tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post5927934760301386587..comments2023-11-03T06:02:02.128-07:00Comments on By Ken Levine: My pick for movie of the yearBy Ken Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-42797987863353540672010-01-03T05:35:34.595-08:002010-01-03T05:35:34.595-08:00Hey - Lay off Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back! T...Hey - Lay off Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back! That movie is comedy gold. And I speak as one the few people who regards Volunteers as a wrongly-dissed classic.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-64372305313405780422010-01-01T22:23:55.525-08:002010-01-01T22:23:55.525-08:00Jason Reitman is Canadian by way of Santa Barbara,...Jason Reitman is Canadian by way of Santa Barbara, and he's not remotely a risk-taker. <br /><br />"Vera Farmiga (the best thing about THE DEPARTED)" is as dull as ditchwater, and doesn't do anything in this film to change my opinion. <br /><br />Pat Reeder--you're not paraphrasing Spencer Tracy, you're quoting the writers, the Kanins.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-48960712891968555282009-12-31T18:04:31.087-08:002009-12-31T18:04:31.087-08:00Well, I just saw it. And to me, the ending was wha...Well, I just saw it. And to me, the ending was what I hoped it would be, with the person totally in character. Ending it the other way would have been the cop-out I was dreading.<br /><br />wv (bear with me here) "sycomyo" -- <i>Hey, homes, there's a funny show on the SyFy Channel.</i>tenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-88758547808710320832009-12-31T14:19:45.350-08:002009-12-31T14:19:45.350-08:00@Brian--glad you liked Rolfe's score (he's...@Brian--glad you liked Rolfe's score (he's a friend), and his name is indeed Rolfe Kent, but what can you expect, he's British.J.J.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-88543500931877122632009-12-31T08:07:32.812-08:002009-12-31T08:07:32.812-08:00Tim W.: While I appreciate your reasoned discours...Tim W.: While I appreciate your reasoned discourse, I still disagree. It's difficult to fully discuss this, of course, because we don't want to give too much away, but I'll try one last time.<br /><br />Whether or not there were embedded antecedents ("hints") in the scene you mention is, to me at least, immaterial. Why? Because with or without them, the character's behavior in every other scene and in every other way belies the jarring, artificial, and ultimately unbelievable Reveal this character undergoes.<br /><br />This character could not have led the mirror-image lifestyle of the protagonist as portrayed early in the movie and still care as much about her revealed position as she purports to at the end. One or the other, yes. Both simultaneously? No.<br /><br />And that's probably the true crux of our disagreement.<br /><br />This disconnect is further exasperated by an incredibly cloying wedding montage I referred to earlier, where again, this character is portrayed one way only to snap around later for story convenience. <br /><br />All that said, I'll lastly point out the obvious: Everyone reacts to movies differently. I thought "A BEAUTIFUL MIND" was mediocre. The Academy gave it a Best Picture Oscar.<br /><br />To each his own.Troynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-41792059244676002512009-12-31T05:54:56.535-08:002009-12-31T05:54:56.535-08:00I just saw "Up in the Air". Having trav...I just saw "Up in the Air". Having traveled quite a lot for my job and having been fired, some of the experiences resonated for me. <br /><br />I enjoyed both the movie and the review of it; the "spoiler" scene surprised me, however, there are times that even when you figure what's going to happen happens, it doesn't necessarily ruin the experience. If that were the case, I would, heck, most of the whole world would stay away from James Bond movies. If I enjoy the ride, I won't begrudge a few cliches and the movie, like many movies have a lot of them, some that are so ingrained, they aren't worth commenting about, such as the attractiveness of the leads. Robbie Coltrane isn't (were I a straight woman) my idea of a hunk, but having seen him in "Cracker", I bet he could have pulled off Clooney's role and in some ways made it effective in a different way, because at that point, what he says to the people he fires becomes even more important, because news of your job loss isn't coming from a good looking man or woman. <br /><br />I appreciated this movie for the cliches that it didn't fall into, for example, even as far back as silent days, Charlie Chaplin lamented, "Must every comedy end with a chase?" This movie doesn't and it is a trope still used to-day. Not that I mind it every time, but when I see a chase at the end of a comedy, I think of Chaplin's comment. <br /><br />There are two points that I would like to mention:<br /><br />One day, I'd like to become a music supervisor. Kudos to Rick Clark and/or Stephen Coleman for choosing the Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings' version of "This Land is Your Land", a song and a band that I have seen and championed on my radio show.<br /><br />Rolfe Kent's score was great as well, although I have the niggling feeling that his name should actually be Kent Rolfe. I will cede this point if his brother is dating a woman named Lois Lane.<br /><br />The other point I'd like to make is Jason Bateman's performance is wonderful. He is, well, let's face it, somewhat malevolent, but the screenplay doesn't make him incompetent or a beneficiary of nepotism. He's just good at what he does and unapologetic.<br /><br />Great movie, I was not disappointed.<br /><br />WV: tranta: How German kiddies address their parents' sisters.Brian Phillipshttp://www.rockinradio.com/now_playing.htmnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-72423561293845448072009-12-30T20:24:05.200-08:002009-12-30T20:24:05.200-08:00@ Tim W: For me the problem with writing movies (w...@ Tim W: For me the <i>problem</i> with writing movies (which is what I do) is <i>not</i> telegraphing what's going to happen. I picked up where the relationship between Clooney and Farmiga was going right away. The clues were all right in front of me (as almost every scene layed out just the way I thought it would) and I saw them. I realized where the script was going and how it would end. Had it ended differently, I would have been surprised <i>and</i> given <b>Up on the Air</b> higher marks. But I'm a tough audience, so, for me, it was just an okay film. Entertaining enough that I don't regret paying to see it (I tried to use my WGA card, but got shut down), nonetheless it was just a so-so movie that I'd hope would've gone differently.J.J.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-54262125246940961832009-12-30T18:42:17.987-08:002009-12-30T18:42:17.987-08:00Ken, my thought was that this movie was what Eliza...Ken, my thought was that this movie was what Elizabethtown could have and should have been.danrydellnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-64872668514719593052009-12-30T17:54:10.660-08:002009-12-30T17:54:10.660-08:00Definitely want to see this film. But it would be...Definitely want to see this film. But it would be hard to beat the three films that I thought were by far and away the best of 2009:<br /><br />District 9<br />Fantastic Mr. Fox<br />The Hangover<br /><br />The first two for creating genres all their own (science fiction social documentary and stop-motion anthropomorphic dramedy), and the third for making me laugh harder than any movie since A Fish Called Wanda.Wallis Lanenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-36473786252980888652009-12-30T17:05:33.511-08:002009-12-30T17:05:33.511-08:00Thanks for the review, Ken. I hope that Up in the...Thanks for the review, Ken. I hope that <i>Up in the Air</i> comes to my lovely, local, one-screen theater. This weekend I think it will still be showing <i>Sherlock Holmes</i> so I'll see that. I'm also hoping that <i>It's Complicated</i> comes to town, despite your pan. *g*<br /><br />I saw <i>Young Victoria</i> over the weekend while away on vacation. It didn't wow me but I'm glad I saw it... sort of like I enjoy Dove chocolate but Bissinger's is so excellent it makes me weep in chocolate ecstasy.Mary Stellahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02186261066656584772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-53474218688873705862009-12-30T16:48:37.231-08:002009-12-30T16:48:37.231-08:00This may be a deal-breaker: does anybody join hand...This may be a deal-breaker: does anybody join hands and lip-synch/dance to old Motown songs?<br /><br />If not, I'll give it a shot.tenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-37958087101010274902009-12-30T15:41:23.925-08:002009-12-30T15:41:23.925-08:00Troy,
Apparently you and JJ need to talk. He saw...Troy,<br /><br />Apparently you and JJ need to talk. He saw spoiler scene from a mile a way, you thought it came out of nowhere. <br /><br />Do you know the scene I was referring to, when the three are sitting and discussing what they look for in a potential mate? You didn't notice a couple of things Vera Farmiga's character said that were a little jarring considering how she was portraying herself? It's not as if they made me predict anything, but when the `event' happened, I immediately thought back to that scene and realized who she was talking about- not Clooney.<br /><br />J.J.<br /><br />One of the problems with watching a lot of movies, and knowing the structure of screenplays, is that you can predict a lot more than the average viewer. Take a look at Troy's comments. If Reitman had made it any ore subtle, then it would have seemed to come out of nowhere for all but a handful of viewers. It's a delicate balance, to tell the viewer enough, but not too much. Personally, I thought he did a great job. Any more and I'd be in your camp, any less and I'd be in Troy's.Tim W.https://www.blogger.com/profile/16860726607106078491noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-46615715832956048662009-12-30T14:59:29.262-08:002009-12-30T14:59:29.262-08:00how can "straighter" be good when talkin...how can "straighter" be good when talking about a female actress?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-87894913524582397512009-12-30T14:20:35.008-08:002009-12-30T14:20:35.008-08:00Vera Farmiga was excellent in The Departed, first ...Vera Farmiga was excellent in The Departed, first time I've seen her. She was the psychiatrist/psychologist who moved in with Matt Damon. Glad to see her getting some notice in this film as well. <br /><br />If Ken's vote is a sign of the Oscars, that will be two movies she worked in which won Best Picture.Max Clarkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07706524941272103444noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-58431537114923857962009-12-30T12:51:51.862-08:002009-12-30T12:51:51.862-08:00I could see the Academy giving Reitman a nominati...I could see the Academy giving Reitman a nomination, but not the award, thinking that "he's young, he'll have plenty of opportunities." Then, giving the award to Kathryn Bigelow for <i>Hurt Locker</i>, who made her Best Picture candidate for a thirtieth of the price of her ex-husband's.DJnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-70810788641289277682009-12-30T11:33:18.282-08:002009-12-30T11:33:18.282-08:00Tim W.: If what you're saying is true, then I...Tim W.: If what you're saying is true, then I and most other people I spoke to after the movie missed this important piece of information in the scene described, which leads me to think either<br /><br />a.) The "hint" was too well disguised, or<br /><br />b.) The scene was, in fact, further proof that this particular character later 180-ed for artificial story impact, rather than any truth born of said character. If so, there's a technical word for this in the lexicon of Hollywood...<br /><br />"Bad writing".<br /><br />TroyTroynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-49263473607172380462009-12-30T11:08:58.996-08:002009-12-30T11:08:58.996-08:00I screwed up and deleted JJ's revised comment ...I screwed up and deleted JJ's revised comment so here it is. Sorry JJ.<br /><br />Ken<br /><br />Okay, here's my revised statement. Up in the Air as best movie of the year? Umm... no. <br /><br />Is it a good movie? Well, yes it is. It's okay. But its predictable moments are... well... very predictable. For instance, in one of the "firing" scenes unfolds, I turned to my wife and said, "Before this is all over, she does exactly what she says she will do." And then I said what else would happen because of that incident. Referencing the Farmigia character both of us said, "She has a secret." As attractive as Vera Farmigia is, her body double is even more so (look at her legs, they give her away). As good as Clooney is, he's still being George Clooney. <br /><br />I liked the film and Reitman is fast becoming the "it" guy in town, but for me Up in the Air just isn't the "movie of the year."By Ken Levinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-7676572946249480192009-12-30T10:49:00.265-08:002009-12-30T10:49:00.265-08:00Imagine the VIP cards Jason Reitman got from Hertz...Imagine the VIP cards Jason Reitman got from Hertz, Hilton and American Airlines for this long form ad. Good film but not up to his first two...Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17550775173539089092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-36013345505793709312009-12-30T10:13:14.119-08:002009-12-30T10:13:14.119-08:00"Picture a taller, sexier, younger, straighte..."Picture a taller, sexier, younger, straighter Ann Heche..."<br /><br />Hmmm...I always thought Anne Heche had good posture.Alan Coilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09049940361953267636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-32113253805849729312009-12-30T10:06:04.680-08:002009-12-30T10:06:04.680-08:00Well, now J.J.'s comment is gone. Forget what...Well, now J.J.'s comment is gone. Forget what I said in response to it.Tim W.https://www.blogger.com/profile/16860726607106078491noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-13078820542779388812009-12-30T10:00:00.407-08:002009-12-30T10:00:00.407-08:00Troy,
Apparently you didn't watch the movie v...Troy,<br /><br />Apparently you didn't watch the movie very closely. There was a very big scene when you realize that that certain character is not everything she pretends to be. The scene when they are describing what they look for in a mate was extremely revealing, especially when you realize that she is not talking about Clooney's character.<br /><br />And Ken,<br /><br />J.J.'s comment still seems to be showing, but I'll ask you this, at what point did you realize the spoiler? The whole time or up until he shows up? I realized about 30 seconds before, which isn't all that predictable.Tim W.https://www.blogger.com/profile/16860726607106078491noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-20692292240730627012009-12-30T09:47:35.632-08:002009-12-30T09:47:35.632-08:00J.J.
I had to delete your comment because you gav...J.J.<br /><br />I had to delete your comment because you gave away the ending. Please rephrase without that. Thanks, buddy.<br /><br />KenBy Ken Levinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-80169996787764729592009-12-30T08:21:30.247-08:002009-12-30T08:21:30.247-08:00I wish to amend my comments ans ditto what Troy ju...I wish to amend my comments ans ditto what Troy just wrote, though I thought the first 2/3 was better than okay, in the "pretty good-good" range.Dana Kinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01350344882342624735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-48468291291326708302009-12-30T07:56:38.671-08:002009-12-30T07:56:38.671-08:00Ken, I've read your blog for quite a while now...Ken, I've read your blog for quite a while now, and we're in agreement on a good many things...<br /><br />...but we are <i>way</i> apart in our opinions of "UP IN THE AIR".<br /><br />While I thought the premise terrific and incredibly timely, ACT THREE was like watching a train slowly move over a cliff.<br /><br />Without giving anything away - i.e., no plot spoilers - a certain "surprise" near the end was completely bogus and negated everything that was believable about a certain character for the hour preceding. That this character could have been revealed to be the opposite of everything this character had been portrayed as being was jarringly unbelievable, and seriously damaged the movie.<br /><br />And, lest you think this is a solo opinion, almost everyone I've spoken to after the movie has agreed to at least some extent. Many, like me, consider it to be a fatal flaw.<br /><br />Further, to brand Jason Reitman "The Next Thing" based on this is ridiculous. Really? The waaaaay too long wedding montage? How many montages with underlying insipid vocals does this guy get to use as a crutch? Very annoying and amateurish - unless one aspires to be the next Nancy Meyers.<br /><br />Honestly, while I loved the premise and even enjoyed the first hour or so, I still kept thinking, even during that first hour, "Yeah, this is okay, but what in the world is all this Oscar buzz about?"<br /><br />Have we become so starved for movies that don't involve CGI or comic book charcters that any adult drama, even an average one, must be overpraised?<br /><br />Final score?<br /><br />"UP IN THE AIR" first 2/3: Okay.<br /><br />"UP IN THE AIR" final 1/3: "OVER A CLIFF".<br /><br />TroyTroynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-18167254858080787722009-12-30T06:57:17.949-08:002009-12-30T06:57:17.949-08:00"I love this woman! I want to write a movie j..."I love this woman! I want to write a movie just so she can be in it."<br /><br />Okay, you've said it now, Ken. Get writing that movie! I'm waiting!rmsnoreply@blogger.com