Catch up with the idea behind these weekend posts here.
It’s been a busy week. It’s snowing back home and boy do I wish I were there for that, but I’m spending the afternoon on the phone with the “True Grit” crew, so I can’t complain.
It’s like the Oscar Season Film Festival in my house these days as I push through the remaining screeners of films that slipped through the cracks all year. In some cases three films in a day. Finally last night I watched something top 10 worthy (to say the least), but there’s still quite a few to push through, all in preparation for Friday’s top 10 podcast. (Trying to cover all bases.)
I’m such a perfectionist about stupid stuff that I literally sat down and racked my brain last night trying to decide what was honestly my favorite cartoon character from childhood (for the on-going Facebook movement against child abuse). I mean, is Batman considered a “cartoon character?” Yeah, there was the animated series, but still. Then I thought maybe Beavis and Butt-Head, but that’s early 90s and late middle school, so it doesn’t really fit “childhood.”
Oh, there were the Thundercats, but which single character was my favorite? I don’t know. Then there’s He-Man, but that seemed obvious. Then I remembered how obsessed I was with Voltron and I settled, but clearly not without tons of deliberation.
And boy is it refreshing to go on a non-movie tangent for a change.
Anyway, as usual, you know the drill. Open thread. The floor is yours.
[Photo: Beyond Hollywood]
Comments
41 responses to “CINEJABBER: Peace settled across the galaxy”
I’ll just say that I’m very surprised at all of the fascination with Black Swan. Especially when I think back to The Wrestler.
Kris, can you tell us any films you’ve seen recently (on screener) that won’t be on your top 10 but you at least liked, or didn’t?
I’ve seen a couple movies this weekend; some on dvd.
Took my 24 yr. old female cousin to ‘Love & Other Drugs’ (I already saw it last week). I mildly enjoyed it last week. My cousin thought it was great. And I gotta say, most of the audience (packed, in a smallish theater) were roaring with laughter.
All that said, when the film gets serious in the final 30 minutes or so, I could tell that general opinion of the film went down, a bit. Anytime the Oliver Platt (ugh) character or Hank Azaria character went into pharmaceutical talk, there were yawns and general uneasiness in the theater.
Watched ‘Flipped’, ‘Nanny Mcphee Returns’ and ‘Despicable Me’ on dvd.
‘Flipped’ – very cute, nice rebound for Reiner. But a minor effort.
‘Nanny McPhee Returns’ – fine. It has it’s moments; especially near the end.
‘Despicable Me’ – couldn’t STAND it.
Is that why my friends are all using cartoon profile pictures? That is pretty silly.
I used Daggett, from Angry Beavers. Good stuff.
JJ: One was Greenberg, which I hadn’t yet seen and is probably my favorite Baumbach film to date. I thought Stone was intriguing but totally missed the mark. You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger was killing me five minutes in and I simply had to bail. That’s what leaps to mind.
James: It’s silly to make a statement against child abuse? What a ghastly thing to think.
Love that Batman Animated Series. I feel bad for kids nowadays missing out on a show like that. Beautifully animated, mature, well written, sometimes funny, and dark. Love the music as well.
Did you not care for “The Squid and the Whale?” I didn’t think “Greenberg” was that great, unfortunately.
Danger Mouse!
Ahh, ok Kris, gotcha. I think your ‘Stone ‘opinion is a popular one. Have to say, I thought ‘Greenberg’ was only ok, but Stiller did impress me.
I kind of cheated and went for the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland. It’s not a TV show but I did love that damn movie when I was little.
Making a “statement” against child abuse by changing your Facebook default is pointless and shallow. Volunteer at a center for abused children or donate money. This is the same sort of faux-concern we all saw last year when everyone became an expert on Iranian electoral process.
^ that.
Batman was instantly my new profile pic when I heard if this. No deliberation needed. The Animated Series spent more time raising me than my own parents!
James: I know you want desperately to sound hip with that opinion but it’s unbelievably douchey. There, it’s been said. I still like you, though.
No one is claiming to be changing the world because of their profile on facebook but how can anything that raises awareness be a bad thing?
^ that.
I went with Yakko Warner! :-) Can’t go wrong with Animaniacs. So sad that it’s never aired anymore.
Shame on me for concurring (facebook). Y’all are right. I guess I just saw what James D. was saying in so much that – it seems a minor effort (but an effort nevertheless) in comparison to getting out there and doing something. But yes, awareness it is, for sure.
Oh, and from my childhood era, it was He-Man.
I’m just thrilled Alexandre Desplat won for Best Score for The Ghost Writer at the European Film Awards. I can only hope he can repeat at the Oscars, however unlikely that is.
Pinky from Pinky & the Brain, with Psyduck from Pokemon a close second.
Firstly, nice to see some Ghost Writer success at the EA (Polanksi, Prod. Design, Score). A bit much, though, IMHO. They coulda spread the wealth a bit more.
Secondly, if Desplat get’s a ton of votes for a combination of Ghost Writer, The King’s Speech, and Harry 7 … does he get nominated, and the film witht he most votes is what he’s nominated FOR?
Or … does he simply have to get the top 5 most votes for any of his movies, end of story?
Give this man an Oscar already, right?
It’s not that I don’t get what James is getting at. Particularly as it pertains to the Twitter/Iran thing from last year. But the Facebook/child abuse thing is a bit more of a universal concern that doesn’t present a sense of faux expertise simply to say, yes, I’ll (perhaps even lazily) add my voice to this movement. So it’s not really as worth of the ire.
Yeah, the twitter/Iran thing is what I reacted to, as well.
I am the least hip person around. I was in gym shorts until it got too cold, for Pete’s sake!
I just don’t understand how animated characters raise awareness, just like everyone making their profile green did not change the election in Iran. I think there is an incredible lack of civic participation in this country, particularly from people in my generation. There is nothing wrong with the animated characters in and of itself, but I am bothered that people, especially the people I see every day, make it the last of their participation in making the world a better place.
James: You were wondering what was going on with Facebook cartoon profiles, right? Awareness raised. Change, not necessarily achieved. But awareness raised. But I agree with just about everything else you say.
Can the Tree of Life trailer be nominated for best live action short?
I agree about Stone, Kris. It’s actually one of the most interesting films of the year, but it just doesn’t come together. A prime example of having a ton of great ideas, but no idea how to put them all together in a satisfying manner. I did like the ending though.
What is your opinion on Somewhere? You may have mentioned it at some point, but I forget what you thought of it. Also, what did you think of Buried. Since a lot of people seem to be comparing the two, I actually prefer it to 127 Hours. 127 Hours engaged me for about 40-50 minutes, and then lost me for a bit. Buried had me from the start.
Washington D.C. film critics award nominations came out:
Great nods across the board for Inception, Black Swan, The Social Network, & 127 Hours.
Hathaway in for Best Actress is interesting.
Rockwell gets a mini-bump in Supporting.
The King’s Speech gets 4 noms (including screenplay) but not BP, here.
Seems to me like The King’s Speech (even with 93% on Rotten Tomatoes) is getting a tad disregarded by American critics (thus far) by going for some very good, very American films, instead.
Just “raising awareness” isn’t doing a whole hell of a lot though to make anything fundamentally better for abused children. I can’t imagine very many needing to be made aware of a topic like child abuse either, it’s like raising awareness that the sun comes up every day, to exaggerate. It’s doing something, yes, and don’t mistake this for me advocating against doing it, I’m just saying it’s just about as lazy and ineffective as it can get. It’s a quick fix for making people feel better about themselves, to make them think they are making a difference when in all honesty it’s not going to make a whole lot of difference unless people put their awareness-raising into action. Basically, walk the walk, don’t just talk the talk.
No one’s asking for a pat on the back. Why be the guy to say, “You’re not doing much by changing your Facebook profile?”
I’ve been thinking for months that Shutter Island and Inception make for a cool double feature. That has led me to this question: both Michelle Williams and Marion Cotillard were powerful forces for Leo’s pair of tortured characters. Anyone have a preference of the two? Did one of them stick with you more? Or is it apples and oranges due to the roles they play in their films?
Changing gears a bit, there is a very low-quality camcorder recording of The Tree of Life trailer. I have watched it three times in a row, and I usually do not care for trailers.
Silencio: obvious comparison, but still a good question. Michelle Williams was great, but Marion Cotillard was… well, she’s Marion Cotillard, and she easily wins the contest.
Papa Smurf, I guess. (The Smurfs in general.) Or Feivel; does he count?
I saw “Love and Other Drugs” last night. Wow, I think they’re still having sex; did anything else happen in that movie? But I will say that Anne Hathaway is pretty darn good in it.
“And I gotta say, most of the audience (packed, in a smallish theater) were roaring with laughter. ”
Well that’s understanding since “Love & Other Drugs” is terrible. Truly one of the worst movies of the year. Offensive, obnoxious and needlessly vulgar, a waste land of talent and pop music cues (oh my lord THE MUSIC CUES!!!!!!)
It was like a rejected script from 1996 when they were trying to get Julia Roberts and Richard Gere back together. Poor Anne, I mean, I know she gets the “this generation’s Julia Roberts!” thing often, but to make her up to look exactly like Julia Roberts in 1996? And how many ugly wool knit/overall combos could they stuff her into whilst sitting around that badly decorated Lisa Loeb music video set? Ouch.
I’m glad you got some enjoyment out of it though.
Kris,
I wasn’t attacking you, and I specifically stated I wasn’t against doing it. I was merely stating my opinion. And why not be “that guy” if that is my opinion? Am I not entitled to disagree because it’s for a “good cause”?
And for the record, it’s not just me:
http://thedailywh.at/post/2094284955/frivolous-facebook-meme-of-the-day-long-story
http://i.imgur.com/Drw9c.png
Kris, have you (or anyone you know) seen Tron: Legacy, yet? I remember reading somewhere (maybe even here) that industry screenings have started, but I haven’t seen a word written about it anywhere. Just wondering what the current buzz is on the project.
@Dude,
There are some reviews of Tron Legacy available already. Rotten Tomatoes lists 8 so far. 6 of them fresh, 2 rotten.
Hey Kris,
What is going on with the Tourist? It got a lot of buzz when it changed release dates to december but now all of that seems to be gone. Have you seen it or know anybody who has?
I recently went back and bought some of the DVD sets of the DC Animated Universe. I think my childhood memories really rose-colored my opinion of Batman The Animated Series…that first DVD volume is incredibly inconsistent for a cartoon that I remember being so much better. Superman the Animated Series is a little more satisfying for me, especially because of the long form story telling that builds into Justice League Unlimited. I do love that orchestral score in those shows though.
I just met Wayne Coyne (lead singer/mastermind) of the Flaming Lips this week and got a great picture with him, so that will be my Facebook profile pic for the time being. If that negatively affects the war on child abuse for a few weeks, so be it.
Amusing tweet from Russell Crowe,
http://twitter.com/#!/russellcrowe/status/11710830559109120