They're not just for kids, you know.
Book of Kells
This Irish animation draws on the portion of art history wherein illustrated manuscripts were common. Elaborately detailed and tremendously embellished texts, in this case, a national treasure containing the Latin text of the four Gospels, along with some related folios. The film, which runs just 75 minutes, weaves a magical tale of an illustrator's apprentice helping his master finish the Book, while his uncle, the abbot, attempts to finish fortifying the monastery before vikings attack. I got a little lost in the other-worldly elements of the story (or maybe I wasn't paying close enough attention), but the art of the animation is incredible. Absolutely beautiful; if I have children, I would love for them to be mesmerized by the movement and color of the movie, even before enjoying the story.
* 2010 Oscar Nomination Best Animated Feature of the Year
The Painting
Of the three, this one is my favorite. I watched this in French with English subtitles. There are three castes in The Painting, the Alldun (finished characters), the Half-dun, and the Sketchies. As three of the characters go in search of the painter, themes of racism are heavily drawn, and questions of destiny raised. It's heavy material for what might otherwise pass for a kids' movie, but the imagination and creativity that bring the film (and the characters) to life is what make it remarkable.
A Cat in Paris
After her father's murder, Zoé's care is largely left to the housekeeper Claudine, while her detective mother is hard at work. Zoé seeks solace in her cat Nico, who goes out at night, returning each morning. One night Zoé sneaks out her window to follow Nico, discovering that he is half of a cat-burglar team, one that may soon cross paths with her father's murderer. There are some very cool things that the filmmakers have done with the animation to keep it interesting, and the pacing is just right. It's one of few films I've seen most recently that didn't feel too long. I was able to watch this one on Netflix with an English audio track, though I think I would like to hear the French audio too.
* 2012 Oscar Nomination Best Animated Feature of the Year
Friday, December 26, 2014
Performer Profile: Domhnall Gleeson
My latest nominee for The League of Extraordinary Gentleman Actors is Domhnall Gleeson, whose career always seems to be just picking up. Perhaps his upcoming turn in Star Wars: The Force Awakens will finally make his a household name (in households other than mine, obviously). In my house, I wonder in Rodgers and Hammerstein parody:
"Do I love you because you're talented,
Or are you talented because I love you?"
I think it's the former. He is acting royalty, after all. No scenes together in Harry Potter (Domhnall plays the eldest Weasley sibling), but Gleeson's father is Brendan Gleeson (Mad Eye Moody), and their work together in Calvary and various shorts for Immatürity for Charity is as entertaining as it is engaging - and those who know me know, immaturity is not really my kind of comedy. But for the Gleesons, I'm a fan.
As of now, I've seen nine of Gleeson's screen credits, and I eagerly await the two films expected for this spring. I've posted commentaries for About Time twice (1, 2), and more recently updated my blog with thoughts on Frank, Anna Karenina, Calvary, and Unbroken - by which point I was decidedly 'fangirling' at the cinema. I've yet to revisit Never Let Me Go, but True Grit was on television recently, and I was able to watch through Domhnall's big scene ("Oh yeah! I remember that!"). The only thing I couldn't get through was Dredd - I couldn't reconcile Domhnall's screen time with how much I was failing to enjoy the rest of the film. I'm also not sure what kind of American accent he was supposed to be using for that one - his accent in Unbroken was fantastic. He'll be bringing that back for Ex Machina, but I really enjoyed hearing his (actual) Irish accent in Calvary, "Be Right Back" (the first episode in the second series of Black Mirror), and also in the film Shadow Dancer. Something about Irish and English actors - so many of them do American accents better than Americans can do English accents.
I think I've gushed enough, if you count the other blog entries... just keep an eye on this guy. He's something else.
"Do I love you because you're talented,
Or are you talented because I love you?"
I think it's the former. He is acting royalty, after all. No scenes together in Harry Potter (Domhnall plays the eldest Weasley sibling), but Gleeson's father is Brendan Gleeson (Mad Eye Moody), and their work together in Calvary and various shorts for Immatürity for Charity is as entertaining as it is engaging - and those who know me know, immaturity is not really my kind of comedy. But for the Gleesons, I'm a fan.
As of now, I've seen nine of Gleeson's screen credits, and I eagerly await the two films expected for this spring. I've posted commentaries for About Time twice (1, 2), and more recently updated my blog with thoughts on Frank, Anna Karenina, Calvary, and Unbroken - by which point I was decidedly 'fangirling' at the cinema. I've yet to revisit Never Let Me Go, but True Grit was on television recently, and I was able to watch through Domhnall's big scene ("Oh yeah! I remember that!"). The only thing I couldn't get through was Dredd - I couldn't reconcile Domhnall's screen time with how much I was failing to enjoy the rest of the film. I'm also not sure what kind of American accent he was supposed to be using for that one - his accent in Unbroken was fantastic. He'll be bringing that back for Ex Machina, but I really enjoyed hearing his (actual) Irish accent in Calvary, "Be Right Back" (the first episode in the second series of Black Mirror), and also in the film Shadow Dancer. Something about Irish and English actors - so many of them do American accents better than Americans can do English accents.
I think I've gushed enough, if you count the other blog entries... just keep an eye on this guy. He's something else.
Jewish Christmas: At The Movies
Into the Woods
I haven't seen the musical, and I've never professed myself a fan of Sondheim, but the cast and premise alone was enough to entice me. Meryl Streep is amazing in everything, and Anna Kendrick is a major player in the pop resurgence of musicals, with two more still coming (Pitch Perfect 2 and The Last 5 Years). Chris Pine being able to sing is a dream come true, and I absolutely adore James Corden, who was so good in Begin Again. Among the biggest surprises for me was Emily Blunt's vocal prowess, her charm, and her ability to completely inhabit the world of Into the Woods.
For those who don't know, Into the Woods tells the story of the Baker (Corden) and his Wife (Blunt) as they search for the four items needed to break a curse: a curse placed by a Witch (Streep), which has left them barren. In their search, the Baker and his Wife cross paths with Cinderella (Kendrick) and her Prince (Pine), Red Riding Hood (Broadway vet Lilla Crawford), Rapunzel (Mackenzie Mauzy) and her Prince (Billy Magnussen), and of course, a young man named Jack (Daniel Huttlestone).
Act I tells the fairy tales (mostly) as you know them; Act II undertakes to explore what is supposed to be "happily ever after." With the exception of Johnny Depp's Wolf (whose hunger for 12 year old Red Riding Hood comes off as pedophilia), I really enjoyed Act I. Act II, not so much. Which may be because of the adaptation of a Sondheim musical for Disney backers. You'll find strong opinions amongst long-time fans of the musical, especially regarding second act song cuts, character rewrites, lyric changes, and plot omissions. Looking at the list of complaints, I don't blame them. It makes me wonder if the changes are the reason the second act drags, and eventually, disappoints.
Unbroken
Every piece of Unbroken screams Oscar bait - except the finished product. It would be too easy to place the blame on sophomore director Angelina Jolie... but everybody else has cred. I wonder how close to the script the film ended up, or possibly if what works on paper did not work on film. Still, with the Coen brothers receiving top billing for the script, I don't know what went wrong. The director of photography, cinematographer, and editor all have brilliant films under their belts. So what's the issue?
Jack O'Connell plays Louis Zamperini, juvenile delinquent turned Olympic runner turned World War II bombardier. When a rescue mission goes down in the Pacific Ocean, he and two of his fellow crewmen are left adrift; it's over a month and a half before they're found, and even then, it's by a Japanese ship. He's sent to detainment camp as a prisoner of war, he's singled out for abuse, relying on his Olympian patience and endurance to see it through to war's end.
O'Connell is good in the leading role, it's true, but he's so pretty, and sometimes I wondered if he was just taking direction. His positive attitude come so easily to him that the physical struggle doesn't even seem so bad. I know I'm biased, but it's not hard to argue that Domhnall Gleeson gives the far better performance - he's the one I worry about, ribs protruding his skeletal frame. In an interview for Huffington Post, Gleeson said he was so dehydrated that his contact lenses wouldn't fit. As Lt. Russell "Phil" Phillips, Gleeson provides wit, and does it with a very good American accent. I'm looking forward to his leading turn in Ex Machina this spring. As for the rest of the principal cast, I also have to say that I disagree with the critics on the greatness being lauded on Takamasa Ishihara for his portrayal of Japanese captor "the Bird." Violent, yes, but not terribly intimidating. Or perhaps it was the overall "bland" of the film that detracted from his actual performance.
As CliffsNotes or a preview for the book, I'm sure the film is just fine. As a war film, I'm not sure it stands out as much as hyped. I remember when Lauren Hillenbrand's book was THE gift for Christmas and Father's Day. My guess is: stick with the original.
I haven't seen the musical, and I've never professed myself a fan of Sondheim, but the cast and premise alone was enough to entice me. Meryl Streep is amazing in everything, and Anna Kendrick is a major player in the pop resurgence of musicals, with two more still coming (Pitch Perfect 2 and The Last 5 Years). Chris Pine being able to sing is a dream come true, and I absolutely adore James Corden, who was so good in Begin Again. Among the biggest surprises for me was Emily Blunt's vocal prowess, her charm, and her ability to completely inhabit the world of Into the Woods.
For those who don't know, Into the Woods tells the story of the Baker (Corden) and his Wife (Blunt) as they search for the four items needed to break a curse: a curse placed by a Witch (Streep), which has left them barren. In their search, the Baker and his Wife cross paths with Cinderella (Kendrick) and her Prince (Pine), Red Riding Hood (Broadway vet Lilla Crawford), Rapunzel (Mackenzie Mauzy) and her Prince (Billy Magnussen), and of course, a young man named Jack (Daniel Huttlestone).
Act I tells the fairy tales (mostly) as you know them; Act II undertakes to explore what is supposed to be "happily ever after." With the exception of Johnny Depp's Wolf (whose hunger for 12 year old Red Riding Hood comes off as pedophilia), I really enjoyed Act I. Act II, not so much. Which may be because of the adaptation of a Sondheim musical for Disney backers. You'll find strong opinions amongst long-time fans of the musical, especially regarding second act song cuts, character rewrites, lyric changes, and plot omissions. Looking at the list of complaints, I don't blame them. It makes me wonder if the changes are the reason the second act drags, and eventually, disappoints.
Unbroken
Every piece of Unbroken screams Oscar bait - except the finished product. It would be too easy to place the blame on sophomore director Angelina Jolie... but everybody else has cred. I wonder how close to the script the film ended up, or possibly if what works on paper did not work on film. Still, with the Coen brothers receiving top billing for the script, I don't know what went wrong. The director of photography, cinematographer, and editor all have brilliant films under their belts. So what's the issue?
Jack O'Connell plays Louis Zamperini, juvenile delinquent turned Olympic runner turned World War II bombardier. When a rescue mission goes down in the Pacific Ocean, he and two of his fellow crewmen are left adrift; it's over a month and a half before they're found, and even then, it's by a Japanese ship. He's sent to detainment camp as a prisoner of war, he's singled out for abuse, relying on his Olympian patience and endurance to see it through to war's end.
O'Connell is good in the leading role, it's true, but he's so pretty, and sometimes I wondered if he was just taking direction. His positive attitude come so easily to him that the physical struggle doesn't even seem so bad. I know I'm biased, but it's not hard to argue that Domhnall Gleeson gives the far better performance - he's the one I worry about, ribs protruding his skeletal frame. In an interview for Huffington Post, Gleeson said he was so dehydrated that his contact lenses wouldn't fit. As Lt. Russell "Phil" Phillips, Gleeson provides wit, and does it with a very good American accent. I'm looking forward to his leading turn in Ex Machina this spring. As for the rest of the principal cast, I also have to say that I disagree with the critics on the greatness being lauded on Takamasa Ishihara for his portrayal of Japanese captor "the Bird." Violent, yes, but not terribly intimidating. Or perhaps it was the overall "bland" of the film that detracted from his actual performance.
As CliffsNotes or a preview for the book, I'm sure the film is just fine. As a war film, I'm not sure it stands out as much as hyped. I remember when Lauren Hillenbrand's book was THE gift for Christmas and Father's Day. My guess is: stick with the original.
Saturday, September 20, 2014
Anna Karenina
My favorite novel, The Unbearable Lightness of Being, makes frequent reference to Tolstoy's famous novel, Anna Karenina, but I'm intimidated by such big books; I finally made the faux pas of high school students everywhere and watched the movie first.
Much of the plot can be inferred from The Unbearable Lightness of Being, so I was able to spend my first viewing savoring the cinematography. Joe Wright's 2012 film was Oscar-nominated for its cinematography, as well as its costumes. Far superior to his 2005 Pride & Prejudice, the film pairs Matthew Macfadyen and Keira Knightley as brother and sister. Macfadyen is a comic delight as Oblonsky, the photo-negative of his stoic Mr. Darcy. It's hardly his first comedic outing, but if you saw the American Death at a Funeral, you might not know Macfadyen had it in him. What with Ripper Street and Pride & Prejudice at the forefront of my mind, I had all but forgotten. Thankfully, Knightley has vastly improved from her Austen days, having grown into herself somehow - or perhaps like Helena Bonham Carter, she's better in a corset. As her somewhat cold, but important, politician husband, Karenin, Jude Law manages to minimize his sex appeal, but maximize his devotion, only to be cuckolded by his beloved, reliable wife. At a ball, Anna usurps her cousin's suitor - a young officer, Count Vronsky.
Here's where the film lost me a little.
Aaron Johnson plays Vronsky, with longish bleached hair; it's difficult to see what Anna sees in him. There's very little chemistry between Knightley and Johnson (not that there's any between Knightley and Law), but it's difficult to sustain any belief in the imperative, passionate nature of the affair. Anna's disregard for the conventions of the society in which she lives makes things difficult for herself and Karenin. Vronsky fares better, or perhaps the consequences hound him offscreen.
Of course, I'm biased. I think Levin (Domhnall Gleeson) is the most attractive man in the film. Lucy's rebuttal of his heartfelt, if awkward, proposal is devastating. Their later reconciliation actually brought me to tears. ACTUALLY BROUGHT ME TO TEARS.
Thankfully, Wright's pop-up book of a film is visually stunning. The unusual premise of setting the story in a theater, on a changeable set, allows for some truly beautiful shots. Several scenes seem to have been filmed in a snow globe. I just wish I liked the film more, as a whole, to be able to watch it again for the visuals.
A Streetcar Named Desire
Thank God for the National Theatre. Their 'National Theatre Live' broadcasts have facilitated international audiences for the tremendous productions in and around London. I would have given a limb to see the Gillian Anderson/Ben Foster cast of A Streetcar Named Desire; thankfully, I didn't have to.
This Streetcar was staged at London's Young Vic, a blackbox space that is reimagined with every production. The scenic design for this production is unusual; Magda Willi gave the set a mod feel - later fifties, more sixties style to the unit set. She may also have collaborated with Ikea. I'm not quite sure. More remarkable is the fact that the set is on a turntable. The movement is slow, but nearly constant, intended to engage the audience in a way that they might not otherwise have participated. Director Benedict Andrews uses the set well, whether emphasizing the motion of the set, or simply guiding his actors on the narrow platform. The apartment is transparent, having only doors and posts, the walls implied, the actors both liberated by the space and given the responsibility of making it as claustrophobic or open as needed. The cast is more than up to the task.
It's a different cast than you might expect. As Stella, Vanessa Kirby is slim and beautiful, and whereas many companies might cast a more homely figure, Andrews' cast recognizes the fact that only Stella and Blanche need to suppose that Blanche is the prettier, more glamorous sister. Kirby's Stella is confident, sexy, stylish, and social. She's the one with a support system, even if her friends are also in abusive relationships. Stella is as sympathetic as Blanche, if not more so.
For Stanley, director Andrews has chosen American actor Ben Foster. Foster has often played the volatile tough guy, in films like The Messenger and 3:10 to Yuma, but here he's bulked up a bit, tapped into Stanley's insecurities and his protective instincts. It's much easier to sympathize with his Stanley, rather than simply find oneself attracted to Brando's hyper-masculine apeman.
I adore this thoroughly well-balanced and modern production. It's too easy to give the play to Stanley and Blanche - but there is so much more to be gotten out of inviting the audience into a complete world.
Sunday, August 24, 2014
Calvary
Calvary is the kind of film I can only watch once, not because it's poor quality, but quite the opposite: one needs only to see it once for there to be a lasting impression. John Michael McDonagh's third film as a director and fourth film as a writer is high quality cinema, one which he has beautifully written.
I admit that while "calvary" is a word I had heard before (it's in the lyrics of Les Misérables, for goodness' sake), I looked up a definition both before and after the film. I wanted to know what it meant in and out of context. The two historical/religious definitions reference Christ and the Crucifixion, as either the place outside Jerusalem where Christ was crucified, or a sculpture representing the event, displayed in the open air. A more secular use of the word refers to a period of intense mental suffering.
Knowing that, and knowing the McDonagh brothers's reputation, ought to help prepare a viewer for the experience that is Calvary. That being said, the film has an interesting premise, and an excellent play-out, whether or not you can foretell the ending.
The inimitable Brendan Gleeson carries Calvary as Father James, a well-educated, well-meaning priest whose life is threatened during confession; he is given one week until the confessor and would-be-murderer makes good on his threat. There are a surprising number of people antagonizing the Father in Sligo, and one of them plans to kill him. If you're good with voices, you'll figure it out; regardless, it's clear that no one has any interest in making things easier for Father James.
If you're good with voices, you'll know right off who the real threat is, but it's likely that you'll keep watching for the performances. Brendan Gleeson, Kelly Reilly, Chris O'Dowd, and a fairly demonic-looking, nearly-unrecognizable Domhnall Gleeson. Oof, that prison hair cut. I'm hoping it's a wig. I'm pretty sure Brendan Gleeson would be riveting if he recited the phone book, and his likability is valuable as Father James.
Edit 12/23/14:
I'd like to see Calvary receive some sort of awards season laurels, to increase its visibility here in the States, but it very nearly slipped past my radar. I've also been informed that it's a companion film for The Guard, also starring Brendan Gleeson, but I have yet to obtain a copy for comparison. That being said, I was pleased to discover that Calvary made a BuzzFeed list (thereby securing it space in the pop-culture library). Can't say that I agree with the list, but it's a starting point for discussion, at least.
I admit that while "calvary" is a word I had heard before (it's in the lyrics of Les Misérables, for goodness' sake), I looked up a definition both before and after the film. I wanted to know what it meant in and out of context. The two historical/religious definitions reference Christ and the Crucifixion, as either the place outside Jerusalem where Christ was crucified, or a sculpture representing the event, displayed in the open air. A more secular use of the word refers to a period of intense mental suffering.
Knowing that, and knowing the McDonagh brothers's reputation, ought to help prepare a viewer for the experience that is Calvary. That being said, the film has an interesting premise, and an excellent play-out, whether or not you can foretell the ending.
The inimitable Brendan Gleeson carries Calvary as Father James, a well-educated, well-meaning priest whose life is threatened during confession; he is given one week until the confessor and would-be-murderer makes good on his threat. There are a surprising number of people antagonizing the Father in Sligo, and one of them plans to kill him. If you're good with voices, you'll figure it out; regardless, it's clear that no one has any interest in making things easier for Father James.
If you're good with voices, you'll know right off who the real threat is, but it's likely that you'll keep watching for the performances. Brendan Gleeson, Kelly Reilly, Chris O'Dowd, and a fairly demonic-looking, nearly-unrecognizable Domhnall Gleeson. Oof, that prison hair cut. I'm hoping it's a wig. I'm pretty sure Brendan Gleeson would be riveting if he recited the phone book, and his likability is valuable as Father James.
Edit 12/23/14:
I'd like to see Calvary receive some sort of awards season laurels, to increase its visibility here in the States, but it very nearly slipped past my radar. I've also been informed that it's a companion film for The Guard, also starring Brendan Gleeson, but I have yet to obtain a copy for comparison. That being said, I was pleased to discover that Calvary made a BuzzFeed list (thereby securing it space in the pop-culture library). Can't say that I agree with the list, but it's a starting point for discussion, at least.
Saturday, August 23, 2014
Frank
Let me tell you something: I can admit that there are (too) many things I do because of cute boys. I watched Marmaduke because Lee Pace was one in it - but I watched Soldier's Girl for the same reason, and The Fall, and that worked out. I took an interest in the recent Alvin and the Chipmunks films because Zachary Levi was to be in the Squeakquel. My latest choice had less to do with abandoning my critical standards for a cute boy, and more to do with abandoning my comfort zone.
The week after the 2013 Academy Awards, five people asked me if I had seen the picture of Benedict Cumberbatch (well-known object of my well-known affections) dancing with Michael Fassbender at an after-party. The last person to ask me about said picture surprised me by talking not about Cumberbatch, but by elaborating on his fascination with one of Fassbender's forthcoming projects. It was news to me, but Fassbender had recently been working on a little film called Frank, based loosely on the pop culture icon Frank Sidebottom. It's difficult to explain Frank and his cultural significance, especially to someone who is half-listening to you at karaoke night, but something must have stuck, because I went home and Googled the film. Once I learned Domhnall Gleeson would be playing opposite Fassbender, I was sold. My mission: follow Frank.
My friend directed me to Jon Ronson's first-hand account of his experience with the real Frank Sidebottom. The incredible story makes for excellent film fodder, something Ronson and screenwriter Peter Straughan recognized, and Lenny Abrahamson understood. By taking Frank Sidebottom and combining the iconic aspects of his career with some absurd, avant-garde music trends, and then adding a dash of YouTube and Twitter - Ronson and Straughan had created one hell of a riff. Abrahamson collected topnotch talent - not only Fassbender and Gleeson, but Maggie Gyllenhaal, Scoot McNairy, François Civil, and drummer Clara Azar - for what ends up being a quirky but poignant film.
The trailer for the film does exactly what it needs to do to attract an audience: highlights the funny, stops just short of the serious moments of a scene, and omits the uncomfortable. This is how we market. The thing is, there's so much more to Frank than the trailer would have you believe - but you have to be prepared to abandon the familiar and venture into some dark territory. It's not just "look at these crazy music-makers." Frank examines ambition, mental illness, and what it truly means to care about someone with the same sincerity Frank exhibits when he writes a song about a tuft of carpet.
Frank never reaches the fever pitch of the trailer [disappointed look], but it does deliver on the frequently touted soundbite: Fassbender delivers a masterclass of performance. His masked man is captivating, evocative, emotive, intelligent, and above all, interesting. I don't think anyone was surprised so much as impressed by the genius of his performance. There is no doubt that without Fassbender's Frank, the film would be lost at sea. But Frank is an ensemble piece. It wouldn't work without the band. Gleeson's character Jon joins the Soronprfbs as a last-minute substitute keyboard player, and it is through his eyes that we come to meet and understand the band dynamic and its members. He's the odd man out, having fallen into the gig, bringing his ambition to the band. It may be that Gleeson's got the biggest challenge of all, as Jon enters the band as our "Everyman," the normal Joe amongst madmen, desperate to fit in among misfits, only to try to bring them back from the edges and into the spotlight. The role calls for physical comedy and a clarity of objective that ties the entire film together. Gleeson seems to think Abrahamson is responsible for the fact that he pulls it off, but Abrahamson is certainly aware of the importance of casting, and that when you cast the right performer, you do a disservice to them by providing too much direction. Especially with such an off-the-wall character as Frank and the situations he and his bandmates find themselves in; improvisation is as important to acting as it is to music.
As band member/manager Don, Scoot McNairy brings a grounded core to a troubled man, and provides a lot of laughs while doing it. Drummer Carla Azar (of Autolux, and collaborator with Jack White) makes her feature film debut as Nana, the bands nearly-silent drummer. Thankfully, her silence isn't her gimmick, merely circumstance, and her one speaking scene is quite good. More often, François Civil will provide commentary - albeit in French. Azar and Civil are perfectly paired throughout the film, sharing in their distaste for new band member Jon. That's not to say that Clara (Maggie Gyllenhaal) welcomed Jon to the band at all - quite the opposite. Clara is aggressively antagonistic toward Jon, despite Frank's "welcoming smile." I want to say that I dislike Clara, but that's rather the point; clearly, the Gyllenhaal's performance convincing. What's less apparent is Frank's connection to Clara, and his reliance on her - until it's too late - and that may be a fault of the writing. I can think only of one scene that I can only imagine was written as wish fulfillment for the writers, as it provides nothing valuable to the plot or the characters.
Otherwise, what Frank accomplishes is quite remarkable. Few films, if any, have attempted to capture outlier musicians in such an engaging and sympathetic manner - nevermind having a requirement for the actors to play their own instruments on unusual, original songs by Stephen Rennicks, and then perform those songs during the publicity campaign and at one of the film's premiere events. (Seriously click on that link. Picture of Domhnall Gleeson dancing. [Smitten grin.]) What begins as a fascinating fairy tale set to experimental music evolves into something entirely different - but if there's one thing Frank teaches us, it's that being different isn't always a bad thing.
Notes:
- Connections: Scoot McNairy was in 12 Years a Slave with Fassbender and Cumberbatch, and costars in AMC's Halt and Catch Fire with Lee Pace.
- See The Soronprfbs perform "I Love You All" on The Colbert Report.
- Extraordinary interviews with Domhnall Gleeson, Michael Fassbender, Lenny Abrahamson, and Jon Ronson.
- Apple Talk with Fassbender, Domhnall Gleeson, and Carla Azar. Seriously, could they be any more charming?
The week after the 2013 Academy Awards, five people asked me if I had seen the picture of Benedict Cumberbatch (well-known object of my well-known affections) dancing with Michael Fassbender at an after-party. The last person to ask me about said picture surprised me by talking not about Cumberbatch, but by elaborating on his fascination with one of Fassbender's forthcoming projects. It was news to me, but Fassbender had recently been working on a little film called Frank, based loosely on the pop culture icon Frank Sidebottom. It's difficult to explain Frank and his cultural significance, especially to someone who is half-listening to you at karaoke night, but something must have stuck, because I went home and Googled the film. Once I learned Domhnall Gleeson would be playing opposite Fassbender, I was sold. My mission: follow Frank.
My friend directed me to Jon Ronson's first-hand account of his experience with the real Frank Sidebottom. The incredible story makes for excellent film fodder, something Ronson and screenwriter Peter Straughan recognized, and Lenny Abrahamson understood. By taking Frank Sidebottom and combining the iconic aspects of his career with some absurd, avant-garde music trends, and then adding a dash of YouTube and Twitter - Ronson and Straughan had created one hell of a riff. Abrahamson collected topnotch talent - not only Fassbender and Gleeson, but Maggie Gyllenhaal, Scoot McNairy, François Civil, and drummer Clara Azar - for what ends up being a quirky but poignant film.
The trailer for the film does exactly what it needs to do to attract an audience: highlights the funny, stops just short of the serious moments of a scene, and omits the uncomfortable. This is how we market. The thing is, there's so much more to Frank than the trailer would have you believe - but you have to be prepared to abandon the familiar and venture into some dark territory. It's not just "look at these crazy music-makers." Frank examines ambition, mental illness, and what it truly means to care about someone with the same sincerity Frank exhibits when he writes a song about a tuft of carpet.
Frank never reaches the fever pitch of the trailer [disappointed look], but it does deliver on the frequently touted soundbite: Fassbender delivers a masterclass of performance. His masked man is captivating, evocative, emotive, intelligent, and above all, interesting. I don't think anyone was surprised so much as impressed by the genius of his performance. There is no doubt that without Fassbender's Frank, the film would be lost at sea. But Frank is an ensemble piece. It wouldn't work without the band. Gleeson's character Jon joins the Soronprfbs as a last-minute substitute keyboard player, and it is through his eyes that we come to meet and understand the band dynamic and its members. He's the odd man out, having fallen into the gig, bringing his ambition to the band. It may be that Gleeson's got the biggest challenge of all, as Jon enters the band as our "Everyman," the normal Joe amongst madmen, desperate to fit in among misfits, only to try to bring them back from the edges and into the spotlight. The role calls for physical comedy and a clarity of objective that ties the entire film together. Gleeson seems to think Abrahamson is responsible for the fact that he pulls it off, but Abrahamson is certainly aware of the importance of casting, and that when you cast the right performer, you do a disservice to them by providing too much direction. Especially with such an off-the-wall character as Frank and the situations he and his bandmates find themselves in; improvisation is as important to acting as it is to music.
As band member/manager Don, Scoot McNairy brings a grounded core to a troubled man, and provides a lot of laughs while doing it. Drummer Carla Azar (of Autolux, and collaborator with Jack White) makes her feature film debut as Nana, the bands nearly-silent drummer. Thankfully, her silence isn't her gimmick, merely circumstance, and her one speaking scene is quite good. More often, François Civil will provide commentary - albeit in French. Azar and Civil are perfectly paired throughout the film, sharing in their distaste for new band member Jon. That's not to say that Clara (Maggie Gyllenhaal) welcomed Jon to the band at all - quite the opposite. Clara is aggressively antagonistic toward Jon, despite Frank's "welcoming smile." I want to say that I dislike Clara, but that's rather the point; clearly, the Gyllenhaal's performance convincing. What's less apparent is Frank's connection to Clara, and his reliance on her - until it's too late - and that may be a fault of the writing. I can think only of one scene that I can only imagine was written as wish fulfillment for the writers, as it provides nothing valuable to the plot or the characters.
Otherwise, what Frank accomplishes is quite remarkable. Few films, if any, have attempted to capture outlier musicians in such an engaging and sympathetic manner - nevermind having a requirement for the actors to play their own instruments on unusual, original songs by Stephen Rennicks, and then perform those songs during the publicity campaign and at one of the film's premiere events. (Seriously click on that link. Picture of Domhnall Gleeson dancing. [Smitten grin.]) What begins as a fascinating fairy tale set to experimental music evolves into something entirely different - but if there's one thing Frank teaches us, it's that being different isn't always a bad thing.
Notes:
- Connections: Scoot McNairy was in 12 Years a Slave with Fassbender and Cumberbatch, and costars in AMC's Halt and Catch Fire with Lee Pace.
- See The Soronprfbs perform "I Love You All" on The Colbert Report.
- Extraordinary interviews with Domhnall Gleeson, Michael Fassbender, Lenny Abrahamson, and Jon Ronson.
- Apple Talk with Fassbender, Domhnall Gleeson, and Carla Azar. Seriously, could they be any more charming?
Saturday, March 8, 2014
Rush
Guys, guys! It's Daniel Brühl being antagonized by a handsome blond. This time - unlike The Fifth Estate (sorry, Batch), the parts are all there for an entertaining Rush. Pun intended.
Daniel Brühl plays Austrian race car driver Niki Lauda, whose rivalry with British party-boy driver James Hunt captured the attention of Formula One fans across the globe in the mid-seventies. On paper it sounds like the predictable story of two opposites competing for attention and validation, looks versus brains, instinct versus knowledge - and to some degree, that's what this is. But Hemsworth and Brühl each brings much-needed humanity to their role, grounding his character to a fundamental need to survive, the only way he knows how.
I'd forgotten that Ron Howard was the director behind the racing film, but who other than Richie Cunningham could get us to invest in these two utterly unlikeable lead characters? The answer is in the casting of the leading men, Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Brühl. These exceptionally talented actors (as laughable as Thor and The Fifth Estate may be for examples) share the weight of the film. Thankfully, the performances are strong enough to get us past the somewhat clunky intro. Too many films, especially recently, employ an opening and closing narration when they might more simply show us what's happening, and let the story take us where it will. It's a lack of faith in the audience, I believe, and a filmmaker's expectation of audience's impatience. Not to mention the pressure of producing a film that lives up to the title of Rush. In fact, Drive might have been a more suitable title, but Gosling and Refn used it already.
Rush kicks into gear pretty quickly, and makes a rather impressive show of things. I can hardly claim to be interested in Formula 1, but the character-driven film succeeds in a way many films don't. This trivia bit from IMDB.com helps to explain why the film works so well: "Peter Morgan wrote the script of Rush (2013) 'on spec', or speculation, meaning there was no one waiting to buy it. So he wrote the first draft assuming there might not even be any racing sequences at all, because the prospective film would probably have a very low budget. 'If you grow up in England, that's how you think', he said. Instead, he structured the film as a race of sorts between the two main characters." Imagine that.
As is the fashion with many based-on-a-true-story films, actual footage of Lauda and Hunt was used toward the end of the film. The likeness of Hemsworth to Hunt, and Brühl to Lauda, I found rather uncanny. If you don't see it in the images, wait until you see the footage. Seldom do you get to find such good actors with such strong resemblance. Just look at Pain & Gain or The Monuments Men - better yet, don't.
While Hemsworth is a bona fide box office star here in the states, it's going to be a little more challenging to see Brühl without doing a little work. It's especially surprising, considering the fact that Brühl was nominated for his performance as Lauda, up for the BAFTA, SAG, and Golden Globe Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role. There are two things bizarre about this - one, that Brühl was not nominated for an Oscar, and two, that the role of Lauda was considered a 'supporting role.' The film was nominated for a slew of other awards, but only the Santa Barbara International Film Festival saw Brühl with a win - one aptly named the Virtuoso Award. And for anyone who doubted Hemsworth's ability to be anyone other than Thor - check out Rush. You may be pleasantly surprised.
Daniel Brühl plays Austrian race car driver Niki Lauda, whose rivalry with British party-boy driver James Hunt captured the attention of Formula One fans across the globe in the mid-seventies. On paper it sounds like the predictable story of two opposites competing for attention and validation, looks versus brains, instinct versus knowledge - and to some degree, that's what this is. But Hemsworth and Brühl each brings much-needed humanity to their role, grounding his character to a fundamental need to survive, the only way he knows how.
I'd forgotten that Ron Howard was the director behind the racing film, but who other than Richie Cunningham could get us to invest in these two utterly unlikeable lead characters? The answer is in the casting of the leading men, Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Brühl. These exceptionally talented actors (as laughable as Thor and The Fifth Estate may be for examples) share the weight of the film. Thankfully, the performances are strong enough to get us past the somewhat clunky intro. Too many films, especially recently, employ an opening and closing narration when they might more simply show us what's happening, and let the story take us where it will. It's a lack of faith in the audience, I believe, and a filmmaker's expectation of audience's impatience. Not to mention the pressure of producing a film that lives up to the title of Rush. In fact, Drive might have been a more suitable title, but Gosling and Refn used it already.
Rush kicks into gear pretty quickly, and makes a rather impressive show of things. I can hardly claim to be interested in Formula 1, but the character-driven film succeeds in a way many films don't. This trivia bit from IMDB.com helps to explain why the film works so well: "Peter Morgan wrote the script of Rush (2013) 'on spec', or speculation, meaning there was no one waiting to buy it. So he wrote the first draft assuming there might not even be any racing sequences at all, because the prospective film would probably have a very low budget. 'If you grow up in England, that's how you think', he said. Instead, he structured the film as a race of sorts between the two main characters." Imagine that.
As is the fashion with many based-on-a-true-story films, actual footage of Lauda and Hunt was used toward the end of the film. The likeness of Hemsworth to Hunt, and Brühl to Lauda, I found rather uncanny. If you don't see it in the images, wait until you see the footage. Seldom do you get to find such good actors with such strong resemblance. Just look at Pain & Gain or The Monuments Men - better yet, don't.
While Hemsworth is a bona fide box office star here in the states, it's going to be a little more challenging to see Brühl without doing a little work. It's especially surprising, considering the fact that Brühl was nominated for his performance as Lauda, up for the BAFTA, SAG, and Golden Globe Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role. There are two things bizarre about this - one, that Brühl was not nominated for an Oscar, and two, that the role of Lauda was considered a 'supporting role.' The film was nominated for a slew of other awards, but only the Santa Barbara International Film Festival saw Brühl with a win - one aptly named the Virtuoso Award. And for anyone who doubted Hemsworth's ability to be anyone other than Thor - check out Rush. You may be pleasantly surprised.
Friday, February 7, 2014
Disney Fairy Tales: Brave (revisited), Frozen, and Enchanted
Disney certainly has a market cornered for gendered children's films. As far as I can tell (and I've been known to be wrong more than once), many of us women who grew up in the 80s and 90s have been at least partly brainwashed into wanting to be Ariel, Belle, or Jasmine, at least at some point. With ever so slightly more agency than Snow White, Princess Aurora, or Cinderella, it's not surprising that our supportive parents were happy to promote the 'modern' princess.
Since then, social media has increased the visibility of the Bechdel test, and popular criticism of opressive or repressive trends in children's (especially girls') media. The Disney Princesses have come under fire more than once. While I started to realize and appreciate the changes brought about in Brave (link to initial review, pardon any repetitiveness), I failed to grasp one of the key points that allowed it to become the seminal film that it is: Brave was produced by Pixar, which simply happens to be owned by Disney.
Disney's homegrown creations have been less remarkable contributions to the cannon. There are numerous criticisms of Disney's whitewashing of Arab nations in Aladdin, the stereotypes perpetuated in The Princess and the Frog, and never mind the fact that Beauty and the Beast is set in France, though only Jerry Orbach, voicing Lumiere, got the memo. In Brave, we have an adventurous, freckled heroine with wild red hair and a Scottish accent (because, go figure, the story is set in Scotland). For the first time in a princess movie, our leading lady chooses adventure over romance. Merida opposes marriage not because she's opposed to arranged marriages or because she hasn't fallen in love before tradition would have her marry, (ahem, Jasmine,) but because she isn't finished having adventures yet. She's not ready to settle down. Even as recently as Tangled, Rapunzel thinks she wants adventure, but after her trip to see the lights, she figures she can stay in her tower forever. And can anyone tell me the moral of Tangled? I think it's something about falling in love with criminals is okay, if they're handsome.
The decision to title and the new princess films (with the exception of The Princess and the Frog, which did poorly for so many reasons) using one gender-neutral word is, I believe, fascinating, and quite clever, really, but also quite stupid. There's no mistaking the fact that Tangled, Frozen, and yes, even my beloved Brave, were intended to charm little girls before engaging little boys. Even Wreck-It Ralph (mentioned here) all but omitted the scenes in the Sugar Rush world from the trailer - despite the fact that most of the movie takes place there. There's also a definite lack of Vanellope Von Schweetz toys - I looked. Wreck-It Ralph, like Cars, Planes, and even Pixar's Monsters University, was meant for the boys' camp. The films that lack a definitively gendered target audience (Bolt, Wall-E, Ratatouille, Chicken Little) floundered, garnering their audience by chance or finding fans in an older crowd. One possible exception is Finding Nemo, which achieved unparalleled success amongst all age ranges, and the only rumbles of criticism that I heard were about possible plagarism from a French animation, about which the public seemed to care very little.
Frozen seems to have created a rift among potential fans, with one group citing it as a refreshing landmark of a movie, while the other maintains that it is a horrible Disney-fied corruption of Hans Christian Andersen's only remotely feminist fairy tale. Knowing this, I still had to see the latest installment in the Disney canon. After all, my only preconception about the Snow Queen as a character is a vague image of Candy Land's Queen Frostine, and I don't suppose they're anything alike. Plus, I have no idea what Queen Frostine looks like these days.
In Disney's version, Elsa is raised in seclusion, alienated for her ability to craft or wield ice and snow with a wave of her hand. Younger sister Anna has few memories of Elsa, and as she grows up, she is unable to comprehend why Elsa has chosen to abandon or ignore her. Years later, Elsa has come of age and is to be named Queen of Arendelle; the festivities are the biggest event of Anna's life, but when she asks her sister's permission to marry the handsome Hans, Elsa (wisely) denies it. The heightened tension of the scene threatens to reveal Elsa's powers, and when she can no longer hide it, she flees the kingdom (queendom?). Back in Arendelle, Anna leaves Hans in charge, while she goes off to find Elsa. Somehow, she is convinced, Elsa will be able to undo the freeze she cast over the kingdom. Recruiting assistance from ice vendor Kristoff, his raindeer Sven, and friendly snowman Olaf, Anna treks up the North Mountain to find her sister, and save the kingdom.
Idina Menzel and Kristen Bell voice Elsa and Anna, respectively, both incredibly excellent singers, with a vibrancy to their tones that I somehow missed from Rapunzel in Tangled - or perhaps that character was truly overwhelmed by her hair. In the supporting cast, Broadway pedigrees abound. Hans is voiced by Cinderella's Prince Charming himself - Santino Fontana. Book of Mormon's Josh Gad is a delight as Olaf. Rounding out the main characters is Jonathan Groff, who is virtually wasted in the non-singing role of Kristoff - having been made famous by Glee, Groff first appeared on Broadway in Spring Awakening. Not to mention vocal appearances by the brilliant Alan Tudyk (who previously voiced King Kandy in Wreck-It Ralph) and Ciarán Hinds, whom I love. Also providing credibility to the musical aspect of the film is songwriter Robert Lopez - the man behind Broadway's Avenue Q and Book of Mormon - and his wife Kristen Anderson-Lopez, who wrote lyrics for the most recent Winnie the Pooh feature. Elsa's self-discovery song, "Let It Go," is yet another incredible showcase song for Idina Menzel's repetoire, and has been nominated for an Oscar (Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song).
The songs of Frozen may lack the timeless feel of the great Ashman and Menken collaborations, most of them are really fun to sing, and they contribute to the story. "Let It Go" may be at the top of that list, but the film's first major song, "Do You Wanna Build a Snowman?" eloquently illustrates Anna's frustration at having been closed out of her sister's life, while brilliantly introducing her playful spirit. In the next number, "For the First Time in Forever," Anna has grown into young woman, excited for her sister's Coronation Ball. She's fiesty and sweet, and shares most of the hopes and dreams a girl might harbor for any such event. "Love is an Open Door" is a quirky little love song for Anna and Hans, but not nearly so quirky or amusing as Olaf's character number in the second act, "In Summer."
Frozen has also been nominated for Best Animated Feature, and is destined to become a classic. There are so many reasons to promote this movie for children. It values forgiveness, family, sisters, being true to one's self, acceptance, and it diminishes the Disney stock put in true love at first sight. But until the film comes out on DVD, I'll have to watch something else. I've loaned Brave to a friend, but I had another idea. After all, Frozen isn't Idina Menzel's first Disney movie. Did you know that? Before Frozen, there was Enchanted.
I completely missed it in theaters, thinking myself above the kitch of a live-action Disney musical. I had just graduated college, working in professional theatre, drama, not musicals; I was highly unimpressed with such a frivolous venture. Yet, when I received an Amazon package from my mom with the DVD inside, I decided it would have been rude not to watch it.
Much to my surprise, Enchanted left me feeling just that. The entire film is thoroughly charming and magical. With Barry Sonnenfeld in the role of producer, it makes sense that Enchanted feels a bit like Once Upon a Time with all the color and caprice of Pushing Daisies. Enchanted manages to be self-aware and romantic, a satire and an homage, twisting even the entirely anticipated into fresh and new moments.
I often forget how much I enjoy a film when I've been away from it as long as I've been away from Enchanted; it must be over a year since I last watched it, when I introduced a friend to it. What starts out as an animated fairy tale quickly develops into a live-action rom-com. Amy Adams first voices Giselle, a young woman who becomes engaged to the troll-hunting Prince Edward (James Marsden) before being magically transported by the Prince's wicked mother (Susan Sarandon) to New York City, a place with 'no happy endings,' har har. Here, Adams is Giselle, completely embodying the nuances of an animated princess-type, bringing her to vibrant life. She's nailed the expressiveness of an animated character, the lack of subtlety, and yet, her own performance is carefully considered. Watch her hands - she's got Princess Aurora's and Cinderella's hand gestures down to an art. On her own in NYC, Giselle befriends single dad Robert (Patrick Dempsey) and his daughter Morgan (the adorable Rachel Covey), both of whom manage to provide emotional support for her, while she waits to be rescued by Prince Edward. Meanwhile, the Prince's efforts to find his true love are being thwarted by the Queen's lackey/admirer. Of course, Giselle and Robert belong together. Of course, they're going to end up together. But it's so much fun, and there's so much more to talk about here.
Enchanted proposes that there's far more in common between the animated, fairy tale world and our not-animated real-life existence. Trying to bring the traditional Disney film scenes into New York City is highly entertaining - even amidst the lights of Broadway, Giselle and Prince Edward are wildly out of place, grandiose, and overdressed. Plus, animals can't speak to us here, as Giselle's best friend, Pip the chipmunk, learns the hard way. Pip was able to sing and participate in the activity during "True Love's Kiss," back in fairy tale land, but during "Happy Working Song" (which echoes Snow White's "Whistle While You Work"), the pests of New York (rats, cockroaches, pigeons, etc) help clean the apartment, but they are unable to sing or speak. Little Morgan is fascinated by the animals' organized participation, but Robert is appalled at the presence of vermin in the house. Much as I'd like the help cleaning the house, I'm not sure I want city rats running rampant.
Giselle is appropriately stunned by many of the conveniences and trials of modern life - indoor showers are incredible, while divorce is inconceivable. Similarly, Robert is taken aback by Giselle's wide open heart, her willingness to trust other people, and her tendency to burst into song. One of the most amusing bits in the movie is Patrick Dempsey's asides during "That's How You Know." It's Robert's turn to be out of place, and Dempsey's jazz hands are downright creepy.
"That's How You Know" is one of three songs from Enchanted that were nominated for an Oscar. With music from long-time Disney composer Alan Menken and lyrics provided by Wicked's Stephen Schwartz, it's hardly a surprise. Still, and despite having three-fifths of the nominees, 2008 was the same year that Once songwriters and stars Markéta Irglová and Glen Hansard were nominated for their song "Falling Slowly." (Incidentally, Irglová also gave my favorite Oscar speech that year.) Of the three nominated songs, "That's How You Know" is easily the most catchy of the lot, followed by "Happy Working Song," and then the overlooked "So Close," performed by Jon McLaughlin. The song appears toward the end of the film, when Giselle and Robert dance at the ball. That scene always makes me want to cry, when Robert starts singing along... pass me a tissue!
Let's talk about some of the other incredible things about Enchanted.
- Dozens of moments recreated from other Disney films are highlighted in one of the behind-the-scenes featurettes, which is most excellently cut together. Such parallels include Robert and Giselle's dance at the ball, matched to Belle and the Beast; Giselle's shoe left on the dance floor, shown with Cinderella's shoe on the steps at the ball; certain shots of Queen Nerissa as a dragon alongside cels of Maleficent as a dragon.
- The internet loves Elsa's refusal to approve of marriage between Anna and Hans. See here and here. But what about the dialogue before "That's How You Know," in which Robert mocks Giselle for claiming to have found True Love with Prince Edward? Totally came first, and while it may not have proved the point quite as well, it did reinforce the idea that couples should date, and not get engaged after one day together.
- Disney has gotten quite a bit of flak for their portrayal of step-mothers. (See: Snow White, Cinderella, Regina on Once Upon a Time.) Here, Queen Nerissa is the problem, and she is Prince Edward's mother - making her an evil mother-in-law (almost). Giselle, however, seems like a great stepmom for Morgan.
Most of the other fun things can be found by watching the movie, or by visiting the trivia page on IMDB. I'm pretty sure I've covered all the key points I wanted to cover... except this one thing. If you have thirteen minutes, and you're at all interested in the messages that movies send to kids, check out this exceptional TEDTalks piece from Colin Stokes. Stokes has a daughter and a son, and while it's easy to soapbox about the importance of positive role models for girls - Stokes makes an excellent case for the importance of showcasing those same positive role models to young boys. Please, give it a listen.
Since then, social media has increased the visibility of the Bechdel test, and popular criticism of opressive or repressive trends in children's (especially girls') media. The Disney Princesses have come under fire more than once. While I started to realize and appreciate the changes brought about in Brave (link to initial review, pardon any repetitiveness), I failed to grasp one of the key points that allowed it to become the seminal film that it is: Brave was produced by Pixar, which simply happens to be owned by Disney.
Disney's homegrown creations have been less remarkable contributions to the cannon. There are numerous criticisms of Disney's whitewashing of Arab nations in Aladdin, the stereotypes perpetuated in The Princess and the Frog, and never mind the fact that Beauty and the Beast is set in France, though only Jerry Orbach, voicing Lumiere, got the memo. In Brave, we have an adventurous, freckled heroine with wild red hair and a Scottish accent (because, go figure, the story is set in Scotland). For the first time in a princess movie, our leading lady chooses adventure over romance. Merida opposes marriage not because she's opposed to arranged marriages or because she hasn't fallen in love before tradition would have her marry, (ahem, Jasmine,) but because she isn't finished having adventures yet. She's not ready to settle down. Even as recently as Tangled, Rapunzel thinks she wants adventure, but after her trip to see the lights, she figures she can stay in her tower forever. And can anyone tell me the moral of Tangled? I think it's something about falling in love with criminals is okay, if they're handsome.
The decision to title and the new princess films (with the exception of The Princess and the Frog, which did poorly for so many reasons) using one gender-neutral word is, I believe, fascinating, and quite clever, really, but also quite stupid. There's no mistaking the fact that Tangled, Frozen, and yes, even my beloved Brave, were intended to charm little girls before engaging little boys. Even Wreck-It Ralph (mentioned here) all but omitted the scenes in the Sugar Rush world from the trailer - despite the fact that most of the movie takes place there. There's also a definite lack of Vanellope Von Schweetz toys - I looked. Wreck-It Ralph, like Cars, Planes, and even Pixar's Monsters University, was meant for the boys' camp. The films that lack a definitively gendered target audience (Bolt, Wall-E, Ratatouille, Chicken Little) floundered, garnering their audience by chance or finding fans in an older crowd. One possible exception is Finding Nemo, which achieved unparalleled success amongst all age ranges, and the only rumbles of criticism that I heard were about possible plagarism from a French animation, about which the public seemed to care very little.
Frozen seems to have created a rift among potential fans, with one group citing it as a refreshing landmark of a movie, while the other maintains that it is a horrible Disney-fied corruption of Hans Christian Andersen's only remotely feminist fairy tale. Knowing this, I still had to see the latest installment in the Disney canon. After all, my only preconception about the Snow Queen as a character is a vague image of Candy Land's Queen Frostine, and I don't suppose they're anything alike. Plus, I have no idea what Queen Frostine looks like these days.
In Disney's version, Elsa is raised in seclusion, alienated for her ability to craft or wield ice and snow with a wave of her hand. Younger sister Anna has few memories of Elsa, and as she grows up, she is unable to comprehend why Elsa has chosen to abandon or ignore her. Years later, Elsa has come of age and is to be named Queen of Arendelle; the festivities are the biggest event of Anna's life, but when she asks her sister's permission to marry the handsome Hans, Elsa (wisely) denies it. The heightened tension of the scene threatens to reveal Elsa's powers, and when she can no longer hide it, she flees the kingdom (queendom?). Back in Arendelle, Anna leaves Hans in charge, while she goes off to find Elsa. Somehow, she is convinced, Elsa will be able to undo the freeze she cast over the kingdom. Recruiting assistance from ice vendor Kristoff, his raindeer Sven, and friendly snowman Olaf, Anna treks up the North Mountain to find her sister, and save the kingdom.
Idina Menzel and Kristen Bell voice Elsa and Anna, respectively, both incredibly excellent singers, with a vibrancy to their tones that I somehow missed from Rapunzel in Tangled - or perhaps that character was truly overwhelmed by her hair. In the supporting cast, Broadway pedigrees abound. Hans is voiced by Cinderella's Prince Charming himself - Santino Fontana. Book of Mormon's Josh Gad is a delight as Olaf. Rounding out the main characters is Jonathan Groff, who is virtually wasted in the non-singing role of Kristoff - having been made famous by Glee, Groff first appeared on Broadway in Spring Awakening. Not to mention vocal appearances by the brilliant Alan Tudyk (who previously voiced King Kandy in Wreck-It Ralph) and Ciarán Hinds, whom I love. Also providing credibility to the musical aspect of the film is songwriter Robert Lopez - the man behind Broadway's Avenue Q and Book of Mormon - and his wife Kristen Anderson-Lopez, who wrote lyrics for the most recent Winnie the Pooh feature. Elsa's self-discovery song, "Let It Go," is yet another incredible showcase song for Idina Menzel's repetoire, and has been nominated for an Oscar (Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song).
The songs of Frozen may lack the timeless feel of the great Ashman and Menken collaborations, most of them are really fun to sing, and they contribute to the story. "Let It Go" may be at the top of that list, but the film's first major song, "Do You Wanna Build a Snowman?" eloquently illustrates Anna's frustration at having been closed out of her sister's life, while brilliantly introducing her playful spirit. In the next number, "For the First Time in Forever," Anna has grown into young woman, excited for her sister's Coronation Ball. She's fiesty and sweet, and shares most of the hopes and dreams a girl might harbor for any such event. "Love is an Open Door" is a quirky little love song for Anna and Hans, but not nearly so quirky or amusing as Olaf's character number in the second act, "In Summer."
Frozen has also been nominated for Best Animated Feature, and is destined to become a classic. There are so many reasons to promote this movie for children. It values forgiveness, family, sisters, being true to one's self, acceptance, and it diminishes the Disney stock put in true love at first sight. But until the film comes out on DVD, I'll have to watch something else. I've loaned Brave to a friend, but I had another idea. After all, Frozen isn't Idina Menzel's first Disney movie. Did you know that? Before Frozen, there was Enchanted.
I completely missed it in theaters, thinking myself above the kitch of a live-action Disney musical. I had just graduated college, working in professional theatre, drama, not musicals; I was highly unimpressed with such a frivolous venture. Yet, when I received an Amazon package from my mom with the DVD inside, I decided it would have been rude not to watch it.
Much to my surprise, Enchanted left me feeling just that. The entire film is thoroughly charming and magical. With Barry Sonnenfeld in the role of producer, it makes sense that Enchanted feels a bit like Once Upon a Time with all the color and caprice of Pushing Daisies. Enchanted manages to be self-aware and romantic, a satire and an homage, twisting even the entirely anticipated into fresh and new moments.
I often forget how much I enjoy a film when I've been away from it as long as I've been away from Enchanted; it must be over a year since I last watched it, when I introduced a friend to it. What starts out as an animated fairy tale quickly develops into a live-action rom-com. Amy Adams first voices Giselle, a young woman who becomes engaged to the troll-hunting Prince Edward (James Marsden) before being magically transported by the Prince's wicked mother (Susan Sarandon) to New York City, a place with 'no happy endings,' har har. Here, Adams is Giselle, completely embodying the nuances of an animated princess-type, bringing her to vibrant life. She's nailed the expressiveness of an animated character, the lack of subtlety, and yet, her own performance is carefully considered. Watch her hands - she's got Princess Aurora's and Cinderella's hand gestures down to an art. On her own in NYC, Giselle befriends single dad Robert (Patrick Dempsey) and his daughter Morgan (the adorable Rachel Covey), both of whom manage to provide emotional support for her, while she waits to be rescued by Prince Edward. Meanwhile, the Prince's efforts to find his true love are being thwarted by the Queen's lackey/admirer. Of course, Giselle and Robert belong together. Of course, they're going to end up together. But it's so much fun, and there's so much more to talk about here.
Enchanted proposes that there's far more in common between the animated, fairy tale world and our not-animated real-life existence. Trying to bring the traditional Disney film scenes into New York City is highly entertaining - even amidst the lights of Broadway, Giselle and Prince Edward are wildly out of place, grandiose, and overdressed. Plus, animals can't speak to us here, as Giselle's best friend, Pip the chipmunk, learns the hard way. Pip was able to sing and participate in the activity during "True Love's Kiss," back in fairy tale land, but during "Happy Working Song" (which echoes Snow White's "Whistle While You Work"), the pests of New York (rats, cockroaches, pigeons, etc) help clean the apartment, but they are unable to sing or speak. Little Morgan is fascinated by the animals' organized participation, but Robert is appalled at the presence of vermin in the house. Much as I'd like the help cleaning the house, I'm not sure I want city rats running rampant.
Giselle is appropriately stunned by many of the conveniences and trials of modern life - indoor showers are incredible, while divorce is inconceivable. Similarly, Robert is taken aback by Giselle's wide open heart, her willingness to trust other people, and her tendency to burst into song. One of the most amusing bits in the movie is Patrick Dempsey's asides during "That's How You Know." It's Robert's turn to be out of place, and Dempsey's jazz hands are downright creepy.
"That's How You Know" is one of three songs from Enchanted that were nominated for an Oscar. With music from long-time Disney composer Alan Menken and lyrics provided by Wicked's Stephen Schwartz, it's hardly a surprise. Still, and despite having three-fifths of the nominees, 2008 was the same year that Once songwriters and stars Markéta Irglová and Glen Hansard were nominated for their song "Falling Slowly." (Incidentally, Irglová also gave my favorite Oscar speech that year.) Of the three nominated songs, "That's How You Know" is easily the most catchy of the lot, followed by "Happy Working Song," and then the overlooked "So Close," performed by Jon McLaughlin. The song appears toward the end of the film, when Giselle and Robert dance at the ball. That scene always makes me want to cry, when Robert starts singing along... pass me a tissue!
Let's talk about some of the other incredible things about Enchanted.
- Dozens of moments recreated from other Disney films are highlighted in one of the behind-the-scenes featurettes, which is most excellently cut together. Such parallels include Robert and Giselle's dance at the ball, matched to Belle and the Beast; Giselle's shoe left on the dance floor, shown with Cinderella's shoe on the steps at the ball; certain shots of Queen Nerissa as a dragon alongside cels of Maleficent as a dragon.
- The internet loves Elsa's refusal to approve of marriage between Anna and Hans. See here and here. But what about the dialogue before "That's How You Know," in which Robert mocks Giselle for claiming to have found True Love with Prince Edward? Totally came first, and while it may not have proved the point quite as well, it did reinforce the idea that couples should date, and not get engaged after one day together.
- Disney has gotten quite a bit of flak for their portrayal of step-mothers. (See: Snow White, Cinderella, Regina on Once Upon a Time.) Here, Queen Nerissa is the problem, and she is Prince Edward's mother - making her an evil mother-in-law (almost). Giselle, however, seems like a great stepmom for Morgan.
Most of the other fun things can be found by watching the movie, or by visiting the trivia page on IMDB. I'm pretty sure I've covered all the key points I wanted to cover... except this one thing. If you have thirteen minutes, and you're at all interested in the messages that movies send to kids, check out this exceptional TEDTalks piece from Colin Stokes. Stokes has a daughter and a son, and while it's easy to soapbox about the importance of positive role models for girls - Stokes makes an excellent case for the importance of showcasing those same positive role models to young boys. Please, give it a listen.
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
Rerun: About Time
Yesterday, About Time came out on DVD. I wanted to take this opportunity to GUSH about how much I love this movie. Domhnall Gleeson is so spectacular as our romantic lead (Tim) that I'm sitting on my couch, asking, "Benedict who?" Which is ironic, because Tim manages to find Mary at a Kate Moss exhibit entitled "Kate Who?" Still, I'm disappointed that my cat is at the other end of the sofa sleeping, and has not yet transformed into Domhnall Gleeson out of the sheer force of my love.
Sigh.
The supporting cast is also pitch perfect; I've never seen such a cavalier Bill Nighy, and Lydia Wilson is charming as Tim's sister Kit Kat. I've read that Zooey Deschanel was meant to play Mary, but Rachel McAdams, with her fringe and glasses, brings an honesty to her unfashionable-ness that Deschanel overwhelms with "quirk."
If I don't come back from London next fall, it's because I'm trying to live this movie.
Sigh.
The supporting cast is also pitch perfect; I've never seen such a cavalier Bill Nighy, and Lydia Wilson is charming as Tim's sister Kit Kat. I've read that Zooey Deschanel was meant to play Mary, but Rachel McAdams, with her fringe and glasses, brings an honesty to her unfashionable-ness that Deschanel overwhelms with "quirk."
If I don't come back from London next fall, it's because I'm trying to live this movie.
Monday, February 3, 2014
August: Osage County
Let's be honest: we all know the reason I wanted to see August: Osage County is that Benedict Cumberbatch is in it, being completely adorable, playing piano, and singing. There's more to it than that, but it isn't very pleasant, so who cares?
(If you do, keep reading.)
Patriarch Beverly Weston (Sam Shepard) disappears from his home in rural Oklahoma, instigating a weekend of closeness, distance, conflict, discovery, self-discovery, and as Violet Weston (Meryl Streep) puts it, "truth-tellin'." Violet and Beverly have had three girls, Barbara (Julia Roberts), Ivy (Julianne Nicholson), and Karen (Juliette Lewis), the three of whom couldn't be more different. The girls do the best they can, as women, in their lives, to come out from the shadow cast by overbearing, overwhelming Violet. Vi, having been treated for cancer of the mouth, has become addicted to her pain pills, and adopted her husband's hobby of alcoholism. When the mood of anxious waiting transitions into one of mourning, the tension only escalates, the melodrama unfolding in waves.
The stage version of August: Osage County won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2008. Tracy Letts adapted his own play for the screen, landed a constellation of stars for the cast; he should be very pleased with the result.
Having not seen any of the stage productions, I can only share my feelings for the film, which can be summed up in this thought: August: Osage County is an exercise in pity. The only thing that saves these characters from complete and total disdain is the fact that they're in a lovely midwestern home, college-educated, and quoting poetry - otherwise, it's like an over-long episode of Maury. Yes, Streep is very good. It's barely even interesting, because we all know she's going to be excellent. I'm not a fan of Julia Roberts, so I enjoyed my colleague's response, dripping with sarcasm: "A Julia Roberts movie is overrated? Noooo..." Though in fairness, the film does not belong to Roberts. I did like Chris Cooper, very much, and it reminded me of back when I was obsessed with October Sky, in which he also played the father of my crush - at the time, Jake Gyllenhaal (who looked like a boy at my school). Also wonderful, and underrated, is Margo Martindale as Violet's sister Mattie Fae.
Or perhaps I'm just biased toward Benedict's on-screen parents.
Anyway, it might be worth a viewing, but once you've seen it, I doubt you'll want to watch it again. I'd wait to check out once it gets to Redbox.
Notes
- Oscar nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role (Meryl Streep), and Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role (Julia Roberts).
- Barbara Weston's daughter Jean is played by Abigail Breslin. I knew I recognized her!
- The title of the film comes from a poem by Oklahoma native Howard Starks.
- Cumberbatch fans may opt to skip the film altogether and simply listen to his playing and singing on the soundtrack. Link to fansite/blog, if interested.
- Forgot to mention: the film/story felt heavily influenced by Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Must have been all the booze.
(If you do, keep reading.)
Patriarch Beverly Weston (Sam Shepard) disappears from his home in rural Oklahoma, instigating a weekend of closeness, distance, conflict, discovery, self-discovery, and as Violet Weston (Meryl Streep) puts it, "truth-tellin'." Violet and Beverly have had three girls, Barbara (Julia Roberts), Ivy (Julianne Nicholson), and Karen (Juliette Lewis), the three of whom couldn't be more different. The girls do the best they can, as women, in their lives, to come out from the shadow cast by overbearing, overwhelming Violet. Vi, having been treated for cancer of the mouth, has become addicted to her pain pills, and adopted her husband's hobby of alcoholism. When the mood of anxious waiting transitions into one of mourning, the tension only escalates, the melodrama unfolding in waves.
The stage version of August: Osage County won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2008. Tracy Letts adapted his own play for the screen, landed a constellation of stars for the cast; he should be very pleased with the result.
Having not seen any of the stage productions, I can only share my feelings for the film, which can be summed up in this thought: August: Osage County is an exercise in pity. The only thing that saves these characters from complete and total disdain is the fact that they're in a lovely midwestern home, college-educated, and quoting poetry - otherwise, it's like an over-long episode of Maury. Yes, Streep is very good. It's barely even interesting, because we all know she's going to be excellent. I'm not a fan of Julia Roberts, so I enjoyed my colleague's response, dripping with sarcasm: "A Julia Roberts movie is overrated? Noooo..." Though in fairness, the film does not belong to Roberts. I did like Chris Cooper, very much, and it reminded me of back when I was obsessed with October Sky, in which he also played the father of my crush - at the time, Jake Gyllenhaal (who looked like a boy at my school). Also wonderful, and underrated, is Margo Martindale as Violet's sister Mattie Fae.
Or perhaps I'm just biased toward Benedict's on-screen parents.
Anyway, it might be worth a viewing, but once you've seen it, I doubt you'll want to watch it again. I'd wait to check out once it gets to Redbox.
Notes
- Oscar nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role (Meryl Streep), and Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role (Julia Roberts).
- Barbara Weston's daughter Jean is played by Abigail Breslin. I knew I recognized her!
- The title of the film comes from a poem by Oklahoma native Howard Starks.
- Cumberbatch fans may opt to skip the film altogether and simply listen to his playing and singing on the soundtrack. Link to fansite/blog, if interested.
- Forgot to mention: the film/story felt heavily influenced by Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Must have been all the booze.
Friday, January 24, 2014
About Time
I saw About Time in November, and it turned me into emotional mush, making any kind of commentary impossible. This is what I've come up with, in anticipation of the DVD release on February 4th.
The Midas of romantic comedies, Richard Curtis's work includes Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, Bridget Jones' Diary, and the winter favorite, Love Actually. With his latest film, About Time, the writer/director weaves a beautiful story about love and family, life and death.
Y'all can have The Notebook, I'll take About Time any day. While this article from NPR.org has been nagging at the back of my brain, I choose instead to see the ways in which the movie makes its own rules, and more importantly, breaks some new ground.
Long story short, Tim can travel in time. Don't ask why or how, just see the movie. His goal is to use his gift to find love, but as the old saying goes, love finds him - when he's literally not looking for it. Tim goes on a blind double-date to a resturaunt whose gimmick is to dine in the dark. No lights. Unlike the scene in When in Rome, which uses night vision goggles to show us what's happening, Tim's date is comprised of dialogue relayed over a black screen. Tim hits it off with his date, Mary. Waiting for her outside the resturaunt, he can only hope that the girl who has captured his heart is someone he will also find attractive. Of course, being Rachel McAdams, she is.
But, guys. He likes her before he sees her. No love-at-first-sight nonsense, no fake getting-to-know-the-hot-girl crap. I'm utterly charmed.
It gets better.
About Time is about so much more than Tim and Mary - it's about Tim's relationship to his family, his friendship with his father, learning to trust your instincts. Accepting the inevitable and welcoming the unexpected. With the love and support of family, and the realization that life is precious, every moment, lived for the first or the last time, is a gift.
I know it sounds like a lot of sap, but I don't care. It's the most heartwarming film I've seen in ages, and one that I can't wait to see again.
Notes:
- My mom saw a preview of this film, and said she could see me marrying someone like Tim. I'm more than okay with that.
- Tim is played by Irish actor Domhnall Gleeson, who, besides being adorable, is most famous for playing Fred Weasley in the last Harry Potter film. Also, his father is renown actor Brendan Gleeson.
- Tim's mother's name is Mary - so is Domhnall's. - First Richard Curtis hit romantic comedy without Hugh Grant. Probably factors into why I like it so much.
The Midas of romantic comedies, Richard Curtis's work includes Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, Bridget Jones' Diary, and the winter favorite, Love Actually. With his latest film, About Time, the writer/director weaves a beautiful story about love and family, life and death.
Y'all can have The Notebook, I'll take About Time any day. While this article from NPR.org has been nagging at the back of my brain, I choose instead to see the ways in which the movie makes its own rules, and more importantly, breaks some new ground.
Long story short, Tim can travel in time. Don't ask why or how, just see the movie. His goal is to use his gift to find love, but as the old saying goes, love finds him - when he's literally not looking for it. Tim goes on a blind double-date to a resturaunt whose gimmick is to dine in the dark. No lights. Unlike the scene in When in Rome, which uses night vision goggles to show us what's happening, Tim's date is comprised of dialogue relayed over a black screen. Tim hits it off with his date, Mary. Waiting for her outside the resturaunt, he can only hope that the girl who has captured his heart is someone he will also find attractive. Of course, being Rachel McAdams, she is.
But, guys. He likes her before he sees her. No love-at-first-sight nonsense, no fake getting-to-know-the-hot-girl crap. I'm utterly charmed.
It gets better.
About Time is about so much more than Tim and Mary - it's about Tim's relationship to his family, his friendship with his father, learning to trust your instincts. Accepting the inevitable and welcoming the unexpected. With the love and support of family, and the realization that life is precious, every moment, lived for the first or the last time, is a gift.
I know it sounds like a lot of sap, but I don't care. It's the most heartwarming film I've seen in ages, and one that I can't wait to see again.
Notes:
- My mom saw a preview of this film, and said she could see me marrying someone like Tim. I'm more than okay with that.
- Tim is played by Irish actor Domhnall Gleeson, who, besides being adorable, is most famous for playing Fred Weasley in the last Harry Potter film. Also, his father is renown actor Brendan Gleeson.
- Tim's mother's name is Mary - so is Domhnall's. - First Richard Curtis hit romantic comedy without Hugh Grant. Probably factors into why I like it so much.
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit
I'm back! Not that I'd actually gone anywhere; nor did I stop seeing movies in the last two months. No, in fact I have numerous drafts of unfinished thoughts that I have yet to post, but my most recent cinematic adventure was Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit.
Shadow Recruit is an origin story for a new and contemporary Jack Ryan, CIA operative. Ryan's been around for a long time, first appearing in print. Four of Tom Clancy's novels featuring the operative were optioned for films, and successfully adapted, too. Look at the leading men: Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford, Ben Affleck, and now, Chris Pine.
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit rings true, on some level. The threat of economic warfare is very real, and we all want to believe that someone like Ryan exists, to read between the lines and prevent disaster. Especially if there's a badass road chase before the end. Ear pieces, thumb drives, spreadsheets, floorplans, diversions, secret meetings on park benches - all the cliches, updated for our time. Branagh as director uses his dramatic hand to tether the action to a story, and to a central character. More importantly, that protagonist is not invincible. He has feelings, and he gets hurt.
One of the things I like about Chris Pine's portrayal of Jack Ryan is his vulnerability. This is not an experienced agent, it's a military man who signed up to do financial data analysis from behind a desk. When he fights, it's truly self defense, with fear in his eyes. It's such a nice change from the showcase of strength that is Mark Wahlberg or Channing Tatum.
Pine's supporting cast is equally excellent, with Sir Kenneth Branagh as Russian businessman Viktor Cherevin, Kevin Costner as Ryan's CIA mentor, and Keira Knightley as Ryan's girlfriend Cathy.
Costner looks good in his suit, and it looks like he's got another action film coming out soon (3 Days to Kill), so he's raring for the fight. Knightley, I think, is growing on me. I used to find her grating, especially as Elizabeth Bennett, but I rather liked her in the ensemble picture Last Night with Sam Worthington, Eva Mendes, and Guillaume Canet. Here, in Shadow Recruit, I was actually quite impressed with Knightley's American accent.
Speaking of accents, I was surprised to believe (albeit loosely) Branagh's Russian accent. Admirer that I am, I thoroughly expected to laugh in his digitally projected face... in fact, I found his Viktor Cherevin rather attractive. Oops. Seriously, Hollywood, stop making the villains so attractive. Loki, Khan... well, I'm probably in a minority to include Cherevin on that list.
In any case, it's refreshing to see so consise an action film with an authentic kind of hero. Shadow Recruit also marks Tom Clancy's last film credit as a writer. While I don't know how involved he was in the script, I like to hope that he'd be happy with the reboot. I know this audience member is.
Shadow Recruit is an origin story for a new and contemporary Jack Ryan, CIA operative. Ryan's been around for a long time, first appearing in print. Four of Tom Clancy's novels featuring the operative were optioned for films, and successfully adapted, too. Look at the leading men: Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford, Ben Affleck, and now, Chris Pine.
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit rings true, on some level. The threat of economic warfare is very real, and we all want to believe that someone like Ryan exists, to read between the lines and prevent disaster. Especially if there's a badass road chase before the end. Ear pieces, thumb drives, spreadsheets, floorplans, diversions, secret meetings on park benches - all the cliches, updated for our time. Branagh as director uses his dramatic hand to tether the action to a story, and to a central character. More importantly, that protagonist is not invincible. He has feelings, and he gets hurt.
One of the things I like about Chris Pine's portrayal of Jack Ryan is his vulnerability. This is not an experienced agent, it's a military man who signed up to do financial data analysis from behind a desk. When he fights, it's truly self defense, with fear in his eyes. It's such a nice change from the showcase of strength that is Mark Wahlberg or Channing Tatum.
Pine's supporting cast is equally excellent, with Sir Kenneth Branagh as Russian businessman Viktor Cherevin, Kevin Costner as Ryan's CIA mentor, and Keira Knightley as Ryan's girlfriend Cathy.
Costner looks good in his suit, and it looks like he's got another action film coming out soon (3 Days to Kill), so he's raring for the fight. Knightley, I think, is growing on me. I used to find her grating, especially as Elizabeth Bennett, but I rather liked her in the ensemble picture Last Night with Sam Worthington, Eva Mendes, and Guillaume Canet. Here, in Shadow Recruit, I was actually quite impressed with Knightley's American accent.
Speaking of accents, I was surprised to believe (albeit loosely) Branagh's Russian accent. Admirer that I am, I thoroughly expected to laugh in his digitally projected face... in fact, I found his Viktor Cherevin rather attractive. Oops. Seriously, Hollywood, stop making the villains so attractive. Loki, Khan... well, I'm probably in a minority to include Cherevin on that list.
In any case, it's refreshing to see so consise an action film with an authentic kind of hero. Shadow Recruit also marks Tom Clancy's last film credit as a writer. While I don't know how involved he was in the script, I like to hope that he'd be happy with the reboot. I know this audience member is.
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