbean last night - one last film before the Nine Days - and came away mighty impressed. A film based on a ride at Disneyland should not be this good. And while there are better films out there, I think there are few more fun.
Why is it fun? Good acting, not just by Johnny Depp but also by Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom (on his way to stardom without his elf-ears), and Keira Knightley (who is quite adorable and has a good face for costume drama). The screenplay, written by a pair of veteran writers whose credits include Aladdin, Treasure Planet and Mask of Zorro, is quite intelligent and even a bit literate. The FX are seamless, the location shots beautiful, the pacing generally good. The film does slow at a couple of points, but never for long.
More importantly, the characters are likeable. But to discuss them, I find myself at the edge of the basic info. Here there be major spoilers and speculation about the next film...
( Read more... )
Lastly, we saw some really tepid previews for movies that look to be wasting the skills of actors like Ed Harris and Robert Duvall and Haley Joel Osmet in schmaltzy, condescending situations. But we also saw a poster for a live action film of Peter Pan. Looked it up on IMDb, and discovered that it’s coming from a group of essentially unknown actors and filmmakers, with the small exception of Jason Isaacs (who played Lucius Malfoy) as Captain Hook. But Batya noticed in the poster that Peter had pan pipes, which indicates that at least someone read the book. I have a good feeling about this one as it is not coming from the usual Hollywood star machine. (Seems to be Australian, whihc of late is a good thing.) If nothing else, it may be a good year for pirates.
Here is a link to Roger Ebert’s obit on the man: http://www.suntimes.com/output/eb-feature/cst-nws-ebert29.html
- And now, a recommendation before our feature. Last week, I bought the first two issues of a new comic from Marvel, Runaways. The next day, I ran out to find the third and four issues. This series is possibly the best new comic from Marvel in ages, featuring a cast of all new characters, teenagers who are not from the usual cookie cutter, and a great script by Brian Vaughan (of Y - The Last Man fame). You could wait till January, when this comic will come out in TPB - you might have to as the series is an unexpected hit and selling fast. But you could do what I did and track it down. What's it about? I ain't telling, though you can find a good review of the first issues at http://www.thefourthrail.com/reviews/critiques/041403/runaways1.shtml, or info about it to some degree at Marvel.com. But it is a great comic, very Buffy-like. Not in plot but in terms of how it depicts teens, and how it uses pop culture references as part of the characters' mirror on the real world.
Normally, I don't like to recommend anything from Marvel, given their track record for screwing up good comics. But this one is just too good not to promote. Vaughan is already a hot writer, and I think that work like this deserves a wide audience. Buy it, and maybe try giving it to a teen or two. They might like it, too.
- And now, our feature presentation…
We saw Pirates of the Caribbean last night - one last film before the Nine Days - and came away mighty impressed. A film based on a ride at Disneyland should not be this good. And while there are better films out there, I think there are few more fun.
Why is it fun? Good acting, not just by Johnny Depp but also by Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom (on his way to stardom without his elf-ears), and Keira Knightley (who is quite adorable and has a good face for costume drama). The screenplay, written by a pair of veteran writers whose credits include Aladdin, Treasure Planet and Mask of Zorro, is quite intelligent and even a bit literate. The FX are seamless, the location shots beautiful, the pacing generally good. The film does slow at a couple of points, but never for long.
More importantly, the characters are likeable. But to discuss them, I find myself at the edge of the basic info. Here there be major spoilers and speculation about the next film...
( Read more... )
Lastly, we saw some really tepid previews for movies that look to be wasting the skills of actors like Ed Harris and Robert Duvall and Haley Joel Osmet in schmaltzy, condescending situations. But we also saw a poster for a live action film of Peter Pan. Looked it up on IMDb, and discovered that it’s coming from a group of essentially unknown actors and filmmakers, with the small exception of Jason Isaacs (who played Lucius Malfoy) as Captain Hook. But Batya noticed in the poster that Peter had pan pipes, which indicates that at least someone read the book. I have a good feeling about this one as it is not coming from the usual Hollywood star machine. (Seems to be Australian, whihc of late is a good thing.) If nothing else, it may be a good year for pirates.
