4-Way Feature: Blood Simple, Bridesmaids, Cedar Rapids, and RED

Apologies for cramming four movies that have nothing to do with each other into one post, but I currently have a lot to watch and only a little to say about each of these four, so this saves me a lot of time.

Blood Simple
This is the Coen Brothers' first movie and is sometimes seen as a modern film noir. Appropriate, because it's probably about as dark as No Country For Old Men in terms of its lack of humour, which is otherwise present in most Coen movies. I think it started off a little slowly, but got really cool toward the end. Oddly enough, it also reminded me of Alien in the way that Frances McDormand began the movie as an average supporting female and then ended up being the heroine of the story.

Bridesmaids
I really like the idea of an all-female ensemble comedy, but I don't think this one is necessarily a step forward for feminism, if only because it still contains all of the standard "chick flick" elements (and the movie is a little longer for it). However, you could consider it a transitional film, as it is a "chick flick" that men can still enjoy for the humour. Now we just need a female ensemble comedy that falls somewhere in the middle, as in not a sappy romance and not an objectifying "hot women for male audiences" movie. Overall, I think the humour in Bridesmaids is probably more for women, and a lot of the drama and romance held it back, but I had a few laughs and it was generally fun.

Cedar Rapids
Ed Helms plays a highly innocent man-child stepping out of his comfort zone on a business trip. I wondered how corrupted he would be by the big city, and he was, but this movie is not as mean as it looked like it was going to be, and I liked that. It seems to set John C. Reilly up as a potential villain in the first half, because his character is so sleazy, but then he just suddenly becomes a trustworthy friend (I would have liked him either way, because he's played by John C. Reilly). Most importantly, a lot of this movie is just Tim (Helms) becoming friends with the other insurance salesmen he meets, and having a good time with them. I don't have to tell you by now that I'm always cool with that. Bonus points for having an actor who was on The Wire make references to The Wire.

RED
It's somewhat unusual seeing so many award-caliber actors in a comic book action blockbuster, but then the premise is that it's an unusual group because they're all old and retired. This movie looked like it might be fun, but I found it only marginally so. The story didn't much interest me, and I didn't even find the action sequences very exciting or intense until close to the end. This is the reason I don't really watch a high number of action blockbusters; once in a while there's a good one, but you can only see so many explosions and gunfights before they become bland. I like that there's an action movie starring more than five people over 50, and I don't mind that this movie has enough humour to not take itself too seriously, but the story and action (and the movie overall) could have been better. However, I imagine that fault probably lies more with the source material. The fault in this being nominated for a Golden Globe lies with the academy of voters wanting the awesome cast to show up to the event.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Impressions before seeing it
Except for the last one, I enjoyed the original five films in the series. The trailer looked like this one sort of takes place between the third and fourth ones. Plus, any movie where Andy Serkis does mo-cap creature performance is usually gold.

How was it?
As it turns out, Rise is more of a series reboot. Except for a few minor things, there isn't really anything connecting it to the original series. Thematically, it's the same: intelligent apes growing increasingly aggravated at being treated like dumb, inferior animals, and the leader of the ape revolt is still named Caesar. They even threw in Heston's famous line from the first movie ("Get your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape!"). I didn't really like that idea for about half a second, because even though it was a callback, it also felt outdated (it is a 43 year-old line of dialogue, after all), but then they cleverly set it up so that the response to that line created the same reaction as in the first movie, and it magically worked.

The biggest difference to note is that the apes were nowhere near as humanoid here, though this is the movie where they only begin to become abnormally intelligent so there's no need for dudes in ape suits yet. But being more animal than human, I actually found them more sympathetic than the full-on sapient apes from the original films. I guess because animals have a certain innocence or naivety to them, not fully understanding that their actions might have consequences, so to oppress them for it is not right. Caesar was a good monkey; he only started doing bad things after being treated poorly, and therein lies the problem with positions of power. As spoiled humans, we sometimes like to be douchebags and provoke the less fortunate (both humans and animals), and then when they fight back we act like they're the bad guys. This is one of the biggest dick moves anyone could make, but it does happen in real life.

Recommendation
It helps your enjoyment just a little if you've already seen the others in the series, but it's not a requirement since this is not a direct sequel or prequel. However, if you're curious to see how the apes started talking and how that progression came about, this is the movie that explains it, because I don't think the old ones ever did. And it's a good piece of action-drama, which will hopefully lead to a better war than Battle for the Planet of the Apes.

THX 1138

Impressions before seeing it
I'd been curious about it for a while. Outside of Star Wars, George Lucas really hasn't directed that much in spite of being around for over 40 years, and I wanted to see what his one non-Star Wars sci-fi film was like.

How was it?
To be honest, I was kind of bored. Like the original Tron, it was probably revolutionary for its time, but becomes uninteresting in today's film era, and I've already seen Equilibrium and that movie put THX 1138's concept to much better use. I felt no sympathetic connection whatsoever to the characters. I understand that the society depicted mostly lacks emotion and personality due to the mandatory medication everyone takes, but even when certain characters went off it and began to feel again, there wasn't enough there for me to start finding them interesting. Where Equilibrium has its defectors enjoying art and music, all we really get here is THX and LUH lusting each other, with no concrete examples of why this attraction would or could exist because they still don't have very full personalities. It actually plays, surprisingly, like a Stanley Kubrick film - 2001: A Space Odyssey, to be exact, which similarly has little characterization and minimal dialogue.

But that being said, 2001 is a visual feat, and THX 1138 is not without directorial prowess. Lucas' camera work and editing produce some interesting effects that create claustrophobia, surveillance awareness, and mechanical viewpoints. It almost feels like this movie was directed by a robot - and given its characterization, perhaps written by one, too.

Recommendation
In a purely technical, directorial sense, THX 1138 is superior to any Star Wars movie, but Star Wars is way more entertaining, and Equilibrium way more effective in its execution of the "stunted emotion society" concept. I think THX 1138 is only worth watching if you are a student of film looking to observe as many types of filmmaking as you can. It's a good one for the study list, not so good for a fun night at home.

This Week in Television - Dec. 11-18, 2011

Once Upon a Time
I think it was too early to kill off Graham. Because of all the time spent on a weekly fairy tale character, there hasn't been that much time for chemistry to brew between he and Emma, and it was really only this episode that they started trying to force it down our throats that the two of them might be in love. I barely even considered them friends given how much more time Emma spends with Henry than with him.

Glee
The black and white Christmas TV special was kind of fun because it was so awfully cheesy, but I think it would have served them better to just make that the entire episode. No need for the farfetched frame narrative about how a local TV station decided to not only give some high school kids a bunch of airtime, but trust one of them to direct the special. And there's no way it cost less than $800, either. The ending when they showed up at the soup kitchen to give Sue a hand was very easily predictable, but I did like Sue's scene at the beginning when she was asking Artie, Kurt, and Blaine for help, because Sue Sylvester monologues remind me why I keep watching this mostly garbage show.

New Girl
I don't know why they always stick Winston with kids at parties, but this time he befriended one and it led to a possible job opportunity for him, so it wasn't exactly the same as his rivalry with the kid at the wedding, but if this becomes a common thing then it will get weird quickly. Kind of sad to see Paul go, but in TV land these things have to happen since guest stars can't stick around forever. The ending with the Christmas lights was a nice note to go out on, though I think people usually leave them on all night. Doesn't make sense that every house on the street would have turned them off, but for the purposes of the show it made for a nice moment.

Survivor: South Pacific
Too much religion in this episode. Do religious people not realize how extremely arrogant and self-centered it is for them to keep saying that God does things specifically for them? Or even to ask God to do things specifically for them? As if, out of the billions of people on the planet, a mighty omnipotent being would be greatly concerned about a game on a reality show. Anyway, it was stupid of Brandon to give up immunity, but since I don't like him I didn't mind seeing him pay for it.

Survivor: South Pacific (Sunday Finale)
I thought Ozzy was going to win it, but once he got voted out I figured it would be Sophie. I would have voted for Sophie too if I was on the jury; Albert has that fake used car salesman quality, and Coach disappointed me when he voted out Ozzy. I understand he was stuck between two promises, but why break one when you can leave it up to fate with a firemaking challenge, thus breaking neither? But I'm glad Sophie won, I'd been rooting for her the last few episodes. And I'm pretty sure Ozzy does have the record for most torches snuffed now: three times in one game, four times total.

Hero of the Week: Jess from New Girl, because "eating cookies and avoiding confrontation" is pretty much my strategy at parties, too.

Douchebag of the Week: Albert from Survivor, because he's sneaky and immoral, and thinks he's more charming than he is.

And that concludes our 2011 television year. See you in 2012!

The Muppets

Impressions before seeing it
I'm not necessarily a Muppets fan, but I'm not not a Muppets fan. I mean I sort of grew up with them, like most people who were around in the 90's or earlier, but I wasn't completely absorbed in them. What interested me is that Jason Segel co-wrote it with the director of Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and I subsequently heard it described as one of the greatest pieces of fan fiction ever made. Plus, just look at that poster!

How was it?
This turned out to be one of the warmest, sunniest, most loving movies I've ever seen. It was very clearly made out of much love, respect, and awe for the Muppet characters, and frankly any movie that is made out of love and not just for money is a rare thing. Segel and Adams play such cheery, wholesome characters (but not annoyingly so) that it's hard not to get caught up in their enthusiasm even if some of the actual Muppet characters (especially Kermit) are radiating undertones of sadness. This movie had me smiling a lot, occasionally from the humour but mostly out of sheer charm.

The plot was nothing close to new, but what made it work was its clever metafictional references to the Muppets franchise. New puppet Walter may play Segel's brother in the movie, but as he idolizes and then becomes a part of the Muppets, it seems that he is actually Segel's on-screen persona, as his journey reflects Segel's crafting of the script from a fan's standpoint and then joining the characters that he, too, grew up loving in the filming of this movie. The story itself muses on the dwindling popularity of the Muppets after being out of the spotlight so long (which is not entirely true, although my understanding is that the last several movies were movies starring the Muppets rather than movies about the Muppets), and Walter - again, like Segel - is the one who brings the old gang back together to put on a variety show telethon to save the franchise. All of the behind-the-scenes preparation for the big show, and especially the build-up to a duet between Kermit and Miss Piggy, reminded me of A Mighty Wind, which is not bad because I love that movie as well, and I think they share a similar sentimentality for their respective subject matter. I did think a couple of the musical numbers felt...awkward, maybe, but my taste in music is sporadic anyway so what do I know? Two bonuses: first, there are a number of fun surprise cameos, all of whom can be seen again during the end credits chipping in to the famous "Manamana" song, and second, seeing the movie in theaters treats you to a Toy Story short before the movie.

Recommendation
This is a great one to bring kids to, because it's something the whole family can enjoy and not one of those eye-rollingly bad kids movies that only children could like. But if you have any positive feelings at all toward the Muppets, it's pretty much a must-see. You're not going to find better fan service than this, and I know this is a cliche line, but The Muppets is so satisfying that it may be "the feel-good movie of the year."

Weeds - Season Three

This season of Weeds took the spirit of the previous season's finale - all conflicts crushing Nancy from all sides at once - and extended that throughout most of the season, as we see her under the thumb of scary drug dealer U-Turn and being blackmailed and threatened by several people for money she often doesn't have. But what makes Nancy so fun to watch is her ability to adapt. Somehow, she always makes it through these crazy and scary situations. Where season two improved on season one by writing better story arcs and cliffhangers, season three improved on season two by making the annoying characters less annoying. Heylia receded toward the background of the show as Nancy had less direct contact with her, and Silas was less of a rebellious, angsty, teenage douche once he started working with his mother instead of against her. As for Celia, she remains the antagonistic bitch that she is, and probably always will, but she is a very entertaining (and often funny) one, so she doesn't bother me too much.

Some other random thoughts: The Hodes' divorce, as well as Dean becoming severely injured, opened up a lot of funny stuff for Celia when she had to actually start taking care of her daughter and ex; Mary Kate Olsen is a slightly better actress than we all thought she was; I was actually looking forward to Nancy being friends with Peter's ex-wife, but I suppose that's out now; Andy starring in "foot porn" had just the right amount of weird hedonism in it to be the perfect storyline for him; Doug seemed somewhat underused this season in that he spent most of it complaining and protesting things; Shane seeing the ghost of his father (or pretending to, it's unclear which one) was really the only thing that didn't feel right to me. This show just didn't need that supernatural element, because while it does get wacky sometimes, ghosts are a whole different ballpark and that's not what Weeds is about.

Best Episode: "The Two Mrs. Scottsons", in which Isabelle and Shane become friends, Andy does foot porn, and Nancy stalks Peter's ex-wife.

Peep World

Impressions before seeing it
I never would have heard of it if the trailer hadn't shown up on one of my blu-rays, but it looked like another fun ensemble indie comedy.

How was it?
Peep World is like... well, the idiot brother of Our Idiot Brother. Nathan (Ben Schwartz, better known as Jean-Ralphio on Parks and Recreation) outs all of his siblings' secrets and flaws when he writes a book about his dysfunctional family, and they get pissed about it. Sort of the same premise as the recent Paul Rudd flick, only Nathan is not someone who does things by accident so neither we nor his family have much of a reason to forgive him.

My biggest problem with this movie is that it was too short. It doesn't even crack 80 minutes, let alone a standard 90. Now when you're making a movie about a family with four adult siblings living separate lives, plus their parents - who are divorced, so that's six different households - you either need the time to make sure all of the characters are fleshed out, or you have to write well enough to be able to do it in a shorter amount of time. I felt that Peep World failed at this. The characters were very nearly one-dimensional because there were too many of them, and the family members don't really share scenes until later in the movie, which is just lost opportunity to develop multiple characters at once. And then it leaves us with an ending that is unsatisfying because it feels rushed, forced, and unearned. The abrupt cut to black had me saying "that's it?", not necessarily because I wanted to see more, but because I should have already seen more. On top of that, it doesn't do anything new or funny comedically; its biggest joke, which the filmmakers clearly thought was way funnier than it really is, consists of a boner that won't go away. And this isn't even a raunchy, low-brow type of movie.

Recommendation
It's marginally fun just for the performances from the ensemble cast (though to me it felt like Michael C. Hall was still playing Dexter), but I can't recommend it because it is lacking in every area except the acting. I didn't completely hate it, but I was highly disappointed.