Amidst the chaos that is the Christmas period (and therefore hours upon hours of working!), I managed to catch the latest Matt Damon film, The Informant!, tonight.

Odd.

Based on the true story of Mark Whitacre, a former biochemist-turned-mole-turned-criminal, for US company, ADM, this film is a strange one.

Given, the plot itself is bizarre. Most likely, this forms the base of why it was turned to the screen in the first place. Yet it seems the movie acts as a symbol for the disordered and random nature of Whitacre’s bi-polar mind.

(It appears Damon was willing to sacrifice a lot for this role – i.e. his looks! But I just can’t see why??)

Regular “fact schpeals”, break up the often speedy and overwhelming narrative, allowing Damon the chance to shine in some offbeat humour.

I couldn’t help but feel overtones of a 70s porno though, with bold coloured fonts and monophonic interludes between scenes.

Those who bear little knowlegde of the story, may have trouble keeping up, and even those who do, may still find themselves with a puzzled look on the face throughout the 2hr duration.

Not Oscar-worthy, nor would you buy it on DVD, but there are some unexpected one liners which are bound to stir up some giggles.

3 stars

A few years ago there was this show, an ambitious mix of Space Opera and Western with that rare sort of cast that works perfectly together and some damned good writing. This show–Firefly, for those of you who have not figured it out yet–could have gone on to become a great show or maybe it would have spiraled downward through mediocrity and into utter failure. It was never given the chance. Instead, FOX took Firefly, bent it over a table, and fucked it into oblivion.

Well, not fully into oblivion. Sometime later it reappeared, only to gain a larger following consisting of those who had not seen it back in its pre-fucked days enjoying a scattershot airing on FOX. Later still, it came back again, resurrected under a different name and attached to a far larger screen. Serenity, it was called, managed to gain an even greater following, but not large enough to keep it living. The life support that managed to sustain it from falling completely into oblivion was taken away, the plug pulled, and it was done. There are those of us still who hope that it yet remains floating at the edge of space, not yet sucked into oblivion, saved by deus ex machina and reserved for another resurrection when we least expect it.

I loved Firefly, but I will admit that I am of the secondary fandom, the one that came about with the release of the DVD. Funny thing is, I saw the premier of the show back when it first aired and thought nothing of it. This was back before I was even interested in SFF, so that might have more to do with it than anything. Of course, it might have something to do with FOX airing the second episode as the premier instead of the actual series premier, which would have explained just about everything and made it easier for people. Of course I’m bitter, how could you tell?

You see, I am not the biggest fan of SFF television, so it is a rare thing to find an SFF series that I manage to like. Most of the time they get canceled and sometimes, in the case of Heroes, they turn to shit. For the most part though, I just cannot get into an SFF series no matter how much I try. I like to think that it means something when I get exicted about an upcoming SFF show because of this–although, I was looking forward to The Prisoner and that turned out terrible.

Earlier today Warren Ellis twitted a link and this: “You’re new favourite TV show.” Eh, okay, I will get to it later, I said to myself, fully recognizing the fact that I wasn’t actually doing anything at the time anyway. but was too lazy and slightly out of it thanks to painkillers to be bothered with anything. I did eventually get around to it though. What I found was a link to a trailer that I could not watch because I do not have Quicktime, which I do not particularly want. Hell with it, Flashgot and Media Player Classic to the rescue. What came next is one of those things that manages to make you excited. Yes, yes I do want this show. Here is the sizzle for Slingers, so you can make up your own mind about it:

You can find out more information about this here.

We’re not going to lie, George Clooney might be the coolest man to walk the face of the Earth since Frank Sinatra. He’s come a long way from his “suave Eddie” role as Dr. Ross on ER and his super, super lame push as a Hollywood star in the mid-90s when he starred in such clunkers as One Fine Day, The Peacemaker and of course, Batman & Robin. Bill Bodkin


1. Danny Ocean (Ocean’s 11, 2001): This was the role that made Clooney Hollywood gold. He had just started regaining both critical and commercial ground with Out of Sight (which was the beginning of his working relationship with Steven Soderbergh) and Three Kings, but Ocean’s is what put him over the top. Stepping into the role Sinatra made famous Clooney exudes, what would become, his ultra cool, funny and sometimes self-deprecating charm that has made millions of women swoon.

2. Michael Clayton (Michael Clayton, 2007): After starring in the box office version of lay-up in the Ocean’s sequels, Clooney proved once again that he has tremendous acting chops. Here he plays a legal fixer, whose comfortable job is challenged by a possible cover-up his friend (Tom

Big Wide Grin: Clooney's critically acclaimed role in O Brother Where Art Thou? launched his comeback.

Wilkinson) has discovered. Clooney portrays Clayton as a man wearing his moral conflicts on his sleeve and we’re at the edge of our seat wondering which way he’ll go.

3. Everett T. McGill (O, Brother Where Art Thou?, 2001): If Ocean’s was Clooney’s commercial home run, he certainly knocked it out of the park for critics here. In his first teaming up with the Coen Brothers (who took a huge casting risk), Clooney plays the always scheming, hair product obsessed Everett T. McGill. Clooney plays the role with sublime idiocy and delivers great one-liners, especially
like “you guys are dumber than a bag of hammers.”

4. Fred Friendly (Good Night & Good Luck, 2005): Clooney plays a stocky second banana to David Strathairn’s Edward R. Murrow. While Strathairn completely owns this film, Clooney’s turn as the always worrying, yet solidly behind his friend is brilliant. The fact Clooney also wrote and directed the film, which I consider one of the best about journalism ever, makes his performance even better.

5. Lynn Cassady (The Men Who Stare at Goats, 2009): Not many people have gotten into this film, however from reviews and word of mouth one thing is certain- Clooney was brilliant. Watching him dance around in a bad long-haired wig with a silly mustache to a cheesy 80s song shows that this guy knows how to pick meaty roles and is not afraid to embarrass himself on camera.

It was the 2000 Golden Globes, and George Clooney won Best Actor in a Comedy for O Brother, Where Art Thou.

I was shocked.

As 17-year-old who knew his movies, I didn’t like George Clooney. He seemed nothing but canned charm and a pretty smile who didn’t need to know how to act to attract fans.

But now he had a Golden Globe. Really? Wasn’t he the guy who butchered Batman worse than Val Kilmer? I didn’t get it.

Nine years later, George Clooney is the man I most want to be. Not just because of the charm and smile. But because he does it all so effortlessly — acting included. He’s arguably the most underrated actor in Hollywood — a star who can pull off comedy, romance, light action and heavy drama. -Brent Johnson

So, from a Clooney convert, here are my favorite Clooney roles:

1. Danny Ocean, Ocean’s 13
This is where Clooney’s appeal hit me. Even more so than the first ‘Ocean Film,’ the second sequel is where Clooney proves he’s a master of subtle control — whether it’s charming a disarming woman or making
the audience believe he knows exactly what’s going on. You trust his confidence — even when he’s knocking off casinos. That’s the essence of cool.

2. Jack Foley, Out Of Sight
Danny Ocean with a little less confidence, but no less charm. Here — in one of his earlier films, just before leaving ER — he shows even the coolest men have flaws. Which of course gives average men hope. But Clooney’s still cool enough here to call a federal marshal just to flirt, even when she’s trying to track him down for escaping from prison. (By the way, this is a great, underrated flick — a precursor to the ‘Ocean’ films, which were also directed by Steven Soderbergh.)

Totally Out of Sight: Clooney rebounded from a disastrous early career with Steven Soderbergh's Out of Sight

4. Harry Pfarrer, Burn After Reading
As he gets older and grayer, he’s not above playing a supporting role. And this one has some stellar lines (about not discharging his gun and his penchant for after-sex jogs) and one killer scene (where his
finally discharges his gun). And once again, Clooney subverts his persona by oozing more smarm than charm.

5. Michael Clayton, Michael Clayton
Yes, it’s a study in understated acting, with measured reactions and calm conversation — a performance that earned his first Best Actor nomination. But try not to be utterly thrilled by the final scene. His fixer attorney cuts his opponent down to size — without ever entering a courtroom. And the last line is spectacular, delivered with perfect panache.

Honorable Mention:

Seth Gecko, From Dusk Till Dawn
The most fun of all his roles — Danny Ocean included. Maybe because he knows how to deliver Quentin Tarantino dialogue.

Speaking of which, they should work together again. I get the feeling Q.T. is the kind of guy who is cool in his own way — but still wishes he can be as cool as Clooney.

Will these two ever rejoin forces?

The highlight of any Las Vegas trip, the huge number of them makes it impossible to visit every single one of them on two nights. Or maybe it is possible if you stay up for 48 hours straight. There were so many beautiful ones out on the strip that we weren’t able to walk into, but the favorites of mine that we did have the chance to visit were Paris, the Luxor and the Bellagio (no surprise there). The stinker about casinos is that you can’t take any pictures on the playing room floor because they have such a beautiful setting, especially the Bellagio.

Luxor
It’s been around for quite a long time, and the last time I was there they had a little boat ride inside the hotel for people to ride. The tour boat ride is now gone, but that’s good though, you get to focus on the casino and the hotel itself, and the hotel is quite the setup.

Inside the pyramid you can see that all the doors to all the hotel rooms, which I can imagine is pretty sweet to have a view of the lobby floor and the casino as soon as you walk out of your room. The view from the outside is awesome with the pyramid and the ancient Egyptian statue.

Paris

Now i’ve never been to Paris, but from just how the casino tries to model the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe, I think I may definitely want to take a trip and slam a few bottles of wine.

The Eiffel Tower has an elevator ride to get to the top, where you can take some great pictures of the Las Vegas skyline. I wish I had more time to check the view, because I can only imagine it being very beautiful.

The casino inside is pretty interesting as soon as you walk in. You see a part of the foundation of the Eiffel Tower come through the casino floor, where people have access to the elevators. As you walk through the casino floor, the ceilings sport clouds and a blue sky that brightens up the playing area, which is a welcome change from some of the dark and drab casino room floors at other hotels.

The hallway of shops and restaurants inside Paris I can only assume models some of the city streets you can find overseas. As you walk through it leads you to the casino room floor of Bally’s, which is right next door. Now right across from Paris is the Bellagio, and the awesome Bellagio Fountain.

The Bellagio

The cream of the crop is what I gotta say of the Bellagio. The fountain was the main draw to me, because once again playing and gambling isn’t my thing. But the hotel and casino is just gorgeous from inside out. Walking through to the casino floor I passed the shops inside, and with the shops they have you know only the people with good money stay here. The Bellagio was the main hotel target in the film Ocean’s 11, which made it just as cool walking through it. It’s kinda like walking through Chicago knowing that it was the site of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight.

Upon walking up to the registration desk, on the ceiling is a beautiful arrangement of artificial flowers. The colors are eye catching and vibrant, and a photo doesn’t do it justice.

Right across from the registration desk is the site of the Bellagio Conservatory, home of a crapload of fresh flowers and one cool light display that changes every so often, complimenting the flowers, ‘lawn decorations’ and water fountains that is inside the conservatory. Currently it’s in it’s Fall theme, with a very scarecrow greeting you as you walk in.

The lawn decorations I speak of are the things that stick out of my head when thinking about the conservatory. It’s not a bad term I’m giving it, it’s just pretty interesting to see a couple of talking trees inside. it’s something I haven’t experienced since watching The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.

It was definitely a fun trip out there and to get away from Chicago for a few days. If you’ve been reading my last few entries, just remember that if you head out to the Vegas desert, check out these spots on top of the other places you see, and don’t take Spirit airlines!

YOU KNOW the times you spend just looking at people in the street or on trains and busses and wondering who they are? I’m talking about the times you find yourself sat on the fountain in Stevenage or using the underground at King’s Cross and you look up at a stranger and find yourself wondering what their story is or where they are going? and how come they ended up crossing your path as they do now? Do you ever end up wondering about the millions of people around you and how they come to interact and who they are?

Relax if you think this a little strange, just like masturbation everyone does this but only the confident talk about it, it’s a healthy extension of our own wonderment and imagination, it’s given the moniker of ‘people watching’ and different people do it differently, some watch others in a detective style trying to work out by their clothes and demeanour who they are and what they do, they use clues such the subject’s briefcase and choice of vocabulary or even the expense of their wristwatch to try and gauge what they do for a living or where they are from and they delight in the knowledge they can garner from even the smallest of clues.

But this is tediously boring and even slightly creepy in my humble opinion and whilst it is fascinating how much information you can gain about someone if you really look at them the real pleasure in people watching comes from making up stories and inventing the histories and missions of those strangers who cross your path.

I’m guessing that there’s a few of you who read that last sentence who know exactly what I’m talking about.

Without exception everyone I have spoken to about this has fantasized, actually that’s too strong a word, has conjured up stories about a stranger in their imagination to while away the time and the most common themes tend to be about those strangers really being spies and secret assassins, ninjas or other secret sections of society their humble briefcases containing much more than office stationary and a packed lunch, instead these mild mannered middle class commuters on public transport or passing you as you gaze out of the window of some bland coffee shop or eatery are actually carrying everything from unstable plutonium stolen to make nuclear missiles to silenced pistols and lethal poisons as they headed towards downing street.

Sounds far fetched and ridiculous now I come to read it on paper but that’s what I love about it. I know so many people who do this and the ridiculousness of their testimonials as they tell me what they think about in those private moments makes me so happy and it turn it pleases them to have the release of knowing ‘its not just me.’

If you have ever seen Ocean’s 12 or 13 where they steal the Faberge egg from a bland looking backpacker taking public transport whilst a convoy of impressive looking black cars distracts the attention of any would be thief then you will be able to understand that we never know what people have in their bags or who they really are or what they are doing. We can’t ever really know but it is a human tendency to wonder. I actually saw a guy stopped at King’s Cross and forced to empty his bag that was just full of different hats!

Where was he going? what kind’ve vital mission was he on with his bag full of hats? I’m infinitely glad it was hat man stopped instead of me on that fateful day though as I was carrying a mexican wrestler mask, a spray can and stencil, a number of small plastic army men, a cookie cutter in the shape of a ghost, superglue, furry handcuffs, some fantastic trousers and a purple silk bondage rope (all of which there is a perfectly reasonable explanation for and it ties into halloween nicely which starts to make more sense but I would just rather not have to have that conversation with the police)

We all know why we people watch, even if you’ve never really thought about it – because its our imagination drifting out into our surroundings and it takes the tedium out of everyday life helping to pass the time when we’re doing something mundane and are surrounded by others doing the same. In fact I can’t help but wonder about the lives I have lead in other people’s imaginations without ever knowing it – I wonder what they saw in me and where I was going in their imaginations?

If you have any running themes that you tend to imagine when you people watch or anything you do when in these situations or thoughts on what I’ve written then please share them as its always good to know that even the odd little things we do we ALL do together.

Words by Matt Turner

This is bothering me so much I can’t sleep now, though it’s past 2 am. The show Leverage, highly rated overall on Netflix with a 4.3 user rating, which Netflix translated to an estimated 4.7 stars for me personally. Usually Netflix is almost right on the money every time (though I often wish I could rate by half or even quarter stars instead of full stars, because I sit on the fence on some), though some of their predicted ratings have been a little off as of late – I am a complicated viewer I suppose.

Anway, the point here is that I WANT to love this show, I’ve heard great things from friends, not to mention the Netflix rating (which I have) and the great fanfare that TNT (I think?) gives it in their commercials. However, there’s something about it that bothers me. It’s okay, not great, but has lots of potential. After taking this film class I’ve been trying to figure out exactly what about this show that bothers me. Keep in mind that I have only seen two episodes so far and I plan on watching the whole season at least, so that it has lots of time to grow on me.

The plots so far seem really good, the cinematography seems really good too, and I’m a fan of the soundtrack. What really bothers me is the characters, I don’t buy them at all. They’re weak, flat, and some cases just plain old lame. So I jump to bad acting, but then if it were bad acting would ALL of the cast be acting so poorly? I could write off one or two characters for that but not the whole show. If they are all bad actors then I should probably blame the casting director for their poor choices.

So, I’m thinking maybe the writing? Well that is really, really hard to judge accurately. In light of personal experience, people voted Love At First Bite a George for best screenplay, but knowing that it was altered by the film makers, I have a hard time believing that that is accurate (no offense intended to any of the authors involved). Many of the lines in Leverage just do not work at all, but I think many of them could, or should. So maybe the writers are good at plot but suck at characters and dialogue. The jury is still out.

That is what bothers me most, the character development (or lack there of). They do a lot of telling in the show, they tell us that a character is one way or another, but then when I watch them I just don’t buy it. The blond chick is referred to as “crazy” but doesn’t really act very nuts. And when she does it seems really fake and forced. Like she knows she’s supposed to come off as crazy and so gives it a little half-hearted attempt to reflect that (mostly through dialogue, and not well). I could continue with the other characters, but that’s unnecessary. So now I’m thinking of the director. Maybe he’s directing them to act badly. Or more importantly he’s not taking the time to establish the characters and simply relying on unconvincing dialogue to tell us what the characters are like. But the direction for the rest of the film seems pretty good, the cuts, the action scenes, it all works. So he can’t be that bad.

Where is the rusty cog in this machine? I don’t know. Then again, I could be being too harsh because it takes a while for a show to get up and running and in it’s groove. So I will definitely continue on hoping to grow attached to these paper thin characters with their awkward public discourse. After all, it comes so highly recommended it must be on some good track. I just feel like they’re trying to Ocean’s 11 it, but they haven’t taken the time to lay the groundwork. So it just comes out as corny and stale. And this is saying something because I have a higher than average tolerance for corniness. I will be the first to admit that not all the shows that I like are up to… well, any caliber.

It just bothers me that I can’t pinpoint the problem and diagnose a fix. Such is show biz I suppose. Perhaps I will infiltrate the shows set, blend in and observe their behaviors. First I must finish watching the rest of the season, if I can.

To be honest, when I saw this in the theatre, I was on the fence about liking this film. After watching this again on bluray, I certainly enjoyed it more the second time around. Maybe because my expectations are were lowered a bit since going into it the first time, I really was wanting laugh out loud funny, and it didn’t deliver on that. Seeing it for what it is now, it is a light-hearted film with pleasantly funny scenes.

George Clooney (Oceans 11, Best Supporting actor for Syriana, Michael Clayton) directs and stars as “Dodge” Connelly, one of the veteran players in a dying professional football league. Clooney is adequate in this movie, but doesn’t deliver on the funny lines like O Brother Where art Thou. He still has some good chemistry going with Renee Zellweger (Chicago, Bridget Jones Diary), especially in the scene when they first meet. Trading one liners back and  forth was great and could almost used a few more of those type of quick witted fast talking scenes in the movie. The Film also stars The Office regular, John Krasinski (Away We Go) who is nicely cast as the young college super star.

Ok, would I recommend it to people, yes. Not to mention enjoying period pieces, especially from the roaring 20’s era, this film is solid, and enjoyable from start to finish. It is a lot of fun seeing the old-time football, leather helmets, wooden scoreboards, very few rules and half empty stands. Nothing groundbreaking or innovative from this film, but it is film that is well done in all areas. Just sit back and enjoy this easy-going and lighthearted journey about the beginning of professional football.

“From one john’s bed to the next,” and here we are, sitting in our hotel suite office ordering room service and naughty adult movies, ready to ruminate on this past Sunday’s episode of Mad Men, the season 3 finale entitled “Shut The Door. Have A Seat.” And what an episode it was…

Again, normally August Bravo would join me here, but that guy just can’t learn his lesson. Remember when he didn’t heed Peggy’s mom’s advice and moved to Manhattan and then was thoroughly raped? Well, now he’s moved to Portland and while there’s a bar on every corner and someone you can buy a hanjob or coke or both from every ten feet, apparently there’s not enough of a signal to watch Mad Men on youtube via your iphone.

A brief recap (if possible): We discover that Don has been sleeping in Grandpa Gene’s room because of the strife between Betty and himself. Conrad Hilton gives him the cold brush off and informs him that PPL is being sold, and with it goes Sterling Cooper. Don tells his would be father figure where he can stick it. Then he goes and wakes up Cooper and brings Roger Sterling back to life and gets them excited about taking back their lives and their company and starting over. Together, they begin picking out their dream team from Sterling Cooper and assembling what will be their new company as Don goes around with both his dick and his tail between his legs and learning to value relationships. And sometimes valuing relationships means knowing which ones to say goodbye to, and so off goes Betty and her new boyfriend to Reno for a “quickie” (six weeks) divorce and Don discovers that he has a whole other family. But this, you see, is just a brief recap, so, as we’re told in almost every scene in this episode, “Have a seat.”

Well, Kennedy is still dead. John John’s had to make his goodbyes, and America has not quite realized it, but everything is different now. The changes are no longer coming, they’re here.

And Don starts the episode by waking in a tomb, the former bedroom of a dead man and the newborn baby who shares his name. He then goes to meet Connie, the odd kitten who’s treated Don like a ball of yarn half the season, and really wakes up when Connie cuts him loose and then gives Don a self righteous spiel about how he’s impervious to whiners who can’t earn things for themselves. But Don couldn’t give a shit. His company’s about to get sold and he doesn’t want to go work for some sausage factory.

From there on, the episode becomes just a powerhouse of awesome, giving us some truly satisfying and exciting moments dealing with Don Draper and the exiles of Sterling Cooper as they play the phoenix from the ashes of their company, but before we go there, let’s get to what we all knew was coming, especially after last week…

“The state of New York doesn’t want anyone to get divorced. That’s why people go to Reno.”

The thing is, after last week’s episode, this season finale was all set up in our minds to be the ultimate downer as the Draper castle was torn apart and washed away, and yet, back in the office, we saw excitement and joy, and more of a sense of family than we’ve seen in a long time in the cold walls of Don and Betty’s metaphorical bedroom. Just another way this show wonderfully plays with our expectations.

So, Benjamin Light hates Betty, and I can understand why, but I can still see where she’s coming from. And I’m glad she’s going. Don remains characteristically clueless about a lot of what she wants and needs, and really, she’s the same way about him. And now that she sees him, now that he’s no longer the “football hero who hates his father,” but the son of poor co-op farmers, he’s nothing to her. Everything that his double life has brought them is completely illegitimate to her, and she longs for the silver haired loser from the Rockefeller campaign instead.

In fact, I think Betty quite accurately throws it in Don’s face when he suggests that she may have to be sick to want out of their “perfect little world.” Well, actually, he just suggests that she’s had a bad year, which she has, and that she should probably find someone to talk, which she should. But her inference is also correct, I think, when it comes to Don’s real intentions there. I can defend Betty to a point, am curious to see who she’ll become as she now enters the real world that Don and her father have essentially protected her from up until this point, but she has been, and in this episode especially, a bit of a stone cold bitch.

“Why are we in the living room?” Bobby Draper asks, and he’s right. It’s the scene of Betty’s ultimate fantasy world and in it, the cathedral to which she can have those fantasies now ends as the family breaks up. This was easily one of the most heartbreaking scenes on TV, and so harsh, so cruel, so real. Don suggests this new status quo is only temporarily and Betty emphatically shakes her head no. And then there’s the kids, the real victims of the way people treat each other, and as Light suggested to me the other day, though it’s not said, you almost feel that for all the coldness they sometimes get from their father, they’d still prefer it to freezing to death with their mother.

As much of a fan of little Sally Draper as I am, the lasting image from that scene for me isn’t just Betty shaking her head no, but it’s Bobby’s ceaseless clinging to his father, clinging to his world that he barely understands as it all falls away. Oh, the fathers and sons this season. Don and Bobby, whom Don rarely shares moments with, honestly. Don getting kicked out by his pseudo-paternal figure, Hilton, which starts flashbacks of the loss of his real father (or real step father, whatever), Archie Whitman.

Which brings us to the night before the Draper family ended in their living room, when a drunken Don invades the master bedroom in the house, that his wife and their newborn baby now occupy alone, and he pulls Betty out of sleep and onto her feet, confronting her with what he’s only just learned about: Henry Francis. Don has the greatest line of the season when it comes to Betty: “Because you’re good… and everyone else is in the world is bad.” Don’s cruelty is usually cool, measured, but when he delivers these lines, it’s like he’s finally releasing some pent up venom. But it almost goes to far and we’re taken back to his imagined origins in the late night reverie from the season premiere, as he becomes his father, Betty becomes the whore, and then there’s the baby crying. It’s arguable in that scene that Don is confronted with a subtle choice as you half expect him to hit his wife: Does he want to be Don Draper or does he want to just another dick?

Which takes us back to the offices of Sterling Cooper, the kind of place that Don never expected to work at, but where he thrived, or, where he’s thrived for the last three years. With PPL being sold off and the SC along with it by their new British masters, Don is awake, and on his way to wake up Bert Cooper…

The dialogue in their scene is perfect, and I love that Cooper, who’s always kind to Don and his talents and his mysteries, and who purrs like a fat old wise and eccentric housecat with a bit of a Japanese fetish, lets Don know flat out that he doesn’t think he has the stomach for the reality of the future Don wants so brutally to regain control of…

Cooper: “Young men love risks because they can’t imagine consequences.”

Don: “And you old men love building golden tombs and sealing the rest of us in with you.”

But something begins in this scene, the start of building something, a bridge out of their indentured servitude and Cooper hits Don with one of those harsh realities he’s going to have to face: He can’t do this on his own. He’s going to need Roger Sterling.

And let me just say: Fuck Yeah, Roger Sterling.

When the highpoints of this episode was literally everything that came out of his mouth. Don and Cooper both make their pitches to Sterling about taking the tough road and starting something new and Sterling breaks it to Don: You don’t care about people. And maybe that’s why you’re so bad at being real with them. And Cooper hits Sterling with some real talk too: You need the excitement and danger of this business to survive and feel alive like you’re used to. Retire now and you might as well move into a plot in the ground with your child bride. It’s funny how enduring Jane has somehow purified Roger in our eyes, made him possibly realize that Joan is the woman for him, not the girl for him like Jane is, and put him on a better path.

From there, they go to Pryce and put forth a plan: He’ll fire them, thereby releasing them from their contracts, in exchange for shared power in their new company, and over the weekend, they’ll assemble a dream team to take with them along with any clients and supplies they can swipe from the office. And the show literally explodes into life. It became the gathering of the dream team from something like Ocean’s 11 or the start of a mission from one of those crack team of guys going on a mission World War II or something. It was perfect and it was exhilarating.

And it was a great moment for the characters to confront their own failures and move past them, to be happy beyond them. Don especially, as he does the walk of shame, first treating Peggy like dirty in assuming that she’ll just follow him blindly so he can beat her about as he pleases and then getting told off by her as she finally stands up for herself to him.

And then Pete, whom Don actually has to compliment for his eye towards the future. He’s not just wanted, he’s needed in the new company, Don tells him. And thankfully, along with Pete, will come his perfect partner, Trudy.

Sorry, August, but I guess Ken Cosgrove doesn’t make the cut.

Sadly, they took Harry Crane along too, but maybe since they’re literally sifting through the ashes of Sterling Cooper, maybe they’ll blow a little of those embers into him and ignite some potential. Or maybe he came along just so Cooper could deliver my actual favorite line of the episode, telling Harry that if he turns him down, he’ll spend the rest of the weekend tied up in the closet.

And, of course Joan is back. They’re all brilliant actors and they’re staging what could be a fascinating play, but they need a director, they need someone to coordinate them and make their needs accessible. And of course Roger knows that Joan is the person to do that.

But alas, no Sal. But in a small way, that could be a good thing. Sal may not be able to come back to the new company and the show in his old capacity, but more on that soon. Cause there’s always this:

Fuck doors. Fuck yeah.

And then there’s Don’s return and appeal to Peggy. He stops treating her like his former secretary. He stops treating her like just an employee. He actually sees her as a person. Possibly through a mirror, but still, he’s awake now and really looking at her. He’s really to lay down his sword and shield in front of her and stop holding the fact that he’s a man over her as something superior. I think one of the most realistic and truthful things Don has ever said is when he told her that she’s just like him, she’s his anima, and together they both can conjure the words, the “asa nisi masa,” if you will.

“Because there are people out there who buy things, people like you and me, and something happened. Something terrible. And the way that they saw themselves is gone. And nobody understands that, but you do. And that’s very valuable.”

When he says that, it’s not just to her that he’s confessing things, it’s to himself as well. Peggy ventures a guess that if she turns him down, he’ll cut her off forever and, baring his soul to her, he says it’s the opposite: “No. I will spend the rest of my life trying to hire you.” It’s telling that the most touching scene of the episode isn’t between Don and his departing wife, Betty. It’s between Don and himself/Peggy.

But of course Peggy is her own creature as well, and I think everyone, not just Don and Pete, are going to see it. So classic was Roger asking her for a cup of coffee and her flat out saying, “No.”

But then the long night of the weekend comes to an end and the sun comes up on Monday morning and the all stars of Sterling Cooper are gone, spirited away to their new home, an office in a hotel suite. In fact, really, all of Sterling Cooper is gone, shredded to pieces in the night…

And now:

“Good morning! Hello Sterling/Cooper/Draper/Pryce. How may I help you?” It’s nice to meet you.

“Very good. Happy Christmas!”

“He didn’t even leave a note!”

Still miss you, Sal, but you’ll have to change or die, as is often the case with history. As the always explosively brilliant Karina Longworth suggests when talking about the end of the episode as the camera captures the joy on the faces of the new SCDP employees/refugees:

The glow in the room that’s reflected on Don’s face in that shot—that is only there because they are all there, because he needs all of them to do his job, and vice versa. It’s arguable (probable, for all the lines like “we don’t have art”) that Sal could be back in Season Four and SCDP (and the show) would be better for it. But his sham marriage may need to fully deteriorate before he belongs in that hotel room.

One can only hope that Sal embraces his sexuality and himself and comes back into the fold as a contracted big time commercial director. Wouldn’t that be wonderful. Also, Fuck Lee Garner, Jr.

This episode was everything I could ever want from Mad Men. Much like us here at Counter-force, sitting her in our hotel suite/bloggitorium, at least when I’m doing my song and dance, we’re obsessed with the future. But we see it through the multi-colored lenses of the past. The past was bombs, the present is rubble, and the future is fireworks and we’re looking up at the stars, to dangle as many silly pyrotechnic metaphors in your face as I can.

The Beatles are coming. Vietnam is coming. The world isn’t done being changed and the light from the future can’t be fully seen yet, but for now, in the world of Mad Men, the characters are happy. Excited. Don Draper has perhaps finally said goodbye to Dick Whitman and is ready to move on. Trudy is showing up with sandwiches. Joan’s husband can hopefully only be guaranteed a nasty ending. There’s Peggy/Pete stuff on the horizon. There’s Joan/Roger stuff on the horizon. And there’s always fucking Jai Alai. We may never seen Suzanne Farrell again (though she’ll live on in Twix commercials). Or Paul Kinsey or Duck Phillips or Ken Cosgrove, for all we know. But what happens in this world and in Don Draper’s life could be anything.

Especially when Don places that call to Betty. He won’t fight her. She can have whatever she wants. And he hopes that she finds out what that is. “Well, you’ll always be her father,” she pathetically replies with, but I think it was meant to be a kind statement, something Betty’s always been foreign too. She’s going to leave two older children with a vastly better mom, Carla (so classy, Betty), and take baby Eugene, her youngest child and ball and chain from the past, to Reno with her new boyfriend.

And Don’s going to crawl off into the city, heartbroken maybe, but feeling lighter and hopefully optimistic. We have a general idea of the future he’s going to see, but he doesn’t, and he’s excited for it. And we’re going to go with him.

And, wonderfully, Roy Orbison is going to sing a song about the whole thing. August and I had a great time talking about Mad Men and hopefully you enjoyed it too. And hopefully it’ll only get better since, after all, “the future is much better than the past.”

Les Voyeurs #86 – Les Arnaques

Diffusion le : jeudi 5 novembre 2009 à 18h sur RGO / vendredi 6 novembre 2009 à 18h sur Radio 16.
Rediffusion le samedi 7 novembre 2009 à 10h sur RGO.
En téléchargement pendant une semaine ici.
Et en écoute permanente là.

Actualité

Avant-premières aux Arcades : A l’origine de Xavier Giannoli mardi 10 novembre à 19h30 (tarif unique : 5€) 2012 de Roland Emmerich mardi 10 novembre à 21h30 (tarif unique : 5€)
Aux Arcades d’Alès : Mademoiselle Chambon de Stéphane Brizé, Irène d’Alain Cavalier, This is it de Kenny Ortega en VO, Mission G de Hoyt Yeatman en 3D, Micmacs à tire-larigot de Jean Pierre Jeunet.
David Lynch présente un documentaire sur son film Inland Empire et l’Interview project au Festival Les Inrocks Dimanche 8 novembre au Comptoir général.
La Révélation en avant première le 6 novembre à Bordeaux, St Étienne… Sortie en février 2010.
Raymond Depardon en Languedoc-Roussillon : dernière étape de cette opération commencée le 14 mars dernier au 27e Festival Cinéma d’Alès – Itinérances du 6 novembre au 31 janvier à Montpellier. Le programme ici.
24e Festival International du Cinéma d’Animation de Baillargues du 8 au 25 novembre a comme invité d’honneur Bill Plympton. Le programme ici
Thor de Kenneth Branagh : Odin sera joué par Anthony Hopkins il rejoint sur ce projet Natalie Portman et Robert de Niro.
Action de la fédération nationale des cinémas français “Pour manifester leur vive inquiétude auprès des pouvoirs publics face à leur situation économique dégradée, les 2100 cinémas de France s’unissent pour une opération symbolique en éteignant leurs enseignes lumineuses le mercredi 4 novembre de 18h à 19h” Article de La Marseillaise du 6 novembre ici

Dossier de la semaine : Les Arnaques

Arnaques de voleurs
A l’origine de Xavier Giannoli sortie mercredi 11 novembre
Neuf reines de Fabian Bielinsky
Cash d’Éric Besnard

David Mamet : passionné par l’arnaque
Engrenages (Bienvenue au drive-in)
La prisonnière espagnole

Faites vos jeux :
Las Vegas 21 de Robert Luketic
Maverick de Richard Donner
Les Joueurs de John Dahl
L’Inconnu de Las Vegas de Lewis Milestone

Ocean’s 11 (et 12 et 13) de Steven Soderberg
L’Arnaque de Georges Roy Hill
Les Arnaqueurs de Stephen Frears

Guy Ritchie : arnaques alambiquées
Arnaques, crimes et botanique
Snatch : Tu braques ou tu raques
Revolver
RocknRolla

La bande originale de la semaine :

Générique par Miles Davis.
Extrait de la bande originale du film Ascenseur pour l’échafaud (1957) de Louis Malle.

Chronique : La Carte postale sétoise

John Huston de Patrick Brion éd. La Martinière

Musique :
Miserable lie par The Smiths

Extraits :
A l’origine
La Prisonnière espagnole
Maverick
Ocean 11
L’Arnaque
Snatch

Présentation : Erik Antolin, Jérôme Bauzon
Carte Postale : Jan Jouvert
En quarantaine : Cédric Cance
Réalisation : Jérémie Adrian

L A D I E S I N T E R N A T I O N A L  P O K E R  S E R I E S – LIPSTour.com

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Sufficiently Bizarre.

No it’s not the mafia this time – this time the FBI is trying to blow the cover off of price fixing in the food additive business – and they’ve found their inside man.

The Informant! was definitely a departure for Steven Soderbergh. It isn’t about being squeaky clean and super cool like the Ocean’s 11 franchise. Instead it turns heartthrob Matt Damon into reserved, socially awkward company executive Mark Whitacre. No easy feat for Damon who put on thirty pounds and grew a porn-stache to play the role.

The true story of Whitacre, an executive at ADM, a company wrapped up in a world-wide scandal to keep the price of snack foods up.
Most of the movie was spent watching Whitacre (not the most graceful of characters) go undercover with the FBI, wear a wire and snitch on the price fixing conspiracy in the Lysine business; never really understanding if he is doing it because it is the right thing to do or because he gets off on being undercover for the FBI.

Exiting the theatre I overheard someone call the movie “Sufficiently bizarre”; I’d have to agree. The movie stays true to the story of Whitacre, while at the same time has you scratching your head and laughing at – not with – the absurdity of this oddball character.

-Jacob Barker (Broadcast Journalism)

Well like very OTHER Tom, Dick & Harry I want to be an actor.  So I been goin’ to auditions trying to get something I’m even applying in NYC even tho I don’t live there. If London doesn’t work I will go there. I’ve got my London accent down since I’ve been 5 years so I’m sure I could pass especially considering the work Don Cheadle (see the hilarity at 1:10) has done in the Oceans series. In the rubble, really mate?. So I went for an audition for the play Salome by Oscar Wilde. In the breakdown it said “there will be movement”. I had never been to one of those. SO. I didn’t wear a tight dress but I did put on my skinny jeans, I mean how much “movement” was there gonna be?

So I arrived and it was a group of 10. 9 chicks and one dude. So first they had us stretch out our vocals. That whole “mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi” shit. I really couldn’t do it, not cos I can’t sing (well I do most of my singing in the shower) it’s cos I just had regained my voice –lost it on my birthday night out coming home at 5 am—and I didn’t want to lose it again! Then they had us do body warm ups. And I’m not talking about a stretch here in there, I’m talking about a PROPER body warm up. Like for an aerobics class. This was meant to relax us.

See, very soothing

We’re in the upstairs of an old pub in like 85 degree weather (10 more inside, especially with no a/c) doing class war ups in skinny jeans! Okay just to clarify, I don’t go to the gym to relax. I don’t go into a hot box full of sweaty people that smells like some fancy Europe cheese grunting and panting and wearing grossly inappropriate clothing for their body type, to relax!  The gym does not relax me. I only go so when I eat cake it doesn’t count!

So after our woeful warm ups they proceed to show us some “basic” moves.

“Okay so step forward. Draw your leg in a circle. Move to here and go there”

I’m sorry what? I asked them to repeat b/c honestly what were they trying to teach us.

Then they say, “Sorry, your group has less time than the others so we don’t have enough time to teach you”

Great

Then they proceed to do it all over again “once more with feeling” oh and with arms. Turns out they were doing ballet and dissecting each move. Now I did ballet for 6 years. In fact I still remember most of the basic steps. But I do believe to teach dance, once should number “5, 6, 7 8” etc. And use the correct terms or you know say tings like  “one step to the left, two steps to the right”.  I totally bombed. I’m sure my monologues was okay but seeing as I looked a graceful as Amy Winehouse on any of her bender days, surprise, I didn’t get the job. Onwards and upwards right?

Grace personified

This is from the film “Takers”.. it looks like a more action packed, worse acted, confusing version of Set It Off.. Dead Presidents and Oceans 11,12,13..

Anywho.. this ain’t no movie review..

If you watch the trailer.. you’ll notice Zoe Saldana with the SEXIEST light skinned man to ever grace the movie screen… Michael Ealy..

Clearly Michael Ealy is some sort of bad boy.. and she is LOVING it..

Which leads me to this age old question:

What Is It About The Bad Boy?!

1. Danger is sexy — being caught up in action is scary, but if you have a strong man to protect you.. then you’ll eat up the danger like you chompin on a 2-piece at Popeyes..
2. Forbidden fruit – being with the bad boy is frowned upon.. so many negative consequences will have anybody’s mama going nuts. But the less they want us to date him, the more desirable he becomes..
3. Risk-taking gets the blood boiling – adrenaline rushes make us horny..
4. Opposites attract — a good girl and a bad boy are a match made in heaven.. they are so different.. it makes sense that they would balance each other out
5. Rebellion – we may be the good girl, but good girls are boring.. bad boys spice up our lives without us having to actually do something ourselves
6. It will never work – usually these relationships do not last long.. for commitment-phobic women.. they are a great sense of adventure and then.. on to the next!
7. We need a challenge — many women want to mold or change a man to be what she wants him to be.. if he is already the professional with a great sense of humor that loves family, there is no challenge! But a bad boy!? He has much to be desired
8. He will hit the bottom — If he has nothing else to offer, a bad boy usually has a tight d*ck game.. he knows how to put it down and may be more adventurous in the bedroom.. plus, many people work harder at what they are good at when they are missing other key ingredients (such as, a job)
9. Money – Many bad boys are into illegal activity, if he’s doing it right, he’s making money of it.. and the lure of that lifestyle alone will draw women to him
10. Some of our best Hollywood fantasies are of bad boys – think old school James Dean (the rebellious Bad Boy), think Michael Ealy in Barbershop (reformed Bad Boy), think Tyrese in Baby Boy (needs to get a grip on life, just bad enough Bad Boy), John Travolta in Grease (seems nice but a Bad Boy at heart).. and lastly.. just because he has muscles Bad Boy: 50 Cent

Most reviews that you will read on this film will be how great, poetic, masterfully shot this film is. First let me say I did enjoy this film and I have chosen to watch it several times since it came out. I do however think that most of the over the top glorified reviews come from fans and people that believe that Terrence Malick is the be all end all of movie directors. Personally I think he is a bit over rated. This came out the same year Saving Private Ryan did, and I don’t think it comes close to being the film that Private Ryan is. Malick supporters will say I just don’t get it, or I’m not intellectual enough to understand him. I understand him, and get it, he is just a bit heavy handed with his directing and many times to artsy for his own good.

Really the one thing that annoyed me about Thin Red Line was the voice over. Soldiers in war don’t run around thinking in Shakespearean pros or poetic verses as if from a Robert Frost poem. My general opinion on voice overs in films are that if you need one, you are not doing a very good job. I think some of the thoughts and points could have been conveyed through acting and the film score. Most reviews say this film makes you think, to me with the voice over, Malick is trying to do your thinking for you by spelling out what he is trying to say.

This film does has an impressive cast. Sean Penn (Best Actor Milk and Mystic River), Adrian Brody (Best Actor The Pianist), George Clooney (Oceans 11, Burn After Reading), John Cusack (Runaway Jury, Must Love Dogs), Jim Caviezel (Passion of the Christ, Frequency), and probably the only performance worth bragging about come from Nick Nolte (Cape Fear).

In my opinion this is a good war film, but at times a bit too artsy for it’s own good. I am sure some will love it and think of it as a deeper war film than anything out there, just didn’t come across that way to me. This film is still worth watching, I just wouldn’t put it at the top of the “to watch” pile.

by The Great White Gypsy

Amreeka – Written and Directed by Cherien Dabis
We’ve seen this kind of thing on TV and in movies before. Actually, a lot recently. But this story of a single mother emigrating from Palestine and working at a White Castle in Illinois looks interesting. If you liked The Visitor, you’ll probably enjoy this, and it’s gotten a lot of positive reviews from Cannes and Sundance.
Nisreen Faour, Melkar Muellam, Alia Shawkat
September 4

Carriers – Written and Directed by Alex and David Pastor
Chris Pine (Star Trek, Bottle Shock) has already proven himself to be a versatile actor. Looks like your typical virus-ends-mankind thriller, but since when is that a bad thing? The Pastor brothers are new, but the preview is enticingly vague and eerie.
Chris Pine, Piper Perabo, Lou Taylor Pucci
September 4

Extract – Written and Directed by Mike Judge
The creator of Beavis and Butthead and King of the Hill has been sadly absent from cinema since Office Space in 1999 (save 2006’s Idiocracy). About an Extracts plant owner who thinks his wife is cheating on him, the fact that the preview and the tagline compare it to Office Space could spell trouble, but Judge, Bateman, and J.K. Simmons haven’t let me down so far.
Jason Bateman, Ben Affleck, Mila Kunis, J.K. Simmons, Kristen Wiig, Clifton Collins Jr.
September 4

Gamer – Written and Directed by Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor
Pro: It’s good to see Gerard Butler in an action movie after being in bullcrap like P.S. I Love You, Nim’s Island, and The Ugly Truth.
Con: The Writer/Director team is the same guys who did Crank and Crank 2.
Futuristic story about convicts who are players in a live action video game, controlled by real people. The winner is set free…everyone else dies. Granted, it appears to be a solid movie, but Crank 2 didn’t do anything for Jason Statham’s career (especially after Transporter 3), and after movies like Death Race, The Condemned, and Running Man, don’t expect to see anything groundbreaking.
Gerard Butler, Ludacris, Michael C. Hall, John Leguizamo
September 4

9 – Directed by Shane Acker, Written by Shane Acker and Pamela Pettler
Sure, 9 little rag dolls running around in a post-apocalyptic world might not rattle your cage, but after seeing Sebastian’s Voodoo at the Ashland Festival last April, I can’t wait to see Shane Acker’s animated short come to life as a full length feature. Not only is the voice casting solid, but it’s being produced by Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov. I feel like I’ve been waiting for this for 9 years (don’t worry, I already punched myself for that one.)
Elijah Wood, John C. Reilly, Jennifer Connelly, Christopher Plummer, Martin Landau, Crispin Glover
September 9

The Other Man – Written and directed by Richard Eyre
Liam Neeson suspects his wife is cheating on him. Then she disappears, which makes him…slightly more suspicious. So he sets out to find and meet the man she’s seeing. Then they play a game of chess (if only Ingmar Bergman was alive to collect royalties on that). Kinda looks like Taken 2, but Neeson, Banderas, and Linney are all solid, and Eyre directed Notes on a Scandal, which got a lot of Oscar attention. Also based on a short story by Bernhard Schlink, who wrote The Reader. Unsure about this one.
Liam Neeson, Antonio Banderas, Laura Linney
September 11

The Burning Plain – Written and Directed by Guillermo Arriaga
Kicking off Oscar pre-season is Guillermo Arriaga’s (writer: 21 Grams, Babel) poignant drama about three women searching for happiness. Not only are Theron and Basinger involved, but composer Hans Zimmer (Frost/Nixon, The Dark Knight), cinematographers Robert Elswit (There Will Be Blood, Michael Clayton) and John Toll (Gone Baby Gone, The Last Samurai, Almost Famous), and Production Designer Dan Leigh (The Last Kiss, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) are all present and accounted for. Could be a contender.
Charlize Theron, Kim Basinger, John Corbett, Jennifer Lawrence, Joaquim de Almeida, Robin Tunney
September 18

Disgrace – Directed by Steve Jacobs, Written by Anna Maria Monticelli
Adaptation of Nobel Prize winning author J.M. Coetzee’s (Elizabeth Costello, Waiting for the Barbarians) novel about a professor in post-apartheid South Africa who has an affair with a black student. When he is dismissed, he goes to live with his lesbian daughter, and they are attacked by a group of black teenagers. Films like this are hard for Americans to swallow, because they often forget that apartheid really didn’t start to disappear until 1994. Rookie director and writer, but Malkovich is always brilliant.
John Malkovich
September 18

The Informant! – Directed by Steven Soderbergh, Written by Scott Z. Burns
I’m trying very hard to forget about Ocean’s 11-13, and Soderbergh’s love affair with George Clooney. If I focus really hard on films like Out of Sight, Traffic, and Sex, Lies, and Videotape, then maybe I’ll give this Kurt Eichenwald (Conspiracy of Fools) adaptation of an agricultural businessman turned government informant a chance. I make no promises.
Matt Damon, Scott Bakula
September 18

Paris – Written and Directed by Cedric Klapisch
About a Parisian man with heart disease who is waiting for a transplant. He observes the city, and the people around him as they struggle through life and love. Klapisch looks fairly prolific in France, and I’m a Juliette Binoche fan. Looking forward to it.
Juliette Binoche, Romain Duris, Fabrice Luchini
September 18

Jennifer’s Body – Directed by Karyn Kusama, Written by Diablo Cody
A hot high school girl takes a plain jane under her wing. Turns out she’s possessed, and trying to kill everyone. Normally I won’t even mention high school horror films like this. However, the people involved have me interested. Diablo Cody wrote Juno, which was amazing. Kusama directed Girlfight (good), but she also did Aeon Flux (not good). Probably won’t see it on the big screen, but I’ll look for it on On-Demand.
Megan Fox, Amanda Seyfried, J.K. Simmons, Amy Sedaris, Adam Brody
September 18

Splice – Directed by Vincenzo Natali, Written by Vincenzo Natali and Antoinette Terry Bryant
Again, normally I wouldn’t hype a film that appears to be a rip off of Species. But it also reminds me of Mimic, which was directed by Guillermo del Toro and, interestingly enough, del Toro is producing this sci-fi thriller. I like Adrien Brody, and I liked The Orphanage. Enough said.
Adrien Brody, Sarah Polly
September 18

The Blue Tooth Virgin – Written and Directed by Russell Brown
As an aspiring writer, I’m always a sucker for a film about aspiring writers. Two such people in L.A. have their friendship thrown into turmoil when one of them doesn’t like the other’s new screenplay. I’m interested, but most of you might wait until you see it on cable.
Karen Black, Roma Maffia, Lauren Stamile, Lance Aaron, Amber Benson, Bryce Johnson
September 25

The Boys are Back – Directed by Scott Hicks, Written by Alan Cubitt
The director of Snow Falling on Cedars and Hearts in Atlantis is teaming with Clive Owen for this dramedy about a man trying to raise his young son and reconnect with his older son after his wife dies suddenly. Looks more dramatic-family-dynamic than feel-good-comedy, a good departure for Owen as of late.
Clive Owen
September 25

Brief Interviews with Hideous Men – Written and Directed by John Krasinski
Krasinski’s directorial debut portrays a woman (Nicholson) interviewing men about their relationship patterns. Might not be really innovative, but after The Office and Away We Go, I’ll shell out $10 to support Johnny K. Not only that, it’s based on a short story by David Foster Wallace (Infinite Jest), who is freaking brilliant. Good luck finding this anywhere, though; I can’t even find an actual preview yet.
John Krasinski, Julianne Nicholson, Timothy Hutton, Lou Taylor Pucci, Josh Charles
September 25

I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell – Directed by Bob Gosse, Written by Tucker Max
I’ve picked up Tucker Max’s book several times from the discount table at Borders, but, funny as it sounds, it’s not my kind of literature. However, the subject matter should make for an entertaining movie, and the outlandishly misogynistic things this guy says should be good for a laugh (the first line of the preview had me laughing out loud.)
Jesse Bradford, Matt Czuchry, Geoff Stults, Traci Lords
September 25

The Invention of Lying – Written and Directed by Ricky Gervais and Matthew Robinson
As much as I respect Ricky Gervais (The Office…no no, the original one), this inside-out Liar Liar has the potential to be esoterically dull. That being said, anything with Jeffrey Tambor has my initial approval.
Ricky Gervais, Jennifer Garner, Jonah Hill, Patrick Stewart, Jeffrey Tambor, Jason Bateman, Tina Fey
September 25

Pandorum – Directed by Christian Alvart, Written by Travis Malloy
Unknown meets The Descent meets Event Horizon in this sci-fi thriller about two crewmen aboard a large transport spaceship. They wake up alone, without any memory, and start to see weird monsters and crazy visions. Ben Foster is creepy all by himself, but this film looks dark and tense. Director, cinematographer, and editor each have a respectable body of work in Germany, but few successes in the US. I’ll definitely see it.
Ben Foster, Dennis Quaid, Antje Traue, Norman Reedus
September 25

Surrogates – Directed by Jonathan Mostow, Written by Michael Ferris and John D. Brancato
This is an almost Aasimovian story about a future where everyone just stays home on the couch, and controls a robot surrogate in the outside world with their mind. No one’s supposed to die. Then someone does. How do they never see that coming? Unfortunately, Mostow directed Terminator 3, which, along with Terminator Salvation, was also written by Farris and Brancato. If I see Schwarzenegger once, I’m throwing popcorn.
Bruce Willis, Rosemund Pike, Ving Rhames, Radha Mitchell, James Cromwell
September 25

KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN

Dorian Gray – Directed by Oliver Parker, Written by Toby Finlay
Oscar Wilde’s original novel may have been a bit dry, but it’s a classic. Like most classics, however, this one is yet again being twisted and exploited by the film industry. The effects look cool, but the story seems a bit off, and the shameless addition of lurid sex scenes, while generally enticing, is just corrupting another good book, so today’s teens can read the smutty film novelization instead of the real thing. Not sure when it’s hitting the states, but the UK gets it next month.
Ben Barnes, Colin Firth
September 9 (UK)

Creation – Directed by Jon Amiel, Written by John Collee
The story of Charles Darwin in the midst of his controversial theories on evolution. It’s supposed to be based on a biography, but it appears to have a little church propaganda slant to it. Nevertheless, Bettany and Connelly are generally good, and the genuine emotions in the preview look solid. Not sure when we’ll see this one, but once again the UK gets it next month.
Paul Bettany, Jennifer Connelly, Jeremy Northam
September 25 (UK)

New Movie Entitled: Hot Women Love Fat, Balding Men

So I just saw the trailer for Couples Retreat, and I’m happy to report that Hollywood has FINALLY managed to get Vince Vaugn and Jon Faverau into a movie together.

What a coup.

Is anyone else tired of the same ensemble casts getting together to make the same movies over and over?  Does anybody else feel like their thirteen-dollar admission fee is picking up the tab for a six month long party where Ben Stiller gets to hang with Jack Black yet again? Their shit-tastic films are really just 90 million dollar inside jokes, a “project” where Clooney, Pitt, Damon and Soderbergh can go on location because Ocean’s Fifteen really needs to shoot a scene in Prague.

I saw the trailer for Couples Retreat before the movie, Funny People.  Ironically, there were none in it, but speaking of cliques:  The Apatow For Destruction crew, they don’t even pretend like there are other people in Hollywood.  Judd Apatow puts five people in his films: Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill and his wife and kids.  So not only does my ticket price pay for their family Q-T, it also pays the salary of actors whose checks are direct-deposited into, at best, a joint account with the director?  Bullshit.

Fat is the New 20

Now Couples Retreat.  Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn are at it again, and they’re flaunting their luxurious lifestyle that my ticket price affords them.  I guess they’re a few distinctions in their careers, but they both ended up in the same place: 60 pounds overweight.  Vince Vaugn has miraculously been able to hold that heroin-chic look with the sunken, dark-ringed eyes, but has juxtaposed it with a neck that has a higher fat content than a Quizno’s Tuna Melt.  And Jon Favreau, he’s the one person in America who’s managed to gain weight in his knuckles.  How do you do that?

By eating at the fanciest restaurants, drinking the good shit, and living like a movie star while writing the worst scripts a printer can print.  I’m not saying the script for Couples Retreat is bad,  but Rob Schneider passed on it.

Does Hollywood care?  Of course not.  I’m still stuck watching (trailers for) movies teaming them up.  Let me guess, Favreau will be the nebbish, lovable loser.  Vaughn will be the cocky, brash ex-jock that women love.  Yeah, I loved it too, 150 pounds ago when it was called Swingers (or Made, or Four Christmases, or Just Your Luck, or go fuck yourself… both of you fat bastards).

What am I gonna do?  Go see Shutter Island? Pick up the tab on Hollywood’s newest (and getting to be oldest) love affair between DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese?  Go see Matthew McConaughey with Kate Hudson (or is Katherine Heigl now.  I can’t tell the difference anymore.)?

No, I’m stuck holding the bill for the same five movies every year while they live it up.  Will I do anything about it?  Nope.  I’ll sit back and anxiously await the new Michael Cera/Bill Hader extravaganza which is inevitably on its way.

We zijn nu Oceans 11 aan het kijken en volgens Raquel (mijn oudste zus) is Brad Pitt de mooiste man. Ik vind van niet.

Als ik zou moeten kiezen ga ik tóch voor George Clooney. Hij lijkt mij iets sympathieker dan Pitt.

Wat vind jij? Brad Pitt of George Clooney?

From the beaches of Miami to the Italian Rivera,  Azimut will turn the heads of those who clamp eyes on their sleek modern 116 superyacht. The Italians have a real passion when it comes to designing machines of luxury and the Azimut 116 certainly fits neatly into the bracket of desirability.

The Azimut 116 sits beautifully with the light reflecting between the water and her unique reflective windows, providing privacy to her occupants and a design spectacle to those who gaze upon her. She comes with a convertible top that provides complete coverage of the fly deck taking in to account not to spoil your experience within the jacuzzi and the entertaining space aft.

The classic Italian verve for creating beautiful places to be is clearly illustrated in the main lounge area, consisting of elegant wood floors and leather couches. An array of electronic systems and interior materials are available to customers wishing to individualise their yacht.  

This example of one of the en-suite guest rooms provides an insight to the clean cut lines on board the Azimut, warm and inviting with a functional feel that would have you believing you’re within the walls of a 5 star hotel room but for the port holes on the wall rather than a conventional window

The cross sections show a well engineered and thought out 3 deck design, customers have the choice of 3 layouts and countless ways in which to style the inside to individuals tastes.

The Azimut 116 is powered by twin MTU V16 2000 M93’s producing 2434 mHP, allowing her to cruise comfortably at 24 knots (half load) and go onto a top speed of 28 knots (half load). Impressive for 35.46 meter yacht with 7.40 meter beam and at full load she has a displacement of 143 tons.

The Azimut 116 is a shining example of the Italian boat designers vision of luxury on the water, she is a serious contender in the lower end super yacht market amongst some strong competition.

Check out the Azimut 116 in video review action at

www.worldsportsboats.ning.com

SPOILERS for Ocean’s 12 (not that you should care), and maybe Ocean’s 11, which is worth seeing, ahead.

Forced together by a very convenient plot device (i.e. do what the screenwriter says or you all die) which renders the ending of the last movie defunct (a common complaint in sequels), the same gang of crooks from Ocean’s 11 do some stuff to steal and make money. Yeah!

However this time they’re not after the money, unlike last time, when they were not after the money. Andy Garcia’s casino owner is replaced by a far more deadlier and noxious foe.

The Eurobag

Far too self-consciously “cute” and “witty” for its own good, this takes the essential formula of the first film and removes the drama and suspense. An example that particularly infuriated me:

A major part of the film involves Julia Roberts’ character Tess impersonating Julia Roberts. Then she meets Bruce Willis. Here’s a clip:

WHAT.

Steven Soderburgh even has the audacity to repeat a plot point from the first movie with Brad Pitt instead of George Clooney. They both chase ex-wives/ex-girlfriends, at the expense of the team, possibly putting them in danger. Except in the first film, it felt organic. The audience didn’t know about it until it was revealed to Matt Damon. Here, a clumsy prologue sequence spills all, and Brad Pitt spends the whole movie violating his own advice.

The problem is the audience knows too much and yet too little. Endless jumps in time and pointless trailing scenes don’t help, filling in character details or backstory that I don’t really care about or need to see. Again in Ocean’s 11 it was organic, and came out while they were planning the robbery (which was the plot of the film). Here it’s just a diversion.

The ticking clock plot device, designed to ramp up the tension in an inherently flat and dull story, doesn’t work. After setting up Andy Garcia as this incredible threat in the first film, he’s relegated to inciting incident duties. Once he’s given them time to give him his money back instead of killing them all as he threatened, he’s no longer bad-ass, and poses no threat at all.

In fact the only stakes in this movie is the shame of losing a stealing competition to a douchebag. Oh the shame! The big reveal – that the entire film we’ve been watching was just misdirection for the real theft, which is then shown only in flashback – is just a giant FU to the audience.

What? People pay to see this? That's funny to me!

Brad Pitt saves this movie. He is a very successful actor, somehow managing to maintain a lot of mainstream appeal while taking some really niche roles between the big fat pay-checks (like this one). He’s a great actor, no matter how many stupid Japanese coffee ads he’s done.

Another good point (I try to find at least a few) is the luscious cinematography. Each frame is beautifully composed and shot, to the point that I tuned out all the “plot” and wallowed in the visuals. More Amsterdam would have be nice – it’s one of my favourite cities.

Any good story-teller’s job is to disguise the form so theme and story can shine through. Completely the opposite is done in this movie, but I don’t mind. The story is so boring and the characters so vapid and untouchable that this is the only thing that can excite me.

Rating compared to original: The original felt fresh. It brought a new style and tone to the heist movie, and was one of those rare ensemble star-studded films that actually worked. Boy do the jokes age quickly here. The characters are annoying and outstay their welcome. There’s not even a clear heist that we can get behind. Time to ascribe an arbitrary number to it.

30% of original’s quality.