Movie: Pina
This was about German choreographer Pina Bausch; I believe she had planned to participate in the filming but died shortly before it was scheduled to begin. As a result, the movie is more of a combined performance piece and eulogy than a documentary. The dancing was very interesting, if not always to my taste, but it was presented in a vacuum and I would have loved some more historical and cultural context. It wasn't even always clear when the pieces had been filmed - were they original videos or reenactments? Some of them took place in non-stage locations like parks and cities: Were these stage pieces that had been filmed in different locations specifically for this movie, or were they created as filmed pieces originally? There are bits of interviews with dancers from Bausch's company interspersed with the dance pieces, and every single one basically said: "Pina was the best person ever and changed my life." And I know they were grieving, and I'm not faulting any of the individuals, but it didn't exactly make for an interesting narrative, and it probably did Bausch herself a disservice by reducing a complex, interesting person to an angelic genius. Also: Very little was added by making this in 3D, but that was the only way it was available, so that's how I had to see it. But I will say that it left me wanting to learn more about Bausch, if only because it was so resolutely uninformative. But pretty! The dancing itself was enjoyable, and dance fans will probably want to see this one.
Availability: Last I checked, it was only playing in two theaters in the greater Boston area.
Nominated In:
Documentary (Feature): This really seemed more like a performance video than a documentary to me. I like to learn things from my documentaries, and while this was a pleasant enough watching experience, I didn't feel like I got much out of it. As mentioned above, I think it would have been strengthened - and made better as a documentary - with more balance and more factual information and context.
Movies left: 48; Days left: 27
Have seen 21% of movies and 34% of nominations.
Movie posts I owe you: 9
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Oscar Project 2012: Puss in Boots
Movie: Puss in Boots
Outlaws Puss in Boots and Humpty Dumpty team up to steal the magic beans from Jack and Jill and then steal the golden goose from the beanstalk in order to clear their names and right a wrong the did to . . . the town and orphanage where they grew up? It makes slightly more sense in the movie than in that description, I promise. Of course, there's more going on than Puss knows - you'll see the plot twist coming a mile away, but the intended audience of young children might be more surprised. They did a good job of making Puss anthropomorphic while still keeping him recognizably a cat, and some of the cat stuff is very cute. Some of the jokes are funny. And there's a fairly nuanced look at friendship and duty and vengeance and redemption. I mean, fairly nuanced given that we're talking about a cat and a giant talking egg. On the other hand, it has shades of that common kids' movie issue of giving mannerisms seen as stereotypically gay to characters who do bad things and then leaving this wholly unexamined.
Availability: This was widely available a few months ago; I caught it at a second-run theater last night. It will be on DVD in late February, but I didn't want to worry about getting it from Netflix with so small a window.
Nominated In:
Animated Feature Film: You know . . . I don't know. Maybe growing up in Disney's Second Golden Age gave me impossible standards for animated films. This movie was fine, and I certainly wouldn't be outraged if it won, but it didn't really strike me as anything special.
Movies left: 48; Days left: 27
Have seen 21% of movies and 34% of nominations.
Movie posts I owe you: 10
Outlaws Puss in Boots and Humpty Dumpty team up to steal the magic beans from Jack and Jill and then steal the golden goose from the beanstalk in order to clear their names and right a wrong the did to . . . the town and orphanage where they grew up? It makes slightly more sense in the movie than in that description, I promise. Of course, there's more going on than Puss knows - you'll see the plot twist coming a mile away, but the intended audience of young children might be more surprised. They did a good job of making Puss anthropomorphic while still keeping him recognizably a cat, and some of the cat stuff is very cute. Some of the jokes are funny. And there's a fairly nuanced look at friendship and duty and vengeance and redemption. I mean, fairly nuanced given that we're talking about a cat and a giant talking egg. On the other hand, it has shades of that common kids' movie issue of giving mannerisms seen as stereotypically gay to characters who do bad things and then leaving this wholly unexamined.
Availability: This was widely available a few months ago; I caught it at a second-run theater last night. It will be on DVD in late February, but I didn't want to worry about getting it from Netflix with so small a window.
Nominated In:
Animated Feature Film: You know . . . I don't know. Maybe growing up in Disney's Second Golden Age gave me impossible standards for animated films. This movie was fine, and I certainly wouldn't be outraged if it won, but it didn't really strike me as anything special.
Movies left: 48; Days left: 27
Have seen 21% of movies and 34% of nominations.
Movie posts I owe you: 10
Friday, January 27, 2012
Why isn't Stephanie Plum a TV show?
One for the Money, the movie based on the first Stephanie Plum novel by Janet Evanovich, arrives in theaters today. (Actually, it had a bunch of midnight showings last night, which kind of confused me given the presumed target audience.) I have nothing against the movie - I don't share everyone's hatred of Katherine Heigl - and I'll tell you what I thought after I see it next weekend. But ever since the movie was announced, I've been vaguely annoyed because it seems like this books series would work so well as a TV show. The books are very episodic, and they have a likable heroine, quirky family and friends, plenty of action, and the longest-running love triangle in the history of ever, OMG make it stop. I guess they're trying to make a movie franchise out of it, but I really think it would be more successful on USA or TNT or maybe even CBS. But, alas, they do not put me in charge of these things.
Oscar Project 2012: Jane Eyre
Movie: Jane Eyre
I saw this back in March, but either because of the tone of the movie or the actual weather in Boston at the time, I thought I remembered seeing it in January or so, and so I was astonished both that it was eligible for this year's awards and that it was only nominated for its costumes. I thought it was one of the best movies of the year and one of the best literary adaptations I've ever seen. I was hoping for at least Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, and Directing nominations, and maybe an acting nod or two. Sigh. (Pondering: Does the Academy specifically dislike Fassbender? Only costumes for this one, no nominations at all for Shame or A Dangerous Method, and not even any technical ones for X-Men . . .) ANYWAY. This movie isn't for everyone, but if you like bleak Victorian Gothic stuff, as I do, you will love it.
Availability: I had to drive in to Boston to see this in the theater, but it's readily available on DVD now.
Nominated In:
Costume Design: Definitely deserved! The costumes were beautiful, but they also didn't fall into the common costume drama trap of dressing everyone like rich aristocrats regardless of the characters' actual backgrounds. I'm not an expert on early Victorian clothing, but I've read enough to be jarred when things are wildly inaccurate, and nothing in this movie bothered me. Also: The shawls! So many beautiful wool shawls!
Movies left: 54; Days left: 31
Have seen 11% of movies and 24% of nominations.
Movie posts I owe you: 5
I saw this back in March, but either because of the tone of the movie or the actual weather in Boston at the time, I thought I remembered seeing it in January or so, and so I was astonished both that it was eligible for this year's awards and that it was only nominated for its costumes. I thought it was one of the best movies of the year and one of the best literary adaptations I've ever seen. I was hoping for at least Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, and Directing nominations, and maybe an acting nod or two. Sigh. (Pondering: Does the Academy specifically dislike Fassbender? Only costumes for this one, no nominations at all for Shame or A Dangerous Method, and not even any technical ones for X-Men . . .) ANYWAY. This movie isn't for everyone, but if you like bleak Victorian Gothic stuff, as I do, you will love it.
Availability: I had to drive in to Boston to see this in the theater, but it's readily available on DVD now.
Nominated In:
Costume Design: Definitely deserved! The costumes were beautiful, but they also didn't fall into the common costume drama trap of dressing everyone like rich aristocrats regardless of the characters' actual backgrounds. I'm not an expert on early Victorian clothing, but I've read enough to be jarred when things are wildly inaccurate, and nothing in this movie bothered me. Also: The shawls! So many beautiful wool shawls!
Movies left: 54; Days left: 31
Have seen 11% of movies and 24% of nominations.
Movie posts I owe you: 5
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Pilot Thoughts: Touch
I watched the "preview" of FOX's Touch last night, and . . . I don't know. I don't think I liked it, but I'm not sure, because I can't quite even figure out what it was trying to do. Or maybe I do get what it was trying to do and don't get why we're supposed to like it. I don't know. I realize this is completely unhelpful. Okay, basically: I am open to the whole "interconnected stories around the world" concept, but less open to the connections being some sort of cosmic coincidence of numbers. When I'd first heard that the boy makes connections between things based on numbers, I thought it would be actual codes or data or . . . something. "Everything's just magically connected?" Bleh. And one number that actually meant something - well, it meant something really obvious, and the characters didn't realize until FORTY-FOUR MINUTES into the episode. And yet . . . I don't know. Some of it was sort of interesting, even if it was contrived and emotionally manipulative. I guess I'll give it one more episode when it starts in its normal timeslot on March 19.
Anyone else watch? What did you think?
Anyone else watch? What did you think?
Oscar Project 2012: The Muppets
Movie: The Muppets
Really, I just loved this. I love the Muppets! I love Jason Segel! I love Amy Adams! I love musicals! I love sibling stories! I love stories about getting the band back together! I am more or less the exact target audience for this. But, really, it was better than I'd even expected: It was earnest but not treacly, the writing was clever, and it managed to feel fresh and classic at the same time. The fact that Jason Segel pitched this and got it made tempts me to vow to support his career forever. (Although let's be honest: I'd go see The Five-Year Engagement anyway. Just look at that cast!)
Availability: This was everywhere, so it's entirely my own fault that I left it for so long that I had to scramble to find a showing this week before it entirely disappeared. It will not be on DVD before the Oscars, though, so if you still need to see it, find it now!
Nominated In:
Music (Original Song) for "Man or Muppet:" I thought "Life's a Happy Song" was actually better, but "Man or Muppet" was good too! There are only two nominees in this category this year, so I hope that means we get Jason Segel singing in the ceremony. That would be awesome.
Movies left: 55; Days left: 32
Have seen 10% of movies and 14% of nominations.
Movie posts I owe you: 5
Really, I just loved this. I love the Muppets! I love Jason Segel! I love Amy Adams! I love musicals! I love sibling stories! I love stories about getting the band back together! I am more or less the exact target audience for this. But, really, it was better than I'd even expected: It was earnest but not treacly, the writing was clever, and it managed to feel fresh and classic at the same time. The fact that Jason Segel pitched this and got it made tempts me to vow to support his career forever. (Although let's be honest: I'd go see The Five-Year Engagement anyway. Just look at that cast!)
Availability: This was everywhere, so it's entirely my own fault that I left it for so long that I had to scramble to find a showing this week before it entirely disappeared. It will not be on DVD before the Oscars, though, so if you still need to see it, find it now!
Nominated In:
Music (Original Song) for "Man or Muppet:" I thought "Life's a Happy Song" was actually better, but "Man or Muppet" was good too! There are only two nominees in this category this year, so I hope that means we get Jason Segel singing in the ceremony. That would be awesome.
Movies left: 55; Days left: 32
Have seen 10% of movies and 14% of nominations.
Movie posts I owe you: 5
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Oscar Project 2012
This year's Oscar nominations were announced yesterday, and I've decided I'm going to go for it: I'm going to make a serious attempt to see as many of the movies before the ceremony as I possibly can. I love movies, and I love award shows, and I love making lists and plans and having All Of The Information, so this is exactly my sort of project. I won't be able to see all the movies, but I'm hoping for a solid majority. I made a vague attempt at this last year, but was never serious about it because of my dread of having to sit through 127 Hours. This year, remarkably enough, there's nothing I'm really opposed to seeing, though of course I'm more excited about some of the movies than others.
There are 61 movies nominated in 24 categories, for a total of 119 individual nominations. I've seen five so far, which is 8% of movies but 13% of nominations, because some of the ones I've seen are up for multiple awards. As of now, that gives me 56 movies to see in 33 days; I think I have a reasonably clear path to seeing 40-45 of them. (By that I mean that they're available; I don't necessarily mean that it will be easy to find the time.) I have a spreadsheet to track things and a legal pad on which I'm constantly scribbling movie times at various theaters to figure out the best way to maximize my time and theater trips. I upped my Netflix account to four discs at a time for the month. My soon-to-be-neglected TiVo is... not quite exploding yet. I'm as ready as I'm going to be.
After I see each movie, I'll write a post with a few general thoughts and my evaluation of the movie in the categories in which it's nominated. I'll also say something about how easy or difficult it was to see, as one of the things that interests me about this is seeing whether a regular movie-goer who doesn't live in New York or LA can actually see most of these movies. Once I've seen everything in a category (or everything that's available), I'll post my rankings and reasons for my choices in that category. The day of the awards (unless I finish early - hah!) I'll post a big summary with links, and I'll finish things off with some sort of live blog or chat during the ceremony. Details on that later!
So! Wish me luck! And please, this year, hold me to my annual resolution to see more movies all year so it's not such a scramble at the end.
There are 61 movies nominated in 24 categories, for a total of 119 individual nominations. I've seen five so far, which is 8% of movies but 13% of nominations, because some of the ones I've seen are up for multiple awards. As of now, that gives me 56 movies to see in 33 days; I think I have a reasonably clear path to seeing 40-45 of them. (By that I mean that they're available; I don't necessarily mean that it will be easy to find the time.) I have a spreadsheet to track things and a legal pad on which I'm constantly scribbling movie times at various theaters to figure out the best way to maximize my time and theater trips. I upped my Netflix account to four discs at a time for the month. My soon-to-be-neglected TiVo is... not quite exploding yet. I'm as ready as I'm going to be.
After I see each movie, I'll write a post with a few general thoughts and my evaluation of the movie in the categories in which it's nominated. I'll also say something about how easy or difficult it was to see, as one of the things that interests me about this is seeing whether a regular movie-goer who doesn't live in New York or LA can actually see most of these movies. Once I've seen everything in a category (or everything that's available), I'll post my rankings and reasons for my choices in that category. The day of the awards (unless I finish early - hah!) I'll post a big summary with links, and I'll finish things off with some sort of live blog or chat during the ceremony. Details on that later!
So! Wish me luck! And please, this year, hold me to my annual resolution to see more movies all year so it's not such a scramble at the end.
Supporting Bones
Lots of fans have been none too happy about all the breaks Bones is taking this season, and the way the schedule keeps changing, and have fairly vocal about it. And really, I don't think anyone means anything bad by it. Fans want to watch the show! It's a good thing! (And some of them might not even realize the reason for the weird scheduling.) But I decided not to ever let myself say anything about being annoyed that the show is off, because every time I see one of those tweets or posts, I picture some network executive somewhere happening across it and thinking "Huh, fans seems pretty upset. Next time one of our stars gets pregnant, maybe we should be less generous with the maternity leave." And you know what's more important to me than a TV show, than any TV show? Living in a world in which women's choices are supported, in which women don't have to decide between risking their careers or spending time with their young children. So take your time, Bones. We'll be here.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
My Issue with the New Killer on Bones
The most recent episode of Bones (and the last before another break - I'll have a post with a thought on that tomorrow) introduced a new serial killer, Christopher Pelant, a hacker on house arrest. Both internally and externally, the show has set him up as a scary, impressive Big Bad, but I just wasn't feeling it, and I finally figured out why: I'm just not buying some of the stuff he does. Drawing a fractal on a piece of bone accurately enough to create an entire computer worm? COME ON. That just feels like sci-fi. And I have no problem with sci-fi, but in it we know that rules are different from the outset. Bones has always claimed to take place in our world and work by real-world rules. If I don't believe that what the killer is doing is possible, he's just not scary to me and a lot of the tension the show wants to create doesn't exist.
(And, okay, if the team does believe that Pelant is capable of this stuff, why does it take them so long to consider that he might have found a way around his ankle monitor? Don't these people watch White Collar? Seriously.)
(And, okay, if the team does believe that Pelant is capable of this stuff, why does it take them so long to consider that he might have found a way around his ankle monitor? Don't these people watch White Collar? Seriously.)
Monday, January 23, 2012
Castle, "Dial M for Mayor" - Recap
Last week's episode was a bit dark and twisty, by Castle standards. I break it down for you at TheTelevixen.
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