Movie Moment: The Prestige (2006), knowing the twist

I had the twist for The Prestige ruined for me. Thus, the movie was ruined.

Part of me doesn’t want to fault the film for this, of course, but I’m reminded of a film like Matchstick Men where even though there’s a HUGE twist at the end, the film still offers something upon subsequent viewings. With The Prestige, knowing the twist took away anything to glean from the film. It’s 130 minutes and felt about twice as long, and the film is paced and structured so oddly that it was kind of needlessly confusing.

There’s some really lovely cinematography, though, and the acting is uniformly solid (less so from ScarJo, but she’s still alright), but honestly, when the only thing a film has to offer is a twist at the end, well… knowing that twist going in kind of sucks the fun out of the movie, yes? I have to ultimately grade this a C-, though I’ll never know what I might have thought going into this knowing nothing.

TV Moment: American Idol (Season 8, Top 5)

Big band night is ALWAYS the best night on Idol, ever since Season One, and tonight didn’t disappoint at all. Let’s go through the performances, shall we? (And this is basically my one in-depth-ish Idol post for the season and an excuse to talk about my favorites.)

Kris Allen: “The Way You Look Tonight”
It doesn’t hurt that Kris is totally attractive, but I find him to be one of two singers left where I a) look forward to hearing their album and b) look forward to checking out their full-length songs on iTunes. I appreciate his consistency in sound – it seems to be important to the judges that we get a sense of “who they are as an artist,” and you can totally tell what kind of album this guy is gonna put out when all is said and done, and he manages to use the all-important “artistry” each week to mold the theme week to his sound. Tonight was no exception. It was a solid performance, and it sounded very Kris. I hope he’s one of the two in the finals.

Allison Iraheta: “Someone To Watch Over Me”
Allison’s my other favorite. She’s a great singer, she’s got loads of sass and personality, and she’s another who’s consistently shown what kind of album she’d put out. And it’s an album I’d buy. I don’t understand all this business Simon keeps bringing up about her not feeling like she’s in it to win it. If she didn’t want to win it, she wouldn’t have auditioned in the first place, I say. It seems like a lame criticism and the only one they can level against the otherwise solid Allison in an attempt to knock her off the show to get to the preordained Adam/Danny finale. Her performance tonight was damn good – I don’t get why the judges can’t get behind her more resolutely. If she and/or Kris made it to the finals, I’d be pleased.

Matt Giraud: “My Funny Valentine”
At this point in the show we got to the “good, but past Idols have done it better” portion. With this song, Melinda Doolittle’s rendition was a hell of a lot better – whole other league:

And Matt’s always been a good-not-great performer. He’s a good singer, yes, but he’s in a competition with better people, in my opinion. My problem with him is that we already have Justin Timberlake and we already have a JT backup in Robin Thicke. If both of them go away, I suppose we could call on Matt, but for now, I think two are enough. Also working against him? I have an irrational issue with men who wear fedoras, vests with t-shirts, and scarves indoors. He’s done all of this and insists on continuing to do this.

Danny Gokey: “Come Rain Or Come Shine”
Here’s my beef with Gokey: guy sings really great karaoke. Really really great karaoke. But he’s got the Lil Rounds problem where he doesn’t do ANYTHING to a song, and I find that kinda flat. If he made an album of covers, the covers would all sound like the originals and they’d be competently sung, yes, but the whole thing would be kinda rote. Tonight he finally put a spin on a song and surprise surprise, he was about as good as he’s ever been on the show. For once he wasn’t singing a mildly uptempo song in the exact same style as the original, which is all the guy has done all season. Still wasn’t quite as good as Katharine McPhee’s version, though:

Adam Lambert: “Feelin’ Good”
Adam Adam Adam Adam Adam… Um, let’s break it down. He’s obviously talented. He’s obviously born to be on a stage performing. And that’s where I think my biggest problem with Glambert is. This is a singing competition to find a recording artist, and I just don’t think an album from him would be all that great. He’ll probably make a killing on Broadway when all of this is finished, but just listen to any of his performances with your eyes closed; while his voice is good, it’s not suited to being an album. Even his better performances like “Tracks Of My Tears” were just alright when you take away the emotion that he projects through his stage presence. And that’s why I think he’s a little bit in the wrong competition here. He’ll probably get to the finals, but I think he’d be better served by coming in third or fourth like Daughtry so he isn’t so tied to the Idol marketing juggernaut that the winner (and usually runner-up) gets cordoned off into.

And while we’re on a major Idol write-up, let’s address the judges:
–Randy is increasingly useless, though he generally tends to have coherent thoughts. He needs to stop saying “For me for you, dawg… [insert criticism here],” though. And most of his criticisms tend to either be “this is the best you’ve been, you’re in it to win it” or “wasn’t your best; pitchy.”
–Kara DioGuardi is actually doing just fine, I think, regardless of her being maligned by most. She’s generally on point and she usually has constructive things to say. I hope she’s around to hopefully improve next season and win people over.
–Paula is noticeably less loopy than she’s been in past seasons, but it still takes girlfriend forever to get out a sentence. I find her on the whole to be charming, though. We can’t have all the judges up there being professional and coherent and eloquent all the time, can we?
–Simon clearly wants out of his obligation to the show. He’s most likely to be gone next season, I think. I won’t be crying over it.

Basically, the show is clearly waning in its relevance and its success rate. This season definitely needs to produce a Kelly Clarkson or Carrie Underwood level star to remain successful. It’s the kind of show that I keep watching because it’s remained part of the zeitgeist and it’s still mildly entertaining, but as the show gets closer to its tenth cycle, it all becomes a little tiring and rote. Next year will hopefully feature a more exciting group of singers in the top 12. For now, we just have to wade out the season and hope the better singers continue on. Unfortunately, it’s looking like Allison’s days are numbered and Adam’s win is all but certain.

Lastly, can someone explain to me how the hell Alexis Grace isn’t on this show anymore? Or how Ricky Braddy didn’t make the Top 13? Voting public: you all suck.

I’m so bad at this whole blogging thing

I know I know I know, I’m a horrible person. But to those who actually read this: sorry. I’ve been terrible about updating. For some reason, I find it easier to find time to update this when I’m working and bored at work. ::shrugs:: Whoops.

But yes, I have indeed been unemployed for a month now. My post-production gig ended (and the show’s almost done airing, too), and the waters have been stagnant ever since. I’ve been fine financially-speaking for the time-being, so it’s actually been kind of nice having all this free time. Though it’s taken up until now for me to kick it into high gear and actually apply for stuff and try to write and try to power through some reading.

Basically, we always want the opposite of what we have – when I was employed, I would have KILLED for this much free time and now that I have it, I find myself longing for full-time employment just because it adds structure to my day. During these in-between bouts of unemployment, it becomes startlingly clear how bad I can be at time management.

So I’ve been admittedly slacking off for a while with intermittent bursts of productivity, but I’m trying to turn it around. Hopefully I’ll be putting this time to good use.

Onwards! Things I’ve been loving:

This music video:

LOVE LOVE LOVE this song, and the accompanying video is awesome, gorgeous, and all-around tops. I never thought I’d love Lily Allen so much, but this bodes well.

This book:

I’m only a couple dozen pages in, but so much shit goes down in this book! It’s so tense, well-written, and engrossing. And it’s 900 pages long! I have no idea how Wally Lamb can keep up the pace, but I’m excited to see him rise to the challenge.

The act of trying to get through this book:

Man, what a tome of a book this is. Snow Crash is a justifiable modern-day classic, but Anathem is an ungodly beast of a project to read. But I like the challenge. It’s one of those alternate-worlds books with a huge glossary in the back that you have to keep flipping to, but the alternate world that Stephenson creates is one where mathematicians (I think) sequester themselves from the outside world in convents. They’re like monks, but monks who do math and have philosophical discussions. Long philosophical discussions. But it’s kind of a fun project (for me, at least) to try and get through the novel. It’s another big book: over 900 pages, but there’s something oddly engrossing about the whole thing. It’s like just by writing it, Stephenson has challenged the reader to actually finish it, and I kind of want to play his game and finish the book. At least so I can say that the longest book I’ve read isn’t Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

So yeah, Cannonball hasn’t been forgotten, but um, it’s been… not a top priority, though I have absolutely no excuse with all this free time. My style of reading is to have like, ten books in progress at a time, which is how it is right now, so I’ve probably read the equivalent of a couple more books, but it’s spread out over 50-70 pages each in ten books. Whoops.

And hopefully I’ll be better about updating in here, for those who have been paying attention. :-)

BREAKING NEWS: Oscars once again offer few surprises

::sigh::

Every year I think the Oscars will do what I want them to do and every year I get a little disappointed once the nominations are announced.  And I realize that they are merely one of many year-end awards, but still, today I woke up and read the list and just thought really?? The Reader for Best Picture? No love for Sally Hawkins or a surprise Best Director nod for Mike Leight for Happy-Go-Lucky? No surprise Best Picture love for WALL•E? (Seriously, Academy: it’s O.K. to like animated films in the Best Picture race.)

Nice surprises included Melissa Leo actually getting nominated for Frozen River, Taraji P. Henson getting a nom for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and Kate Winslet getting a nomination for The Reader in the lead category. Supporting actresses this year can now breathe a sigh of relief because they all have a shot of winning (well, not Amy Adams… she’s like the Queen Latifah in Chicago of this year where if someone from Doubt is going to win, it’s clearly going to be Viola Davis).

With that, let’s break it down by category:

BEST PICTURE
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire
No surprises here, save for The Reader. Just because a film is produced by the Weinsteins and is about the Holocaust doesn’t mean it’s actually good. I just saw this on Tuesday and I was immensely disappointed.
PREDICTION ACCURACY: 3/5

BEST DIRECTOR
Danny Boyle – Slumdog Millionaire
Stephen Daldry – The Reader
David Fincher – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard – Frost/Nixon
Gus Van Sant – Milk
The only nomination here I can get really excited about is Danny Boyle’s, but even in his case I’m kind of lukewarm on it. It’s just not a very interesting group this year. Daldry, though, has made three films and been nominated all three times. That’s pretty cool. Too bad The Reader is by far his weakest film.
PREDICTION ACCURACY: 4/5

BEST ACTOR
Richard Jenkins – The Visitor
Frank Langella – Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn – Milk
Brad Pitt – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke – The Wrestler
This is a two-way race between Penn and Rourke, yes? I’ve not seen Jenkins in The Visitor, so I’ll be sure to check that out before the ceremony, but beyond that, I just hope Brad Pitt doesn’t win. Nothing against him, but he wasn’t the strongest part of Benjamin Button by a long shot.
PREDICTION ACCURACY: 4/5

BEST ACTRESS
Anne Hathaway – Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie – Changeling
Melissa Leo – Frozen River
Meryl Streep – Doubt
Kate Winslet – The Reader
Surprising to see Winslet here for The Reader, but only because she was campaigned so heavily for supporting. It’s probably for the best that she didn’t end up with a double nomination, because now I think she’s a clear leader for a win here. She’s simply due. Nice to see Melissa Leo in the mix – I’ll be sure to see the film before the ceremony. I’m almost rooting for her as a placeholder for Sally Hawkins, who was snubbed here. That’s alright, though: she can take comfort in her majority of critics’ prizes she accrued this year.
PREDICTION ACCURACY: 3.5/5 (I don’t think anyone thought Winslet would be nominated here for The Reader but we assumed she’d be nominated.)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Josh Brolin – Milk
Robert Downey Jr. – Tropic Thunder
Philip Seymour Hoffman – Doubt
Heath Ledger – The Dark Knight
Michael Shannon – Revolutionary Road
Really, Michael Shannon? Other than that, all that needs to be said about this category is that Ledger is a lock.
PREDICTION ACCURACY: 4/5

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams – Doubt
Penélope Cruz – Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis – Doubt
Taraji P. Henson – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Marisa Tomei – The Wrestler
I have no beef with any of these performances. Really, anyone winning here would be fine by me, though I’m rooting for Tomei. Hers was a personal favorite performance of mine (she’s the heart and soul of The Wrestler), though this is probably gonna end up going to Davis or Cruz. How nice, though, if we end up getting Javier Bardem giving girlfriend Penélope Cruz the Oscar. It’d be a nice moment (and yet another Best Supporting Actress win for a Woody Allen-directed actress).
PREDICTION ACCURACY: 3.5/5 (Kate got nominated, but in lead.)

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Frozen River – Courtney Hunt
Happy-Go-Lucky – Mike Leigh
In Bruges – Martin McDonagh
Milk – Dustin Lance Black
WALL•E – Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter, Jim Reardon
I have In Bruges sitting on my TV and I’ve heard nothing but good things about it. Ultimately, though, Frozen River is perhaps the biggest surprise here, filling a slot on the Oscars’ obligatory “Independent Films are Good, Too!” checklist. It’s a shame that this is Happy-Go-Lucky’s only major nomination, but whatevs. It’s just an awards show.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – Eric Roth
Doubt – John Patrick Shanley
Frost/Nixon – Peter Morgan
The Reader – David Hare
Slumdog Millionaire – Simon Beaufoy
Another category that’s hard to get really excited about. Meh.

Overall, the year at the Oscars looks to be representative of everything that the Oscars are sometimes derided for, with their total shunning of blockbusters and disregard, on the whole, for films that didn’t come out in the last two months. It just reminds you that the whole enterprise is 90% maneuvering and politics and 10% based on actual quality. Sometimes that 10% is enough to push you through to being invited to the big night, but all too often, deserving nominees get trampled by films with bigger ad campaigns.

Trying to be good about updating.

I wish I had my first Cannonball book review for you, but I’m still slogging through the final hundredish pages of Eclipse at the moment.  Hopefully I can finish tonight and have my thoughts for you soon (spoiler: they won’t be the kindest words I’ve ever written), but for now I’m at the office, waiting for the clock to strike seven so I can head home to Chinese food that Michelle will have hopefully ordered.  We’re so married – God.