The Pop Culture Addict’s Blog

I saw it opening night. I showed some restraint and didn’t rush out to the midnight show on Wednesday night. But I did see it at the Ziegfeld on opening night. It was a blast. There was a little kid dressed up as Indiana Jones. Very cute. There were a few related t-shirts. But for the most part, there was just a lot of enthusiasm in the audience. I liked it. Harrison Ford was great. He was the best thing about the movie. He still has it. He’s cool, he’s funny, he’s agile. He looked like he was having fun. Cate Blanchett is an amazing actor but I wish she had more interaction with Indy. Also, there was hype about her psychic abilities but she didn’t demonstrate any on screen. Maybe it didn’t make it to the movie but I thought at least one cool psychic scene would’ve made it. Shia LaBeouf was fine I thought. Oh, that reminds me, loved the entrance of Indiana Jones via shadow with the image of him putting on his fedora. I think it was sweet to bring back Karen Allen’s character, Marion, as she was his love in Raiders of the Lost Ark. But it sort of came at us suddenly. Most of knew she was back in this one so it wasn’t a stretch to guess she was “Mary” aka mother of Mutt. I thought it was a toss up of whether or not Mutt was Indy’s son or not. It could’ve gone either way. But why not have it be his son, right? This is probably it. It took 20 years for the stars to align for this movie to be made so chances of it happening again are slim to none. So let’s enjoy the mythology. So, I wasn’t disappointed. I mean, it could’ve been fine-tuned plot-wise. But action-wise, it was great. Acting-wise, it was worth it to see Harrison Ford rock the bullwhip and fedora again.

Paul Chan: The 7 Lights

So I haven’t been to the New Museum in years. I think it might’ve even moved since the last time I was there. Yes, it moved last year. I just looked it up. But a fellow PCA suggested going there to see Paul Chan’s Light’s exhibit. It is a wonderful space. The actual exhibit was interesting. It reminded me of going to a concert when I let the music wash over me and I start to think about non-concert related things. My fellow PCA noted that Paul Chan is interested in the concept of boredom and thus he would’ve been glad to hear of my mind-wandering. I wasn’t bored. My mind just started going places. Most of the light pieces were 14-minute videos. So to get the whole experience, or not, I decided to stand in front of one of the exhibits for the entire 14 minutes. Then for the rest, I just wandered around watching bits and pieces as they caught my eye. I didn’t get to go the rooftop garden but it seemed worth a return trip to the museum. The Metropolitan rooftop garden isn’t that great because the view is obstructed by the walls. I guess it is better than falling over. But perhaps the design could’ve been better up there. Anyway, I bet the New Museum roof has a better view.

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I have been remiss about my weekly updates and I’ve just been collecting my pop events to write about so I think I will just list them.

• Iron Man. It was really good I thought. By now everyone who wants to see it has seen it. So sorry for the delayed review. Robert Downey, Jr. is such a great actor, funny, interesting, versatile. The special effects were cool. The Iron Man armor evolution was fun to watch. If you don’t know this already, there is a little something at the end of the credits for those of you who care. I typically stay until the end because I like to see things like where it was filmed, music credits and any surprises.

• Speed Racer. You know, it has been panned by critics and bombed at the box office but I liked it much more than I expected. It was fun to watch and the story had a bit more complexity than one would think. It was on the long side. Could’ve been edited down a bit. It is a bit talky for the kiddies and maybe seemingly too cartoony for adults, even fans of the Matrix trilogy. At times, the plot was a bit convoluted. I wasn’t quite sure what was going on on the race course because of the zippy special effects. So that could’ve been clearer. But this movie is getting a bad rap while it is actually very watchable.

• Thurgood. I have a healthy fascination with the US Supreme Court Justices and think Laurence Fishburne is a fine actor. He was amazing in King of New York and I always liked Deep Cover. As for the Matrix trilogy, I like the first Matrix the best and actually never saw the last one. Anyway, despite my interests, I was a bit dubious when I heard “one man show” because it takes a lot to carry a one man/one woman show. But, Thurgood was very good. Laurence Fishburne did an admirable job. I recommend this play to everyone. Thurgood Marshall had a uniquely inspiring life and the play and Laurence Fishburne do a fine job of conveying this.

• Mister Lonely. I was wondering what Harmony Korine was up to and it turns out, this. Not knowing much about it, I went to it mistakenly thinking it was a documentary about Michael Jackson impersonators. It is a fictional movie about one Michael Jackson (Diego Luna) impersonator living in Paris who meets up with a Marilyn Monroe (Samantha Morton) impersonator and joins a commune of celebrity impersonators in the Highlands. I think HK’s strength is in visuals and this one is full of creative, beautifully composed images and shots. The story was pretty linear for a Harmony Korine movie. HK was there in person for a Q&A. He was not as goofy as he has been in the past like say on David Letterman where he was funny on air but apparently was rude to Meryl Streep by pushing her in the Green Room and is now banned from the show. He talked about how he is inspired by his surroundings, particularly in Tennessee, in combination with his imagination. It seemed like a very honest response to how he gets his ideas especially as I totally see that in his work. He also spoke of how he deliberately blended the impersonators characters with the celebrities they were impersonating within the storyline.

• Shine a Light. I saw it in IMAX as it was intended. It was fun. It wasn’t life-altering but it was fun. Not to state the obvious but the Rolling Stones have incredible stamina, energy and stage presence. They are sincere about their music and love playing for themselves and their fans.

• Antonio das Mortes / O Dragão da Maldade contra o Santo Guerreiro. I wasn’t sure what to expect from this Brazilian movie that came out in 1969 based on folklore, religion and myth. It was symbolic yet literal as it was still set in “present time” that is late 1960’s Brazil but the people dressed in costumes and spoke in verse at times. It reminded me a bit of Cyrano de Bergerac. It was interesting. Martin Scorcese talks about how this movie made an impression when he saw it. Let me just quote the Film Society description here:

“Director: Glauber Rocha, Release: 1969, Runtime: 100 No other film better captured the radical ferment of Latin American cinema and politics than Glauber Rocha’s Antonio das Mortes. A hulking bounty hunter in the employ of the military and the landowners, Antonio is sent to kill Coirana, last of the cangaceiros, gaudily dressed bandits often celebrated as folk heroes because of their attacks on the rich. Antonio is victorious, but somehow Coirana refuses to die: his rebellious energy and spirit have been transferred to the local townspeople, whose continuous dancing and chanting seems to keep Coirana alive. The local schoolteacher shows Antonio that he can make history–the question, however, is whose history does he want to make? Awash with religious imagery drawn from both Christian and African traditions (the Portuguese title translates to The Dragon of Evil vs. the Holy Warrior), Antonio das Mortes is outrageous, allegorical, operatic and essential.”

• The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. The kids got more comfortable and are better actors. They looked particularly great once in Narnia. The action sequences were well-executed. The story was on the dark side as is the whole series I suppose – this good v. evil theme runs throughout. As I say about most movies, it could’ve been a tad shorter. Over two hours seems unnecessary these days. But I liked this one better than The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe primarily because the acting was less stiff and maybe the story was more interesting.

• LOST. I started reading the Powell’s Lost column by J. Wood too in addition to Doc Jensen’s at EW (go to ew.com and search for Doc Jensen) and Watch with Kristin at eonline. There isn’t much else to say except OMG. So good.

So overall I would say I liked Iron Man best. It was strong all around. Good acting by everyone. Then I would say Prince Caspian and last Speed Racer. But I did like all three. Next up on my pop agenda is Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Try as I might, I can’t keep my expectations down too low. I’m anticipating a fantastic movie-going experience!

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