Category: blog

The Kids are All Right – A Must See

I heard all the good buzz about The Kids are All Right from Sundance to Berlin, and all I can say is…believe it. Finally a character-driven movie that incorporates a story so honest and authentic in its telling that it makes going to the movies something to look forward to. The script is so good, I’m jealous I didn’t write it and is totally inspiring to those who write funny, smart, character-driven scripts. Thank you screenwriters Lisa Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg.  Also directed by Lisa Cholodenko (Laurel Canyon) and starring Annette Bening (in her best role since American Beauty), Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo, The Kids is about a married lesbian couple living in present day Southern California – and so much more. There’s no hidden message, liberal lecturing or sneaky plugging of alternative lifestyles.  The movie is a truly honest portrayal of parents and kids and marriage and what it all means. Centering around the kids finding their “donor” dad – Josh Hutcherson’s (Bridge to Teribethia) portrayal of a son without a father figure is refreshing brilliant – the movie intelligently becomes a journey to the core of the humanity of a family dynamic. Unfortunately the film’s crappy release time might get in the way come award season, but hopefully the momentum can carry through the summer and fall, and this Indie wonder can get the accolades it deserves.

Oh, and Mark Ruffalo has never been cuter.

Work of Art – Who Says?

WORK OF ART – THE NEXT GREAT ARTIST is yet another reality competition show on Bravo. The apparent brainchild of Sara Jessica Parker (her LOVE of art evidentially is so strong she wanted make a show about it )WORK OF ART is produced by her production company Pretty Matches in partnership with Magical Elves (the original producers of PROJECT RUNWAY before it went to Lifetime).  Like other shows, there is a big cash prize for the winner and the next great artist receives a private show at the Brooklyn Museum.

Casting has done a good job of gathering together a madcap group of artists, some who have been in the art world for many years and some newbies. The show’s host is the very cute China Chow – best remembered for her pixie-like lesbian character in the movie Head Over Heels. Apparently she comes from a family of art collectors, which is seems to be a strong enough skill set to make her a judge as well as a host. Unfortunately the pixie brightness she brought to the movie screen doesn’t carry over to the smaller one.  Too bad. Her lack of expression and monotone critiques make her come off as if she’d rather be sipping a cocktail at the bar at the MOMA.

I have to admit I’ve never heard of the judges – Bill Powers, Jeanne Greenberg Rohatyn and the Tim Gunn-like mentor Simon de Pury. But outside the Parsons world, who ever heard of Tim Gunn before he made a splash on PROJECT RUNWAY? But I don’t think my questioning is due to the lack of familiarity with the fixtures in the contemporary art world. I think it comes down to the parameters of the judging.

In PROJECT RUNWAY, there are guidelines in judging a garment – construction, execution, fit, fabric choice color, etc. Books, screenplays and stage plays are critiqued on structure, conflict, characterization and plot. These things are tangible parameters, although still subjective. But when you remove those parameters and replace them with feelings, then I think the judging is skewed.

The thing I question about WORK OF ART is – Just because someone tells you that your creation is not art, does that mean you’re not making art? In grad school I had a professor ask, “Does it move you?” Good or bad, does it move you? And the show reiterates that art is not only what you make, but how it makes you feel. So, just because these three people in charge don’t feel anything that means that art is not present? I know…I know it’s subjective, but that is what makes this show different from other competition shows. It lacks the strong parameters involved in judging that a show like PROJECT RUNWAY possesses.

I guess it just comes down to what Sondheim says, “Art isn’t easy.”

Inception – Too Much Show, Not Enough Story

I reluctantly did see Inception. My reluctance has nothing to do with Chris Nolan. I really like Memento and Insomnia. But my reluctance centers around the film’s star – Leonardo DiCaprio. I don’t care for the actor. Not even in Gilbert Grape. I once saw an interview where he said,  “…an actor better try his hardest to be believable in the role, otherwise people won’t care.”  I think that’s his problem. He tries too hard (The Aviator) and then misses the mark (Gangs of New York). It’s a shame, because he is the catalyst for a lot of movies getting made, particularly with his newfound partner in Martin Scorsese…but this isn’t about Mr. DiCaprio. Well…maybe it is, but let’s get to the story.

A lot of people will disagree with me – well, the two people that read this blog and that’s not counting my mother – but there are some problems with Inception, mainly the exposition that poor Ellen Page is in charge of dishing out. It is a complicated theory to explain and because of that there is little emotional connection to the concept. The script really doesn’t trust the audience to “get it” and the film suffered for it. Perhaps, the story has a better arc on paper, but just doesn’t translate to film. Although visually stunning, the movie relies too much on the “special effects” and very little on characters, making it hard to buy-in to the whole situation. And for whatever reason I get the feeling that I have seen all this fancy CGI before. It just reminds me of the Verizon Towers commercial mixed with a little Transformers and throw in some Matrix.

Also the puss face that Joseph Gordon-Levitt wears the entire time is really annoying. It’s charming in 500 Days of Summer, but not so much in this movie. A friend of mine points out that if you close your eyes, you’d be listening to Keanu Reeves. Try it!

DC Cupcakes are Half-Baked

Since this show is filmed near where I live, and because the bakery’s coconut cupcakes are so heavenly, that not a week goes by that I don’t crave one, I really wanted to like the show DC CUPCAKES on TLC.  Really.  I really did.  But…and here’s the but…as someone who generally views reality shows as robbers of jobs for writers of scripted shows, the show has to be stellar on all fronts to be impressive.  Unfortunately, DC CUPCAKES is not impressive.

The sisters who own a bakery in the trendy Georgetown section of DC LOVE baking, they LOVE each other, they LOVE their mother, they LOVE charities, they basically LOVE everything. Regrettably, the show can’t sustain on love alone primarily because the sisters really have no television presence. The interviews seem incredibly flat, as if they are reading from a cue card, and the “conflicts”, for instance having to fulfill a charity order at the very last minute, seem overly rehearsed and incredibly inauthentic.  Even the staged guy outside asking about the line. Really? That was absolutely necessary? Totally unreal. That’s it. There is little authenticity to this installment and in a reality market saturated with pastry shows  – the best still remains ACE OF CAKES on the Food Network (nobody comes close to the charm and individuality of Geof Manthorne who’s head to head with the show’s host Duff Goldman for most interesting) – the competition is fierce in its demands for a genuine, or at least appearing genuine, television personality.

But I still highly recommend the coconut cupcakes. Delicious.

True Blood – Supernatural Characters for Grownups

It seems if the Twilight vamps and werewolves are for the tweens, than the supernatural characters of TRUE BLOOD are definitely for adults. As a fan of Charlaine Harris’s books, I was interested in seeing her well-built world transition to the small screen. My interest was piqued further with Alan Ball’s (SIX FEET UNDER) immediate decision to change Tara from white to African-American.  I couldn’t wait to see what future seasons would bring.

The result well exceeds expectations.

TRUE BLOOD, now in its third season is off to a HOT start with a new cast of characters playing some furry and some extremely evil entities. These new additions are bringing a new level of conflict – something that is sadly missing from the tomes of Stephanie Meyer and unfortunately have not been addressed in the screen adaptations. This is what makes TRUE BLOOD the show to watch for grownups.    Although last season it hit a bump in pacing with the whole Maryanne arc (wonderfully played by  Michelle Forbes – I remember her well from STAR TREK NEXT GENERATION), the series explored and continues to explore real issues by brilliantly paralleling them to what’s going today – the most prevalent – vampire rights/gay rights.

Conflict in storytelling is what keeps the reader/participant/viewer interested and it is so difficult to achieve. But the writers and producers of TRUE BLOOD have managed to keep the world of Charlaine Harris and add a new layer of conflict that is not only interesting but believable. That is quite the feat when dealing with a supernatural world that was created in a totally different medium. It’s got to be believable for people to tune in again.

To quote LaFayette, “Are you feelin’ me? Are we clear?”