The Pop Culture Addict’s Blog

Imagine my delight when I discovered a new Sondre Lerche album to download today. I can’t believe how oblivious I was about its existence. There was a time I would’ve had a countdown calendar. Anyway, Heartbeat Radio by Sondre Lerche is amazing. I’ve only listened to it once but I’m already smitten all over again. I can’t believe I didn’t recognize his voice in the end credits of Dinner For Schmucks. His voice is a little different. I used to be completely obsessed with him and would’ve picked out his voice on any soundtrack or store stereo (as I’ve done in the past). But this time, I was not tuned in. At the beginning of Dinner for Schmucks I remember thinking, oh, they are using a real Beatles song, Fool on the Hill, and not a cover. I did notice the end song was Beatle-esque but I didn’t notice the Sondre-ness of it! Anyway, now that I’ve listened to it more carefully, I hear that Dear Laughing Doubters fits very nicely with the movie. So that’s two Steve Carrell movie soundtracks for him with Dan in Real Life first and now Dinner For Schmucks. Cool!

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Scott Pilgrim vs The World
I loved it. It was funny and innovative but nostalgic. Edgar Wright’s sensibility worked perfectly for the material. He incorporates humor, pop culture and a forever 20-something mentality/outlook to his work in a way that makes me laugh with recognition. The manga/anime/graphic novel look was captured nicely. I liked how it was an homage to the genre and not a literal rendition. Most of the Pop Culture Addicts in my crew enjoyed it but a couple of them found it too deliberately frenetic and repetitive. I found the style just right for the tone of the movie and characters. Kieran Culkin made all of us laugh. Also, the two PCA’s who didn’t like the movie as much noted they were not Michael Cera fans. That would be a big obstacle to enjoying the movie. Since I saw him on Arrested Development, I’ve followed his work and see that he is who he is, that is, he doesn’t have stupendous range, but he has impeccable timing and a certain charm. But if you don’t like his style, then you wouldn’t be drawn to his work. I get that. Anyway, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World was definitely worth seeing in the theater.

The Expendables
As movie prices continue to go up, AMC has a before noon discount that I try to take advantage of when I can. I saw The Expendables for $6 and cannot complain. It was pretty much what I expected: a lot of attention to action sequences and tons of explosions. Sylvester Stallone smartly focuses the story on Jason Statham and himself. Statham has enormous appeal as an action star. Stallone is an established action director. He knows how to makes things interesting to watch. And he knows how to delegate. Overall, it’s a guy-oriented summer action movie with Charisma Carpenter looking pretty but not adding particular depth to the story. I was still happy to see her on screen. Anyway, it was worth the $6.

The Other Guys
I have to say The Other Guys was much funnier than I expected. I remember seeing Step Brothers and liking it but can’t really pinpoint all of the details. The Other Guys had more going on than I anticipated. The humor spanned from over-the-top spoof-y Airplane humor to more subtle jokes. It was entertaining. The best part was it being better than I thought it would be. So dampen your expectations and then see it.

Dinner For Schmucks
I remember seeing the French version a while back but honestly could not remember anything about it except thinking it was decent. Steve Carrell is a funny guy and he and Paul Rudd play nicely off of each other. I was intrigued by the little mice dioramas made by Steve Carrell’s character.

Centurion
I saw Centurion for free. So I guess the question is would I have paid money to see it. Sure, if I was in the mood to watch the very interesting Michael Fassbender in a historical drama/action movie about times of the Roman Empire. But I think the audience for this type of fare is pretty small. However, Michael Fassbender fans will find it a full and interesting role for him.

Coming Back For More
I saw this with a pass. I would’ve paid to see it though because it sounded really interesting. It is a documentary about looking for Sly Stone of Sly and the Family Stone. The movie is Dutch-made about two brothers who are writing a book about Sly Stone and desperately want to find him and meet him. They reveal that they have successfully interviewed many key players from the hey-day of Sly and the Family Stone. I would’ve liked to have seen even more in the way of archival footage and what material the brothers gathered for their book. But I guess they want to save it for the book. Still, it’s interesting in that Sly Stone is notoriously elusive but certainly fan-worthy. I think I would’ve been fine seeing this on dvd or on-demand. But I’m glad I saw it.

Enter the Void
Straight off, I think it’s fair to say that filmmaker Gaspard Noe is experimental and self-indulgent. But in the end, there were many elements of Enter the Void I found mesmerizing. I loved the title credits. I also liked the montage at the end. Through the experimentalism, there is an accessible, universal story about family and relationships. I liked how he shares the main characters’ story in a straightforward manner although the visuals are very trippy. For me, the movie ran on the long side. But I liked the movie overall. I posted the opening credits below but be forewarned that they might make you dizzy.

Animal Kingdom
I couldn’t wait to see Animal Kingdom after I saw the trailer. It turned out to be much more sedate than the trailer indicates. It is indeed about a crime family in Australia but it is more about the POV of a teen relative who enters the family and how the criminal activity is winding down. There is more drama than action in the movie. I had to adjust my expectations about the pace but once I settled into it, I followed the story with great interest. Here’s the trailer:

Lebanon
I correctly assumed from the title that it was a war story about Lebanon. Then for a brief time I thought it was a drama set in Lebanon, PA. Anyway, it is a semi-autobiographical movie told completely from inside an army tank about an Israeli soldier’s first day of The Lebanon War in 1982. It is a unique POV that captures the fear and uncertainty of the soldier as well as the climate of the war on this first day. It is chaotic, driven and has a lot of players. It is very well-done but hard to watch. I was into it during the movie but probably would not watch it again only because it is emotionally draining. But it is a good movie.

Get Low
I thought Robert Duvall was great in this movie but I wanted to see more about his character’s life. The story makes him out to be an endlessly fascinating character but only skims the surface of his life. What I saw I liked but it lacked a certain depth. I wanted more.

Pop Books
While I try to keep a running tab of the movies I see in the theater, I am less diligent about the tv shows I watch and books I read. Suffice it to say my life is like that proverbial jar where there’s always room for beer except substitute beer for pop culture. Anyway, I had a nice surprise recently when I read Elliot Allagash by Simon Rich. A fellow Pop Culture Addict picked it up on a whim, loved it and recommended it to me. I had the same reaction. It’s funny, well-written and refreshing. I’ve just finished reading The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson which I found more interesting and better constructed than The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo which I found to be a good read but not as tight as the second book. But it might be because I saw Dragon Tattoo the movie first and then read the book so I more or less knew what to expect. I read the second book without seeing the movie but knowing all of the essential back story. Also, the fact that Lisbeth Salander appears from the get-go makes it much more captivating whereas she doesn’t appear in the first book for at least 200 pages. Now I am reading The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest barely stopping to breathe. I took a break from reading it to finally update this blog! In between, I squeezed in The Second Short Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyers. She does a nice job of making a secondary character fleshed out and someone I want to know better. It was a nice little bonus for all of us Twi-hards.

Pop TV
This summer I found two new shows worth keeping on the roster.

Louie
Since noticing his contribution to Chris Rock’s show and being pleasantly surprised by the ingenuity of Pootie Tang, I’ve been a fan of Louis CK. But he’s had a hard time finding a niche on his own. Louie is it. It’s funny, it’s real, it showcases him perfectly. Making him a stand up works great because that is his strength. I have yet to watch an episode that doesn’t ring true and make me fall out of my seat laughing.

Covert Affairs
Like other tv viewers, I’ve complained about how we don’t need another spy show and we don’t need another police show. But in actuality, we like them. They lend themselves to having stand alone episodes where a case is introduced, investigated and concluded while still developing appealing characters with back story. Anyway, as a loyal viewer of The OC and a fan of GO, I had to give Doug Limon’s latest creation Covert Affairs a shot. Oh, I also always liked Piper Perabo though I had no idea what happened to her. She has held up just fine and now stars in a very watchable show. I adore Chris Gorham’s character, Auggie, as we are meant to, and I like how Piper Perabo’s spy character is trained but new to the field so she makes mistakes but lands on her feet. I’m sold.

Lost Season 6
I am almost done making my way through the bonus features of Lost: The Complete Sixth and Final Season. All of the episode commentaries are illuminating and I especially liked the ones by Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse. I found the 12 minute epilogue The New Man in Charge enormously satisfying. Once I am done with the extras, I will start re-watching the entire season.

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Like many bloggers, I find myself micro-blogging via Twitter more and more and expanding less and less. But often when I tweet a review or comment, in the back of my head, I am able to edit down to 140 characters because I know I can work things out more fully later on this blog. I really do it for my own reference because eventually, I don’t always remember my full reactions. So for my own satisfaction, here’s a rundown of the movies I saw at the New York Asian Film Festival 2010 followed by other stuff I want to keep track of:

Ip Man 2
Let me get myself started by re-stating what I started to say about the Ip Man movies I’ve seen:

Ip Man was my favorite movie from the fest last year. Donnie Yen embodies this wing chung master, famously Bruce Lee’s teacher, with grace, strength and incredible technique. Donnie Yen is best known from Iron Monkey. He is a star. Ip Man 2 has these over-acting British bad guys vilified like you’ve never seen. It is over the top and unnecessary but the audience knew it was building up to the most needed Ip Man/Donnie Yen kickass moment. There are so many excellent fight scenes expertly choreographed and at times executed by the great Sammo Hung.

It was very cool to see Sammo Hung and Simon Yam introduce the movie opening night. The HK celebrity culture is much more fan-directed it seems. In my observation and experience, both were very warm and welcoming to the crowd in the theater and when walking by them in line. Actually, I would have to say that all of the guests were very friendly and genuinely pleased to see the crowds gathered at their movies. Great organization by the Subway Cinema crew! And as a member of the NY Film Society, it was cool to have many of the movies shown at Walter Reade Theater. I will talk about my experience at Japan Society later on.

Cow
I found myself with a couple of hours to fill before meeting up with my fellow Pop Culture Addicts for Ip Man 2 opening night, so I decided to see the movie showing right before it. From the description, I imagined it might be a Chinese version of the Korean movie I saw last year about this farmer and his ox. (Case in point: Now I am going to search my own blog to find out what movie I’m trying to recall.) That movie, Old Partner, was filmed documentary-style. The farmer was real, the ox was real, the connection was real but some of the scenes were shot deliberately in the style of The Hills/The City where it’s a reality show but sometimes the producers say, “We missed that convo. Can you girls talk about it again while we light it better and get decent sound?” Anyway, Cow was nothing like it. While set during WWII in rural China, it was shot in a very contemporary way. I felt very energized by the music-video techniques incoporated as a man/reluctant cow owner and a real cow try to survive during wartime. I recommend it to the most dubious. It is not too precious or sentimental. The main actor Huang Bo gives a humorous, inviting and warm performance while often only on screen with a cow. It was a great way to kick of the festival for me. Huang Bo was in attendance and noted it was indeed challenging working with the cows. But he and the crew managed to create an entertaining movie that is thought-provoking about WWII in rural China. I’m trying to convey how it sounds dry but it was not!

Crazy Racer
Huang Bo from Cow is the star of this contemporary Chinese movie that seems like it is about a serious cyclist. But it is and it isn’t. Huang Bo’s character is a serious cyclist. But the movie hardly has anything to do with this fact. Instead, it is comparable to a comedy of errors that lead him through the criminally-minded, money-driven elements of his surroundings while he innocently tries to get by. Huang Bo is not a criminal. He is a nice guy given a back break who obliviously starts a domino effect of crime. Critics liken this movie to a Guy Ritchie caper or Pulp Fiction. Again, I didn’t know what to expect but I found it entertaining.

Kung Fu Chefs
The thought of watching Sammo Hung as a martial arts expert chef was too appealing to ignore. The movie was introduced as being really stupid but so much fun. I actually found the plot less silly than I expected and the cooking/fighting scenes were choreographed to maximize skill and entertainment value. If you want to see a kung fu movie about chefs, I couldn’t recommend a better option.

Bodyguards and Assassins (w/Development Hell)
I was interested to see this movie based on the premise and allegedly cursed history of making it as documented by Development Hell. The premise holds a lot of promise: the bodyguards are protecting Dr. Sun Yat-sen, who is organizing people to govern themselves, from Imperial assassins, who are working under the order of the royals who want to stay in power. I thought the promise was not quite fulfilled but there were certainly incredible fight sequences that mixed the absurd (watermelons as weapons) with historical impact.

Boys on the Run
This was the first of the Japanese movies I saw at the fest. It was uncomfortably funny and full of the most awkward yet oddly realistic moments of faux pas after faux pas as the lead guy tries to find a love connection. To best prepare yourself, imagine a kind of Jackass-y adolescent male perspective. I cringed; I laughed; I felt disappointed by characters’ actions and reactions. It’s based on a manga so that probably explains the ambling quality of the narrative. A lot happens and yet it still leaves you hanging. Overall, I thought the movie had merit but its crassness is not for everyone.

Annyong Yumika
This movie really surprised me. It grew on me as it unfolded. On the surface, it’s a documentary about one particular movie made by a Japanese pink actress, Yumika. But as the director follows the leads as he first discovers this Korean-Japanese production at Yumika’s memorial service (yes, she died recently unexpectedly), his drive becomes the lead of the movie. I could see my own drive in him and could imagine myself wanting to uncover everything I could about some obscure pop culture item that probably only mattered to me but still mattered. While watching the movie, I thought fondly of Chris Farley’s fanboy skit on Saturday Night Live (“Remember when you did ____? That was awesome!”). The director was present and said he had always wanted to work with Yumika but didn’t get a chance before she died so this was his way of fulfilling his dream to make a Yumika movie. The other interesting piece is the director’s student film entitled Annyoung Kimchi and about him acknowledging his Korean ethnicity very much buried by his family. He was born and raised in Japan and only speaks Japanese. So the particular Korean connection to Yumika was particularly fascinating to him. I liked this movie a lot by the end. Initially, it seemed interesting but superficial. But as it delved more into the particular movie, the director uncovered interesting people and sentiments. Again, I would say this movie has universal themes but because of the specific content, it is not for everyone.

Confessions
I appreciate the hard work the creators of the NYAFF put in to the line up to ensure we get access to current blockbusters from Asian we wouldn’t otherwise get to see on a big screen or at all. Confessions is oddly a huge blockbuster in Japan right now. It opened so recently, some of the Japanese guests of the NYAFF attended this screening because they said the lines were too long in Japan and they hadn’t seen it yet but had put it on their lists of must-sees. The actual movie was well-made but very dark. It’s a good movie but the topic of revenge for murder by murder particular as it is a Battle Royale type scenario as only the Japanese can imagine with middle-schoolers wreaking havoc, it is not for everyone and hardly mainstream in material. I had a negative viewing experience at the Japan Society because I sat in the 3rd row which turns out is level with the rows in front of it. In fact, if you see a movie at the Japan Society, I would recommend the first row or sitting further back where the floor starts to tilt upward. Sitting in the flat area results in poor visibility especially for reading subtitles but also for seeing the screen. I know I wasn’t the only one because I heard others complaining. We all tried to make the best of it. But I was not happy. However, they did provide free drinks afterwards which softened the blow.

Little Big Soldier
I didn’t think I’d have time to see Little Big Soldier but after I heard it was a Subway Cinema favorite, I was pleased I could squeeze it in. Seeing as I have watched Forbidden Kingdom more than once by my own volition (I haven’t seen the new Karate Kid yet though), it seemed worth my time to watch a recent Jackie Chan movie that doesn’t feature American kids as co-stars. This movie is great. It’s a historical movie about a soldier played by Jackie Chan. He’s just a guy trying to get home to his family. He’s not a general, he’s not a big player. The action scenes are cool but not as razzle-dazzle as we’ve come to expect from a “Jackie Chan” movie. They are more subtly intertwined into the story. I’m really glad I saw it and would watch it again. I loved that despite the serious tone of the movie, there was classic Jackie Chan humor interspersed into the storyline and his trademark outtakes where we get to see stunts gone wrong were included at the end.

Secret Reunion
This contemporary Korean spy movie was interesting in that it felt like a movie made for entertainment value. It’s not an art movie. It doesn’t have shock value. It’s not a historical drama. Not that there’s anything wrong with Korean movies with those qualities. I try to see all kinds of Korean movies. But it is nice to know that the industry has talent capable of making a movie that simply feels like a popcorn movie. Yes, there is overt effort made to show us viewers that everyone is human. The North Korean spy and the South Korean spy both get burned and somehow end up as roommates in this buddy movie with a twist. It’s not the deep political analysis of the reunification of Korea that it might be trying to be but it has good actors and entertained me.

Symbol
Symbol is definitely an art movie. While it is in Japanese, there isn’t a lot of spoken word in it and it certainly has universal themes in it. It’s strange, perplexing and funny. It’s slow and mysterious and feels like it could be someone’s thesis. I liked it and found it thought-provoking and weird. But again, this movie is not for everyone. If the thought of seeing an experimental Japanese movie about the meaning of life doesn’t compel you, I’d think twice before seeing this. But everyone else, let me know what you think.

Red Cliff Uncut
I won’t ever forget how John Woo grabbed my attention with The Killer and the rest of his HK movies. I was thrilled when he came to Hollywood and really tried to like Hard Target. I’ve seen all of his American movies but was happy to learn that he had made Red Cliff. I saw the international cut in the theater first. I liked it but found parts of it kind of cheesy. Somehow this longer, two-part version eliminates the cheesiness and results in a beautiful, compelling historical movie about old school war strategies and how goodness can make you a good friend, husband and warrior.

Mutant Girls Squad
Now this was a silly, stupid movie, not that I expected otherwise but I thought the storyline was very thin and superficial. It was moderately entertaining in a schlocky way. However, the experience was enjoyable because the filmmakers and actors who introduced the movie and gave a Q&A afterwards were highly amusing. They were silly but sincere and showed their creative selves in a way I could really appreciate. So no to the movie but yes if you get a chance to see directors Noboru Iguchi and Yoshihiro Nishimura in action (the cooperative actors were Cay Izumi and Asami).

Gallants
When I saw the trailer for Gallants at one of the earlier movies, I was intrigued but again, I didn’t know if I had room on my viewing schedule. Then I heard this was another Subway Cinema favorite so I was pleased when my scheduling worked out and I was able to see Gallants. It was well-worth the effort. I came up with this brief review that summarizes my thoughts: Anyone who loves martial arts movies will appreciate seeing masters from the 1970s prove they still have skills. It’s a love letter to kung fu. Respect your elders because they can still take you to school. This is a high recommend. It’s set in the present day but it features old school martial arts stars who are still as swift and skilled as ever.

Golden Slumber
I liked all of the Japanese movies I saw at the fest including this one. It is a modern-day conspiracy movie with a little bit of the Big Chill thrown in. It is based on a book by the same name and has a clean narrative with appealing characters. I am interested in reading the book if I find an English translation.

Castaway on the Moon
This was one of my favorite movies of the festival and ended up winning the audience favorite award at the NYAFF. While the Korean elements are what make it as great as it is, i.e., the particular actors, the particular locale (Seoul), the whole Korean version of Chinese black bean noodles (jajangmyun) factor, I found the movie very accessible and universal despite the isolated, oddball lead characters. It is a story about how a man stuck on an island makes a human connection with an agoraphobic young woman while being in completely different places. You can’t imagine it but it works and it is believable. I thought the movie would have a sci-fi and/or fantasy element but actually it is reality-based. I can’t stop talking about this movie. I want to see it again immediately. I’m glad the filmmaker was present to hear that the audience loved his movie. He said that it was a big flop in Korea and that it was heartening to him to see how festival audiences were embracing it.

Blades of Blood
Blades of Blood was sort of a let-down after the exhilaration of seeing Castaway on the Moon which really blew me away. However, it was still an entertaining movie with a somewhat confusing political/historical angle. I certainly appreciated the sword fight choreography and execution.

Life beyond the NYAFF
Japan Cuts continued after the NYAFF at Japan Society and I was sure to sit in the first row for both of the following movies.

Nightmare Detective 2
I really liked the Japanese anima Paprika about the dream therapist and thought this one might be a live action version. It was very arty and ambient. I found it interesting but not the fast-paced thriller I was expecting. It utilized old school J-Horror effects which were incredibly effective: shaking the camera, covering a face with long black hair and not letting the audience see the identity of the person, actors freezing on screen seemingly in distorted poses to name a few. Visually, it was interesting but I thought the story would be more accessible. Still, I’m glad I got a chance to see it.

Memories of Matsuko
This movie is by the Confessions guy. It really went in an unexpected direction. I recommend it. It’s hard to relate what the experience of watching this movie was like. It’s arty but it’s accessible. It’s sad but it’s funny. It was akin to if Seijun Suzuki made Umbrellas of Cherbourg today.

Shakespeare in the Park: The Winter’s Tale
Before I forget, let me mention that I was very happy I got a chance to see the second Shakespeare in the Park play The Winter’s Tale. I loved the staging. I was surprised that critics didn’t agree. Yes, I agree that out of the the two plays this summer at Central Park, Al Pacino’s performance is far and away the highlight. But I had a nice night under the stars and appreciated the efforts of the Public Theater.

Twilight Saga: Eclipse
My fellow Pop Culture Addicts (and Twihards) were ready to heckle Eclipse but instead just watched it and thought it worked best out of the three movies so far. It’s a pop culture phenomenon I’m a part of and recognize there are cheesy parts but it’s all part of the fun experience. Jacob: “I am hotter than you,” to Edward. Ha.

Iron Man 2
I had a free pass that I had to use before it expired. I was ambivalent about seeing Iron Man 2 but was pleased to see that Robert Downey Jr is still the man. I missed Sherlock Holmes but now think I will find it fun to watch because of the power of RDJ to enjoy himself in any role. My only complaint is Iron Man 2 didn’t need to be so long. But it was much better than I was lead to believe by the scuttlebutt.

Knight and Day
A fellow Pop Culture Addict found Tom Cruise’s performance to be too glib. But I thoroughly enjoyed it. He is in great shape and he and Cameron Diaz were entertaining in this totally unbelievable spy movie. The action was really fun and he was very appealing as a spy trying to prove his conspiracy true. It’s a popcorn movie.

Despicable Me 3D
Wonderful use of 3D. I loved Steve Carrell’s character’s minions. Steve Carrell gives a warmly hilarious performance as a villian with a heart of gold. Really fun stuff.

Inception
The viewing experience was enhanced by seeing it opening night at the beautiful Ziegfeld theater with a packed house of enthusiastic people. It makes for a fun summer movie. I know some people loved it, some people hated it. Overall, I got a kick out of the effects. I liked the look of the film and I liked Leonardo DiCaprio. I’m also a Joseph Gordon-Levitt fan. Ellen Page did a fine job as well. The plot and the fact that Leo starred in it reminded me heavily of Shutter Island with it’s uncertain realities. I was also reminded of the virtual world as depicted in Caprica.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
I recently saw and liked the Korean movie The Good, The Bad and The Weird strongly inspired by Sergio Leone’s The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. I first saw The Good, The Bad and The Ugly on vhs on a 20″ tv screen. So it was amazing to view it on a big screen as intended. Loved seeing Clint Eastwood in action.

I am still enjoying Lie to Me and The Good Wife, two new shows I added to my roster. I also loved watching Alex dance on So You Think You Can Dance and wish him a speedy recovery. Life of a dancer (and athlete) seems rife with injuries!

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My favorite NY film fest is going on right now! The New York Asian Film Festival 2010 is playing at NY Film Society and Japan Society.

I guess I will go chronologically. Well let me say my favorite movie and then go in order viewed because I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve seen.

Ip Man 2
Ip Man was my favorite movie from the fest last year. Donnie Yen embodies this wing chung master, famously Bruce Lee’s teacher, with grace, strength and incredible technique. Donnie Yen is best known from Iron Monkey. He is a star. Ip Man 2 has these over-acting British bad guys vilified like you’ve never seen. It is over the top and unnecessary but the audience knew it was building up to the most needed Ip Man/Donnie Yen kickass moment. There are so many excellent fight scenes expertly choreographed and at times executed by the great Sammo Hung.

NOTE: I will wait until the fest is over before finishing this post. But I wanted to prove that I am still here!

What I’ve seen so far:

Cow
Crazy Racer
Kung Fu Chefs
Bodyguards and Assassins w/Development Hell
Boys on the Run
Annyong Yumika
Confessions
Little Big Soldier
Secret Reunion
Symbol
Red Cliff Uncut

I took time off from the fest to see a play and a non-Asian movie:

Shakespeare in the Park: The Winter’s Tale
Twilight Saga: Eclipse

I also saw Knight and Day before the fest started.

I am excited that Man Shops Globe Season 2 has started!

So to be continued…

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Toy Story 3
As a Pixar fan, I was really happy when they resolved their contentious lawsuit with Disney and were given free and complete reign over Disney Animation. I would not have been able to support a Disney-only driven Toy Story 3. Pixar doesn’t put out anything they don’t lovingly and arduously create with their full attention. That Disney version of Toy Story 3 would’ve been a betrayal to the Pixar legend and not at all created on the same caliber as other Pixar movies. Last fall, I saw the special double feature of Toy Story and Toy Story 2 in 3D. While I had had fond memories of the movies from the first time around, I was still thrilled to my core by how awesome these movies were.

Toy Story 3 lived up to my incredibly high expectations. I saw it in IMAX 3D. All enhancements were taken advantage of by the Pixar team. The visuals sparkle with joy and detail. The story is charming, engaging and universal. It is a great end to a now classic trilogy. Having it end with Andy having to decide what to do with his toys/exploring the fate of his beloved toys as he prepares to leave home for college, is a brilliant move. The theater was sold out with an audience heavy on the little ones but still ranging across all ages. The movie appeals to all.

Winter’s Bone
I didn’t know much about Winter’s Bone except it was set in the Ozarks and that it had a lot of critical acclaim. I was blown away. From beginning to end I was captivated. It’s based on a book by the same name, Winter’s Bone by Daniel Woodrell. After seeing the movie, I’m interested in reading the book. However, I think the filmmaker Debra Granik and her cohorts made a great adaptation. The story follows a 17-year old girl, Ree Dolly, who is the caretaker of her younger siblings and incapacitated mother. The kicker is her father is an AWOL criminal, part of the extended family’s meth ring. Ree’s family is destitute, living on the kindness of strangers and her scrappiness. The extended family doesn’t look any better off although they offer help in their own unique way to Ree as she searches for her father in order to preserve what little the family has. It’s a mystery, drama and thriller that reminded me of Justified, Breaking Bad and The Sopranos. I am a big fan of all three shows so Winter’s Bone was a big hit with me. John Hawkes shines as Ree’s uncle Teardrop. He is miserable and terrifying but full of regret and loyalty. I recognized his face from Eastbound and Down but his dramatic work was nothing like his character on that comedy. It was a pleasant surprise that Debra Granik, John Hawkes and singer Marideth Sisco conducted a Q&A afterwards. Marideth Sisco spoke a lot to the verisimilitude of the story to life in the Ozarks while Debra Granik made it clear that the meth culture is a just a piece of the culture relayed by the book Winter’s Bone and not a generalization of life in the Ozarks. It definitely felt like a slice of a particular life. The bluegrass music was very appealing and seemed like a light in a dark lifestyle. The soundtrack is going to be made available and is worth investigating.

Shakespeare in the Park: Merchant of Venice
Waiting forever for free vouchers for tickets to Shakespeare in the Park is a quintessential New York experience. It’s oddly labor-intensive in that passive way. You just have to awaken the nerd in you to motivate to plan it right. Think of when people lined up for Star Wars Ep 1. It’s like that but in a different way. The intensity of people’s motivation is also influenced by the star factor. Last year, Anne Hathaway made her theater debut in 12th Night. This year, Al Pacino is reprising his role as Shylock as he performed in the movie Merchant of Venice a short while back. So I trekked out the morning of the show extra early knowing people would be motivated to stand/sit in line for hours on end to see Al live. Anyway, my efforts worked out. It looked overcast but the weather cooperated. The set was interesting. The coolest part was sitting outside, watching the play as the day went from evening to night. It was actually the debut of Merchant of Venice because the first show had been rained out so the cast was palpably excited to perform it for an audience. We were the lucky recipients of this great energy. Al Pacino was astounding as one would expect. The actual storyline is tough to process. Shylock gets berated and abused by almost every character in the play. I can’t believe Merchant of Venice was performed as a comedy during Shakespeare’s time. The comedy part is certainly a different play. I think the Public Theater interpreted the play to be a moral tale about intolerance and persecution more in line with modern thinking. But the undertones of racism are still there. It’s hard to reconcile the gravity of Shylock’s tale with the levity put into the other storyline. Nevertheless, it’s an impressive effort by the Public Theater. They are performing in repertory this summer alternating performances of Merchant of Venice and A Winter’s Tale. So my next endeavor is to see A Winter’s Tale.

Also, the other interesting aspect of seeing Shakespeare live is hearing phrases that are so famous we hardly know their origin at this point or their most famous usages. My brain doesn’t necessarily hold on to every word I read in high school English. So watching live performers say the words is almost rattling. Let me think of what stood out.

-All the glitters is not gold.
-I hold the world but as the world, Gratiano,-
A stage, where every man must play a part;
And mine a sad one.
-In the twinkling of an eye…
-Love is blind…

The most famous are:

If you prick us, do we not bleed? if you tickle us, do we not laugh? if you poison us, do we not die? and if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?

And of course “a pound of flesh.”

This is a famous phrase. I will just quote myself below:

Added 10/04:Origin of “a pound of flesh”
Here is a more thorough explanation of the origin of the phrase “a pound of flesh” which may be traced back to the Merchant of Venice which was written in the late 1500’s. Shakespeare was thought to have based Merchant partly on a parable about a creditor (with issues) who demands a pound of flesh as payment.

Antonio is the merchant in question who is, at the beginning of the tale, awaiting his ships to return full of merchandise. He is also quick to lend money to his friend Bassanio whenever asked. So, to help Bassanio get the girl of his dreams, Portia, Antonio gets a loan from Shylock knowing that shortly his ships will return and he’ll be flush again. Shylock does not like Antonio because he has not been kind or respectful to him in the past (Antonio has spit at Shylock and called him “dog”) and they are sort of business rivals. Both lend out money but Shylock lends money with high interest while Antonio doesn’t ask for any interest at all. So, Shylock will only lend him the dough with the condition that if it is not paid back in time, Antonio will owe him, Shylock, a pound of flesh.

Shylock says, “…if he should break this day, what should I gain by the exaction of the forfeiture? A pound of man’s flesh, taken from a man, is not so estimable, nor profitable neither, as the flesh of mutton or beef. I say, to buy his favour I offer this friendship: if he will take it, so; if not, adieu.”

Of course, it turns out that Antonio’s business goes bust and Shylock demands his pound of flesh. Even when Bassanio offers to pay back the debt, Shylock insists on Antonio fulfilling the debt himself. There is a trial, and Portia, disguised as a man, acts as Antonio’s lawyer. She is able to lessen the debt to a pound of flesh as long as there’s no blood taken – an impossibility. Also, it is determined that a pound of flesh could not be taken without taking Antonio’s life so Shylock is charged with attempted murder. He gets off but not without having to convert religions (from Judaism to Christianity) and give away all of his money.

So that leaves us once again with the phrase “a pound of flesh” referring to the heavy price of something and also thinking about how both Shylock and Antonio are flawed. But that’s a whole other essay for another time and place.

Added 4/05:
The source: More about the origin of “A Pound of Flesh”
How I came across it: Many thanks to Deborah Soloway for the following contribution from 3/05:

“I work in the field of bankruptcy law and teach to paralegal students. Our textbook, Basic Bankruptcy Law for Paralegals (5th ed. 2004) David L. Buchbinder (Aspen Publishers), contains a short history of bankruptcy law and a discussion of historic systems. Roman republican law allowed a group of creditors to exhibit a debtor in the forum for three days and, if his debts were not redeemed/paid by his friends & family, divide him up into multiple pieces in satisfaction of the debts. There is also evidence that creditors could divide up a corpse and effectively hold the pieces for ransom, since Roman religious practice required the body to remain whole to enter the afterlife. I haven’t read the source material cited by Buchbinder, but I know one of the authors as an able scholar.

I wonder if this might be the original significance of the “pound of flesh”?

Note: I don’t know. But it seems worth noting for further thought and research. Thanks again for letting me post your comment!

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