Brian: Ahem, uh, well, I have never actually even read a blog before, so this is all new and....well new, anyway. I do happen to watch an unhealthy amount of movies, most of them involving explosions and really bad dialogue, so I guess I am qualified. I would say I was flattered by being asked to watch a movie with Chelle and Rob, but it's what we normally do when we get together. I do seem to enjoy watching movies more in their company, as very few others share my...unique...sense of humor. Onto the movie!
My sister, Chelle's, latest hearthrob is a man named Takeshi Kaneshiro. Despite the obvious handicap of being a very pretty man, Kaneshiro does happen to play roles involving swordplay, martial arts, and beautiful asian women. I generally enjoy his films when these wonderful elements are part of his character. This was not one of those characters. He basically was in the film to look pretty, sound cool, and wear a white bathrobe, while giving those durn ol' soliders ideas for battle plans, and stand in fields a lot. I think his character may have been a weatherman, which is important when planning a battle, because who wants to fight in the rain?
The narrator seemed to be impersonating Charlton Heston, but there is a reason Chuck never narrated asain history. General Cao Cao cuts and imposing figure in Chinese history with a really goofy sounding name. An American equivalent might be General Nonsense, Major Woody, or Captain Diphead. Competent leaders maybe, but still really funny to address.
To say I did not enjoy the film would be untrue. Beautiful cinematography, talented actors, and an epic number of snappily dressed extras, combined in fantastic battle sequences, and a bucketload of action. Mostly in the form of explosions and fire. It's a good thing China is the largest country in the world, because John Woo appears to have burned most of it to a charred cinder while making this film. Woo blends historical events with characters who have superhuman skills. I know China holds it's heroes on pedistals, but three guys whooping up an army of 800,000 trained soldiers? C'mon now, Lil' Woo, tell the truth. What really happened?
All in all, I really enjoyed this cinematic experience, since movies my former spouse made me watch included Sex in the City (shudder). With three billion people, I'm sure the chinese have sex in their cities too, but do we need to hear about how hard it is for these women to find the pefect penis? I wish I knew more chinese folk with martial art superpowers than women whose penis intake exceeds their daily caloric intake. Ever notice it's always the super-creepy-drunk-really-really-dumb-guy they take home?
I seem to keep tripping over my soapbox. Maybe if I didn't have so many of them stacked up I could have a clear thought on the movie I'm supposed to be critiquing. Once I get those picked up and put away neatly, I'll try giving my perspective on another film. Until then...eat all your vegetables. Oh man, I'm all out of witty closing remarks!
Friday, March 26, 2010
Red Cliff: Preview
Chelle: Woo-hoo! Do I need to tell you why I picked this movie? Scroll down to our first postings and you'll find out. We were shopping at Target ('cause we're always shopping at Target) and all we needed was cat food, but Rob was checking out the media section ('cause Rob is always checking out the media section). So I left the boys with him and retrieved the cat's (Echo) food and on the way back I just happened to pass the new film releases. There, shining like a new sun, was Red Cliff. No fluke-ing way! I knew this movie was due to be released on DVD, but assumed that I would have to special order it as I have with so many other flicks featuring Takeshi. But there it was in my very own, local shopping haven. On sale, even! Well, I performed the always embarrassing adult version of the pee-pee dance, snapped up a copy and babbled all the way to the register about why it was necessary to buy it right now to a constantly nodding and sighing Rob.
I had never seen this movie (obviously), so I will be adding (most emphatically) to the discussion. And since I forced more than one person to watch my movie of choice, we will be having a guest blogger. That's right folks! For one night only, all the way from Thompson Falls, it's BRIAN! Stay tuned, here comes a discussion of John Woo's Red Cliff.
I had never seen this movie (obviously), so I will be adding (most emphatically) to the discussion. And since I forced more than one person to watch my movie of choice, we will be having a guest blogger. That's right folks! For one night only, all the way from Thompson Falls, it's BRIAN! Stay tuned, here comes a discussion of John Woo's Red Cliff.
Friday, March 19, 2010
40 Year Old Virgin: Discussion
Chelle: Yeah, it was totally funny as hell. This may sound strange, as much as I love to laugh, joke, and be silly, I usually don't seek out comedies. Most comedies are forced upon me. And I enjoy them, so why don't I sit down and say, "Hey, let's watch a funny movie"? Weird.
Rob's preview is loooong. But if you get through you will realize why we are still married. Rob may appear shy, reclusive, and oblivious to the world around him, but whenever he writes people sit up and take notice. Guys are guys for the most part and any woman who thinks one day men will ever be otherwise is deluding herself. In Apatow's films the males are your average guys. I've seen this film and Knocked Up (also Super Bad, but with that one Apatow's a producer, not a director) and both leads go on a journey inspired by a woman who needs them to be less of a guy. A woman who wants to be their peer, not their mommy. And this is what women want (although to be totally honest, I think very few women understand this and certainly can't express it well; that's why lots of women seem so bitchy). I've been told by many women how lucky I am to have found Rob 'cause he doesn't act like the typical male pig (guy). I'm not lucky, just not stupid; I married my best friend. This is not to say that our relationship is perfect (none are); we fight. Often I find myself doing a "mumbling Alice" (that phrase has a specific story; perhaps I'll lay it out later) in the basement while angrily shoving laundry into the dryer, and I've slept on the couch on several occasions when just being near him pisses me off. The arguement at the end of 40 reminds me of those times. Carell's character is very aware how his virginity is a social oddity and painfully embarrassed, especially with Keener's character. He truly loves her, but the only other woman he's been that close to (emotionally as well as physically) is his mommy and we don't talk about sex with our mommys (well I do sometimes, but it's different for girls; I don't talk about it with my dad, so there you go). I suppose I could delve into Freud here, but... I don't want to (and not because I have a tendency to dislike Freud; you know Jung over Freud, Aristotle over Plato... I've derailed). Keener's character wants a friend whom she can share her life with and she can't do that until he truly becomes her friend, which means complete honesty ("does this make me look fat?", don't even ask that question, if you think you look a little pudgy so does he; the real question is "do you care if this makes me look fat?"). And it's such a beautiful scene after Carell's character goes through the billboard truck. He confessess the virginity and because Keener's character loves him honestly, she says "that's a good thing" and with her acceptance of this social flaw (I hate to use that word, but I can't think of a more appropriate one) he becomes her friend, lover, and peer (no mommy here); he has become a man. How cool is that.
Also I just want to say how damn funny the scene with Leslie Mann (Apatow's real-life wife) is. I hesitate to say it reminds me of someone I know (out of fear)... but it does! And that made it so much more hi-lar-ious. Well done Judd, keep giving us those sexist guys who get grow into men women can call their best friend and mean it.
Hey my entry was looong too.
Rob's preview is loooong. But if you get through you will realize why we are still married. Rob may appear shy, reclusive, and oblivious to the world around him, but whenever he writes people sit up and take notice. Guys are guys for the most part and any woman who thinks one day men will ever be otherwise is deluding herself. In Apatow's films the males are your average guys. I've seen this film and Knocked Up (also Super Bad, but with that one Apatow's a producer, not a director) and both leads go on a journey inspired by a woman who needs them to be less of a guy. A woman who wants to be their peer, not their mommy. And this is what women want (although to be totally honest, I think very few women understand this and certainly can't express it well; that's why lots of women seem so bitchy). I've been told by many women how lucky I am to have found Rob 'cause he doesn't act like the typical male pig (guy). I'm not lucky, just not stupid; I married my best friend. This is not to say that our relationship is perfect (none are); we fight. Often I find myself doing a "mumbling Alice" (that phrase has a specific story; perhaps I'll lay it out later) in the basement while angrily shoving laundry into the dryer, and I've slept on the couch on several occasions when just being near him pisses me off. The arguement at the end of 40 reminds me of those times. Carell's character is very aware how his virginity is a social oddity and painfully embarrassed, especially with Keener's character. He truly loves her, but the only other woman he's been that close to (emotionally as well as physically) is his mommy and we don't talk about sex with our mommys (well I do sometimes, but it's different for girls; I don't talk about it with my dad, so there you go). I suppose I could delve into Freud here, but... I don't want to (and not because I have a tendency to dislike Freud; you know Jung over Freud, Aristotle over Plato... I've derailed). Keener's character wants a friend whom she can share her life with and she can't do that until he truly becomes her friend, which means complete honesty ("does this make me look fat?", don't even ask that question, if you think you look a little pudgy so does he; the real question is "do you care if this makes me look fat?"). And it's such a beautiful scene after Carell's character goes through the billboard truck. He confessess the virginity and because Keener's character loves him honestly, she says "that's a good thing" and with her acceptance of this social flaw (I hate to use that word, but I can't think of a more appropriate one) he becomes her friend, lover, and peer (no mommy here); he has become a man. How cool is that.
Also I just want to say how damn funny the scene with Leslie Mann (Apatow's real-life wife) is. I hesitate to say it reminds me of someone I know (out of fear)... but it does! And that made it so much more hi-lar-ious. Well done Judd, keep giving us those sexist guys who get grow into men women can call their best friend and mean it.
Hey my entry was looong too.
40-Year Old Virgin: A Preview
Rob: Judd Apatow has been catching a lot of flak lately, particularly from female cultural critics. The criticism isn't entirely unfounded. Even before Katherine Heigl publicly called Knocked Up, "a little bit sexist," I was saying the same thing at home. However, I personally don't mind a little sexism/racism/cultural insensitivty in a work of art as long as it has something honest to say about our culture, and I see a lot of honesty in Judd Apatow's movies. That is, I see people I know reflected in the characters and the way they interact. The whole "you know how I know you're gay?" schtick is entirely innappropriate and exactly what many of my friends sound like in private conversations. Lest you think I hang out with a bunch of gay-bashing homophobes, let me add the disclaimer that all of my friends are big supporters of gay rights. And yet, no gender, race, nor sexual orientation is spared when we get to flinging insults. That is the great contradiction of my generation. For the most part, we're pretty open-minded and accepting, but you'd never know it to hear us joking. That is the honesty I see reflected in Apatow's movies. As for the sexism, yes it's there, just as it's there to varying degrees in every man I've ever met. Many women I know are sexist as well, and not against men. My wife has often pointed out the degree to which women actually hate other women. Once you start noticing it, it's staggering. The point I'm getting at is that we're all flawed. We're all sexist and racist and closed-minded to some group or other, and there's no escaping it. It is a noble and valiant thing to try to root out these attitudes in ourselves and suppress them where we can, but I doubt anyone can entirely purge all their prejudices. It is part and parcel to being human, and I'd rather see it reflected in art than suppressed for the sake of being inoffensive. If it doesn't offend somebody, it probably isn't art.
Other critics have pointed out the man-child protagonists that Apatow examines in his films. They contend that we should not be celebrating this growing tendency of modern American men to put off growing up for as long as possible. Again, I think it is the artist's job to deal in honesty, and I'd rather watch a film with flawed characters that resemble the reality I know. Can you imagine a film where all the male characters are fully mature with no prejudices? What kind of character arc would you have? With a film like 40-Year Old Virgin, your protagonist has a lot of room to grow, and that's what the story is really about, learning to leave behind childish things. Steve Carell's character (Andy) has never had a meaningful relationship with a woman, which has allowed him to retain his childish habits unquestioned. One could argue that this is sexist because it implies that women are the killjoys who force men to abandon the things that they love. But I don't think that's the message the film is conveying. Apatow is saying that yes, it is often the influence of women that pushes boys into becoming men, but he's not portraying it as a bad thing--he's saying that we need to grow into men, and that we should be thankful to women for the push they give us, painful as it can be. Teachers are always saying that girls mature faster than boys, and I think that extends well beyond grade school. I think most men have trouble giving up their childhood, which is why Judd Apatow's movies are culturally important. He's the one guy out there really exploring this common struggle. And yes, he does celebrate males stalled halfway to manhood, which is why so many guys relate, but he also forces men to reflect on their own lives. The 40-Year Old Virgin can be a hell of an uncomfortable viewing experience for those who see a little too much of themselves in Andy. And short of a woman's influence, this might be the most potent message to a man-child that he needs to grow up.
As for why I wanted my wife to watch this movie... When I first rented it, she was busy in another room, and not too interested. But she could hear me in the living room laughing my bloody arse off, and was intrigued. It has taken 2 years, but I finally picked up a $2 copy at a pawn shop and will force it upon her. Mostly, I want her to see it because it's funny as hell, but I'd like to hear her take on the issues I've raised above as well. And may I just say, whatever you think about the social issues, it's hard to deny that Steve Carell's comic timing is sheer unadulterated genius.
Other critics have pointed out the man-child protagonists that Apatow examines in his films. They contend that we should not be celebrating this growing tendency of modern American men to put off growing up for as long as possible. Again, I think it is the artist's job to deal in honesty, and I'd rather watch a film with flawed characters that resemble the reality I know. Can you imagine a film where all the male characters are fully mature with no prejudices? What kind of character arc would you have? With a film like 40-Year Old Virgin, your protagonist has a lot of room to grow, and that's what the story is really about, learning to leave behind childish things. Steve Carell's character (Andy) has never had a meaningful relationship with a woman, which has allowed him to retain his childish habits unquestioned. One could argue that this is sexist because it implies that women are the killjoys who force men to abandon the things that they love. But I don't think that's the message the film is conveying. Apatow is saying that yes, it is often the influence of women that pushes boys into becoming men, but he's not portraying it as a bad thing--he's saying that we need to grow into men, and that we should be thankful to women for the push they give us, painful as it can be. Teachers are always saying that girls mature faster than boys, and I think that extends well beyond grade school. I think most men have trouble giving up their childhood, which is why Judd Apatow's movies are culturally important. He's the one guy out there really exploring this common struggle. And yes, he does celebrate males stalled halfway to manhood, which is why so many guys relate, but he also forces men to reflect on their own lives. The 40-Year Old Virgin can be a hell of an uncomfortable viewing experience for those who see a little too much of themselves in Andy. And short of a woman's influence, this might be the most potent message to a man-child that he needs to grow up.
As for why I wanted my wife to watch this movie... When I first rented it, she was busy in another room, and not too interested. But she could hear me in the living room laughing my bloody arse off, and was intrigued. It has taken 2 years, but I finally picked up a $2 copy at a pawn shop and will force it upon her. Mostly, I want her to see it because it's funny as hell, but I'd like to hear her take on the issues I've raised above as well. And may I just say, whatever you think about the social issues, it's hard to deny that Steve Carell's comic timing is sheer unadulterated genius.
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