The 2011 Summer Screen Review (Part III)

Having been watching more TV on DVD than anything else, a few movies have snuck into the mix, mostly at home, but occasionally on the big screen.

Having finished reading The Girl Who Played With Fire, I was able to watch the Swedish film of the same name. Though less effective an adaptation than The Girl With a Dragon Tattoo, it was still a decently executed film which does an admirable job of streamlining the book's complicated details. Gone is some of the tension of the book, along with a shuffling and compacting of timelines, but the changes have the feel of having been thought-out and deemed necessary to bring the book to the screen. As before, the cast is impeccably assembled (or reassembled, in the leads' cases) and apart from one glaringly obvious technical/factual flaw (which was an odd substitution for a moment in the book, anyway), the film holds itself together nicely. I'm waiting on the final book to be released in the paperback size to match the two on my shelves so I can read it and then view the final Swedish movie, which already lies in wait in my living room.

Onto much less reputable fare, I picked up the notoriously bad Masters of the Universe DVD, starring Dolph Lundgren as He-Man and Frank Langella as Skeletor. I'd seen it before, many years ago, but upon finding it in the cheap bin, I couldn't resist the trainwreck I remembered it to be. The biggest problem with the movie from the get-go is that the script fails where so many adaptations of cartoons and "old school" shows fail: it betrays the very core concept of the show. Presumably in the interests of saving a whole lot in set construction and location work, the filmmakers transport He-Man and company into modern day America for the majority of the story, in search of a Cosmic Key (which is, in itself, a ridiculously conceived object, a technological portal-opener that happens to play like a synthesizer). Abandon Battlecat (who is never mentioned) and essentially replace the mildly annoying Orko with the VERY annoying Gwildor, stick everyone on a distinctly 80s Earth and, combined with a hundred other flaws, you've got a hot mess of a movie, it still can entertain a little for all the wrong reasons. It's also fun to see Courtney Cox in her pre-friends days, hoping, I'm sure, that this will be her big break.

On the animated front, I watched Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, part of Warner Brothers' DC Animated Universe line. Based on a graphic novel, the movie's storyline centres around Superman being framed by the newly-elected US President Luthor and his battle, alongside ally Batman, to clear his name and save the world from destruction. You know, the usual. Despite the misfires that seem to occur with big screen adaptations of DC properties (Catwoman, anyone? Superman Returns? Joel Schumacher ever having anything to do with a comic book movie?), the DC animated adaptations -- starting with the 90s Batman: The Animated Series -- are generally pretty strong, even if they stray significantly from the source material. This one isn't their strongest, but it's a decent animated flick nonetheless.

The 2011 Summer Screen Review (Part II)

Okay, it will likely come as no surprise that I haven't watched all that much this summer, though TV series on DVD have been my mainstays of home electronic entertainment.

I finished up 30 Rock: Season Four last week and I continue to find this show endlessly entertaining. There are so many quotable little lines and running amusements. With viewing on DVD, you also get enjoyable commentaries on several episodes, some of which are comprised mainly of people laughing as they amuse themselves (particularly if it's Jack McBrayer and Jane Krakowski), and the occasional fake fact. Highly entertaining.

I also watched that new classic of western cinema, Paranormal Activity. What can I say? It was what it was, and it wasn't bad for what it was. That husband was pretty obnoxious, though. I guess it was only time before someone said, "Hey, remember how that faux home-video documentary The Blair Witch Project really took off? We should try something like that." (I think I prefer this to TBWP, simply because ... you know ... something actually happened during the 90 minutes.

A Pinball Wizard (I Wish)

Alright, I have a confession to make.

I enjoy Wii pinball more than I expected. A while back, I picked up the Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection in a cheap bin but, having loaned the actual Wii to a friend over the summer, hadn't actually played.

Now I have.

And it's enjoyable.

Though not quite like the real deal, they've done a decent job of recreating pinball glory. I rememember playing some of the tables back in the days when you could easily go to an actual arcade and play actual video games and actual pinball because everybody and their dog didn't have a video game console at home. While Wii pinball can't really replace the real thing, it's still giving me cause to waste more time than is advisable, I'm sure. (Of course, that's by my standards, which are bound to be quite different from those of rabid video game players.)

Hooray for fake pinball!

J is for J.K. Rowling

Okay, the title will greatly increase the Geek-Rating of this site, but SOMETHING's got to get me back on track with postings. In the past I've fallen off the weblogging wagon, but lately I've fallen off the wagon, been knocked unconscious by the heavy wooden wheels, and now I've come to, realizing that the wagon has trundled on several miles down the road without me.

But I'm back. I hope. At least until I have no internet connectivity next week for a while. Then when I'm back online, hopefully I'll be back here, too.

As for "J", yes I was one of those people who got the book on its release date, though it was really all about the discounted price for me. I didn't really have any intention to read it "right away". I did, however, finish another book this weekend (Nick Sagan's Idlewild) so I figured I was as well reading the latest Potter before someone told me everything that happened, anyway.

All in all, I thought it was a decent and satisfying end to the series, though I clearly won't get into any details. I will share my general amusement when I came across on chapter in particular and thought, "Holy Exposition!", though it was sort of necessary, I suppose. I think it will likely be a very difficult book to translate onto the movie screen, though. Lots of "stuff", some of which is already quite cinematic in the way it's been written, and then a lot of "how it all fits together" stuff that works better in a book where we can enter people's heads and thought processes, and just have the occasional bout of exposititory confab...

'Nuff said.

What else can I say? On the Lot was a bit of a disappointment tonight. No real shining stars among them. Since it's pretty much the only show I'm watching these days (that's not on DVD), I was particularly let down.

On an unrelated note (have you noticed I say that often?), although I don't actually listen to Dolly Parton's music, I have a feeling I'd really like to have her at my barbecue. (If I had a barbecue.) She seems like everyone's fun aunt!

And that's all I've got for tonight.

D is for Directors

So, I may have found a new television addiction to replace ... well ... pretty much everything that I watch now that the regular season has ended. On the Lot has captured my interest!

I was very grateful that this week, they actually showed all of the wee films (a mere one minute long this time) that the contestants made. Last week, we only saw a few of the entries, and not in their entirety, either. Very interesting and entertaining, on the whole.

There really were a few rather good wee films. My favourites? Danger Room, Dance Man, and Lucky Penny (while the latter was somewhat predictable, it was quite charming and the little old lady at the end was so darn cute).

The judges made me laugh. Carrie Fisher trying really hard to be kind, even when she wasn't impressed. Gary Marshall mentioning his sister at every opportunity, and talking endlessly about the "woman's point of view". Ha!

An interesting note: All three of the directors who got the boot this week? Directors originally from "overseas". Hmmm... I hope the American voting public doesn't realize that Vancouver isn't actually in America!

D is also for dates (which I was eating a moment ago), dance (like the recital I attended the other day), and "del Toro, Guillermo", the director of recently viewed movies for me, Pan's Labyrinth (sweet mother, what a good movie) and Cronos. I've also got The Devil's Backbone (which would be listed under "D" in alphabetical order) waiting to be watched.

I don't even have a point

In the interests of making May a more productive web journaling month than ... well ... any of the recent months, I'm going to take a moment to make an entry. To that end, enjoy this random smattering of thoughts.

I finally watched Monday's episode of Heroes tonight. It really is quite a great show. It's certainly kept my interest.

I saw a recent infomercial for a GENUINE diamond ring, for just $29.95. (On the site to which I've linked, it's advertised for $19.95 USD.) Yes! A mere $29.95 for a GENUINE diamond ring, with a GENUINE diamond (surrounded by imported crystals). Again, that's a GENUINE 1/2 point diamond in there! Waitaminnit. A 1/2 point diamond? But aren't there 100 points in a carat? Doesn't that make this GENUINE diamond a mere 1/200th of a carat? Why yes! Yes it does! You can have 1/200th of carat of a GENUINE diamond for just $30. Yeeha. It's probably made of what falls off when they're cutting diamonds for good rings.

My dad arrived yesterday to stay here for a couple of nights while attending a conference nearby. Being that I worked last night and that he was at meetings until later tonight, we haven't had to do too much visiting. Still, he has managed to work in some topics of conversation more random than this posting. I don't really need to discuss his morning deodorant routine, do I? Yikes.

Be that as it may, I'll leave you with yet another literary quotation, this time from E.L. Konigsburg's T-Backs, T-Shirts, COAT, and Suit, 'cause that's what I reached behind me and grabbed off the shelf.

There was no laughter beneath their smiles.
There was no heart beneath their cleavage.

Well Enough Alone

Christmas is now behind us for another year. I managed a quick visit up with my parents and with my brothers. I saw all of the nieces and nephews, who really are quite a charming lot. One of my nephews, who is five, received a Love 'n' Licks Puppy for Christmas, and was so incredibly overjoyed by it with it's wet lickin' love that the poor thing is going to look like it's got mange from being scratched and petted so much. I don't think he put it down for more than five minutes the whole time, apart from dinner.

Upon my return home, I was off to see Wicked in Toronto. I'd seen it last year when the tour came through and it was just as fantastic this time around. Thanks, Jackie!

Since then, I've pretty much played hooky from the work that needs to be done. Sleeping in? Worth it completely. After New Year's, I'll get back to the real world.

In completely different news, I watched THX 1138 for the other day for the first time in a hundred years and what I'm about to say is nothing new, but it bears reiterating. George Lucas needs to let things go. The movie's not for everyone, but I quite like it. That's not my problem. My problem is that it's the "Director's Cut" which means he's gone back and not just reedited it, which wouldn't bother me too much, but he's decided to beef up things with CGI effects yet again. Nowhere does it actually indicate that things have been added, but it's pretty darn obvious when you're watching a movie made in 1971 and you suddenly think, "My goodness. That looked like CGI." It DRIVES ME NUTS. (Problem #1: You know they didn't have CGI effects before TRON, and so it seems misplaced. Problem #2: CGI shouldn't look like CGI anyway, so it looks misplaced.) Accept the fact that you made the movie as you were able to make the movie given the fact that it was NINETEEN SEVENTY-ONE! This site has a blow-by-blow of the changes made, if you're interested. The monkey things at the end are of particular irritation, since they look so stupid, poorly integrated, and out-of-place in the whole movie. If nothing else, I wish that old Georgie would put both versions on the DVD so one can choose whether to watch the original or his souped-up versions.

Wow. That was more of a rant than I intended.

Happy New Year to whoever's left reading.

It's a Wrap

Today was the final performance of Chicago which was, of course, bittersweet. It's been great fun to do the show, and the audience responses have been great. Although I was scattered throughout the show dancing and singing here and there, one of the most fun things was playing the Jury in the courtroom. The director gave me a very long leash and set me off to create the characters from scratch. In the end, I think we figured I played eight different people if you count "just me" at the beginning. And, as always, it's always tough leaving the cast and crew, some of whom I've spent almost every night with for the past five weeks or so. Of course, crazy little me has already signed on for Rocky Horror, so I'll be back again soon (with Melanie, my Razzle Dazzle dance partner, too) in the thick of things.

On the flip side, of course, it'll be nice to have time to get some things accomplished. I haven't even started Christmas shopping, apart from a few scattered gifts picked up here adn there, so I've really got to get that going. Work will just be gearing up madly from here to Christmas, too, so my focus will be pulled in there.

Finally, and on an unrelated note, I must reiterate how much I'm loving Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. I'm terribly disappointed that it is apparently on the verge of cancellation when it's such a smartly-written and well-performed show. Yeesh. Just like the smoked ricotta ravioli at Lina Linguini's, so much of what I love seems to disappear before its time.

A Moment's Respite

I'm up to my eyeballs in work (and you thought your home was messy!) but having accomplished a fair amount already, I thought it would be an opportune moment to take a short break to update this blasted weblog thing. Having no rehearsal tonight has also given me a moment to pause, catch up, and hopefully do some laundry.

Since Keltie mentioned her odd dreams over in ShinyHappy, I thought I'd share a pair of my nocturnal meanderings.

The other day I had one of those "in a public place and wearing no pants" dreams. I awoke in the middle of the night and, in a state of semi-consciousness, put on a pair of pants and went back to sleep. I awoke, roastingly hot, in the morning and recalled my curious behaviour of the night.

The strange thing was that, when I had awakened from my dream, I knew that it had been a dream, but in my stupor I guess I sort of thought, "Well, I might as well nip that in the bud and put on some pants so that it doesn't really happen in the morning."

Then last night I had another odd dream in which I was locking up at work and, suddenly realizing that I'd left something inside, I opened the door again but (as happens in dreams) for some reason couldn't get to the little keypad to punch in the code. The alarm signal went out and I got a call from a police officer asking what was going on. A rather rude police officer. One who should not be dealing with the public, particularly over the phone.

In any case, as I'm explaining who I am and that I am supposed to be in the building, a little girl appears beside me. It was one of those "I know who you are in the context of the dream, but in real life I would be thinking HUH?" scenarios.

To make a long (and not too interesting) story short, I have to do a tour around the building, because something keeps preventing the "Green Light" that says you can set the alarm again from turning on. In the end, I find some strange man (who turned out to be the mysterious girl's father on the run from the law -- very dramatic, I know) hiding out in a little nook (which does not exist in real life) of the bathroom (which does exist). I'm not sure if the cop who came was meant to be the same one that I spoke to on the phone. If so, he was significantly less abrasive.

Alarms, mysterious little girls, criminals on the run, cops, and my workplace. I'm sure there's a neurotic disorder somewhere buried in there.

In unrelated news, I recently watched Flowers in the Attic, thanks to a burst of nostalgia. A good 20 years ago, my friend Heather would make me watch it with alarming frequence, so I thought I'd give it a view. Wow. It's not very good, is it? It's not the worst thing I've seen, or anything, it's just a typical 80s gothic suspense yarn aimed at teens. It's got it all! A big old mansion. Religious fanatics. Little blonde children (played by a pair of not-too-wonderful child actors). And, most importantly, the little haunting melody sung by a disembodied soprano voice now and then. Ahhh! Memories. Oh, and it also has one of the worst wigs ever to grace the screen. Good times.

Now, back to work for me!

Random Thoughts

Okay, so I've completely fallen down in my blogging duties. If I'm not careful, I'm going to lose my readership -- both of you. In any case, here I am ready to share a few scattered thoughts.

I'm tired. I had a little run of rehearsals for CHICAGO and, not being used to that these days, was feeling a little weary come Wednesday. I also discovered one good scratch across my back, amid several bruises, from when we had a slip-up or two when rehearsing Velma's using my spine as a staircase. I'll survive, I'm sure. I've also got a smack of laryngitis and *surprise* have a show to do tomorrow night. Take that, add the fact that Saturday I'll be wandering around and chatting with people in character as a 105-year-old wizard, and I'll pretty much be mute by Sunday.

That aside, what else can I tell you? I'm sure I had something to say earlier... I'm officially addicted to Line Rider, though I'm hard pressed to say exactly why. I've made it my own personal goal to see how long a route I can create for the little sled-riding fellow. I had a smashing one going a few days ago, complete with jumps and precarious almost-fall-offs but sadly I had to restart my computer and goodbye to my smashing tour. Still, I've got a decent one going now, so I'm feeling good again. I'm officially a geeky whack job.

I watched Ye Olde Survivor tonight and think that they should hire me to create some challenges for them. How often can they use the "you'll be tied to a rope and you'll have to go through a course" thing? That's almost as tired as me. I was pleasantly surprised by how completely overthrown JP was, though, complete with two of his guy buddies voting for him. Hahahaha!

Finally, and just as randomly, I picked up Beck's new CD today and am giving it a first-listen-through even as I type. So far I'm approving.

Anyway, I must run along. I'll try to be a bit more relevent next time.