Hoping For Something To Hope For

Four Years

noreply@blogger.com (David Bishop) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 21:46:00 +0000

Exactly four years ago at this very minute, I made my first post for this blog. While I think my frequent absences from the blog prevent me from giving myself anything close to a pat on the back, I think I will take the opportunity to state that I have no intention of stopping. I debated it for awhile during my long absence from September through December, but I think, at the very least, I need Hoping for Something to Hope For. I need to have an outlet to share and discuss from time to time, so stay tuned.

In Time (2011)

noreply@blogger.com (David Bishop) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 04:50:00 +0000

This past weekend, a friend of mine called me up and invited me to go with him to see a movie at the local "$3 theater" which plays 'last chance' movies before they're relegated to DVD and cable viewings only. "What movie?" I asked. "In Time," he answered. Now, I had never heard of it, but it's not hard to choose between taking a $3 gamble to see a movie with friends and staying home alone doing relatively nothing. Besides, how often do we get the chance to watch a movie when we've had zero previous exposure; no trailer, no poster, no Rotten Tomatoes, no word-of-mouth, no idea that it exists. This is how I entered the Brea Plaza 5 Theater on January 21st. Would you like to know how it went?

In Time is a movie that is very driven by the rules of its universe, so let me get that out of the way before I talk about plot. In this world, human beings grow to be 25 years of age before they stop aging. From the moment they turn 25 each person is given one year to live before they die. Each person's remaining time is displayed digitally on their forearm. Time can be traded from one individual to another either by machine or by wrist to wrist contact. People don't work for dollars, they work for hours. Time pays the rent and the bills. Gangsters, called Minutemen, aren't interested in mugging you for the goods on you. They're interested in the time you have left. There's also quite the economic disparity between the citizens of this world. While some have enough time to live thousands of years still looking as they did at 25, others wake up in the morning with less than 24 hours. The government separates the classes by placing them into different areas called time zones, so those in the slums and those living the high life don't actually interact with one another.

In Time focuses on the story of a man named Will Salas (Justin Timberlake). Will lives in the slums with his mother (Olivia Wilde) and works hard everyday just to keep enough hours to stay alive each day. After a chance encounter with a man who has century left to live, Will is given the hundred years with the hope that he will use them to create real change in the world. We're told there is enough time in the world so that everybody could live a comfortable and reasonable life, but those in power raise prices on those below to keep them from ever successful pulling themselves out of the slums. Will doesn't immediately embrace a revolutionary role. Instead, he uses his newfound wealth to move to a higher class time zone. Unfortunately, a timekeeper (Cillian Murphy) tracks down Will, seeking to remove the time which he believes Will obtained through theft. In his escape from the timekeeper, Will kidnaps Sylvia Weis (Amanda Seyfried), the daughter to a very successful time banker, and retreats back to the slums. Dissatisfied with her upper class life, Sylvia works with Will to upset the status quo by robbing from the rich to give to the poor.

Really, In Time is one of the more interesting science fiction films I've seen in recent years. The "time is money" metaphor plays out perfectly well. The movie is fairly low key in that it does not employ very many special effects which is a little rare in the realm of science fiction. In Time is a low-budget high-concept movie which explores thematic material such as economics, immortality, ethics, and even, in some ways, the meaning of life. It didn't surprise me when the credits started rolling revealing the film's writer and director to be Andrew Niccol, the mind behind one of the all-time best pieces of science fiction, Gattaca.

That being said, In Time is not a perfect film. While I really enjoyed the universe and the many ideas played with in the movie, the rags to riches/Bonnie and Clyde plot felt a little stale. I really don't think the characters were developed well enough despite multiple attempts to convey depth. I don't know if I can chalk that up to performance or script, but either way, I was certainly more impressed by In Time's concepts than its characters.

Bottom line: If you liked Gattaca, you should check out In Time. If you're an appreciator of social commentary in your science fiction, then you should check out In Time. If you want to expose yourself to science fiction that doesn't depend on a $300 billion budget to tell its story, see In Time. If you're still not sure, just see it. There are worse things you could do with your time.

All-Star Superman (2011)

noreply@blogger.com (David Bishop) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 00:25:00 +0000

"Doomed planet. Desperate scientists. Last hope. Kindly couple. Superman." I've made a habit of reporting back on the DC Universe films I had seen in the past, and while I dropped the ball on that a little, I think I'll try to gather my thoughts on this one which I just recently viewed for the first time. Let me just reiterate that Superman is, has, and always will be my favorite superhero. I understand why he's an uninteresting character to many, but Superman has always been this symbol for good to me. He represents the best of us, and it gives me hope whenever I can delve into his exploits. So when I heard about All-Star Superman, which might be touted as a finale to the Superman legacy, it was immediately put on my radar as a must see. But before I really get into this thing, here's a brief backstory on the animated feature film.

All-Star Superman is based on a 12 issue comic series of the same name which was written by Grant Morrison and illustrated by Frank Quitely over the course of three years between 2005 and 2008. It's not considered canon, it allows for plot elements without the restrictions that come with keeping a series ongoing. All-Star Superman was well received, so it wasn't too long before DC Universe decided to make All-Star Superman the subject of their next animated feature, for which they brought in writer Dwayne McDuffie and director Sam Liu to adapt the source material.

All-Star Superman opens with Superman (James Denton) saving astronauts on a manned mission to the sun. In the process however, he is over-exposed to the sun's radiation which causes his cells to become supersaturated with power. While this does make him stronger and grant him new abilities, it also begins a process of turning The Man of Steel into pure energy, effectively killing him. Knowing that his death is eminent, Clark Kent decides to reveal to Lois Lane (Cristina Hendricks) that he is in fact Superman, and even gifts her a serum that allows her to possess his abilities for 24 hours. Before he can make the ultimate sacrifice, Superman must stop a man-lizard army, answer the unanswerable question, defeat an energy parasite, bring resolution to Lex Luthor (Anthony LaPaglia), restore the Kryptonian city of Kandor, prevent two Kryptonians from taking over world, stop a giant sentient sun, and ensure the world stays safe after he's gone.

All-Star Superman flies by pretty quickly. There is a new major problem every 5-10 minutes, but I'd expect that to be the case in a finale. Superman's time is limited, so there is some pressure to make sure he can save Earth from each of the new developments that crop up. A lot of All-Star Superman is action, but that's not all it is. There are some intriguing scenes between characters, particularly between Superman/Clark Kent and the rest of the cast. I particularly enjoyed the scene where Lex Luthor tells Clark Kent why he likes him more than Superman. There was another great scene between Lex and The Man of Steel where we're given some insight into what makes Superman value life so much, and I dare say that Lex shows some genuine remorse for his crimes. The dramatic elements play out well, and the action fells pretty typical of a Superman story.

I'd definitely recommend All-Star Superman to those who are fans of the character. It plays out as a nice swan song. On the other hand, those who don't enjoy the character or the superhero genre in general may be turned off by it.

Thankful Thursday: Pieces of April (2003)

noreply@blogger.com (David Bishop) — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 16:20:00 +0000

Thankful Thursday is pretty straightforward. Each week, I pick a movie, actor/actress, director, or some movie related item and list one thing about the movie that I'm thankful for. It can be something sincere, sarcastic, witty, etc. Anything goes, and I really encourage you to share what your one thankful thing might be.

Pieces of April (2003)

I'm thankful for Pieces of April for a couple of reasons: First, it gives me a Katie Holmes movie that I don't have to bow my head in shame for seeing. Second, it's become something of a Thanksgiving tradition for me to watch the film. I had considered writing a little review of the film, but Wayne over at Man, I Love Films wrote a nice succinct piece on it, so I'll just redirect you there.

OWENS: Christmas with a Capital C (2011)

noreply@blogger.com (David Bishop) — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 19:49:00 +0000

Time to come out of the woodwork with a review of a Christmas film. I know it can be irritating to many, but I like to start watching Christmas movies once Halloween is over, so I went to Netflix in search of Christmas gems. This is how I stumbled upon this week's subject.

Christmas with a Capital C (2011)
Director: Helmut Schleppi
Starring: Ted McGinley, Daniel Baldwin, Nancy Stafford, Brad Stine

I don't believe I've made it a secret on this blog that I was raised a Christian, so I have on occasion been exposed to what I guess could be called Christian entertainment. And while sometimes that lead to charming items like Veggietales, it also meant that I would see lackluster dramas like Facing the Giants and Fireproof. Hence, I was not entirely unprepared for what Christmas with a Capital C would be, and yet, I can't help thinking the whole experience of watching this film caught me a little by surprise.

Christmas with a Capital C is a movie about the small town of Trapper Falls, Alaska. At the start of our picture, a former resident of Trapper Falls by the name of Mitch Bright (Daniel Baldwin) returns to town and causes a ruckus when he files a complaint over the nativity scene being built at City Hall. This quickly becomes the central plot of the picture as Mayor Dan Reed (Ted McGinley) and the city council try to deal with the fact that Mitch Bright has the law on his side. There's a B-plot about Dan's son preparing for a ski race whilst developing feelings for a girl, but just about every scene in that B-plot is poorly acted and written, so I'll just leave it out of this summary.

I suppose the first problem I have with Christmas with a Capital C is that it seems to carry some sort of angry vehemence towards the Establishment Clause in the US Constitution. There's actually a line of dialogue in which a character says "forget the Establishment Clause." To the film's credit, one of the characters does argue with that, but there are times when you get the feeling that it is exactly what the film wants to say.

Here's the other thing. So Mitch Bright, who in the movie is painted as a Christian hating atheist because of the overwhelming greed and hypocrisy found in the Christian community, comes to the town and decides that it's not right for the nativity scene to be put on display at City Hall as it violates the constitution. While the movie tries to paint his motives as sketchy (he's an old rival of Dan's and is only doing it because of jealousy), it can't quite figure out a way to articulate why this is a serious dilemma. Clearly Trapper Falls has a densely populated Christian population, so the nativity scene could easily be put on display at one of the, I'm sure, many churches without any fuss. Moreover, after Mitch's complaint, the Christians in the community decide that the best way to get through to Mitch is to make Christmas a much more charitable time of year in Trapper Falls by helping those in need. Let me get this straight, the movie's "villain" manages comes back to his home town, and as a result, government officials are forced to respect the US constitution and its community members start acting charitable towards each other. This movie has a hard time convincing me that this guy is anything but a godsend.

Also throughout the movie are rants about the "War on Christmas" given by Dan's brother which always fail to win me over. When he blows his lid over a coffee server wishing him a "Happy Holidays" by asking rhetorically "What other holidays are there in December besides Christmas?" and answering "Boxing Day and Pearl Harbor Day," he lost me somewhere when he neglected to bring up Chanukah and New Years Eve.

Though I really did not like this movie, it might be worth watching if you're like me, and enjoy picking apart poorly constructed arguments.

Netflix Rating: Hated It

What is OMENS?

Happy Birthday, Baz Luhrmann!

noreply@blogger.com (David Bishop) — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 19:00:00 +0000

Today is the 49th birthday of Mr. Baz Luhrmann (and my 25th), and I thought I'd make something of the occasion by going through each of his four films for the blog. Look out for a Strictly Ballroom post sometime in the next couple days, and if you want to watch it in advance, check it out on Netflix Streaming.

*Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers posts are on the way too. I haven't forgotten about them.

[the films of] Guy Ritchie

noreply@blogger.com (David Bishop) — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 18:03:00 +0000

I feel like doing a Guy Ritchie marathon now (skipping Swept Away of course).

8-Bit Features #13

noreply@blogger.com (David Bishop) — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:00:00 +0000

Much better this last week. Got a new guesser to come in and guess what I thought might have been impossible. Had one unanswered image, but I suppose that's what I get for picking a movie many people have forgotten about. Here's a special hint for this week, I've picked a theme for which all three movies share a connection.

Rules:

Be the first to correctly guess the movie for each screenshot in the comments and be awarded

1 point for Image 1 and 2
2 points for Image 3

If any image has not been guessed correctly by Thursday, I'll post a hint in the comments.

Leaderboards:
Andy the Time Lord-6
Jess, Univarn, Wendymoon-5
DustinR, Dylan, Rachel -4
Chris Ulliot -2
Andrew Robinson, Vanessa- 1
Stumped-6

Image 1:

Image 2:

Image 3:

Read more to see last week's results:

Answer: Ponyo (2008)
Correctly Guessed By: Univarn

Answer: Elizabethtown (2005)
Correctly Guessed By: Nobody

Answer: True Lies (1994)
Correctly Guessed By: Chris Ulliot

Thankful Thursday: Thank You for Smoking (2005)

noreply@blogger.com (David Bishop) — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Thank You for Smoking (2005)

I'm thankful for Thank You for Smoking because I've always wanted an anthem film for the art of argument.

OWENS: Sherlock: "A Study in Pink" (2010)

noreply@blogger.com (David Bishop) — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 20:45:00 +0000

I just wanted something to watch this week that wasn't Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, or a musical comedy.

Sherlock: "A Study in Pink" (2010)
Creators: Mark Gatiss, Steven Moffat
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman, Una Stubbs, Loo Brealey, Rupert Graves, Zoe Telford, Vinette Robinson, Mark Gatiss

Here's one I really didn't know anything about. It's been sitting in my Netflix recommended section for some time, so I decided to finally give it a chance. I was pleased to see Tim of The Office and future Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) as well as future Smaug the Dragon (Benedict Cumberbatch) amongst the stars, and I think I'm usually up for a good Sherlock Holmes deduction overdrive detective story, so my hopes were a little raised going in to this thing that I otherwise knew little about. So were my expectations exceeded or were my hopes dashed?

Sherlock does something quite interesting in its adaptation of the Sherlock Holmes character. It takes the universe of Mr. Holmes and sets it in the modern day. All the characters are still along for the ride. Yes, Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch) and his companion Dr. John Watson (Martin Freeman) are there along with the multitude of supporting characters including, by the end of the first episode, a certain archenemy of Mr. Holmes. I was surprised by how little the modern setting really affected the joy of a Sherlock Holmes mystery. Yes, the availability of electronic devices, motor vehicles, and other such things not available at the time of the original works do have some impact, but overall, the way Holmes makes use of them doesn't seem to disservice the character in anyway. He's still the same great detective.

I have to confess I don't know enough about Sherlock Holmes to know how this honors or deviates from the source material, but I can still attempt to say what I liked about it as its own work. One of the elements brought up here is that Sherlock's allegiances are unknown. It seems his greatest allegiance is to satisfying his own curiosity and ego, and if 'the right thing' gets in the way of that, we're not exactly sure what our main character will do. This is why having Watson as a companion creates a really interesting dynamic, as he's much more interested in doing what's right. He can help, as best he can, guide Holmes towards moral decisions. I really like that they kept portraying Sherlock as this sociopath, and they never really had a moment that betrayed that decision. I'm sure there may come a time when Sherlock Holmes will have to face a choice between satisfying ego and curiosity and doing the right thing, and I'm extremely interested to see how that will turn out, not to mention seeing Moriarty come out of the shadows should make for great entertainment.

Great show! I look forward to watching the next couple episodes available on Netflix, and I can't wait to watch the second season when it comes out.

Netflix Rating: Loved It

What is OWENS?

8-Bit Features #12

noreply@blogger.com (David Bishop) — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 02:00:00 +0000

Last week's game had not been up 20 minutes before Rachel of Rachel's Reel Reviews came in and snagged up all the points. I'll try to rectify that this week. Let's see if I can't make the game last until Sunday.

Rules:

Be the first to correctly guess the movie for each screenshot in the comments and be awarded

1 point for Image 1 and 2
2 points for Image 3

If any image has not been guessed correctly by Thursday evening, I'll post a hint in the comments at approximately 7:00PM (PST) that same evening

Leaderboards:
Andy the Time Lord-6
Jess, Wendymoon-5
DustinR, Dylan, Rachel, Univarn-4
Andrew Robinson, Vanessa- 1
Stumped-5

Image 1:

Image 2:

Image 3:

Read more to see last week's results:

Answer: Reservoir Dogs (1992)
Correctly Guessed By: Rachel

Answer: Tangled (2010)
Correctly Guessed By: Rachel

Answer: My Cousin Vinny (1992)
Correctly Guessed By: Rachel

Thankful Thursday: The Bicycle Thief (1948)

noreply@blogger.com (David Bishop) — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Ladri di Biciclette (1948)

I'm thankful for The Bicycle Thief for giving me the opportunity to realize that morality is not as absolute as I had once believed.

8-Bit Features #11

noreply@blogger.com (David Bishop) — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 02:00:00 +0000

Well, it's been a very long break for this one, but let me assure you that I have no intention of killing this game.

Rules:

Be the first to correctly guess the movie for each screenshot in the comments and be awarded

1 point for Image 1 and 2
2 points for Image 3

If any image has not been guessed correctly by Thursday evening, I'll post a hint in the comments at approximately 7:00PM (PST) that same evening

Leaderboards:
Andy the Time Lord-6
Jess, Wendymoon-5
DustinR, Dylan , Univarn-4
Andrew Robinson, Vanessa- 1
Stumped-5

Image 1:

Image 2:

Image 3:

Read more to see last time's results:

Answer: Peter Pan (1953)
Correctly Guessed By: Andy the Time Lord

Answer: Hook (1991)
Correctly Guessed By: Dylan

Answer: Peter Pan (2003)
Correctly Guessed By: Dylan

Roberta (1935)

noreply@blogger.com (David Bishop) — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 21:05:00 +0000

Like The Gay Divorcee, Roberta is a film adapted of a Broadway show which was adapted from a book. Here, the book was titled Gowns by Roberta by author Alice Duer Miller, and the Broadway show featured Bob Hope and George Murphy in the parts that would be combined for Astaire to pick up in the film. RKO took a gamble when paying top dollar for the rights to adapt the Broadway show Roberta into a major motion picture, but it certainly paid off as the movie was a huge financial success for the studio and even garnered an Oscar nomination for the song "Lovely to Look At" by songwriter Jerome Kern. Roberta marks the third film in which Astaire and Rogers appear together, however, the movie has them as very near supporting roles to the main romance of the picture played out by Randolph Scott and Irene Dunn.

Roberta is set in Paris, France. Huck Haines (Fred Astaire) arrives in Paris to play a gig at a Parisian club only to have the manager cancel when he finds that Haines group The Wabash Indianians are not Indians (of the Native American variety). Joining Huck Haines is his friend John Kent (Randolph Scott) who suggests looking to his Aunt Minnie (Helen Westley) for aid in securing a gig as she lives in Paris and has tremendous influence since she's also the all-the-rage fashion designer known as Roberta. While Haines and Kent are visiting, however, both are struck by cupid's arrow. Huck Haines meets an old sweetheart now posing as Polish Countess Scharwenka but who he knows as Lizzie Gatz (Ginger Rogers), and John Kent meets Aunt Minnie's assistant Stephanie (Irene Dunn) who practically runs Roberta's fashion empire. Like I said, though, the romance between Haines and Lizzie Gatz plays second fiddle to that of John Kent and Stephanie. There are many more obstacles for Kent as he has an ex-flame to get over and a possible rival to fight Stephanie for. Haines and Gatz, on the other hand, mostly just have several scenes in which they banter back and forth (and in which they dance obviously).

Roberta is not a wholly uninteresting movie. The romances portrayed aren't surprising in the least, and everything happens exactly as you would expect it to, but the style is quite redemptive. Like The Gay Divorcee, the film is full of witty dialogue to keep the audience chuckling. I'm fond of Fred Astaire's deliver for the line "everyday you act worse, but today you're acting like tomorrow." The interactions between Huck and Lizzie are some of my favorite moments of the film. Subjectively, the amount of time spent on discussing fashion in 1930's France had a very hard time holding my interest, and I was a little taken aback by John's disgust over what today would be considered a fairly tame dress. In some ways Roberta has a similar problem to Flying Down to Rio in that the most interesting part of the movie becomes the supporting characters played by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, but that's not to say the rest of Roberta is as bad as Flying Down to Rio's remainders were. Roberta's story is engaging enough, and the injection of witty banter helps move it along nicely.

Even though the dramatic elements in Roberta are mostly so-so, the musical sequences are actually quite spectacular. The first one of the film shows a delightful bout of creativity as Fred Astaire directs a choir by 'playing' their keyboard arranged hands like an organ. The first dance between Astaire and Rogers doesn't occur until about 30 minutes into the film, but it is certainly worth the wait (you can watch them just below here). When they dance together, they do so much more than dance. They're actually managing to develop the romantic relationship by showing the chemistry that exists between the two of them. There's a communication in the joyful tapping. Later there's a solo number by Astaire for the song "I Won't Dance" which shouldn't be missed. The final dance between Astaire and Rogers is to the song "Lovely to Look At," and showcases the more graceful dancing relationship between the duo. Sprinkled throughout the movie are songs performed by Irene Dunn (including "Lovely to Look At"), but I think the dance numbers are some of the strongest musical elements in Roberta.

Roberta is an OK movie with exceptional dance sequences choreographed by Astaire. It's not my favorite of the Astaire/Rogers pairings, but I don't dislike watching it. In fact, the wit of the dialogue, and the always phenomenal presence of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers make it quite watchable.

My Rating (out of 5):

Thankful Thursday: The Dark Knight (2008)

noreply@blogger.com (David Bishop) — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 03:00:00 +0000

Here's a new feature I think I'm ready to introduce. Thankful Thursday will be a weekly addition to the blog, and its premise is pretty straightforward. Each week, I will pick a movie, actor/actress, director, or some movie related item, and I will list one thing that I'm thankful for that is somehow related to the movie. It can be something sincere, sarcastic, witty, etc. Anything goes, and I really encourage you to share what your one thankful thing might be.

The Dark Knight (2008)

I'm thankful for The Dark Knight because it was such a huge success for Warner Brothers that they had to let Christopher Nolan make his dream heist movie Inception.

Finishing Battlestar Galactica

noreply@blogger.com (David Bishop) — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 03:00:00 +0000

In the late hours of this last Wednesday evening I watched the final episode of the Battlestar Galactica series. I started the series back around February of this year, and even posted a bit of an image puzzle for you guys to guess what it was that I was spending so much time watching. Finishing an entire television series that's four seasons in length within a year makes for a very different experience than somebody who watched it from day one. In general, I find watching TV shows compacted like this makes me far less critical of it, allowing for a much more enjoyable experience. And so it is with Battlestar Galactica, a show I think might have tried my patience if I had to endure the midseason breaks, but as it is, I found the series to be wholly engaging save for a major drop in momentum in the middle of the fourth season.

What I liked best about Battlestar Galactica (in no particular order):

A.I. Issues

I don't know what it is about the relationship between humans and the artificial intelligences created in science fiction that I find so fascinating. Well, actually, I do know. It's the world of ethics that it opens up. At what point does a machine stop being a machine, and start being a... well... a being. Where is that line? Even if a machine can be developed enough to at least seem to be a being, does it deserve the same rights as a human being? There's a lot of material in science-fiction dedicated to these subjects, and while some choose to portray the negative consquences of enslaving artificially created beings (Terminator, The Matrix, Battlestar Galactica), there are others which take on a much more idealistic and positive portrayal. I couldn't help but muse as I watched both Star Trek Next Generation and Battlestar Galactica in tandem that perhaps what the crew of Battlestar Galactica needed was a Captain Picard:

Overall, I liked the way Battlestar Galactica characters developed in learning to rid themselves of their bigotry: Cylon to Human, and Human to Cylon alike. Of course, there's also the rage when characters seem to only entrench themselves further in their prejudice. Either way, the show tackled the relationship between humans and their creations with an engaging depth.

Frakking Fantastic Music

I've always had a strong appreciation for music which makes heavy use of drums. Fortunately for me, Bear McCreary does just that with the score for Battlestar Galactica. Of course, he uses many other instruments which help provide the soul that accompanies the mechanic structure of his percussive score. This musical motif also exists in The Terminator film scores, so perhaps it was quite the smart decision to bring McCreary in for The Terminator TV series. In fact, I enjoyed the score for Battlestar Galactica so much, that I'm more likely to seek out and purchase the soundtrack albums for each season than the DVDs for the series itself.

Driven Objective-Oriented Storytelling

Battlestar Galactica has an enormously high momentum in moving the story along. The only other show I can think of which carries the same level of series long momentum was the Avatar: The Last Airbender television series. We're given a goal at the beginning, and the rest of the series is about working towards that goal. There are distractions and roadblocks along the way, but for the most part that goal makes the series so easy to power through. It's nice to know at the outset where a series is heading sometimes, and yet, I'd say Battlestar Galactica is not without its share of surprises to keep things fresh.

Social Commentary

As fascinating as the A.I. issues are, it's always just a little bit hard to find ways to apply its themes to the present day world (bigotry aspects being an exception). However, Battlestar Galactica didn't limit itself to just being about A.I. problems. The show delved into contemporary political issues, religion, and to a much larger extent the role of a democracy/republic in an emergency state. I enjoyed the way the show handles discussions of military and diplomacy. There's even an extremely fascinating trial in which one of our heroes takes it upon himself to defend one of the most hated men on the ship. Granted, I think one of the primary roles of good science fiction is to provide some degree of social commentary, and while Star Trek gives us an ideal world, Battlestar Galactica seems to reflect more on the world as it is.

In closing, I'd just like to say that I loved Battlestar Galactica. I had no reservations whatsoever in giving the series five stars as I removed it from my Instant Queue. I look forward to exploring the universe more with Caprica, and I'm not counting out a rewatch sometime in the distant future.

Great Resource for Netflix Users!

noreply@blogger.com (David Bishop) — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 20:22:00 +0000

As much as I love Netflix, it doesn't always offer the best system for browsing what it has to offer for streaming. Awhile back, however, I stumbled on a website that has served me really well in making up for that:

InstantWatcher.com.

It'll help you see the most new and notable movies added to the service, but it also has a better system in place for searching through older quality content. I highly recommend bookmarking it if you are making use of the Netflix streaming service.

Guest on Reel Insight

noreply@blogger.com (David Bishop) — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 20:22:00 +0000

Hey, readers! I was fortunate enough to be a guest on the Reel Insight podcast run by Rachel of Rachel's Reel Reviews and Jess over at Insight into Entertainment. As a guest, I got to pick one of my all time favorite actors to discuss, John Cusack. Give the episode a listen, and if you haven't already, be sure to subscribe (iTunes link). Reel Insight is a fantastic way to learn more about the careers of various actors and actresses. They have some real insight at Reel Insight!

The Gay Divorcee (1934)

noreply@blogger.com (David Bishop) — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 14:10:00 +0000

The Gay Divorcee is the second film featuring an Rogers and Astaire pairing. It also marks the beginning of a collaboration between the duo and director Mark Sandrich, who directs five out of the ten films they star in. The Gay Divorcee itself is adapted from a stage musical which was adapted from a book, both of which were called The Gay Divorce. The film is notable for being the first film in which Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers are given starring roles together as well as setting the tone for the kinds of movies they would continue to star in together. That is, the musical romantic comedy. The Gay Divorcee is not a great film, but it is quite good. The chemistry between Rogers and Astaire, the quick witted dialogue, and the musical elements all work very nicely together to create a pretty solid piece of entertainment.

The Gay Divorcee is about a woman named Mimi (Ginger Rogers) who wishes to get a divorce seeing as how she's been married for two years to a geologist who makes no effort whatsoever to actually see her. She journeys to London with her Aunt Hortense (Alice Brady) to visit a lawyer in London (Edward Everett Horton) who informs her that London laws require the husband to sign off on the divorce. To aid her in her wishes, however, the lawyer sets her up in seaside hotel to be caught with a hired correspondent so that her husband would indeed wish for a divorce. Meanwhile, a friend of the lawyer Guy Holden (Fred Astaire) had developed an infatuation with Mimi on her initial trip to London, but he's unaware of her marriage or her plans for divorce. While at the seaside hotel, Mimi mistakes Guy Holden for the correspondent hired to pretend to tarnish her wedding vows, still unbeknownst to Mr. Holden. The rest of the plot takes off from there and hits all of the notes you'd expect it to, but even though The Gay Divorcee has all the trappings of a cliched romantic comedy, it's actually very well executed.

For starters, the music and dance sequences in The Gay Divorcee are quite good. One of the most memorable would be Cole Porter's "Night and Day" which was the only song carried over from the stage version. Coming in a close second would be the grandiose presentation of "The Continental" written by Herb Magidson and Con Conrad which was the first song to receive the Best Original Song Academy Award. These are the only songs which are accompanied by Astaire and Rogers dance sequences. "Night and Day" is an intimate dance shared between the two while "The Continental" is an over 20 minute sequence with several other dancers joining in on the fun. Magidson and Conrad were also responsible for the song "Needle in a Haystack" in which Fred Astaire sings and dances in regards to trying to find the girl he has grown so fascinated with. "Don't Let it Bother You" and "Let's K-nock K-nees" are songs written by Mack Gordon and Harry Revel for the film, and the later is notable for its performance from Betty Grable, but neither do much to move the plot along. Overall, the music serves the film well, and it wouldn't be a true Astaire/Rogers film without their dances, but sometimes I think what I like the best about this movie is its sense of humor.

Guy's facial response to Mimi's sudden change in attitude.

This comedy elements in this movie do feel like a play at times, which makes sense given its adaptation from one, but this works to the film's advantage in some ways as it does have some snappy dialogue and amusing set-ups. Some of my favorite quick lines are "Whumsical is more whimsical than whamsical," "Men don't pine. Girls pine. Men just suffer," and "Be feminine and sweet, if you can blend the two." As for the situational comedy, I find it amusing that Guy Holden spends a couple weeks trying to track down this mysterious girl in London only to rear end her car because he was too distracted looking for her. I like the way the scene plays out when Mimi talks about Holden's career which she assumes is a sort of male escort while he makes comments that relate to his career as a dancer: "I bring pleasure to thousands of people." The shift when Mimi realizes she was mistaken is also quite well handed, and I personally consider Astaire's reaction to be priceless. Now, I do think appreciating some of the comedy requires a a bit an acquired taste because the pacing is a little slower, and most jokes are followed by silence, presumably to give the audience an opportunity to laugh.

Overall, The Gay Divorcee is a solid second film for Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire. It set the precedence for their romances on film. The movie has good music, good dancing, and good laughs, and its too leads have a great deal of chemistry. Flying Down To Rio was the movie that introduced the duo to the world, but I think The Gay Divorcee was the first indication that they would be legends of the silver screen.

My Rating (out of 5):

Flying Down to Rio (1933)

noreply@blogger.com (David Bishop) — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 19:36:00 +0000

Flying Down to Rio is the first film in which Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers appear together. The motion picture was produced by one of the big five movie studios at the time, RKO, who would continue to produce the vast majority of the Astaire and Rogers pairings. Even though the duo appear in the film, they are not the stars. Instead, they play supporting characters to leads played by Dolores Del Rio, a beautiful actress from the silent age of cinema, and Gene Raymond. Overall, Flying Down to Rio is a pretty weak film, and its only real saving grace was giving a platform for Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers to demonstrate their talent for performance in the musical genre.

Flying Down to Rio's plot is one which many of the early musicals would embrace. A club/theater/hotel will soon go under unless they can put on act so great that they can stay in business. Seriously, go watch enough of the early '30s musicals, and you'll see this time and again. To its credit, the movie does have a love story interspersed amongst said plot, but it is not very engaging.

Roger Bond (Gene Raymond) is the leader of an orchestra working at a hotel in Florida. He works alongside his assistant Fred Ayres (Fred Astaire) and vocalist Honey Hales (Ginger Rogers). While working he spots a beautiful Brazilian woman named Belinha De Rezende played by Mexican actress Dolores Del Rio. Despite protestations from the hotel manager as well as the members of his orchestra, Roger flirts with Ms. Rezende which ultimate causes the hotel to severe its working relationship with the band. However, Roger is able to secure a gig in Rio de Janiero which is precisely where the object of his desire is heading. We eventually learn that Belinha is already part of an arranged marriage, and it turns out to be somebody that Roger knows. This love triangle plays out for the rest of the film. Meanwhile, the hotel where the orchestra is now playing is dealing with entertainment permit issues fueled by outside investors who wish to take it over, so the band has to come up with an idea on how to create entertainment without violating the law in order to save the hotel.

Alright, so the plot is cliched, but most musicals can have a cliched plot and still be good if the music and dance sequences can make up for it. The only problem here is that I don't think they do. While there are gems throughout the picture ("Music Makes Me" sung by Ginger Rogers, and the Astaire and Rogers dance debut), the biggest two musical sequences just do not work for me, and its almost for the same reason.

One of the signature pieces of Flying Down to Rio is the song and dance for "Carioca" in which partners must dance with their foreheads touching in order to establish a sort of telepathic connection. While it sounds kind of romantic, it looks extremely silly on screen. The other big sequence in the film is the finale in which, I kid you not, dancing girls are strapped to the wings of planes which fly over the club. Maybe the idea seemed grand at the time, but I can tell you that I watch this scene and cringe thinking about the practicality of it. There's even a part where a girl actually falls off a plane screaming as she falls to her death before she is caught by a gentleman on another plane. It's hard to be charmed by a musical sequence when you're laughing and horrified in equal measure.

Ultimately, Flying Down to Rio has always been my least favorite of the films of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, so perhaps its a good thing they were only given supporting roles. If you're wanting to dive into their filmography, don't start with this one. Start with just about any other of their films but this one.

My Rating (out of 5):

The Last Airbender: The Legend of Korra Trailer

noreply@blogger.com (David Bishop) — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 18:24:00 +0000

I think this is just what I needed to wash the taste of M. Night's "adaptation" from my eyes and hears. Everything I've been reading about this indicates that this spin-off may be even more interesting than the original series as the show creators are seeking to go darker and more mature. I can't wait.

OWENS: Star Trek: The Next Generation "Encounter at Farpoint" (1987)

noreply@blogger.com (David Bishop) — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 22:44:00 +0000

It's official. Netflix has now added a series that I have been curious about for some time. How could I resist?

Star Trek: The Next Generation "Encounter at Farpoint" (1987)
Creator: Gene Roddenberry
Starring: Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Marina Sirtis, LeVar Burton, Brent Spiner, Michael Dorn, Gates McFadden, Wil Wheaton

While it is true that I have seen every single Star Trek film, I haven't really watched much of any of the series. I have in the past tried to give the original 60's series a try, but I found the logic bashing done on Spock to get tiresome as a mathematician who values logic pretty highly. In the back of my mind, I always thought I'd be more of a Next Generation guy. I prefer Patrick Stewart to William Shatner, and I'm a fan of AI stories, so having an android as a main character was a huge selling point. Moreover, some people trying dissuade me from Next Generation mentioned that the show was boring because the characters were too diplomatic, that there wasn't as much action as in the original series. Turns out, this was exactly the selling point I needed to clinch my interest in the series, even if it was actually meant to keep me away from it. Anyway, after the first episode, how did the show fair?

After watching the first episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, I believe I can safely say that the show is better than I thought it would be. I recall somebody telling me that Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry designed Star Trek to be an ideal future in which we learn to cooperate and overcome the evils of our past. Star Trek: The Next Generation brings that ideal future to the next level by having a Captain and crew which always treat violence as an absolute last resort. It's a refreshing change for science fiction, or even television in general, which feels it must include violence to hold its audience's attention.

The very first episode introduces a character named Q which judges the crew of the Enterprise on behalf of the savagery committed by the human race in its history. Captain Picard is then given a limited time in which to demonstrate to the Q entity that humanity has overcome its savagery. There's a dialogue exchange between Captain Picard and his first mate in which he's asked what the crew should do differently to pass the Q test. Picard responds by explaining that nothing differently should be done. If they are to be damned, it will be for what they really are.

I think I made a wise choice in picking Star Trek: The Next Generation as my first if not only Star Trek series to watch. The show is cerebral, optimistic, and at times humorous. I will absolutely continue to watch the series, most likely to completion.

Netflix Rating: Loved It

What is OWENS?

Astaire and Rogers Blogathon

noreply@blogger.com (David Bishop) — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 22:32:00 +0000

Yes, I know I've been absent for awhile, and even when I was here, I wasn't very active. That's going to change this month, however, because this is the month in which I'm going to dive into the 10 films of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

I've been a personal fan of the duo since I saw my first Astaire/Rogers picture, Swing Time, back in the summer of 2002. I fell in love with the charm of the classic films they were in accompanied by exquisite dance sequences and captivating original songs. So stay tuned this month as I will post my thoughts on each and every one of their films. I'll also post lists of favorite dance sequences, songs, dialogue, and even a ranking of each film.

If you have any thoughts you want to get in about the films of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers whatsoever, or if you want to discuss their careers separate from each other, please feel free to participate by posting on your own blog and/or letting me know so that I can officially include you in this thing.

OWENS: Astonishing X-Men: Gifted (2009)

noreply@blogger.com (David Bishop) — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 20:47:00 +0000

In light of X-Men First Class opening last week, I thought this seemed like just as appropriate a time as any to give this a shot.

Astonishing X-Men: Gifted (2009)
Written by: Joss Whedon
Starring: Michal Friedman, Eva Christensen, Eileen Stevens, Dan Green, Erica Schroeder, Mike Pollock, Greg Abbey, Marc Thompson, Wayne Grayson, Dave Wills

Astonishing X-Men: Gifted is a motion comic adaptation of the first arc in the third volume of the Astonishing X-Men comic book series. The entire third volume is written by Joss Whedon, but I have not read it. I've always wanted to, and I'm sure I will eventually, but for now, I figured the motion comic might be a reasonable substitute for introducing myself to the way Joss Whedon would approach the X-Men universe. So did the Astonishing X-Men live up to my heightened expectations for Whedon's works?

The Gifted motion comic is broken into six segments that are each about 10 minutes in length so it shouldn't take too long to get through. I should also caution anyone that this motion comic is not intended as an introduction to the X-Men universe, but you've seen the movies at the very least, you should be able to follow along well enough. The story itself takes place well into the future when a cure for mutants is announced (Yes, this particular story idea inspired X-Men The Last Stand). Though there's quite a bit of action, there's also a lot of time devoted to in-house discussions on the ethics of the cure, though some of these discussions do become brawls. Of course, the story deals with the constant X-Men theme of societal acceptance, but the rest is best seen and not recapped.

Overall, I really enjoyed the motion comic, but I don't really know if the format worked for me. That is, I think I probably would have enjoyed simply reading the comic itself. Of the motion comics I've seen, this one was certainly the most well put together. The animation was pretty good, and the cast did a great job, but it never really stops feeling like a comic book too me. So much so, that I felt many times I would have rather just read the comic. It's still good, and it's nice to see the mutant cure plot fleshed out some more since that was really one of my favorite parts of Last Stand. Not to mention the many lines of Whedonesque dialogue is always something that I'm up for.

Netflix Rating: Really Liked It

What is OWENS?

Question!

noreply@blogger.com (David Bishop) — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 15:00:00 +0000

These movie trailers all have something in common. What is it? Leave a comment if you think you know with your answer and also how many you had to watch before you guessed it.

Watchmen

Knight and Day

The Tourist

Crazy Stupid Love

Never Let Me Go

Running Scared