The Shining (1980) - Revisited

I get a lot of hell for my opinion on this film but it's just how I feel.  This movie is so overrated it's a cliche.  I love Mr. Kubrick but this film is not a masterpiece and of all his movies it's my least favorite.  Okay, before I go on, I should add that there are many incredible elements to this film.  The cinematography is iconic, the scene design is as eerie as hell, and the way it's edited, twin girls and all, it's a visual treat.  But as for story this film is weak.   Which is disappointing because the book it's based on is rich with story.  But Mr. Kubrick decided to toss away all that character depth and importance and show haunting visuals instead.  Watched once his smoke and mirrors might scare you but upon a second viewing you see his tactics for what they really are: hollow games.  Jack Nicholson is one of my favorite actors and yet on this film he hams it up and chews up the scene like some clown.  What a disappointment!  Sure it's memorable but how powerful and truly frightening it would have been to actually see a husband and father, who you really care about and believe in, turn into a monster.  How tragic and heroic it would have been to see a man choose death to save his family from the monster inside him.   How much better it would have been if Kubrick took us somewhere else beside a Daddy-Gets-Cabin-Fever-And-Goes-Berserk movie.   Which leads me to the Made-for-TV version that Stephen King was involved with, a chance to correct these wrongs.  But alas it's a made-for-TV movie and no matter how good or bad it is (and it's not bad but not great either) that version is destined to fade away into the ether while Kubrick's lamer interpretation will live on as a classic.  But what I see is a giant missed opportunity from a genius unwilling to understand the book he was adapting.  I see a talented actor allowed to overact and another talented actor struggle to be in a movie she shouldn't have been cast in.   But hey, it's a classic and that's that.   I just wish Mr. Kubrick would have devoted as much to its story as he did to its visuals.   Now that would have been a masterpiece.  Grade: B.

Thor (2011)

When I heard they were making a movie out of the Marvel Superhero Thor, my first thought was cool.  Then when I realized that they would be setting this up for the big Avengers movie coming out next year I became worried.   Instead of being a movie about Thor I feared it would be a movie about an Avenger.   Well, my worries were put to rest because Kenneth Branagh delivers a movie that would make any Norse God happy.  Chris Hemsworth is perfect as Thor, even with the beard, and Anthony Hopkins is sensational, as expected, as his father Odin.  Not to say the movie is flawless.  It's an enjoyable film but it does have a couple weak points that could have hurt the film but thankfully don't. 

Spoilers: The first is the love story.  Natalie Portman's presence alone helps but the film's hurried pace in the middle doesn't allow for their relationship to blossom.  I know the producers want their movies cut to be under two hours but just one more scene between them would have helped show that they were falling for each other (of course, I'm sure there were a lot of teenager boys who hated that a love story was in there at all but alas I'm a hopeless romantic so I loved it).   The other problem is that they don't really spend much time showing Thor's transformation from arrogant prick to selfless hero.  It makes me almost wish they'd produce a TV show where you see a hammer-less Thor trapped on Earth learning how to be worthy to lift the Hammer again.  But I realize that's silly.  The filmmakers expect the audience to accept that Thor is a new man in the passing of five minutes.  They barely pull it off.  This is what summer movies are supposed to be about and that's fun.  Now I'm excited for Captain America and see the last piece to the Avenger puzzle.  Grade: B+

Asterios Polyp by David Mazzucchell (Graphic Novel; 2009)

David Mazzucchelli's Eisner award winning work is a splendid example of the unlimited possibilities of comics.  This book is a must-read for any who love comics that have a lot to say and in an unique way.  There is no superheroes here, just a professor of architecture who is in many ways a prick.  Yet he's an enduring prick and seeing his life unfold in neon colors and through flash backs is unforgettable.  Packed of philosophy and the mechanics of a man's psyche, what you have here is something special book designed with guts and originality. 

The Caine Mutiny (1954)

Humphrey Bogart plays the unbalanced captain of the Navy battleship, the Caine, in this WWII film based on a Pulitzer winning book written by Herman Wouk.  It's not so much a war movie as a drama that challenges the concept of "the chain of command" and if there's ever a time to break that chain.  Fred MacMurray plays the most devious role in the film as the ship's "little devil", you know the one sitting on your shoulder whispering of betrayal.  Van Johnson is the honest man, a leader in his own right that must look out for the crew.  But funny enough none of these men are the main character, Robert Francis is the the book's eyes and ears as the one who bares witness to all that happens.   Then there's Jose Farmer as the lawyer at the end of the film, a man with a golden voice who knows how to argue against his own reservations.  There's even Lee Marvin in a small but memorable role as one of the deck hands.  Overall a decent film and well-worth an evening of movie watching, especially if you enjoy Mr. Bogart.  Grade: B+.

Why I Don't Watch Trailers (Commentary)

If you ever go to the movies and see a guy with his eyes closed during the trailers, that guy is probably me.  Okay, I'm sure I'm not the only one out there but I've come to loath the trailers before films.   Which is ironic because when I was a kid I loved the previews (as I still call them).   Now with the Internet though I can learn what's being made as it's being made.   Trailers are unnecessary for me; I love movies and if there's any promising aspect to a film I'll be there.   But that's not the main reason I hate trailers.   They give away too much.   The editors who cut these trailers have zero interest in servicing the storytellers who crafted the film, they're only job is to sell tickets.  If giving a twist in the plot gets people in their seat, then show it, it doesn't matter.  Worse, they give you a glimpse of every visual stunning moment of the movie.   I sometimes watch the trailers for films after I see the movie and I'm in shock.  But they do it because a stunning visual will get people to see it as an empty promise that there's "more where that came from"; never mind that they're lying.  Avatar is like this.  The official trailer shows sequences of the final battle; we even see that Jake is going to learn to fly.  What happened to the art of subtly?  I guess one could argue that today's audiences need the extra motivation; and maybe such an argument is right.  All I know is I've been burned before and I'm not getting burned again:  Examples (spoiler alert):  In the trailer for What Lies Beneath (the Zemekis 2000 thriller) they tell you that Harrison Ford is the bad guy.   When I was watching the film I realized that the audience isn't supposed to think that until later.   Why would they edit that trailer like that?   You're telling me that it's that hard to get people to go see a movie starring "Harrison Ford" that you have to tell them that he's playing the bad guy?   In the trailer for Paranormal Activity they show the ending.  I couldn't believe it!  Why would you show that one of the main characters is going to be thrown at the camera like that, especially when it's the high point of the film?  Do I need to go on?   Not that this practice is new, I realize that.  I've watched trailers for older films on DVD and have been shocked by what they showed back then.  It doesn't matter the decade.   I guess when I was a kid, storytelling was new and I wasn't smart enough to figure out the story.  Today though I've watched enough movies that I sometimes figure out the whole film with very little information.   I'll joke to my wife or friend, "Hey, we got to see another film for free."    So here's my rule of thumb:  if it's a movie I know I want to see and that I'm exited for (like Harry Potter 7, Green Lantern or Cowboys and Aliens) I close my eyes and zone out.  If it's a movie I'm curious about I'll watch the first thirty seconds or so (I can sense when they're going too far) and I then look away.   Of course if it's a movie I don't want to see I check it out (pretty much anything directed by Michael Bay).   Am I the only one out there like this?   Are there any other times when a trailer gave too much away and actually spoiled your enjoyment of a movie?    Perhaps I'm just weird.   

Glee (Season1) 5/23

If you love musicals or even just music in general you most likely will fall in love with this program.  I did.  With wit and some nice corny zip the writers of this show playfully tell the story of Spanish teacher, Will Schuester's quest to take his high school Glee Club to the Nationals.  But then there's the celebrated Cheerleader coach played with nasty charm by Jane Lynch, who intends to do everything in her power to make sure he fails.  What's wonderful about this show, besides its comedy, is how it ventures into melodrama that's effective but never so strong as to steal from the show's groove.  The entire cast is perfect and the music selections are always entertaining.   Episode to episode you'll be tuning in to see what happens, it's a real blast. Grade: A.

You Only Live Once (1937)

Eddie, unforgettably played by Henry Fonda, is an ex-con gone straight because of his love for the woman who waited for him to get out of prison, played heroically by Sylvia Sidney.  But the system won't give Eddie a break.  He can't get work and when someone robs a bank everyone suspects he did it.  This is a real work of art directed brilliantly by Fritz Lang.  In such a short time you know that these two love each other in away that most people don't understand.  Their sacrifices for that love make for a true classic.  It might have been made in 1937 but it's still as engaging as any movie made today.  Grade: A