Another trailer

A History of Violence - It stars Viggo Mortensen and Ed Harris. Might be an interesting suspense/mystery movie.

Have we lost something?

Peter Jackson has been doing something interesting with his production of King Kong. During the filming and now into post-production, the staff at the Kong is King website having been putting together a series of "production diaries." These are short clips of different people explaining the movie making process as the film is created. It's sort of a "making of..." that is published during the making of the movie.

This almost begs the question -- do we really want to know? Although I love learning about the process of filmmaking and gaining insight into how filmmakers think, what happens to the story? I wonder what my initial response to the movie will be when I see the sets that I have witnessed being built or see the final versions of special effects shots. I think it's all going to pull me out of the reality of the story. It's going to be much harder to suspend my disbelief when I am constantly thinking about the process. As a consumer of the story, do I really want to know about the details of creation?

We used to talk about "movie magic," but it doesn't seem that magical anymore. It's much more technical. I wonder if this is the down side of the special features on DVDs. Don't get me wrong, I love special features -- but I think I've lost something along the way.

Some trailers that look interesting...and other random thoughts

In Her Shoes - This looks like it might be a good film about sisters. Toni Collette is in it, which makes me think I'll like it -- she often picks good roles. But, then again, so is Cameron Diaz. She does not impress me.
The Bridge of San Luis Rey -- Peruvian historical movie. Great cast.
Mysterious Skin -- I've been reading about this one. It's about damaged, damaged people and probably a story that is far too common today. I'm interested to see how the story resolves.
MirrorMask -- It's from Neil Gaiman's quite twisted and brilliant mind. Intriguing. I'm not sure what I think about the visuals, however. It almost looks illustrated instead of filmed. (You'll have to click on "MirrorMask" under the "Latest Previews" section to view the trailer.)
Pride and Prejudice -- Honestly, I'm not sure that any adaptation can top the A&E/BCC of 1996 that made Colin Firth a star. However, this version, with Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Bennett seems to be making a valiant effort. I'll definitely check it out. Pride and Prejudice is my favorite novel of all time. I'll watch anyone's take on the story, if only to see their perspective. (I would suggest watching this in Quicktime.)
Broken Flowers -- Bill Murray in what looks to be a good character film about a man encountering his past.

That's it for trailers at this time. The pickin's were a tad sparse. I looked at quite a few that I wasn't interested in or just looked really dumb. It was a little depressing.

On another note - I saw The Perfect Man this afternoon with my mom. It was okay. A typical chick flick -- it was more about a mother/daughter relationship than a true romantic/comedy. It did have a line that stuck with me. At one point Chris Noth said, "Love is friendship on fire." I think I like the idea of that.

For some reason it brings to mind another favorite movie quote of mine, from Fools Rush In. At one point the male lead says to the female lead, "You're everything I never knew I always wanted." I guess I like the idea that a woman doesn't have to match the perfect image that a guy has in his head for him to be interested in her. I certainly won't match anyone's perfect image of anything, but isn't that a good thing? Wouldn't it be too predictable if we were exactly what someone else was looking for? I hope someday to be with someone who surprises me. Delights me with parts of his personality I never knew existed. I see that in my parents. One of my absolute favorite things about my dad is that he is really funny. People often have no idea that my dad has this crazy sense of humor that makes me laugh all the time. My mom insists that she had no idea about this side of his personality until after they were married. Isn't that a delightful surprise? Talk about being something that someone didn't know they wanted. :-)

Anyway - here's to cheesy lines that stick with you. The American Film Institute just released their list of the Top 100 Movie Lines of all time. It's an interesting list. I wonder how many of us have movie lines that define certain moments of our lives? Is that strange? I have lines that I quote with certain friends that immediately remind us of specific times and places. ("Look at yur little hands." - Sabrina "You're a virgin who can't drive." - Clueless "But the women--" "They're nice after the torture." - The Man Who Knew Too Little "We got snacks now!" - Good Will Hunting "You don't want to be in love. You want to be in love in a movie!" - Sleepless in Seattle "Doctor Banister, you're upside down." - What's Up, Doc?, just to name a few...)

So - what are the quotes on your list?

Batman Begins

I saw the new Batman movie last night. I loved it. It might have edged out Superman as my favorite comic book movie. It tells Batman's origin story through details that I think filmmakers have been reluctant to show us before. For whatever reason, comic book films have often sacrificed story and character for special effects, glitzy costumes, and big name actors. Often there are too many heroes and villains to effectively tell any of their stories. Batman Begins does not fall into these traps.

Bruce Wayne's journey to becoming the Bat is logical and filled with good supporting detail. The creative team was not afraid to spend real screen time on good flashbacks. The flashbacks both tell the story and give us insight into Bruce's current state of mind. Excellent.

I also loved that Batman's abilities made sense. For me, superhero movies have never been about fight scenes or gadgets, but about people who have extraordinary abilities or resources and what decisions they make. It's about how those abilities and resources effect them and those they love -- or complete strangers. How do they keep or lose their humanity under extreme circumstances? These are questions that Batman Begins dealt with in an intelligent fashion. I am definitely looking forward to more.

I'm wondering though - in the comics is there anyone other than Alfred and Robin who know Batman's true identity? Is it strange that a character finds out? Also - I love that we also get to see the origins of Commissioner Gordon! (Gary Oldman is a genius...)

On another note - here is a look at Cameron Crowe's new film, Elizabethtown. He put this together for the internet crowd. Check it out. I'm not sure what I think. He doesn't really tell us plot in these clips, just bits of atmosphere. I'm intrigued.

Also, here is the trailer for Rent. I am really looking forward to this one. I spent a lot of the time remodeling my house last year listening to the Broadway soundtrack. Wow. Powerful stuff.

Vacation?

Hello all - I'm off to a family reunion and to spend a few days with my brother-in-law's family. All in Texas. I'll be back next week, but don't expect any updates in the meantime. My media consumption has been a little slow lately. (I haven't even seen Batman Begins and it's the movie I'm most looking forward to this summer.) I guess it's true for me that actually viewing the movie isn't the whole experience. It's hard for me to work up the desire to go see a movie by myself. I miss out on talking about it. That's a big deal in Jill's world. :-)

Well - here's hoping I have a bed to sleep in this trip...

The Reformation: A History by Diarmaid MacCulloch

I started reading this yesterday. I try to read at least one secular non-fiction book per month. They usually end up to be history or social commentary of some sort. I've been intrigued with the Reformation for awhile and have been wanting to read another good history book, so this is where I landed. I was browsing at work a few days ago (I work at a bookstore) and came across this. It won the Wolfson Prize for History and the British Academy Prize in 2004. Now, do I know what those prizes mean? Nope - but they sound pretty good! :-) Also, it had some favorable reviews from several sources I respect.

Reading history is always interesting. It seems to be quite driven by perspective. I have a hard time buying any historian who says they have the definitive take on anything. As a result, I tend to read histories with a large grain of salt. That said, I think I'm going to enjoy this one. It is certainly written from a non-Christian perspective. MacCulloch says in the introduction, "I do not now personally subscribe to any form of religious dogma (although I do remember with some affection what it was like to do so)." (xxv) While this statement seems a little condescending to those who still hold to "religious dogma," I'm intrigued about his take on the Reformation (and I'm wondering about his definition of "dogma"). I'll let you know what I think as I get further into the book.

An attempt to import pictures...just a test.

Meet Xiaomei. She is my cute little guinea pig. (My feisty little guinea pig, Fred, doesn't have a photo yet.)

just because

John Donne
Holy Sonnet 14

Batter my heart, three-personed God, for you
As yet but knock, breathe, shine, and seek to mend;
That I may rise, and stand, o'erthrow me, and bend
Your force to break, blow, burn, and make me new.
I, like an usurped town, to another due,
Labour to admit you, but Oh, to no end.
Reason, your viceroy in me, me should defend,
But is captived, and proves weak or untrue.
Yet dearly I love you, and would be loved fain,
But am betrothed unto your enemy:
Divorce me, untie or break that knot again,
Take me to you, imprison me, for I,
Except you enthrall me, never shall be free,
Nor ever chaste, except you ravish me.

Robert Jordan interview

This is for anyone who is reading The Wheel of Time series. It's an interesting interview with Robert Jordan. I enjoyed hearing his pronunciations in the last section. You have to click on the words in the middle of the screen to watch the clips. They will appear in a pop-up window.

Three Days of the Condor

Due to a friend's recommendation, I rented Three Days of the Condor and watched it last night. I'm not sure what I think. I didn't like it as much as I thought I would and I've been trying to figure out why.

First of all - I did not buy that Faye Dunaway's character would sleep with Joe Turner after one day of being kidnapped. I mean, please - just because the guy looks like Robert Redford (BTW - I'm understanding why he was so popular in the 70's...) does not mean that the average woman would believe a man who KIDNAPPED her and was holding her hostage with a gun! Are we really that stupid? Not to mention that I would hope most women would not sleep with a man the first night she met him under any circumstances. I think it also might be a testimony to Dunaway's acting skills in the first half of the movie. I believed that she was terrified of Turner and the switch was just too sudden for me. After that scene, I just couldn't take the story very seriously. I know, I know - it happens in movies all the time, but for some reason it bugged me in this one.

Also - the movie seems like a pioneer of the "spy thriller" genre. The problem with movies and stories that blaze a trail is that other stories come along later and improve the trail. So - while I think there is value in something because it is a classic example or because it was first -- I've watched too many spy thrillers that were probably riffing off of Three Days of the Condor to enjoy it. Isn't that sad? I feel a little guilty, like I'm one of those people who doesn't like black and white movies just because there is no color.

On another note - summer has officially begun for me! Yesterday, I turned in my check-out sheet and left the high school for the year. Woo Hoo!! Although, I woke up this morning and thought, "What am I going to do today?" It's such a dilemma. When I have a lot of things to do, I long to sit around and vege out. When I'm without the structure of work, I wish I had deadlines. It's not that I don't have a long to-do list. I do. I just don't have a deadline beyond "My roommate is returning in two months." This means that probably I'll be frantically running around getting things fixed on the house the week before Megan gets back. :-) :-) In the meantime, I'll be visiting friends, doing A LOT of reading, watching TV and checking out movies I've been wanting to see.

I found out one of the downsides to being a homeowner yesterday. My mortgage company sent me a letter that said my monthly payment was going to increase by $150 due to tax and insurance increases. I'm in a little bit of shock and not sure how I'm going to deal with this. One thing I did today was cancel my subscription to Netflix. Although it's very convenient and offers a lot of movies I can't find anywhere else - I just can't afford it anymore. Bummer. It was nice to have all those foreign and independent films just a few days away...