The Humor of Suffering (Tig, 2015)

Tig Notaro tends to be what I think of as a comedian’s comedian. One of those people that seems to fly under the radar with the public, but comedian’s love. They often are hard working comics who get opportunities on late night talk shows because the host thinks you should hear them. Notaro’s career was on the rise until 2012 when it skyrocketed. Because, uh, she got breast cancer.

Tig had a series of heartbreaking events occur in her life, and then she was diagnosed with breast cancer. A couple days later, she took to the stage, unsure what she was going to do…and she launched into an awkward, funny, and unique routine. The other comics there started tweeting about what they were seeing.

The documentary Tig chronicles the lead up to this event and the fallout from it. Following her trying to reassess her career, relationships and hopes for her future, the documentary is funny, inspiring, soul crushing.

Notero notes when she was told she should use this for her act, she had wondered how she could mine humor from such tragedy. And yet, listening to her album Live (pronounced “liv”) she was able to riff hysterically about death, life, disappointment, cancer and uncertainty.

Tig is a terrific, thoughtful and fun documentary. Mixing in her standup and interviews with her friends and family, you get a pretty full picture of Notaro. Along with her album Live, I recommend a viewing of Tig.

August 7, 2015 0

The Walking Amended

So, yesterday brought news that Frank Darabont “updated” his wrongful termination suit against AMC and the Walking Dead.

Specifically, he has added Fear the Walking Dead (debuting August 23rd on AMC) to the suit (among other changes).

For the first time, the plaintiffs have called out the upcoming Fear The Walking Dead by name as “derivative productions” for which Darabont is due payment.“Plaintiffs are entitled to payments and/or contingent compensation under the terms of the Agreement for Talking Dead and any subsequent derivative productions, including the forthcoming scripted spinoff to The Walking Dead titled Fear The Walking Dead,” says the 30-page amended complaint put before the NY State courts Tuesday (quoted from Deadline Hollywood)

The whole concept of “derivative of” is a pretty hazy notion. And as it applies to Fear the Walking Dead? Unless we are about to meet the unmentioned Dixon Sister Cheryl, I see little ground to stand on.

Darabont did not invent or re-invent the concept of zombie survival drama. He adapted Robert Kirkman’s comic book. And while he created characters specifically for the show (the Dixon Brothers, for example), he did not invent the idea of “survivors of the zombie apocalypse”. Fear the Walking Dead is derivative of the “zombie apocalypse genre”. But that was not Darabont’s idea at work.

The Walking Dead is derivative of George Romero’s work, should he be suing Darabont? AMC? Kirkman?

If AMC broke their deal, they owe compensation. But I have to be brutally honest here. The portion of Season 2 that Darabont was a part of before being fired was the biggest stumble of the series…much of season 2 was rambling and dull, only getting interesting towards the end and after Darabont was out. I have never found myself wishing to know what “Darabont’s season five” would have been like. And unless he has some evidence that they followed his game plan (including the Fear the Walking Dead Spin-Off in some form) I cannot say I agree with the amended lawsuit.

August 5, 2015 0

The Painter’s Way (Drew: The Man Behind the Poster, 2013)

If you started watching movies in the early 80’s, you have seen the work of Drew Struzan. Actually…if you listened to music in the 70’s, you probably owned his artwork on your shelf. The documentary Drew: The Man Behind the Poster is an opportunity to make folks aware of Struzan and his long body of work and for people to heap tons of praise on the man.

And looking at the enormous amount of work he has done, it is no surprise why these folks (From George Lucas to Michael J. Fox) want to go on and on about his work. Fox speaks of going to a photo shoot and realizing the guy taking pictures was the guy who painted the cover for Alice Cooper’s Welcome to My Nightmare.

The film gives a solid overview of his career, giving insight into how he works. Some of his most iconic posters were created knowing nothing of the film (He did the poster for John Carpenter’s the Thing overnight, the studio received it with the paint still wet).

It seems, though, the real reason for the film is something far more unnoticed by the world. The lack of great movie posters. More than one person laments having great Struzan art made and then the studio went with a cut and past Photoshop designed poster. Painted movie posters are a dying art.

The documentary is worth it just for seeing Drew’s artwork, but it is enjoyable watching actors and filmmakers so focused on how important one aspect of promotional materials. I tend to agree. Thomas Jane notes how he sees the Drew Struzan poster for Masters of the Universe makes him want to see the film. And he is right. That is a cool poster.

I really enjoyed the film, learning about the history behind one of my favorite artists. His praise is well deserved.

August 4, 2015 0

We Got It All On… (UHF, 1989)

Back in 1989, Weird Al Yankovic tried to conquer the movies. He did not quite succeed, as this was Al’s only starring role. UHF was low on plot, mainly a vehicle for film and television parody. The film has maintained a cult following, and not without reason.

Yankovic’s UHF is goofy and fun. The basic set up is daydreamer George (Weird Al Yankovic) is just getting by, working minimum wage jobs, unsuccessfully. He is big on imagination, but no idea how to put it into use. His Uncle wins a rundown television station and his wife convinces him to let George run it.

Against all odds, the network succeeds, as George hires local oddballs to have shows. His own attempt at a kids show fails, but when the janitor Stanley Spadowski (Michael Richards) steps in? Ratings skyrocket. This attracts the ire of R.J. Fletcher (Kevin McCarthy), owner of the largest station in the city, who does not want to lose the number one spot. And so hi-jinks ensue.

As I said, this is mostly a vehicle for film and TV parody, and that is when the film is the most fun. The film has two modes…most of the film parodies occur as daydreams where George views himself in iconic roles such as Indiana Jones and Rambo. Then there are the TV clips… ads for TV Movies (Such as Conan the Librarian and Gandhi II), commercials for stores (Spatula City) and then the shows themselves (Wheel a Fish & Rual’s Wild Kingdom). These bits are often both goofy and clever and the jokes are Gatling gun fast.

There is a romantic subplot where George is trying to avoid losing the love of his life, Teri (Victoria Jackson), by proving he is responsible. But, along with the other subplots, this is the least creative aspect of the film.

The film is solidly cast with character actors like Kevin McCarthy (who could chew scenery like few others),Stanley Brock as George’s gambling addicted Uncle Harvey and Billy Barty as Noodles MacIntosh. It also features plenty of folks who made it big in the 90s, such as Michael Richards & Fran Drescher. The talent involved elevates a lot of this, especially considering the slightness of story.

The one uncomfortable area is the racism surrounding the character Kuni, an Asian martial arts instructor. Played by Gedde Watanabe (who has long faced harsh criticism for his role as Long Duk Dong in Sixteen Candles) the character speaks stilted and awkward english. He pronounces his “R’s” as “L’s” and barks out responses. I admit, there are aspects of the character that work okay…he is needlessly tough on the contestants on his game show “Wheel a Fish”. When someone ends up losing, instead of being comforting, he starts yelling at them deriding them for being so stupid.

For the most part, though the humor is not cruel, simply having fun with wordplay, slapstick and visual gags.

The 25th Anniversary Blu-Ray from the Shout Factory has a great new painted cover by James Hance. The HD picture is, for the large part excellent. There are a couple random moments where the quality dips. A few instances will just never get better because the picture is imitating a bad UHF signal.

The bonus features are a decent collection. While the three minute behind the scenes is not too exciting, there is nearly an hour of a 2014 career retrospective from Comic Con International that is funny and enjoyable. In case you think I am being to rough on Al for the simple plot, he himself states they just needed a story that let them string along the gags. He suggests that if he were to go back to it, he would have put more effort into the actual story. The deleted scenes are from the previous DVD…but it is a creative take. Weird Al hosts explaining that the scenes were deleted because the scenes sucked. He then pops in between sequences to deride the deleted scenes. The disc also contains the UHF music video and various promotional materials such as trailers and still photos. It is, overall a nice and inclusive package. It would have been neat if they could have pulled off a even a short retrospective of the film, both it’s creation and the later cult following. But the overall package is worth it for fans of the film and Weird Al Yankovic.

August 3, 2015 0

It All Falls Apart (Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley’s Island of Dr. Moreau, 2014)

Following the efforts of filmmaker Richard Stanley (Hardware, Dust Devil) to make his adaption of H.G. Wells the Island of Doctor Moreau, Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley’s Island of Dr. Moreau.

The documentary is a fascinating exploration of egos and dreams colliding with commerce. It provides a very honest look, with everyone being brutally truthful about what they were feeling. It is full of downright bizarre stories.

For example, Stanley was shocked to find out that New Line announced the Island of Dr. Moreau with Roman Polansky. They were unhappy with his desire to hire Marlon Brando, as New Line had just dealt with him on the Johnny Depp vehicle Don Juan De Marco. It had not gone well, apparently. Realizing he might lose the movie, he resort to witchcraft. This is not a joke. He actually sought a warlock friend to cast a spell.

Stanley notes when he came to Hollywood, they put him up in an apartment complex. He talks about how he became more and more paranoid that this was an attempt to shut him out.

Some of the surprises are to find some of the names they had associated with the film. James Woods and Val Kilmer were hired, and then Kilmer decided he really did not like his role. They convinced him to stay by switching him over to Woods’ role and sending James Woods packing. They asked Rob Morrow (Northern Exposure) to try out, and he was intrigued, but shortly after filming, he begged to get off the picture.

Production closed down, and Stanley was fired from the production, which led to a breakdown for Stanley who was totally absorbed by the project. And according to actress Fairuza Balk, this is actually when the nightmare began.

The introduction of John Frankenheimer to save the film resulted in a miserable crew and a whole different kind of craziness that they were meant to be escaping when firing Stanley. Director David Gregory has managed to assemble a large number of people involved and to paint a vivid picture of the failure of Stanley’s dream, and ultimately the film the Island of Dr. Moreau. It is a terrifically engaging film.

August 2, 2015 0

Spider-Man Swings Past the Origin

The site Collider has a discussion with the writers (though, the actual interview occurred on the Andy Greenwald Podcast) of the rebooted Spider-Man franchise.

Much talk has been given about Spider-Man’s second reboot and his entering the the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The hype is getting so ridiculous that an article appeared in my Facebook feed *confirming* Spider-Man would appear in Civil War. People are so desperate for angles that they are confirming stories confirmed months ago.

The more interesting part is the address the most common concern people seem to have about the reboot. Are we getting stuck with another origin story? The fact that Spider-Man is appearing in Civil War would indicate the answer to be no. The MCU has been fairly good at not jumping backwards. The timeline appears as if they will be jumping into a story with an active Spider-Man.

This interview suggests that, currently, they are not writing an origin movie:

“I think that everybody feels like you know he got bit by a spider and you know Uncle Ben died, and we probably don’t need to revisit that.”

“We want to explore the fact that just because you get superpowers doesn’t make you into a really sophisticated, successful adult. He’s still a kid and he’s clumsy and he’s a geek and he’s a bit of an outcast, and in many ways the superpowers amplify that and exacerbate his trying to fit in.”

This is good to see. Truthfully, the origin movie is rarely needed. I get that there are all sorts of fun that can occur with someone learning their powers. But a simple solution is set the story early in the hero’s career. This allows for amusing and dramatic stumbles due to inexperience. You can still set up the rivalries.

In that sense, I get the idea that DC is working with. It seems like Batman v Superman will be introducing characters who are already active. I am not fully behind the “older Batman” approach…but in a way, I appreciate the way they seem to be avoiding another Batman origin story. Sure, it appears we will see some flashbacks, but comics have always reflected on characters origins in their storytelling. But Warner Brothers and DC seem to be realizing they can start the story later in the career of the character. Really, I think it would have helped Man of Steel to start in his early career, instead of the introduction to his world as fighting a massive and destructive battle with Zod.

To be fair, Marvel has not just given us origin films. The Incredible Hulk was not an origin tale and really, Thor was an established Asgardian Warrior. But Marvel really has leaned heavily on origin films. And it certainly worked for the best with Captain America. So it is good to see that Marvel and their screenwriters understand that it is just not necessary to retell the Spider-Origin all over again.

August 1, 2015 0

Diverting The Train

There seems to be a lot of surprise over the fact that the new vehicle from Amy Schumer and Judd Apatow, Trainwreck, totally favors monogamy.

But is this that shocking? Should conservative and liberal critics be shocked that a Hollywood film favors monogamy over commitment to one night stands? The liberal contingency has given more of a tired sigh over yet another Apatow film favoring “conservative mores” while Conservatives seem pleased.

Honestly, I have not issue with Apatow films favoring the idea that monogamy is good. I will go as far as to say…I think it is silly to complain about it. As film critic Peter Chattaway noted, at this point, should anyone be surprised that an Apatow makes a film that favors monogamy and marriage?

One might note that Amy Schumer is the screenwriter, so that surprises them. But has there been proof that Schumer would normally oppose the message of the film (I confess, I have only seen bits of Amy’s standup and clips from her show which have been “uncomfortably” hilarious)? And really, based on the previews? Did people really think the film was going to favor the lead *not* falling in love?

I would actually suggest that Hollywood has rarely gone against monogamy. Most films about relationships end with the relationship succeeding. The main set of films in the American Pie franchise all tend to favor committed relationships, mining more casual sexual encounters for laughs.

Trainwreck sets it up in the previews…Amy’s drunken dad (Colin Quinn) teaches her that monogamy is a sham, them she meets a guy (Bill Hader) who challenges her notions of relationships…where do we really think that is going?

I have not seen the film yet, but I think being shocked that it favors relationships and monogamy over sleeping around is…naive.

July 30, 2015 0

The Argh of Apocalypse

The X-Men films started off strongly (X-Men was decent, X2 was very strong) faltered in the middle (X3 and X-Men Origins Wolverine were big stumbles), X-Men:First Class started the films back to a solid footing that X-Men: Days of Future Past continued with. The Setting in the past helped give the films a sense of purpose. And as they go into the 80’s with the X-Men: Apocalypse, introducing Apocalypse makes a lot of sense.

In the Marvel comics world, Apocalypse was the first mutant. He is ancient. And he looks like this:

Entertainment Weekly recently revealed the look of Apocalypse for the film:

And it just feels…off. People slammed it quite harshly. My own reaction was that it looks like a lame Doctor Who villain or a rejected idea from the Wishmaster franchise. I mean, maybe there is going to be a barrage of digital yet. But some folks quickly jumped up to point out that folks complained about Quicksilver and look how that turned out.

And, this is fairly true. People howled loudly about how awful Quicksilver’s outfit looked. And yet, Quicksilver was one of the most engaging characters in the film. His sequence in Days of Future Past was a real standout.

And so, folks are understandably saying, the character could still be awesome. And true, the performance may turn out to be awesome. I am not expressing a dissatisfaction with the performer. But I am rather unexcited about the characters look…and no performance is going to suddenly make it look cool. I may like the performance and character, but unless there is a lot of post production touch up, I cannot see the character looking less comedic.

As an aside, the inclusion of Jubilee feels odd… Jubilee is really very much an element of the 90s X-Men comics. Yes, she technically first appeared in the 80s. May of 1989. The actress seems like a good choice and they do seem to have hit her style near perfectly.

Oh yeah, Moira McTaggert is in this one…if it’s not archival, there is a 20 year jump in time since we last saw her…are they aging Rose Byrne (the character would be pushing 50, if not older)? And really Entertainment Weekly and Filmmakers…if Scott Summers is a “bad boy” in your film…crap, that is a big misunderstanding of the character.

July 28, 2015 0

Better, But Still Not Quite…There…

So San Diego Comic Con saw the release of a new trailer for next year’s Batman vs Superman and…

Well, I am a little more hopeful…but not yet excited.

The trailer is unclear if Batman has been active for years or if he retired, though there seems to be indications he is returning to his cowl.

While I am a bit bummed that we will not have an established friendship, they are clearly coming at this with the heroes fight, realize they are wrong, join forces model. This is, certainly, a classic comic book story. But Superman and Batman have a long history as close friends. I would hope they can do it as effectively as John Byrne did in 1986’s Man of Steel mini-series.

They cannot, of course, give us a long established relationship, as Man of Steel established the very first time people saw Superman was his battle with Zod. And the Man of Steel is our introduction to the DC Cinematic Universe. It is off to a grim start. I have expressed in discussions with friends that I am bothered by the literal hero worship aspect because I felt it had not yet been earned. Granted, the film is likely set a few months after the previous film…and I can appreciate that they are trying to address all the destruction in Man of Steel.

So what makes me feel more hopeful?

The Man of Steel Returning cast. Getting to see Clark Kent active as a reporter. Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor is intriguing to me right now. Jeremy Iron’s Alfred seems to nail the idea that Alfred is Batman’s needed conscience. It looks pretty exciting. Wonder Woman looks tough.

So, I am still cautious and not yet at optimistic.

July 27, 2015 0

Artifacting (Pixels, 2015)

Pixels is a mash of Ghostbusters and Adam Sandler’s Nostalgia machine with a lot of likeable actors supporting Sandler and James based on a clever 2:34 minute short film by Patrick Jean from 2010.

The short explanation of the film is that in 1982 the U.S. government sent out a tie capsule into space, aliens with VCR technology thought we were declaring war and attack us with video games from 1982 (or earlier). The world’s best hope is not our military or scientists… it is washed up guys who were super good at video games in 1982.

The idea certainly could have been a lot of fun. But the film was mashed through a standard Sandler Comedy Filter. The jokes depend on Sandler’s 80’s nostalgia (which translates scattershot jokes based on “har, har-80’s!” with no regard to accuracy). The whole opening sequence is set in 1982 where we meet every major character except Michelle Monaghan’s Violet as children. The jokes reference 80’s celebrities whose careers had not taken off in 1982. We learn Adam Sandler’s Brenner is a prodigy at video games, Kevin Jame’s Cooper is only good at the claw game, Ludlow (Josh Gad) has no friends and Peter Dinklage is a gaming champion. Brenner almost wins the championship, but in the end loses to Eddie.

Apparently, this destroys Brenner, and when the film picks up he is a entertainment system installer, which is how he meets skilled scientist and 2nd Lt. Violet, who is getting a divorce. After a failed attempt to kiss Violet, the two spend the movie sparring in that generic “these people hate each other but are really falling in love” fashion.

The movie is very generic in every fashion. The script has no life, and relies on cheap stereotypes (in an Adam Sandler film?!). Gad’s Ludlow is a creepy conspiracy theory nut who admits to having kidnapped people. He is also obsessed with Lady Lisa, the heroine of Dojo Quest. Dinklage’s Eddie is a prisoner who wants a threesome with Martha Stewart and Serena Williams as a condition of helping save the world.

The effects are good (which is not surprising). The cast is promising (Dinklage has the best performance) yet ultimately everyone feels like they are just playing expected roles. Monaghan is the love interest and mom, Brian Cox is Angry Old Man and Josh Gad yells then trails off quietly in his delivery… Adam Sandler is his usual failed schlep and Kevin James channels his Bumbling Man Character through the president.

The film makes “odd” choices…one example is Lady Lisa. All the alien video game warriors are pixelated. Every single one. Except Lisa. And the only reason I can gather is that she is supposed to be a hot woman. So, who cares, right? Sexy trumps your established rules.

This film is supposed to be a comedy. I did not laugh once. Not even a chuckle. I did smile a couple times where the film moved up in level to mildly amusing. But the film is genuinely awful.

July 26, 2015 0