The Pop Culture Addict’s Blog

Film Forum showed The Godfather for a week. Missed it. But then I caught The Godfather, Part II on screen. It was fantastic. It was strange not realizing I had never seen it on screen before. It is such a part of movie history and pop culture history. The film ran almost 4 hours with a brief intermission. I think it was part of the original showing. The house was packed with both fans and newbies. Francis Ford Coppola might still associate this movie with times of stress – financial, creative and personal, but it is an amazing cinematic experience.

Appaloosa

It was fun. There were things I liked: Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen are great actors. I wondered about Ed Harris’ character’s aphasia and rage. I thought maybe he had a neurological disorder and these were the early symptoms. But the story didn’t go that way. While I do think Renee Zellweger can be interesting and appealing, her character development was a little too superficial for me. Yes, I could fill in the blanks but she was a bit too vapid for my tastes. I needed more background info on her. I heard the book has more details. As a Robert B. Parker fan, I did enjoy and spot the Spenser for Hire characteristics of both Ed Harris’ and mostly Viggo Mortensen’s characters. Actually, even the villian played by Jeremy Irons had that intelligent, sporty mark of Robert B. Parker.

A fellow PCA recommended Jasper Fforde’s The Eyre Affair a while back and it blew my literary mind. I’ve read the Thursday Next books but not those Nursery ones. At first, I resisted getting the most recent Thursday Next installment, First Among Sequels in an effort to streamline and to try to inspire myself to get through my “to read” pile. But I eventually broke and once I started reading First Among Sequels, I could not put it down. I would say even those who haven’t read any of Jasper Fforde’s books could pick this one up and get a kick out of it. High recommend. In my aforementioned effort to streamline, I gave away the first 3 in the series, I still have Something Rotten and started re-reading it pronto. Jasper Fforde’s website provides loads of supplementary info to keep his fans occupied.

Next up is the New York Film Festival.

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I just watched last night’s episode of Mad Men and had to comment on how excellent the writing, acting, set, direction, costume, make up, everything is on this show! Stellar all the way. If you haven’t seen it, try to catch it. AMC repeats it and you can also find it on demand. On Time Warner it is under Free Movies on Demand I think. Mad Men Season 1 is available now on dvd and there are commentaries for every episode!

I’m so intrigued by the development of the female characters as they find their voices and realize the inequalities are not necessarily something they have to accept. Colin Hanks has a nice meaty role. He is lucky to be on this show and have these writers writing his lines and developing his character. This is one for the books. John Hamm is sublime. I don’t remember him from Kissing Jessica Stein, where he presumably met his gf Jennifer Westfeldt,or anything else he’s been in. Again, he has found the role of a lifetime. I was speaking with another PCA about the magic of Mad Men and realized one key ingredient is how the writers spend time on each character. So we care about the rest of the staff at the agency both the men and women. Also, we care about the clients. We care about Don’s flings. We care about Peggy’s sister and her relationship with Peggy. Speaking of Peggy, I love Elizabeth Moss’ work on the show and Christina Hendricks’ character is so much more interesting than it might be in other hands. Did I mention that I was watching Joss Whedon’s Firefly and noticed that Christina Hendricks plays a con woman in a couple of episodes? I could go on about every actor. I won’t. Let me end with January Jones really getting gritty and Vincent Kartheiser giving us Angel fans something to hold on to with his nonverbal acting.

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I’m willing to give anything Joel and/or Ethan Coen create a listen and look. I went to Ethan Coen’s play Almost An Evening. It was interesting. Not mind-blowing but it had sparks. I went out of curiosity and belief that it would have something of merit to it. Anyway, by the same token, I went to see the new Coen Brothers’ movie Burn After Reading this weekend. It was funny. It was clever. I think George Clooney and Tilda Swinton probably enjoyed some levity after working on Michael Clayton together. It made me think of a Shakespearean comedy in its structure. Yes, Shakespeare can be pretty goofy. And Burn After Reading definitely strives for goofiness. But it also weaves mystery into the comedy. John Malkovich really sold it. Brad Pitt was funny. Frances McDormand was sincere in her daftness. Armond White loved this movie. Let me see if I can find the link for you… Armond White’s Burn After Reading Review.

Towelhead

I saw Towelhead for free. It was pretty decent considering I didn’t have to pay to see it. It kept my interest throughout. I hadn’t read the book and didn’t really know what it was about. It is so rare to go into a movie not knowing much about it. I try to avoid reading reviews until afterwards unless I know I will not see it or if I just decide I don’t care but I’m too curious to ignore entertainment news otherwise. Anyway, the girl who played Jasira did a good job. Aaron Eckhart was convincing. I think I like Maria Bello too much to believe her as a selfish mother. But that is bad. I should be able to separate out the art from the artist.

True Blood

Speaking of Alan Ball (he directed Towelhead), I liked True Blood. I’m intrigued by Anna Paquin’s character Sookie and Stephen Moyer’s vampire Bill on their own and together. They are well-written characters and well-played onscreen. I like how the idea of the story being set in Louisiana is unfolding. It is like X-Men in that the vamps have come out into the open but the general population is split and/or uncertain about how to deal with them.

Other Pop TV

Fringe

I think I might have already written about Fringe. Anyway, it surprised me by being better than I expected. I will be watching the next episode. I liked how the character of the professor was played. He’s brilliant but flawed which is so predictable, but the creators and actor made him riveting. I was impressed by how interesting the father-son relationship was as written and played. Pacey, or Joshua Jackson, as I heard he likes to be called, was smart to take this role. He looks good. He comes of smart. He is going to be challenged and I think he will be able to stretch himself to meet the challenges.

90210

I really was not going to watch this show. But I thought, I will just watch some of the pilot. So now I’m three hours in and still hooked. I even felt a little nostalgic when Jennie Garth and Shannen Dougherty interacted onscreen. I still haven’t watched The Wire yet but I know from fellow PCA’s who are obsessed with The Wire that Tristan Wilds made a big change in acting gigs going from The Wire to 90210. He actually plays the Brandon Walsh stand-in. And he seems pretty pleased to have the role. There is this plethora of rich kid shows. I’m still watching Gossip Girl and now 90210. Oh, when I saw the credits for 90210, I was excited to see Rob Thomas, creator of Veronica Mars, and Jeff Judah and Gabe Sachs of Freaks and Geeks fame. I think they were involved with Undeclared too. These are three of my favorite shows, not just favorite teen shows, but tv shows period. So I can see why I’m drawn to 90210.

Privileged

I couldn’t believe that I liked Privileged as much as I did. I thought, for sure, here’s a CW pilot I will not be into. Wrong. It has promise. I will keep watching new episodes until I can’t sustain it or can’t stand it anymore. Oh, True Blood is not a rich kid show. But Anna Paquin’s Sookie, while she is not rich, she is telepathic. And she’s in love with a vampire. I guess my point is, her life is rich with possibilities thus she is a great basis for a show. Still, Roseanne was a blue collar show and it was aces. You know Joss Whedon wrote for that show before launching Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I’m so psyched for Dollhouse. Okay, now I’m digressing.

Entourage

I’ve been watching Entourage re-runs starting from Season 1. There is a certain charm to it, an innocence. Season 5’s premiere was fine. I need to see more of the season before I know where it stands among the other seasons. I think Season 2 is where it found its stride with the addition of Rex Lee as Lloyd and the Mandy Moore storyline. But from Season 1, the true bond between the guys is sweet and there are such funny moments with Drama, Shauna and Ari. As I’ve said, I really liked Drive Me Crazy so I was very happy to give Adrian Grenier a chance. I know some people find him as Vince a cipher. But I like him. He grew into the role. Turtle is still surface-y but he has his moments of being a good friend.

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

I think this show Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles does such a good job of presenting the Terminator story on the small screen. I’m sure Linda Hamilton would not want to hear this but I can’t imagine anyone but Lena Headey as Sarah Connor. But I was very taken by Linda Hamilton when I first watched The Terminator. I’m happy that John Connor, fictional as he is, has an uncle, played nicely by Brian Austin Green, who totally should consider doing a cameo on 90210. I’m happy to see Summer Glau every week as I need as many Joss Whedon-related fixes as possible.

To leave on a Joss Whedon note, I haven’t watched Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog in a while but I have been listening to the songs on my shuffle. Very catchy.

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I admit, I was dubious. I did enjoy Shaun of the Dead immensely and appreciated Hot Fuzz. When I first read about Spaced in EW, my interest was peaked but not enough stop everything to do it. Then a fellow PCA who knows my tastes said, you should watch it because it is humor your style; so I did. More recently, I heard the first ep is on youtube. Anyway, it is very funny and fun to watch. I like how the group just seems like they are really into it, all the pop culture references are sincere, not forced. It is very Shaun of the Dead. Edgar Wright even has a zombie episode which is an homage to Evil Dead but also a foreshadowing of Shaun of the Dead. The actual episodes are cool but the extras are nice too. There are two commentaries for each ep – first recorded for the British release and then recorded in 2008 for the US release – and they are all fun to listen to. The homage meter is entertaining as well. Kevin Smith said he got the Region 2 dvds for free when he was in England and was hemming and hawing about watching it because he had to find an all-region player and it was a whole tv series, not just a movie, etc., etc., and then his wife started watching it and immediately liked the lead female character played by Jessica Hynes. Then they both watched the entire show. There were only two seasons of 7 eps each. There were plans for an American remake but it is no longer. I did pop over to Edgar Wright’s MySpace page to read the script for the premiere ep though. It makes a lot more sense after you’ve watched the show. Anyway, this team has a lot of ideas percolating so I’m sure they will come out with something cool soon.

Elegy

Saw Elegy starring Ben Kingsley and Penelope Cruz, co-starring Patricia Clarkson and Dennis Hopper. While there were some overlapping ingredients with Vicky Cristina Barcelona (Penelope Cruz and Patricia Clarkson, Penelope Cruz’ character being photographed and then in the darkroom), it was pretty different. I’ve only read Goodbye, Columbus and Portnoy’s Complaint by Philip Roth. I haven’t read The Dying Animal which is the basis for Elegy. A fellow PCA said Ben Kingsley’s character is supposedly a not really veiled stand in for Philip Roth. Another PCA said she liked everything except the last 15 minutes which more or less ruined the movie for her. I thought the acting was good. Vancouver as NY was just what it was. It’s not really a feel good movie but it has interesting character development for the Ben Kingsley character who is not likable but interesting to watch. I liked the relationship between Ben Kingsley and Dennis Hopper more than the one between Penelope Cruz and Ben Kingsley. But Penelope Cruz looked beautiful, luminous. And she did a fine job with her role. It just wasn’t as interesting as the male friendship or Patricia Clarkson’s role and relationship with Ben Kingsley’s character.

Diirtylicious

I’m so psyched to have this on my ipod. I heard it on the Keane MySpace page. If you don’t know, and there was a time when I did not, BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge with Jo Whiley invites artists to do live versions of their own songs and anyone else’s songs. This is where I heard Lily Allen do a reggae ska-influenced (think No Doubt) cover of Keane’s Everyone’s Changing. Anyway, Keane did a sort of mashup cover of Christina Aguilera’s Diirty and Destiny Child’s Bootylicious and made Diirrtylicious which is not a great song technically speaking. But it is very adorable and they sound like they are having a lot of fun performing it. It is just too cute not to listen to repeatedly. Other highlights on this album are The Fratellis and Foo Fighters performing live versions of their own songs, Biffy Clyro performing Rihanna’s Umbrella and Arctic Monkey’s performing Amy Winehouse’s You Know I’m No Good. Actually, I enjoy all of it so it is hard to pick favorites. But give the album or the show a listen if you get a chance. There is a Radio 1’s Live Lounge Volume 1 with just as many fantastic tracks.

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I noticed We Are Together was on demand on HBO and remembered reading good reviews for it. Also, I’m a sucker for documentaries (and short movies – this one is only 86 minutes). The description really didn’t hold a candle to the actual movie. It is described as a group of orphans in South Africa finding hope in the power of music. I am paraphrasing. Anyway, I decided to watch it and I was blown away. Actually, I was tearful most of the time but it was riveting nonetheless. I highly recommend it.

Zwai, a South African pop star, explains what the viewer can glean from watching, that music is an integral part of South African culture. Everyone sings. It’s portable, it’s easy to pass down and I liked how Zwai said, we can’t all speak at once, but we can sing at once. What amazed me was how beautifully the kids and adults sang but also how everyone seemed to intuitively understand how to harmonize. The music teacher was extremely talented too. What else struck me was how it was clear the children miss their parents. The movie focuses on one family of kids but other kids are shown.

Anyway, this one family, the Moyas, is clearly very strong. The older siblings wish to take care of the other ones. The eldest brother is not well. That is devastating for the family. They all sing so well. It is something that reminds them of their parents and also it is pointed out that they sing for all occasions, when they are happy, when they are sad, when they are together. It made think how if I just heard the Agape Children’s Choir on the radio (Agape is the name of the children’s home), I would’ve thought they sounded good but wouldn’t have appreciated how amazing it was that every single kid was innately able to contribute to the choir. You can hear some of the music at the film site: wearetogether.org. I also found some blog entries by the kids: http://wearetogether.org/children/kids_update. Oh, and you can get the cd at CD Baby, a very friendly music site: http://cdbaby.com/cd/wearetogether/from/wearetogether.

I remain completely dedicated to my re-watching of every single episode of Lost. I am now in the midst of the most recent season. The dvd doesn’t come out for a few months so I have been watching it at the ABC site. Also, a while back, I dl’d The Constant onto my ipod. So I’ve watched that a few times already. Believe it or not, it only recently dawned on me that when Desmond confronts Charles Widmore at the auction house, Charles Widmore has just bought the journal from the Black Rock ship and that reading this journal about the island might be the reason why he sends Desmond there and why the Freighties are there now. I guess Charles Widmore must’ve had an inkling about the island beforehand to be willing to spend that exorbitant amount of money on the journal. But until he read the contents, he didn’t have proof that the island existed. I realize this is very basic in terms of discoveries. But there is always a lot going on in these episodes and it is cool that upon re-viewing, a viewer can still discover something vital and interesting.

I started reading The Ridiculous Race during a leisurely weekend away over the summer. But as everyone seemed to want to read this one book and we only had one copy to share, I never got around to finishing it. So I’ve just picked it up again. I might just start at the beginning though. It is a funny read. The writers are friends from their Harvard Lampoon days (I hope I’m not misremembering this) and now they are both tv writers. Vali Chandrasekaran writes for My Name is Earl and Steve Hely writes for American Dad. They pitched this book idea so it is contrived to an extent, but it is still a funny idea that had entertaining outcomes. And they are good writers. I’m looking forward to reading it more completely.

Pop TV

Next, I will be keeping track of tv premieres. Gossip Girl already kicked off the season last night. [EDIT: I meant it was premiering that night. Incidentally, it was a good season premiere!] I greatly pared down my shows last season but I like to stay open-minded for any new shows that are worth giving a watch. I’m most looking forward to Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse and uncertain but curious about JJ Abrams’ Fringe. Seeing as I managed to not get dizzy while watching Cloverfield and additionally, enjoy it, there is little reason for me to not give Fringe a chance. Oh, and as I mentioned in an earlier post, Russell Brand is hilarious and I think he’ll be a good host at the MTV Video Music Awards next Sunday (9/7/08)- although when’s the last time you watched a music video? The only time I’ve watched them is when I’ve found myself somewhere, hotel, friend’s house, looking for something to watch and find myself going to VH1 or MTV for a video countdown. I hope Chris Brown dances. That kid is phenomenal.

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