Rants and Ruminations – Page 42

Hollywood's Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

July 26, 2010 by moviegourmet

Daniel Craig — Hollywood's Mikael Blomkvist

There’s some good news about the upcoming Hollywood versions of Stieg Larsson’s Millenium trilogy. First, David Fincher (Fight Club, Zodiac) will direct, and Fincher’s track record suggests that he is the perfect guy to pull this off.

Second, Hollywood is planning to make all three films (instead of just the first or compressing them into one movie).

Third, Entertainment Weekly reports that Daniel Craig will play Mikael Blomkvist. If you’ve seen the gritty British crime drama Layer Cake, you know that Craig can play the smart and understated Blomkvist.

Still, the success of the project depends on who will play Lisbeth Salander – and we still don’t know. My first choice is the Danish actress Noomi Rapace who has originated the role, and she speaks English well; but on the extra features of the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo DVD, Rapace says that, after living with Lisbeth for 18 months of prep and filming, she is done with the character. Carey Mulligan has been quoted that it won’t be her, either. So we watch and wait.

More on D-Box

July 24, 2010 by moviegourmet

When I saw Inception, the theater was selling D-Box tickets for an $8 premium (added to the ticket price).

Last week, after a test drive, I trashed the latest Hollywood gimmick, D-Box motion effects seats. To “enhance” the action or tension on the screen, the D-Box theater seat jolts, wiggles, tilts, swerves, etc. I found it to be more like the experience of dropping a quarter in a motel massage bed. With an $8 premium, that means ticket prices closing in on 20 bucks to distract the moviegoer with a few jolts and wiggles.

And, finally, Inception is a legitimately exciting movie. It doesn’t need the gimmick, which I’m sure just distracts from the cinematic experience.

Bella and Lisbeth – NPR's John Powers

March 29, 2023July 19, 2010 by moviegourmet

“Two Ladies: Are You Team Bella, or Team Lisbeth?” NPR’s Fresh Air’s John Powers has written a very insightful essay on this year’s two most popular – and contrasting – female role models – Bella of the Twilight series and Lisbeth of Stieg Larsson’s Millenium trilogy. An excellent read.

Note to Patricia: The only reason that I haven’t yet seen The Girl Who Played With Fire, is that I’m waiting for my wife to finish the book before we go; she assures me that we’ll make it to the theater this weekend. I’m glad that you found Played With Fire gripping.

Danny Trejo and his scary friends

July 16, 2010 by moviegourmet

I just saw an ad for Danny Trejo in Machete. Danny Trejo is one scary looking dude and has 188 acting credits, often as One Scary Looking Dude. Danny has brought to life more fully formed characters in indies like Mi Vida Loca and Sherrybaby. And the guy is a legitimate action star at age 66, which must be some kind of record.

Still, I get the feeling that Danny is often cast for his intimidating appearance. Here are some similar guys that you’ll recognize.

sid haig2 — Sid Haig in Brotherhood of Blood

timothycarey — Timothy Carey (86 acting credits)

ron perlman1 — Ron Perlman - 174 acting credits

D-Box motion effects seats

July 15, 2010 by moviegourmet

Color me unimpressed. I have endured a test run of the latest Hollywood gimmick – D-Box motion effects seats, which will be in use for the release of Inception this week in a few theaters across the nation. To “enhance” the action or tension on the screen, the theater seat jolts, wiggles, tilts, swerves, etc.

First, which really engrossing movies need to be “enhanced” by the furniture?

Second, this technology just isn’t that impressive to those of us who have experienced virtual reality rides (like Disneyland’s “Star Tours”) at amusement parks, boardwalks and carnivals. (BTW “Star Tours” is over twenty years old and is closing this summer for a “re-imagining”.) The D-Box is more like the experience of dropping a quarter in a motel massage bed.

3-D is here to stay; but I think that motion effects seats will go the way of Cinerama and Smell-O-Vision.

Toy Story 3 with an early inspiration for our Oscar Dinner

July 14, 2010 by moviegourmet

Toy Story 3 3 — There's a surprise in store for Mr. Potato Head

As you know, each Oscar night we prepare a dinner with dishes that are featured in or are inspired by the Best Picture nominees. Toy Story 3 is certain to be among the ten nominees, and so I have decided that it will represented in our 2011 Oscar Dinner with……….a tortilla. (If you’ve seen the film, you’ll understand.)

Here’s the page on our annual Oscar Dinner.

Why hasn't there been a good Babe Ruth movie?

July 12, 2010 by moviegourmet

pride of the yankees2 — Babe Ruth as Babe Ruth in The Pride of the Yankees

Why hasn’t there been a good biopic of Babe Ruth? The three extant have ranged from unmemorable (1992’s The Babe with John Goodman and 1991’s Babe Ruth with Stephen Lang) to execrable (1948’s The Babe Ruth Story with the remarkably unathletic William Bendix).

Here is the greatest baseball player who ever lived. (Only Ted Williams, Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron and Willie Mays were in his league as a hitter, and Ruth was also a star pitcher in his early years – so there’s no argument that he was the greatest.) Ruth transformed the game itself from station-to-station to the power game.

On top of that, The Babe was a great character: a boisterous man of unrestrained appetites, a great athlete who did not look athletic, nevertheless charismatic and very funny. He was made for the movies. Unfortunately, the great Babe Ruth movie hasn’t been written.

Incidentally, Babe Ruth has been portrayed in 30 movies, the first seven times by Babe Ruth himself.

the-babe-ruth-story — poor William Bendix

The Golden Age of Baseball Movies

July 10, 2010 by moviegourmet

Tom Hanks and Geena Davis in A League of Their Own

More excellent baseball movies were made between 1984 and 1994 than in any other period: The Natural, Bull Durham, Eight Men Out, Field of Dreams, Major League, A League of their Own, Angels in the Outfield, The Scout, Cobb and Ken Burns’ Baseball.

Why didn’t this trend continue? My guess is that Major League Baseball lost the hearts of Americans during the MLB Strike of 1994-95. That Strike even forced cancellation of the entire postseason, including the 1994 World Series.

Before the Strike, my kitchen and auto radios were always tuned to the station that broadcast my favorite baseball team; those radios are tuned to NPR now. I was familiar with every regular player, starting pitcher and key reliever in the National League; I’m not any more. The Strike made me go cold turkey and killed my baseball habit.

By the measures of revenue and attendance, MLB has been even more successful since the strike, but I don’t believe that it is loved as much as before.

It was also a key time in American sports culture – as baseball was being eclipsed by soccer as a youth sport and by the NBA and NFL as a spectator sport. Baseball did not understand how vulnerable its place in American culture was.

Americans have been burned once – and severely burned – by baseball. We will go the ballpark as an entertainment event, but no longer from devotion to the sport and our favorite teams. That devotion – which so warmly received the baseball movies of 1984-1994 – is no longer there.

Major League1 — Bob Uecker calls the action in Major League

Mick LaSalle on Toy Story 3

July 4, 2010 by moviegourmet

toy story 3 1 — The staff meeting does not go well.

Mick LaSalle has a great insight on Toy Story 3 and the fates to be suffered by the toys:

“Thrown out is the equivalent of death.

“Being put in the attic is the equivalent of retirement.

“Relocating is the equivalent of changing jobs.”

Read his blog here. This post also links to his review.

My point here is that Toy Story 3 is BOTH a great children’s movie AND a great movie for adults, too. I regret that lots of childless adults won’t see it. Adults should see this movie – at times it is thoughtful, profound, moving and hilarious. Hey, take a date to this movie – it’ll make her/him laugh and admire your movie taste.