2 Chicks and a Flick

A, here.

Calling all germophobes, you must watch this movie…because what you really need is to be even MORE paranoid!! Contagion is an intense movie that moves as fast as the deadly bacterial outbreak on which it focuses. Its message is disturbing, showing how both national and global disease control centers scurry to respond to a threat of this magnitude, all the while, still being about a hundred steps behind the fast-moving outbreak.

Watching this movie made me recall a documentary that M & I watched for one of his history courses — about a deadly flu outbreak in 1918. We were shocked at the worldwide devastation, even down to the area we live in now. But in Contagion, writer Scott Burns and director Steven Soderbergh show us how deadly an outbreak can be in our modern world. Imagine how long it took for a contagion to spread between countries back in 1918…and then imagine how quickly it can spread now, with thousands of international flights per day. No amount of Purell is gonna protect us from that!

This movie also shows how many disease control organizations, both national and worldwide, frantically struggle individually and collaboratively to locate and contain an outbreak of such magnitude, often putting their own lives in danger. And from the opposite perspective, it shows how families just like us respond to a worldwide emergency, doing their best to protect themselves while the world in general is in a panic. I particularly liked the juxtaposition of Jude Law’s character to the disease control centers — it shows how much the media can impact whether we remain calm or panic, and how easily the media can sway public opinion based on what one man thinks he knows, versus what hundreds of disease control experts are trying like hell to confirm as truth. It reminded me of watching wonderful anxiety-inducing zombie movies like 28 Days Later, but with a much more realistic fear that this can actually happen!

A, here.

Starring Jack Black, Steve Martin, & Owen Wilson, The Big Year is a tale of how the strong call of a passion can transform into obsession and can lead to unexpected friendships and even a mutual respect for fierce competitors who share the same love. With the actors in this movie, I expected a knee-slapper comedy, and while it did deliver many laughs, I would rank it more in the genre of Parenthood — heartwarming at times and heartwrenching at times, with a clever touch of comedy throughout.

The three main characters are all bird watchers who unknowingly to each other (at first), are all aiming for a Big Year, which means they log as many bird sightings as possible in one calendar year, with the possibility of claiming the world record. Their pursuit of this dream takes them all over the world in all different seasons, which forces them to make difficult decisions regarding their families, jobs, and friends—all of which can result in sacrifice or reward, depending on how they choose. The true meaning of winning in the end is defined quite differently than you might have expected in the beginning.

The movie is even more delightful with humorous and touching support performances by Diane Weist, Brian Dennehy, Jim Parsons (Sheldon from Big Bang Theory), Tim Blake Nelson (Delmar from O Brother Where Art Thou), and a great role by Angelica Huston. I laughed and I cried (sometimes simultaneously), and I felt truly rewarded for having watched this movie. I highly recommend it!

S, here!
A – I just watched this movie recently and I thought it was great. Jack Black is one of my favorite leading men. I loved him in The Holiday as you know (since watching The Holiday is one of our guilty seasonal pleasures). He is just wonderful.
In fact this is a kind of an unassuming movie that just sneaks up on you and before you know it your are laughing or crying. It shows what price you can pay for your passions but also revels in new found friends. website analysis . I loved the great relationship between Jack Black’s character and his Dad played by Brian Dennehy.

One person you didn’t mentions was JoBeth Williams who played Steve Martin’s wife. She was so big in the 80’s (Kramer vs. Kramer, The Big Chill). I really enjoyed seeing her in a movie again.

Loved it!!!

S: Back in the day, I read all of the Carlos Castaneda books, the first ones about peyote and then later about self-actualization without an altered conciousness. In his third book, “Journey to Ixtlan,” he talks about being impeccable, about living an impeccable life… being exactly who your are, without confusion or pretense. Being here now – as the philosophers of the time suggested. I always wondered what that really meant, what was it like to be impeccable. Then I saw this movie and I finally understood what Castaneda was talking about.

In some ways it’s a road movie/buddy movie. Harry is an old man who is being ejected from everything he knows – his comfort-zone is literally destroyed. Tonto is his best friend and is, at times, his most sane companion, even though he is a cat. Harry is forced out of his home by a wrecking ball. A long-time resident of New York City, he has worn a path from his apartment, to the market, to the park and back, never veering off of his course. He looks and feels old. You get the feeling that someone would have found him in his apartment dead for 3 or 4 days and wouldn’t have missed him or noticed. But, he is forced out, and forced to move on. It seems a disaster to him and he refuses to go – even though in the end I think it is the best thing for him. One of my favorite moments is when they are ejecting him from his home – he’s sitting in his easy chair with the cat in his lap while the cops are bringing him outside (carrying him in the chair) just as the wrecking ball starts to tear down his home. And in some ways, it’s a bit prophetic as he shouts, “Blow winds, Crack your cheeks” from King Lear, because Harry has three children and his journey will take him to each one in turn. (I also love that he quotes Shakespeare a lot)

As in any road move, there is a journey. Harry’s physical journey is to move in with his son, then – due to some unpleasant circumstances – he moves on to his daughter in Chicago, and then on to his youngest son in California. He and Tonto have many adventures along the way, hitchhikers, getting thrown out of an airplane, thrown into jail, off of a bus, reminiscing about his wife – he’s a widower, and his old girlfriend Jesse. When you read that last sentence, you might think this is a screwball comedy and it does have it’s funny moments. But Harry’s journey is a profound one. It’s an emotional journey that he takes as he faces each of his children. He has to come to terms with his own aging, accept who he is, and also accept who his children have become. In some ways, he realizes that his children are not going to save him and in doing that he comes to terms with his parenting mistakes and the imperfections of his relationships. It’s like he reconnects with each of them, just to be able to let them go, and move on with what’s left of his life.

And what a life it is. Harry is one of the greatest characters in any film I’ve ever seen. Harry is played by Art Carney. I was never a big “Honey-Mooners” fan and all I ever thought when I heard Art Carney’s name was goofy Ralph Cramden. Harry is nothing like Ralph. He is funny, angry, and real. He’s not always nice, but he is always fair, and Carney’s performance is subtle and perfect as he moves from being a grouchy set-in-his-ways old man, to someone who is really alive. He won an Oscar for his performance and it is well-deserved! The film was directed by Paul Mazursky and it is funny at times, poignant at others, and always emotionally rich. To me, Harry seems to get younger as he moves West and when you see him playing chess on the beach in California and talking about Buddhism he hardly seems like the same man thrown out of his home at the beginning of the story.

His oldest son is played by character actor Phil Bruns and Josh Mostel plays his nephew Norman (who has taken a vow of silence, LOL). His feminist daughter is played by Ellen Burstyn, and his youngest son, the sad swinger, is played by Larry Hagman. Hagman in particular is amazing and nails his performance. Again, when I think of him I think of JR – but his performance in this film is a revelation. Some of the best scenes in the film are between Harry and his son Eddie.

This is one of those films I would take to a desert island with me. I can watch it again and again, crying and laughing, but always feeling like I’m in the presence of something meaningful and lovely.

Director: Paul Mazursky
Harry: Art Carney
Eddie: Larry Hagman
Released in 1974 (I saw it on HBO in the late 80s)
Bill Conti wrote the score and Paul Mazursky wrote the screenplay

Trivia from IMDB: James Cagney was originally offered the role of Harry. Other people considered for the role were Sir Laurence Olivier and Cary Grant before Art Carney was finally cast. Paul Mazursky’s words to Carney were “You’ll win an Oscar,” which turned out to be prophetic.

Sadly it is hard to find on DVD – but there are used copies around. I recently picked it up on my DVR from TCM.

S: Back in the late 1990s I read a really wonderful book that was suspenseful, romantic and moving. I read it in the dead of winter (which was appropriate since most of the book takes place in a very cold town, in a very cold courtroom). It’s the story of two generations of people who are united and divided by race, culture, and war. I loved the book.

When the movie came out, I was apprehensive. Sometimes films just can’t capture a movie  and I’m usually disappointed. But – this movie is lovely. It captures the essence of the book and has amazing performances by Max Von Sydow and Sam Sheppard, as well as one of the most beautiful scores there is; I watch this every chance I get.

The only word of warning I have is that I read the book… so the movie made sense to me. The entire film is made up of flashbacks, just like the book, and they come up as memories to the various characters in the story. They aren’t all in chronological order. Since I had read the book, it all made perfect sense to me. In fact, I appreciated that they didn’t over-explain, or ruin the dreamlike quality of the book. However, if you haven’t read the book, it could be a bit confusing, and you might have to watch it twice to really get it. (You can’t go wrong reading the book first, it’s a wonderful read, especially in the wintertime.)

The story is a basic courtroom drama involving the possible murder of a fisherman out in a foggy channel in the Pacific Northwest. It is set in post World War II Washington state, and the townsfolk are still not over the trauma of the war and the difficulties the population endured. When a local Japanese American man is arrested for the murder, many twisted relationships and long-forgotten memories surface. The flashbacks involve two people, Ishmael (Hawke) and  Hatsue (Kudoh), who shared a secret love when they were young, a love that was ripped apart by the war.  He is the son of the town’s progressive newspaper editor, she is the daughter of Japanese immigrant farmers. Ishmael becomes involved in the court case because he has taken over the newspaper upon returning from fighting in the war and Hatsue’s husband is the man charged with the crime.

Ishmael is faced with hard choices as he remembers and comes to terms with his own pain and suffering. By  facing his demons, he redeems himself and those that were torn apart by the war and heals some of the racial scars in the community. While this is no fairy-tale, it’s sublime and profound in its way. A quiet story – the snow that falls throughout the film ads much to the ambience, and the Pacific Northwest scenery is like a supporting actor in itself. Max von Sydow is just right in his portrayal of the defense lawyer – he’s such a huge talent and I was sorry he didn’t get an Oscar nod for his supporting performance in this film. It’s is a great story, a beautiful, haunting, winter movie. I’m sorry my Father never got to read the book or see the movie, I’m sure he would have loved them both.

Released: 7 January 2000
Director: Scott Hicks
Ethan Hawke – Ishmael Chambers
Youki Kudoh – Hatsue Miyamoto
Max von Sydow – Nels Gudmundsson
Sam Shepard – Arthur Chambers
Score: James Newton Howard
Book: David Guterson

S: Okay, I have a secret. On the weekends, I hang out with people that dress up and hit each other with stuff. I have to disclose this, because I understand Augie’s world really well, and sometimes I get swept up in it just like he does, and other times, I think it’s just as goofy as Danny does. While we don’t have a dude dressed up like a Centaur, we do have our eccentricities. One of the things I loved about Role Models, is how it both makes fun of misfits, and sympathizes with them, even appreciates them.

Danny Donahue (Paul Rudd) is finding that being a cynic is making his life more and more difficult. He is grouchy and lacks enthusiasm for his job, his life, and his relationship. His co-worker, Wheeler, is a “dude” who thinks he’s Danny’s friend and is always on the lookout for a good time. When Danny freaks out at the breakup of his relationship and gets in trouble with the law – and takes Wheeler with him – the only option they have is jail, or going into community service (a big brother/sister organization called Sturdy Wings).

Of course, they get paired with two kids that are misfits in their own way. Augie, who is in a live action role-playing group, and Ronnie, a foul-mouthed kid who likes boobies and has gone through numerous “bigs” until paired with Wheeler. At first Danny and Wheeler are just trying to log enough hours so that they can stay out of jail, but eventually they care about their charges and get involved in their lives. The end is a big war with all of Augie’s role-playing allies and enemies, and the only way they can succeed is to work together. The movie is in the same vein as 40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up, and The Hangover, and even though those movies are hilarious, this movie has something more. I think it has a heart – as the boys learn something from these two seemingly worthless adults, the adults learn things from the boys as well. In a world where none of these four people can depend on anyone, they learn to depend on each other – but instead of it being some Disney-like feel good movie, this one is full of profanity, fart jokes, and Kiss makeup. I love it.

I can recommend it heartily!!!

S: If you cross Napoleon Dynamite with Dead Poets Society and add in some Godspell and a pinch of High School Musical, you might come close to the essence of this movie. Steve Coogan is hilarious as Dave Marschz (just telling people how to pronounce his name is a big laugh every time it happens). He is a failed actor who, after doing commercials for things like genital herpes medication, has found himself at the rock bottom of the actor’s life teaching drama at a Tuscon High School. When the “tough kids” get forced from shop class due to asbestos-covered portables and join his drama class of 2, he tries to teach them to love theater in a parody of the inspirational teacher movie. He begins to work on a socio-political-avant-garde musical that allows Hamlet to go back in time with Jesus, to prevent everyone from dying at the end. The play also gives Hamlet and Dave an opportunity for father forgiveness. It’s so controversial, it gets the drama program shut down and forces the kids to pull together to save the day in old Andy Rooney “let’s do a show” fashion. However the musical numbers rock – no pun intended – Jesus H Christ, LOL.

All I can say is the song “Rock Me, Rock Me, Sexy Jesus” left me spitting my Margarita out of my nose. This movie is really dumb funny, but I enjoyed it and found it better than Prozac for lifting my spirits. Some of my favorite moments:  the Tuscon Gay Men’s Chorus comes to school singing “She’s A Maniac” from Flashdance as musical accompaniment, the Kaftan scene, Dave roller skating around Tuscon (really Albuquerque).  The film also has gratuitous Elizabeth Shue and David Arquette in bit parts that shine. I give this movie 3 enthusiastic smooches!