Category: Movies

"Immigrants, liberals, weirdos, atheists"

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It occurred to me this morning that I’ve completely forgotten the whole fatblogging thing. Just as well; not much has happened since it slipped my mind back in November. Stayed pretty much the same, went up around Christmas came back down to about 224 where I’ve been sitting for weeks. The cold this past week hasn’t helped anything. I’m hoping to start running again on Tuesday, maybe.

.:.

Watched the remake of 3:10 To Yuma (imdb | rotten tomatoes) today. It was pretty good indeed. I don’t normally care much for Russell Crowe, but I think he was well-suited to this role and Christian Bale was great as always. Funny how a Brit and an Aussie would play two cowboys, no? Anyway, it was a solid film, especially if you like westerns.

.:.

This article in the New York Times [via Richard Florida] contains some interesting insights on the threats to science in the U.S.:

Many Americans remain ignorant about much of science, the board said; for example, many are unable to answer correctly when asked if the Earth moves around the Sun (it does). But they are not noticeably more ignorant than people in other developed countries except on two subjects: evolution and the Big Bang. Although these ideas are organizing principles underlying modern biology and physics, many Americans do not accept them.

“These differences probably indicate that many Americans hold religious beliefs that cause them to be skeptical of established scientific ideas,” the report said, “even when they have some basic familiarity with those ideas.”

Florida takes issue with this explanation:

This is not just a question of religion, many Americans are more than skeptical, they dislike, are fearful of and are angered by the institutions which develop science and help provide the broad eco-system of innovation. They view leading universities as places filled with “immigrants, liberals, weirdos, atheists” and so on, who’s views are antithetical to “family values.”

I’m not sure I agree with Dr. Florida’s theory, though I admit I have no data either way. It simply seems easier to accept the religious influence suggested in the article, as I know the that schism exists in the U.S. I cannot, on the other hand, figure out how the opinion described by Dr. Florida could have taken hold. I’m not saying it didn’t; I would just be stunned if it had. Stunned, and even more fearful of what’s happening south of the border.

[tags]fatblogging, 3:10 to yuma, richard florida, new york times, science, evolution, big bang[/tags]

"Not your God. Mine."

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The sun actually came out today. The wind still made it bitterly cold, but it was nice to at least see some sunshine for the first time in weeks, even if it didn’t help warm things up.

.:.

Just as I’ve pretty much gotten rid of my cold, Nellie’s gotten sick with one of her own. It’s a different cold than what I had — all in the throat, this one — but she’s no less miserable. Last night she had just enough in her to enjoy a couple of drinks and some dinner at beerbistro, but this morning she was worse. Scrapping our original ambitious plans, we ran out just long enough to pick up some food, a book at Nicholas Hoare (Cormac McCarthy’s The Road…I got one without an Oprah sticker, thank Gutenberg!) and some movies.

.:.

Two of those movies we watched this afternoon:

I thought Sunshine (imdb | rotten tomatoes) was quite good. I’ve liked pretty much everything director Danny Boyle’s done, and while this wasn’t exactly new cinematic ground, Boyle made it interesting without being too “sci-fi” at all. Definitely recommended.

28 Weeks Later (imdb | rotten tomatoes) was Nellie’s pick…she wanted something a little dumb and action-y. It wasn’t terrible, but just couldn’t live up to 28 Days Later (also directed by Boyle, and starring Cillian Murphy who also starred in Sunshine…come to think of it, Rose Byrne was in both Sunshine and 28 Weeks Later…I guess Danny Boyle likes continuity) and fell back a little too much on cliche. Not bad, but you’re better off just watching 28 Days Later again.

[tags]toronto sunshine, nicholas hoare, cormac mccarthy, oprah, sunshine, 28 weeks later, 28 days later, danny boyle[/tags]

Where's the "blessed sinus relief" setting on this contraption?

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The good: our fancy-pants Harmony 880 remote arrived today. Actually, it arrived last Tuesday, but the security desk downstairs somehow forgot to tell us. They do that a lot. Anyway, we fetched it tonight and I’ve spent my few remaining active brain cells figuring how to use it. Still working out the bugs but I think I’ve got it. For Nellie and I it’ll be sweet to only have one remote instead of wrangling 4 or 5; for visiting parents it’ll be nice to just press one button that says “Watch TV” or whatever.

The bad: no two ways about it, I’m sick. I am siiii-iiiick. I stayed home from work today and basically tried to figure out the optimal angle at which to lie down to a) minimize my headache, and b) maximize drainage from my sinus cavity. All the Tylenol cold & cough in the world didn’t make much difference; I’m hoping the mug of neo-citran cooling in front of me knocks me out. I need sleep.

The sacred: all I could do today was lie on the couch and watch a movie (higher brain functions: not present) so I watched The Devil and Daniel Johnston (imdb | rotten tomatoes), a documentary about the little-known cult folk singer. I knew a little bit about him from the buzz surrounding the film (which screened at TIFF a couple of years ago) and I know my brother was very affected by seeing him live, but that was it. I actually didn’t even know about the whole Kurt Cobain t-shirt thing. Watching the film was only marginally easier than listening to him sing; in both situations this man’s demons are on display for the whole world to see.

The profane: we also watched a documentary tonight (thank you writer’s strike!) called Fuck (imdb | rotten tomatoes). Yes, you read that right. Fuck. It is, predictably, an inspection of why the word is considered so naughty. It spends a bit of time on the origin of the word (hint: it’s not an acronym, despite what you’ve been told), looks at the history of its use in comedy and show business (starting, naturally, with Lenny Bruce), touches on what it means to first amendment rights and eventually becomes a discussion of conservative hysteria and hypocrisy (or at least that’s how it seemed to me; I’m sure to a conservative it seemed like a discussion of how liberalism is sending America into the toilet at Mach 3). While it was interesting subject matter, and it had a few laughs (especially from Billy Connolly and Bill Maher) the documentary tried much too hard to be cute and edgy at the same time. Not bad, but not great. And vertainly not for the faint of heart; the film takes pride in the fact that, were it to be aired unedited on American television, they would be fined $280 million dollars by the FCC.

[tags]harmony remote control, sinus cold, the devil and daniel johnston, fuck documentary[/tags]

"I left my thimbles and socialist reading material at home."

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

.:.

Wow, three days without blogging. That’s probably a record. I can explain: busy Friday, busy Saturday and today I feel like ass.

Friday I was at work until about 7:30, and by the time I got home all I really had the energy to do was eat and watch Friday Night Lights and The Wire.

Yesterday we intended to see There Will Be Blood but when we got to the theatre we found that the new Eye Weekly film listings had lied to us. No wonder Torontoist hates them. No other showtimes worked so we had one last meal at the Biryani House in Roy’s Square. It’s closing in two weeks (moving just around the corner onto Hayden Street) to make room for 1Bloor. Mmmmm…samosas and pakoras and shrimp masala…tasty. After lunch we walked back down Church street, cleaned up a little and waited for CBGB to arrive. They joined us for dinner and a couple of tasty drinks at Smokeless Joe (hence the picture above), then back at ours for a bit.

All was going well until I woke up this morning stuffed up, with a sore throat and a pounding sinus headache. Last night I had nothing; by this morning I was deep in the throes of a cold. Shitty. I feel very unpleasant right now. As such we did next to nothing all day; I have no energy. My day has been limited to lots of basketball, football and movies.

.:.

The first movie we watched today was Stranger Than Fiction (imdb | rotten tomatoes) which, based on the ads, I’d all but dismissed as typical Will Ferrell clowning. It was, in fact, very funny, clever and sweet. Ferrell is so good at the subtle humour he showed here and in Winter Passing that it kills me to see the ads for crap like Semi-Pro. A few times in this movie I laughed out loud, and I rarely laugh at Will Ferrell movies.

We also watched Marie Antoinette (imdb | rotten tomatoes) this evening. The first half was interesting, but it completely lost steam in the second half. It was like watching a dessert cart being paraded around…it looks lovely and inspired at first, but after you stare at the same sweets for two hours it loses something. I didn’t think I’d enjoy it that much to begin with; Sofia Coppola had me in the first half, but lost me again in the second.

I forgot to blog last week about Italianetz (imdb | rotten tomatoes), yet another foreign entry at a past film festival that I wanted to see. The story was about a Russian boy set to be adopted from an orphanage by an Italian couple (hence the title) but who worries that he has a mother somewhere that, should he go to live with another couple, he’ll never see again. The plot takes him on his search for her, but the real star was Russia itself: a dirty, drunken, stormy, barren, corrupt plain of despair…that one little boy refuses to give up on. Worth watching, if you can tolerate the dodgy subtitle translations.

[tags]friday night lights, the wire, there will be blood, eye weekly, torontoist, biryani house, 1bloor, smokeless joe, stranger than fiction, marie antoinette, italianetz[/tags]

An hour early

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I stopped at A Taste Above on the way home tonight. It’s a take-away ready-to-go meal place just up the street. Pricey, but good food and I felt like some quick pasta for dinner. I got there around 6:15…closed. Wha? You’re catering to the busy after-work crowd and you close at 6 PM? Brilliant. Dear A Taste Above: a little advice…send whoever’s in charge of your company on an introductory business course. You’re welcome.

.:.

Esquire breaks down Jerry Bruckheimer’s Laws of Science. Example:

The Law of Inverse Emotional Importance

Oftentimes an event may appear significant when in reality it’s not. When confused, remember this simple rule: The significance of any event is inversely related to the speed of its motion.

Proof: Pearl Harbor, about the devastating attack that pushed the U.S. into World War II, features more slow motion than Samba Night at the hospice center.

.:.

Must…finish…assignment. But don’t…want…to.

Inside/friend voice says: suck it up, princess. It’s due Friday, and after that I’ve got a couple of weeks off before going away on course again. It’s just that everything else seems to be SO much more enjoyable right now…watching hockey, thinking about big problems (opportunities?) at work, spending time with Nellie, going to movies, drinking beer, even running at 6AM…I’m loving all of it right now. The last thing I want to do is more school work.

Good thing my wife is a) supportive of me disappearing into a book for several hours a night, and b) fond of television.

[tags]a taste above, esquire, jerry bruckheimer[/tags]

Underwhelmed

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I believe this is the second time in a week that I’ve quoted Sloan. Anyhoo…

I was pretty sick yesterday so I couldn’t do much other than lay on the couch and watch the Canadiens lose in OT (boo!), watch Team Canada win in OT (yay!) and watch some movies. Both Letters From Iwo Jima and World Trade Center were disappointing. I don’t understand the hype about the former — is it really that groundbreaking to show a war from the other side? — and the latter was so overwrought in the second half that I could barely finish it.

I’m feeling better today though. Just got back from having brunch with CBGB at Joy Bistro.

[tags]letters from iwo jima, world trade center, joy bistro[/tags]

"Thundercats are go!"

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I’ve watched far too many movies lately to describe them all in a lot of detail, so here’s the nickel version of each:

  • Sicko (imdb | rotten tomatoes) was typical Michael Moore: silly, biased, irreverent and more than a little frightening.
  • Hostel Part II (imdb | rotten tomatoes) was rubbish, lacking what tiny scrap of appeal the original had.
  • Breaking and Entering (imdb | rotten tomatoes) featured a philanderer played by Jude Law, which must have been a stretch for him. Oh, and I don’t care how old Juliette Binoche is, that woman is sexy.
  • No End In Sight (imdb | rotten tomatoes) was a very slick documentary about just how fucked the Iraq situation is. In case you weren’t already aware.
  • Juno (imdb | rotten tomatoes) was about as twee as a movie can get, but it was also very, very funny and impossible not to like. Great acting from a great cast.
  • Atonement (imdb | rotten tomatoes) was supposed to this sweeping, romantic, epic tale. It was. It was pretty much just like every other sweeping, romantic, epic tale I’ve ever seen. It was decent and unremarkable and that’s probably what makes it so broadly appealing.

I’d say that Juno and No End In Sight were great films; Sicko was very good, and the rest go downhill from there.

[tags]sicko, hostel part ii, breaking and entering, no end in sight, juno, atonement[/tags]

My favourite songs of 2007

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  1. The National . “Fake Empire”
  2. Arcade Fire . “Intervention”
  3. The Besnard Lakes . “Devastation”
  4. Rogue Wave . “Harmonium”
  5. Grinderman . “No Pussy Blues”
  6. Vampire Weekend . “Walcott”
  7. Matt Pond PA . “Reading”
  8. Matt Pond PA . “Last Light”
  9. Okkervil River . “Our Life Is Not a Movie or Maybe”
  10. LCD Soundsystem . “All My Friends”
  11. Kissaway Trail . “61”
  12. Rebekah Higgs . “Parables”
  13. Kings Of Leon . “The Runner”
  14. Raising The Fawn . “Cliffdivers”
  15. Dan Le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip . “Thou Shalt Always Kill”
  16. The Office . “Oh My!”
  17. Radiohead . “House Of Cards”
  18. Datarock . “I Used To Dance With My Daddy”
  19. Band of Horses . “Lamb on the Lam (In The City)”
  20. LCD Soundsystem . “North American Scum”

Before you ask, I meant to put those two Matt Pond PA songs back-to-back. In fact, I couldn’t even rank one above the other; it’s essentially a tie. LCD Soundsystem is the only other double-entry, but had I gone a few songs further I think “Own Your Own Home” by Rogue Wave or the Arcade Fire‘s “Keep The Car Running” would’ve made an appearance.

I highly recommend making these into a playlist and plugging it in at whatever festivities you attend this evening. If the party were attended by 300 of me, I’m sure it’d be a big hit.

By the way, it could be a while before I can comment on my favourite films of 2007 since I still haven’t seen 4 Months 3 Weeks and 2 Days, Atonement, Away From Her, Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead, Charlie Wilson’s War, I’m Not There, Inland Empire, Iraq In Fragments, Juno, Lars And The Real Girl, Letters From Iwo Jima, Ratatouille, Terror’s Advocate, The Diving Bell And The Butterfly, The Lookout, The Savages or We Own The Night.

[tags]best songs of 2007[/tags]

We're taking breaks only to eat, pee and buy fresh batteries for the remote

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

We are movie-watching machines. We finished off the batch of four movies I rented on Friday and picked up four more.

We watched the very troubling and very authentic-feeling This Is England (imdb | rotten tomatoes) yesterday. It was the story of a 12-year-old boy who falls in with skinheads in Thatcher-era England; the premise sounds far-fetched, but it portrayed in a very real and creepy way how easily it could happen. It was amazing how well they re-created the scummy, gray, economically downtrodden England of the time, and the characters all felt so real…probably partly because I’m unaccustomed to seeing actors make themselves so ugly (i.e., looking like they really came from that era, not a Hollywood-softened version of it) for authenticity’s sake. Highly recommended.

Black Book (imdb | rotten tomatoes) would have been an excellent movie, but it went on 30 minutes too long. An almost non-stop battle between the Nazis and the Dutch resistance, and done in Paul Verhoeven’s typical raw style, it lost momentum in the final act as it twisted and turned through too many endings. It’s still worth watching though.

The Kingdom (imdb | rotten tomatoes) got a bad rap from a lot of critics, but I liked it. It’s not a multi-layered intrigue-fest like Syriana; it’s an action movie. True, Jennifer Garner and Chris Cooper were wasted playing caricatures and the story got rather hard to believe at times, but it was gripping and interesting and even funny in parts. Again, well worth picking up.

Tonight we’re taking a break from potential best-of-2007 films and watching Hostel 2, as per Nellie’s wishes.

[tags]this is england, black book, the kingdom[/tags]

"I can't become king if someone else already sits on the throne."

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In a belated attempt to see more of the best movies of 2007 (as ranked by critics anyway) we rented four movies yesterday in preparation for a lazy cinematic weekend. We watched two last night, and they were both great.

Eastern Promises (imdb | rotten tomatoes) won the top prize at this year’s TIFF, and was mentioned as a worthy follow-up to A History Of Violence. The hype was right; while it started off a teensy bit slow for my tastes, it quickly tightened up into an angry fist of a movie. Viggo Mortensen was just amazing, as usual, and while Naomi Watts seemed rather underused, I’d prefer that to artificially inflating her part to meet her star power. A little too violent for me to recommend to some people, but an excellent film overall.

Once (imdb | rotten tomatoes) is the kind of film that restores your faith in…well, a lot of things. The “musical” genre. Filmmaking as a whole. Even friendship and love. It was made for $100,000 yet packed more emotional punch than any movie made for 100 times as much. More than half the film was music, but it was so unlike a typical musical simply because the music was part of the movie, not just a random melodic interlude. The relationship between the two leads fills and crushes your heart at the same time. If you’re the kind of person who only sees the latest Jerry Bruckheimer / Michael Bay fireworks show, you should avoid this; you won’t recognize it for the brilliant piece of art that it is.

[tags]eastern promises, once[/tags]