In Contention

Tag: Jeffrey Wells

  • Wells on McWeeny’s generational argument

    Clint Eastwood in Gran TorinoThings are slow today, so I thought I’d keep this conversation going.  Jeffrey Wells has responded to Drew McWeeny’s piece about crotchety film critics calling foul on the American movie-going public (and the younger generation in particular).  Click here for the background, then take a look:

    McWeeny has argued against this, primarily, by playing the age card and describing what’s been written as the result of generational bias and illusion. The age-old “damn these kids!” phenomenon that every older generation has bitched about since the hey-hey day of the Greeks and the Romans, etc. Older farts do this so pay them no mind, etc. The title of the article is “Why do older movie critics suddenly want everyone off their lawn?” and the lead image is that of Clint Eastwood snarling in Gran Torino.

    Playing the age card is easy, of course. Just point or allude to the ages of the people you’re disagreeing with and go “wow, crankheads!” and “these guys need to flush out their arteries” and so on. Throw in some patronizing attitude for emphasis and people your age and younger will buy it.

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  • All eyes on ‘Up’

    UPDATE: I was expecting Jeff Wells to come up with a slightly contrarian take on “Up,” and he doesn’t disappoint. Not that he doesn’t like the film — “peppy,” “delightful,” “visually luscious” and “touching” are some of the adjectives he tosses its way — but he does qualify his praise with concerns that the film compromises itself somewhat by trying to be all things to all men:

    It’s not meant as a putdown to say that Up is too immersed in buoyant punchiness and mainstream movie-tude, which basically boils down to Pixar’s always-front-and-center task of giving the family audience stuff to laugh at and go “oooh” and “aahh” about, to finally matter all that much. It’s too entertaining, in put it another way, to sink in all that deeply.

    So what am I saying, boiled down? That it’s really quite well made and has an almost stoner sensibility in portions but may be a little too good for the lowbrows and at the same time isn’t really deep and resonant enough to penetrate with quality-cinema buffs? Something like that.

    Wells will no doubt have to fend off accusations of curmudgeonliness for that take, but whether I wind up agreeing with him or not, I understand what he’s getting at. At the very least, it’s healthy to hear a perspective that diverges from the unreserved praise doing the rounds: if Pixar movies are indeed the adult auteur works so many critics insist they are, then they merit more complicated critiques.

    EARLIER: Kudos to Jeff Wells for this hilarious snap from this morning’s “Up” press screening at Cannes. Made me laugh, anyway.

    Up press screening at Cannes

  • Go-to spot for Cannes coverage

    A brief endorsement, if you don’t mind.  Cannes starts up tomorrow with the opening night world premiere of Pixar’s “Up,” and though In Contention won’t be on the Croisette, Guy will be chasing down morsels of information throughout the fest on a daily basis.  One of his frequent stops, I imagine, will be Jeffrey Wells over at Hollywood Elsewhere, and allow me to just say that this is the time of year when Jeff really lights up.  His Cannes coverage is consistently superlative and well worth your daily stop so make sure you keep up with his shenanigans.