We went to see The Blind side yesterday. I am a big sports movie nut and Kate liked the preview, so we were good to go. I was caught by surprise when the movie starts with the Joe Theismann injury. It took me about two seconds to realize that is what the video was. The movie takes a couple of minutes before they make clear the connection between the video and the shot.
I remember that Monday Night Game. I was watching in the living room. It was 13 years old when I saw it. At that time it did not effect me at all. I knew it was a hard hit, but I had seen hard hits before. I had seen people go off the field before. It did not mean much to me.
I also watched that video again back in 2000. At that time it seemed like just nasty video. I did not have an emotional attachment to me. I thought it was cool to see it again. This time I knew the result. I knew that Joe Theismann would not play another game, but he would have a good career as a play-by-play announcer.
Watching it again now, before the Blind Side I was really taken by surprise. I have no doubt that this is how the book the Blind Side starts. Having read Money Ball, this totally fits Michael Lewis' style.
This time watching the video, on the big screen, it really effected me. I saw the video in an emotional way that I never saw it before. It really made me think in a way I never thought before. It might be, this is the first time I have seen the video being older than Joe Theismann at the time. He was 36 when he got hit by Lawrence Taylor, I am now 37. I understand something about work and jobs that I never thought about before. The idea of one hit ending Joe Theismann career is something that I was not ready for before seeing a feel good sports movie.
I really felt like I took a shot to the stomach right at the start of the movie. It really did a lot to frame how I felt for the first 20 minutes of the movie. I thought it was a pretty interesting technique to set the tone for a movie.
The movie is pretty good, It does not crack my list of best sports, or best football movies. It might crack my list of best Sandra Bullock movies
Rotten Tomatos has a nice list of the best and worst movies of this summer. They also review the movies by how much money they made and how well the studios did.
My Top movies of this summer 1. The Dark Knight 2. Iron Man 3. Wall-e
My Worst Movie of the summer Hancock
I will admit that I might being unfair to Hancock. I was smart enough to stay away from the theaters for the really bad movies
I was a little surprised to see David Wilkerson comment on my open letter to him. I have to give him credit for that.
Dear Rich:
It's rather unfortunate that, having objected to the story, you felt the need to suggest that I " do not know what business" I'm covering. I suppose that's the state of discourse on the Web these days.
As I indicated in the article, Netflix has said for some time that it fully expects the DVD business model to endure for at least another five to 10 years. This is obviously because, as you say, the studios want to protect such a vital revenue stream.
Netflix also takes great pains to point out that its core audience does happen to want older, catalogue titles. It sees this is a one of the ways it differentiates itself from brick-and-mortar video stores, which they see primarily as purveyors of recent, big studio content.
The point of the story was how Netflix intends to be positioned once the model does become dominated by streaming. By then, it intends to be able to offer recent studio hits as well as the catalogue titles that its subscribers crave.
Hope this clarifies things. If not, well -- I tried. Thanks for reading, anyway.
David Wilkerson
I will apologize for the insult of saying he does not know what he is covering. This is more of a general frustration of reading stories in the business press when I see something missing from the story. Netflix is in an industry where they cannot decide their future alone. Just because they will want to stream new releases.
I wonder why I never see quotes from content providers asking what they think about netflix plans. There is no cross reference to how content providers feel about these business models. I think looking at Netflix plans without looking at the content providers plans feels incomplete. Netflix is committed to a subscription model. How do studios feel about letting new releases being viewed on a subscription model replacing the current VOD models? That is the questions I want answered in a story like this.
I am speaking as someone who has worked for TiVo and VUDU, seeing the frustration of working with content providers first hand. That is why I want to see studio reaction in these stories.
I am amazed that you can write the article above without mention at all about the content providers. The deals the content providers sign with the content delivers will have a lot to do with who is successful in this space. It has often be said that content is king. One of the big differences between Netflix streaming service and Apple or Amazon is that Netflix has much older movies. Recent, big studio, DVD releases are no where to be found. Right now Netflix customers need to get the DVD to get these titles. I do not see this changing any time soon. Ask some studio heads what they think of Netflix. See what they say about their new releases coming to a Netflix unlimited streaming service. I do not think they will want to give up their current VOD or DVD business model. They will use their copyrights to keep this from happening as long as they can. Any analysis who does not ask questions about this problem also do not know what business they are covering.
I am not surprised that Warner Brothers does not know what to do with Superman. The Dark Knight made so much money the logical thing to do is get more movies like it out into the market place. That would include a new Superman movie, Justice League, World's Finest Heroes Movie.
The problem is what do you do with Superman. Are you going to say that Batman begins and Superman Returns happen in the same world? Are you going to Reboot Superman all together to give it a new feeling? What kind of movie to you want the next Superman movie to be.
Christopher Nolan's Batman world seems hard to introduce superheros to. So far he has really sold the world as being a real life place. The Dark Knight really seemed like any American city. The world of Bryan Singer's Superman Returns seems to almost be in a different key. It makes me think the two movies would clash if you tired to mix them together.
You do not have to make Metropolis gritty and dark like the Gotham City. In fact the best way to do is for Metropolis to seem like Utopia while Gotham City is dark and gritty. I worry that no one can really fold another movie into the world of Christopher Nolan's Batman. Maybe you could also a Green Arrow movie there, but it would be hard to sell. Maybe the Dark Knight is so good, that Warner Brothers will not be able to cash in as much as they would like.
While in San Diego I went to see The Dark Knight and Hancock
Superhero Movies to Make
Green Lantern
I think there are many ways to make a good Green Lantern movie. I think the best story line would be Hal Jordan is given the ring and saves the world from an Alien Invasion. I think that you could make the setting now, the 60's or the 80's and it world work. The best thing about this movie is that Green Lantern's powers are fantastic and very visual. Modern movie making could do justice to these powers.
The story would also lead to a good trilogy, alien invasion, Sinestro, Green Lantern Corps
Savage Dragon
Savage Dragon can be a cool story because he is both a superhero and a cop. This would be a superhero how is limited not just by how he feels but by the law also. I think that he works well because few people in the general public have read the comic. There are few expectations of what the story would be like. This could give the film maker a lot of leeway. I also think the character could lead to a good violent movie.
Captain Atom
Captain Atom is not know well outside the comic book world. I think he can make for an interesting comic. The story of a soldier who gets turned into a superhero because of an experiment is an interesting one. I think there is a lot of conflict in the idea that he is no longer human, but pure energy. I would use the story where is body is energy and his skin is a condiment suit. This would be great if he had to deal with a relationship
Power Man and Iron Fist
I think that Power Man and Iron Fist would make for a great 70's Blacksploitation/Kung Fu action movie. This would work well as a period piece. I think that it could be really over the top. I could include an over the top villain, corrupt cops, and lots of fighting. It is a good movie because there are no limits what you could do with these characters.
X
I will admit that X is one my favorite comic books of all time. I think he has many of the elements that make Batman, Wolverine, Rorschach, and the Punisher so popular. He is a vigilante who lives in a world with that is corrupted by organized crime. X has no memory of how he is, he is driven to fight crime.
I think that the story can be interesting because he has no memory of who is he or how he got his power. He just knows that he has to fight. You can even make it that he hated uneven odd that happen when criminals prey on the innocent. The story can show him as the ultimate Anti-hero who lives by his own code.
Powers
The Powers story Who Killed Retro Girl would be a great movie. The reason the comic is so good is because it deconstructs comic books. It is about regular people in the superhero world. The story is part police procedural and part superhero story. I think this combination would make a great movie. It would be easy to see the superheros in the story Retro Girl and Triphammer as stand in for other characters that the public already know, Super Girl and Iron Man.
Astro City
Astro City would be a great later superhero movie. The idea is that people who watch this movie do not need to know how heroes came to be or how they got their powers. The filmmaker can assume that the audience accepts the existence of superheros. Astro City is the comic for people who already read comics, The Astro City movie could be the movie for people who have already seen super hero movies.
I think that Tarnished Angel would translate best into a movie. The story is great because it shows the world from the villains side, but the villains are still sympathetic. I think it would be a wonderful movie.
Booster Gold
I think that Booster Gold would work well in a world with or without other superheros. The key ideas is that Booster Gold is a glory hound who wants to wants to be a star. On a deeper level he knows he is a fraud. He know that he stole his powersuit. He grew up a loser and is afraid that he will be a loser again. I think this could really make for a good movie.
Superhero Movies to Avoid
Kingdom Come
While Kingdom Come is a great graphic novel, I am worry that much of what makes it great would be lost on a general audience. It is a great movie for the conflict between Bruce Wayne superman. I just think you need too many characters to make this an interesting movie.
Dark Knight Returns
The Dark Knight Returns might be the greatest comic book graphic novel of all times. The reason it is great is because it breaks all the rules of the DC universe. Superman is the bad buy, the Joker kills himself, and Batman fakes his own death. It is good because it conflicts from what people expect from the story. I do not think you could make this and keep it true to the story. I do not think DC/Warner Bros would let you make Superman a bad guy.
Dr. Strange
While the magic, demons, and monsters might sound like a good movie, I doubt it would end up that way. Lots of the things that make Dr. Strange good are arcane and only really work if you see them over a long period of time. I am not a big fan of the surgeon with bad hands story.
Brat Pack
While I love the comic Brat Pack, it would be a horrible movie. I know that it attacks the conventions of superhero comics and is a general thumb to the eye of the Justice League, but that might now be a great movie. I think it would be hard to make the world so dirty and still make the movie sell.
Superhero Movies to Reboot
Daredevil
Daredevil is a great series. There are lots of great things that can be down with this character. The problem is that you cannot do them all at the same time. I think this would be a great movie to give someone else another shot at.
I saw Hancock about a week ago. I love comics and I love superheroes. I was looking forward to this movie because it was not using characters from Marvel or DC. It was using a character made up for the movie. This would give the writers freedom to do things you could not do with Superman. You can make Hancock a drunk without making the head of Warner Bros and DC blow a vain.
I love the way they use this freedom for the first two acts of the movie. I love the idea of a superhero that saves people while being a misanthrope at the same time. He saves people's lives and is hated by them at the same time because of the way he did it. Will Smith does a great job playing a superhero who is in conflict with himself and the world.
After saving people and causing damage at the same time, he ends up being sent to jail. Of course he has to choose to go to jail because he can just fly out at any moment. There are lots of great moments where they explore what it means for someone this powerful to be in jail.
That being said, I was disappointed in the end of the movie. The third act blows. They get into how he came to be, how he is superhero. At this point the movie falls apart. They do not need to go there. I think the movie would have been better if we were left wondering if he was really just superman in disguise. In the end the movie is very disappointing.
The New AFI List is 10 top 10. The idea is that they look at different genre of movies. The 10 categories are Animation, Romantic comedy, Westerns, Sports, Mystery, Fantasy, Science fiction, Gangster, Courtroom dramas, Epics. When I first look at this list of genres it is a mess. There are some top level genres here like Westerns, and Science Fiction, and some sub genres like Courtroom drams and romantic comedy. I think it would have been better if every list was a sub genre.
The list are pretty good, but there are some problems here.
When I look at the Animated List I see too much Disney. This list could have had Akira, Iron Giant or the Simpsons Movie on it.
Jerry Maguire does not belong on the Sports list of The Natural is missing.
I watched the Dark Knight today. It is a wonderful movie, but it has lots of problems. It is not just a great comic-book movie, it is a great crime and action movie also.
I love the characters in this movie. They are well acted and well written. This is amazing to me. For a long time the characters from Batman have seemed silly. I thought that Bruce Wayne was in need of a grief councilor, Two-Face was just random thug, and the Joker was just too broad.
A lot of problems with comic book characters is that they become part of the comic book universe they live in. Most of the cool things that have been done with Superman, Wonder Woman, The Hulk, and Batman are do to the larger story they are part of the other comics. I think this is why the Batman, Justice League and X-Men cartoons work so well. You can build the whole universe with a TV show.
I am impressed with the two new Batman movies because they have been successful without having all this time to set the universe. They are successful in building a world that the viewer understands easily and instantly. I think part of the reason it works is because the way they choose to show the world.
I like to choice to make the world realistic as possible. It is even less stylized than Batman Begins. I think that it makes the drama hit home a little more. Most of the events of the move seem like they could happen here. I think it makes the unbelievable a little easier to take.
I really love what they do with the character of the Joker. Heath Ledger does a great job with this character. I like the idea that the Joker is just an Anarchist. He just wants to see the world burn. This makes the Joker make sense in this world. They also do a good job with the origin of the Joker.
This is the best movie I have seen this year. Yes, it fails a little more that Iron Man, but it also takes more risks. I would tell any movie fan, if they like comics or not, to see this movie.
It appears that Indiana Jones really did find the city of gold. I am not surprised that the Indiana Jones movie did well. The previews looked good enough. It made people pretty sure they knew what they were going to get.
I went to see Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull on Friday. I saw it Friday at 10 AM in the morning. It was a work event. I liked the movie. If I had to pay for it, I might not have been so quick to go see it.
The movie was good enough. It did not change the way I view action/adventure movies and I did not feel like it was a waste of my time. It starts off well. It is cool that is starts with a scene in a hanger in Area 51. You even get a peak at the Ark of the Covent.
The pace was a little uneven. I felt like we were taking a lot of time getting from action scene to action scene. It could have used better puzzle solving when in the tombs. I like the relationship between Indiana Jones and Mutt Williams. I am not sure Shia LaBeouf makes for the most convincing Greaser. They still had decent enough chemistry for the movie to work.
I will worn you, if you need realism, do not see this movie. The chase scenes are straight out of Hollywood. Yes, Indiana Jones drank from the Holy Grail and that means that he is able to do cool things and land on cars after swinging on his whip. There is water fall scene where you totally have to give up any thought or realism. That is after the chase scene in the jungle.
I think the movie sets out to do what it intends to do. If you look at Indiana Jones as an homage to film serials it did a very good job. They even took the time to make a Tarzan reference. For the most part, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull delivered on what it promised.
I think that we should expect to see another movie in this series. I have heard on TV that future movies would focus on Mutt Williams and have Indiana Jones as a supporting character. After this movie I think that could be done well.
I went to see the movie Disfigured today. Disfigured is currently playing festivals. It is playing at Cinequest in San Jose. It is a movie about an overweight woman and an anorexic woman who become friends. The movie is really interesting. It deals with ideas about self, weight, body image, and society.
I liked this movie. The writer and director of this movie really did a good job. The opening scene is just amazing. He sets the tone for the movie and introduced the characters. The scene is just breathtaking. There are also some pretty good camera tricks during the emotional scenes.
There is an incredible sex scene in the movie. The filmmaker thinks it is the only lovingly shot sex scene between two heavy people. They might be right. It is just a great scene. I wander what it will look like if they need to cut it down for an R rating. I cannot think the MPAA will deal well with heavy people having sex.
If you get a chance see this movie. I know that I did not want to see it when I first heard about it, but it is worth it. It is worth getting over that first level of being worried about not liking the subject matter, it was worth it. There is real human drama in this movie.
This is not the first time I have heard that Juno is a fantasy movie, but this story is not very useful. It does not really show the problems with the story. It says little about what real teens face. I get up set when I read news stories with so little news.
I know that newspapers have a limited amount of space, but websites do not. Even if you do not have a full story in the paper you can have it on your website.
I went to see The Invasion over the weekend. It is the fourth film version of Jack Finney book the Body Snatchers. Most people think of this series of movies as the Invasion of the Body Snatchers. When I was a little kid I heard someone describe Invasion of the Body Snatchers as scary because all you needed to do was fall asleep and the bad guys would get you.
I was excited when I first read about this remake. I think that there is only one reason that movies should be remade, because there is something new or different to be said about the subject. At the speed the world changes, there are often other ways to view a movie. There are subjects today like the power of the government, Nanny Culture, or psychiatrists use of drugs. All of these ideas might have been interesting.
I know this is not always the case. Movies are remade for all sorts of reasons. The biggest reason movies are remade is because studios think they are going to be able to make money. This remade only made $5 Million dollars in its opening weekend. That is not a good sign.
I thought the movie was okay, but it was not great. If asked if it is worth someone else's time I would tell them to wait for video or cable. It is not worth the trip to the theater.
The problem with this movie is that it never really tackles the ideas that it flirts with. It is just an action movie. The ideas behind what it means for the Invasion to happen are really secondary. It is about a woman who the only thing she has is her son and she is willing to do anything to lose her sun. She has very few struggles in the movie. She does not have to make moral choices to save her sun. She does not wonder if she is doing the right thing. All she knows is that she has to save her son. I think this is why the movie falls apart.
There is a theme about government power, the head of the CDC is the first person infected. The problem is that the movie spends very little time exploring what that means. It does not really show you how that could be really scary. How they could have lined things up for months before pushing the full scale infection.
There is a theme about how humans would stop being humans without conflict. This idea only comes up once. You can see how the life on the street drains as the movie goes on. The problem is that this idea is not explored through the actions of characters
There is one line in the movie where a character compares the main character being a psychiatrists who prescribes drugs to the invaders transforming people. This is only touched on for one line. This would have been a great major theme.
I really wanted the main character to struggle with the idea that the invaders might be right. I wanted her to struggle with the choice of trying to save her son. I wanted her to be make a clearer choice between what is the best for the world and what is the best for her son. The movie did not make her struggle that way.
The movie quickly broke down to being an action film. All of that running and chasing kept the movie from exploring ideas. The problem is that it is not a particularly inventive action movie. The way the main character gets out of tight situation does not make her seem smart of inventive. It just showed her determination.
My disappointment is because this movie could have been so much better. They take a few moments where ideas area really dealt with. But those moments are few are far between and have little to do with the actions of the characters. There is very little moral struggle in this movie and that is just want it needed. There are a dozen great ideas you could have made this movie about that are really relevant to the world. This movie could have been about Group think, people not questioning the government, Globalization, the power of Corporations, just to name a few. This movie franchise has always been about ideas. I am sorry to see this movie doing such a poor job exploring ideas.
There are lots of people walking around comic con making movies. It is some kind of sport or something. I have never seen one of these movies. I want there to be a "shot at comic con" film fest.
I went to see the Transformers movie the other day. What I can say about the movie is that I got all I expected. It is a movie about giant robots and things getting blown up. What more do I need to say. It is the kind of movie where you can shut off your brain.
While I was watching the movie I was thinking about the Autobots and the Decepticon. When the first cartoon started the Decepticons where mostly Jets. You had the three main Jets, Skywarp, Strarscream, and Thundercracker are all F-15 jets. On top of that you have Megatron who is a Walker PPK and Shockwave who is a laser gun. Many would say that the F-15 was the greatest weapon system of the 1980s.
Fighter jets have only one purpose, war. If they are not being used for war, they are a waste. They really cannot server another purpose. It is not like you can use them for passengers or cargo.
On the other side the Autobots are cars. Cars are the symbol of American freedom. They are the greatest tool to the great American masses. Cars are the way we get around. Even if you have a better car than me, both cars go from point A to point B. Cars are extremely useful. The Autobots show this. They are a Big Rig, VW Beetle, Van, Ambulance, Race Car, and 4x4.
There is something in this idea that really strikes me. The Decepticon have to be warlike. If they were not warlike they would have nothing to do. The Autobots do not have to be warriors. They could have a good life just being cars. Of course the Autobots have to fight, because they have to defend the world from the Decepticon. They cannot stand by as the Decepticon create war.
I wonder if the people who made the toys thought about this before. I guess they just thought, Cars v. Planes Cool.
I did not get a chance to see Dream On Silly Dreamer at comic con last year. It is out on video now. I guess I could buy it from Amazon. It is too bad that I cannot get it from Amazon Unbox. I would download it to my TiVo if I could. I doubt that it will ever come to the iTunes store because it is not very nice to Disney.
The movie is about Disney dismantling their animation studio. The guys who maned the movie where at Comic Con last year. They really felt wronged by Disney. They could not believe that Disney would just let all that talent walk out the door. My reaction is that I cannot remember the last good Disney, non Pixar, animated movie. Was it the Lion King?
Has anyone seen this movie? Can you tell me if it is worth seeing or not?
I was watching the Oscars tonight and they said that they have gone green this year. They said that they have incorporated green practices in all stages of the production. This statement says nothing. We know nothing about how much energy they are saving. We no nothing about what they are doing to reduce carbon emissions. The web site says nothing about what they are doing. It only describes what the public can do.
To be honest, telling me you are green now, means nothing to me. You can pat yourself on the back all your want. You still are selling cars during the commercials and some of them are SUVs. You are selling makeup, candy, credit cards, soda, and soap. I am not sure these ads for the the greenest products in the world. It means very little for your broadcast to be green and the products you are selling are not green.
I do not want to hear that you are green. I want to hear that the broadcast is carbon neutral. Hey Oscars, call me when you get there. After that call me when all movies are carbon neutral. That is the only way we will get where Al Gore wants us to go.
I watched V for Vendetta last weekend at home. I saw the movie when it was out in the theater. I like the movie when it was in the theaters. I found it to be smart and well made.
I knew it was going to be different than the comic and I think that was to the benefit to the movie. They are really hard to compare to each other. I loved the comic when it came out. It is on my 100 Things I love about comics list. I know some people hate the movie because they loved the comic. I had an easy time seeing them as two different works of art.
Watching V for Vendetta again I noticed something that I did not see in the theater. The best parts of the movie are the flashbacks. What is happening in the present is not anywhere as interesting as what happened in the past. I know in a story about the future is it often good to find out what is happening by looking at the past.
The very best part of the movie is right before the end where the police detective puts everything together. He sees how all the parts fit together. What he is talking about does not describe the images, he just complements the images.
I think this is an interesting way to tell a story. As a writer I love the idea of the story within the story. I love to use flashbacks within flashbacks. I love the idea that life is really just made up of other stories. V for Vendetta made me think about that. They do a good job of making the flashbacks compelling.
I was a little surprised to hear that the Xbox is getting a TV and movie download service. In some ways this makes a lot of sense. They already have a store front with X-Box Live. I am a little surprised because I am not sure this is how people want to use their X-Box. The hard drive is not that large. If the video is HD it will only fit a few shows.
I have been reading how everyone is guessing Steve Job's annoncement next week will be about an Apple Movie Service. For a couple years not people have been touting a download movie service as a killer app. All the time I hear how Netflix without the DVD would change the world. There is a geek elite out there that really want this.
I am not sure what will be announced, but I have a hard time seeing an Apple movie download service changing the way people watch movies. Lets say that apple starts this service on Apple only platforms. That means I would have to spend at least $600 to get a MacMini. For $600 I could get a DVD player and a few years worth of Netflix.
Second, I am not sure people are hooking computers up to their TVs. Yeah a 21 inch monitor is a big as my family's TV when I was growing up, but I am not sure people can make an iMac useful for both watch movies and using as a computer. I think the home media computer is still a rare thing. It would take a few years before something like this would really catch on.
Third, I am not sure a pricing structure could compete with renting/buying DVDs. It takes a log of bandwidth to download a movie at DVD quality. I am not sure that people will be willing to watch movies in the current 320x240 iTunes TV show resolution.
Forth, I am not sure enough people really want a movie download service. Right now Video On Demand systems are not as well used as cable companies expected. All of these systems let people play and pause the movies. Why would a movie download system have a bigger impact that Video On Demand which is already hooked up to customers TV sets.
I am not sure what Apple will announce. If they do announce a video download system people will be falling all over themselves to say this is the end of home movies as we have known it. I am just not sure Apple can be the company that can make that change.
I went to see Invincible. As soon as I heard about this movie I knew that I had to go see it. A feel good story about the Philadelphia Eagles, I was a mark for this movie from the very start. I have had a trend lately if I am not willing to see a movie the first weekend it is out, I am not willing to see the movie.
If you have not heard of the movie, it is the story of Vince Papale a thirty year old Philadelphia Eagles fan who made the team as part of an open try out in 1976. He ends up becoming one of the NFLs oldest rookie.
I was surprised at how good this movie was. The movie was wonderfully acted and amazing shot. The script was a little weak, but the way the movie was put together more than made up for it. There is a lot to like about this movie.
Working as both the director and the cinematographer Ericson Core created a wonderful set of worlds for this movie to take place in. Every setting in this movie has its own distinct look to it. The scenes in South Philadephia are dark and depressed. While all the scenes at football camp are bright. They shot the street scenes in Philadelphia. They really capture the tight cramped felling of South Philadelphia.
I was amazed then they showed the first actually NFL game Vince Papale played in. The depth of focus was very short. With all of the action in the shots it was every anxious. It was great that it looked so much different than the other scenes.
I was impressed by the acting. Vince's Friends were perfectly cast. They seem like guys really from South Philadelphia. Max's bar seems just right for South Philadelphia. All of the people around Vince seem to be falling apart under the economic problems of the time. Vince's life is not on stable ground also. I like the way the actors expressed this.
I love the acting of Kevin Conway as Frank Papale, Vince's father. It rung as very true to me. The guy who is close and distant from his son all at the same time. I feel like I know that guy. I love the scene when the father comes into the bar with his group of friends.
Since the movie is based on a true story, they do not over state how good Vince Papale is. He is just a special teams player. He did not need to be the Natural. He did not need to win the Super Bowl for the team. He just scored a touchdown to get Dick Vermeil his first win.
I was looking forward to it for months now. I saw an interview about the movie a few months ago. Mark Wahlberg, who plays Vince Papale, said that movie was passion for him. I think Mark Wahlberg is perfect for this movie. His journey to stardom is no less unbelievable than this movie.
Even if you don't like sports movies you might like this movie.
I found out that I know the person that picks the documentaries for the Cinequest Film Festival in San Jose. Here is her short list of documentaries to watch. I think it is a pretty good list.
Errol Morris A Thin Blue Line Fast Cheap and Out of Control Mr. Death.
Ross McKelwee Sherman's March Six O' Clock News
Liz Garbus Execution of Wanda Jean Girl Hood The Farm: Angola USA
Other great docs: Tribute - about rock tribute bands 6 Days in Roswell WADD Spellbound
I was planning on seeing a movie every night this week, but I did not go though with it. I think I would have been spending too much money. Maybe I should eat out less often and see more movies. It never seems to work out that way.
I went to see Minority Report last night with a friend. I went with a woman I work with. She is someone that I have been friendly with for a while. I really wanted to see this movie, but I knew that I would not go see it by myself. I had to see it before anyone ruined it for me. I had to stop several people from talking about it at lunch. I loved the movie. It reminded me of the best of 70s Sci-fi. The images were not caught under the weight of Blade Runner or Road Warrior.
I asked a woman to go with me and she said yes. I decided to treat it just like any of my other friends. I will admit that I do not have very many female friends in San Jose. It is easier to treat guys like friends. With a guy there is no subtext that I am missing. There are no signal that I am misunderstanding. With a guy I am not wondering if I missed anything. I am not worried about my lack of relationships over the last several years. All of these things come into play with women.
I like this women, but she seems very blank or very distant. I am not always sure which one it is. She is friendly, but I can never read anything off her. I decided to just treat her like any of the guys I would see a movie with. I know this is always an odd idea to try. It has lead me to both good and bad places in the past. I would love to be honest with this woman, but I have a hard time being honest with women. It has do with the language of women and men.
I went to see Spider-Man yesterday. I cannot remember the last time I stood in line for an hour to get into a movie. The line was long. There must have been three hundred people in this line in front of me and another hundred behind me.
There is one feature of this picture that I really love. I love the palm trees. From time to time I see a grove of pine trees and it reminds me that I live in California. I never planned to live here. It was not one of my goals. I am not sure that I even like it that much. With all that, is still surprises me.
Those moments of surprise are happening less often now. It only happens once every couple of months. When those moments of surprise no longer happen, I will be a true Californian. I wonder if I will be there that long.
I have been pumped about a Spider-man movie since John Cusack was young enough to play the role of Peter Parker.
The people at this site are a little more geeked then I am. I would like the web shooters to be just like the comic book, but I will not be that upset if they are not.
1.) Is there someone in your life who is or was your mentor? How did this person influence your life? I am not a mentor person. I am more of a confidante person. I look for people to bounce ideas off of. I have a good idea of what's in my head, but telling someone is a good reality check.
2.) What do you consider one of the biggest problems facing you as an individual? Knowing what directions my life is going. This seems to be the root of most of my problem. I cannot see my future, so I never plan for it. That lack of planning hurts when it comes to other things. After that, procrastination if my biggest problem.
3.) What's your favorite movie and why? Casablanca - Rick could do whatever he wants. He could have the girl, he could leave town, he could turn both of them in to the bad guys. He does the right thing. It is an amazing movie that people love. Lots of people love it, but it could never be made again.
I was early for the movie. I am always early for movies. At one time my friends and I were at least an hour early for every movie we went to see. On the West Coast my friends are never early for the movies. I am lucky now if we get to see the previews.
Next to the theater there is a used bookstore. It is a good way to kill some time while I am waiting for my friend. I love used bookstores. They are almost like looking through one of your friend’s collections. You never know what books will be there. It is not like the huge bookstores where they are going to have everything ever. I wish there was someone there to tell me what he or she thought of the book.
I walked around the store for a little while. It seems that most of the writers I really enjoy are in the front part of the alphabet. I was kicking around between B and F. I was looking for writers like Douglas Coupland, Po Bonson, and Richard Ford.
I picked up a copy of Raymond Carver'sWill You Please Be Quiet, Please. I thought about the last Raymond Carver book I read. It must have been almost five years ago. Cathedral, the title story in the last of his book I read, is my favorite short story of all time. Just thinking about those stories makes me almost cry. The words are so beautiful, so simple. It is amazing to just think of them.
It struck me that when I read Cathedral I had to really slow down my brain. I had to get rid of all the distractions and just read the book. I had to read the words one at a time. I had to be slow and read decisively. I could not just run over the top of the words. I had to pick each one of them up.
It is hard to remember the last time my mind slowed down that much. I looked at the book and flipped thought the pages. Most days my mind is going at maximum speed. I have not just sat down to read in a long time. Whenever I sit down with a book, something always stops me. Raymond Carver was not just sitting down to read. His books are letting myself go. I am so far away from that.
There is a stack of books in my apartment that I have not finished. I buy these books when I am at the book story. I start reading them, but I do not get very far. The book ends up getting lost in the clutter of my apartment. These books are a level of shame for me.
I buy the used copy of Raymond Carver's Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?. I tell myself that this book will not end up going unread. I tell myself that it will be good for me to slow my brain down every once in a while. The book store owner said nothing to me as I left the store.
I know that I am getting to the Friday Five a little late this week. I have been working on too many things.
1. You've just won a complete collection of movies starring one actor - what actor would you pick? Steve Buscemi. Not only is he a great actor. He has been in lots of great movies.
2. What was the last movie you saw in a theater? Lord of the Rings. I was surprised how good this movie is. It really lives up to the hype.
3. What was the last video or DVD that you bought? Stepford Wives. What can I say, It is a classic.
4. What movie could you watch over and over again and not get sick of? Airplane! It is full of timeless jokes.
5. How do you plan to spend your weekend? I went to see Fellowship of the Rings and I hung out with some friends.
I went to see The Man Who Wasn't There today. It is the latest Coen Brothers movie. I like the Coen Brothers, but I am not a devoted fan. Of their movies I like Fargo and Millers Crossing the most. Let that be a guide for the rest of my feeling on this movie.
There was something I saw in the preview for this movie. The trailer was cut with an intriguing series of images. It was the trailer and the Coen Brothers good name that made me want to see thing movie, nothing else. I wanted to see the images of this movie.
I really liked The Man Who Wasn't there. I cannot tell other people that this is a movie that they would like. There are moments in that movie that are just incredible. The movie it just amazing to look at. It is as visually interesting as any movie I have seen in a long time.
There are some problems with the story. The movie lays heavily on the narration provided by the protagonist. There are times in the movie when the story seems to be very thin. The story was boring at different parts during the movie. Sometimes they played things for laughs that did not need to be played for laughs. It was like they could not let us forget we were seeing a Coen Brothers movie.
My friends who like Coen Brothers movies will like The Man Who Wasn't There. I think it fits into what people like about the Coen Brothers. It was worth my money to see.
