WAS1 Productions

Originally Written 10/14/06

I also saw Martin Scorsese’s movie, The Departed, last night. I’d been very curious about that, since I’d seen the Hong Kong film which is was based on, Infernal Affairs. I couldn’t remember all of the story, since the original film was convoluted, which is no surprise for HK cinema, but from what I remembered, it was very faithful to the story, and even made some improvements on it.

It was a great movie and very entertaining. I liked how unabashedly gritty it was, mixing black comedy with the action and violence. It was great to see it set and shot in Boston. There were a lot of landmarks I recognized, and they handled the Southie accents and local color quite well. There was lots of great acting here, from Jack Nicholson of course and Mark Walberg, who were wonderfully entertaining, as well as Matt Damon and even Leonardo DiCaprio, who’s grown beyond the pretty-boy roles he used to play. For those who like crime dramas, it was a real treat to watch.

Originally Written 08/27/06

I heard this story on an NPR podcast yesterday and was able to find a link to the story on their website. It’s a short interview with Shari Caudron about her book Who Are You People: A Personal Journey into the Heart of Fantatical Passions in America. In it she follows people of various fandoms, avid Barbie collectors, devotees of Andy Griffith’s Mayberry and yes, even furries.

Given the usual media treatment of the fandom, it was nice to see something more fair and balanced. She agreed that walking into a furry con was pretty bizarre at first, but got a sense of what the appeal was for people. She also appreciated the strong bonds of community and acceptance.

That sounds like it’s a running theme through her book. She talks about the Barbie fans coming to the aid of a woman who lost her son, and it really shows how people in these fandoms take care of each other. Overall it’s a sweet little piece.

Originally Written 07/10/06

On Thursday I saw a quirky art film with some friends down in Boston. They’re an academic bunch, so one of them suggested seeing Wordplay, a documentary about both the New York Time crossword puzzle editor, Will Shortz, and the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament. It’s not a film I might have seen on my own, but I’m glad they suggested it, as I found it thoroughly enjoyable.

First off, Shotz, and one the paper’s biggest puzzle contributors, were both interesting characters, as were the other puzzle enthusiasts they interviewed. The film also had a very clever sense of humor and some visual-styling touches to reference a boxy crossword grid motif wherever possible, framing people against windows, etc.

They showed a news clip of how on the eve of the 1996 presidential elections, the New York Times had created a puzzle with the center clues working out to allow two possible answers: “CLINTON ELECTED” or “BOBDOLE ELECTED.” The fact that they made all the adjoining words work for both sets of letters, which they showed, was impressive, and you had to admire their cleverness. They interviewed both Clinton and Dole about it, which was also fun.

John Stuart was another celebrity interviewed for his devotion and abilities at solving the puzzles, and as would be expected, he injected a lot of humor into the film. The Indigo Girls were also featured as puzzle heads, which was cool, but they weren’t as entertaining off stage.

The film introduced several of the contestants to the most-recent puzzle tournament, and then spent the last act following the action of the games. It used the same formula as for a sports documentary, following the progress of each contestant along the way. They included graphics of showing the clues and answers as the puzzles were filled in, to get you into the game, and that worked to draw you in.

It was also fun to see the convention atmosphere of the hotel where the tournament is held each year. There were the friends who only saw each other at the tournament, and touching stories about people from past years. I was again reminded that no matter the fandom or interest, fans are pretty similar, from the deliberately-tacky crossword-patterned pantsuit one woman was wearing, to the goofy acts for the talent show.

One guy was doing a themed filk song which I chuckled at. “Our love is a puzzle, with the clues scattered all around, but if you don’t come across, I’m gonna be down…” Heh. So yeah, it was a delightful and sweet little film and I enjoyed it much more than I’d expected.

Originally Written 06/21/06

I was watching movies with friends tonight. James brought out some of his movies and I finally got to see The Forbidden Zone.

My college friend Matt had told me about Richard Elfman’s cinematic opus, starring his brother Danny and his musical troupe, the Mystic Knights of Oingo Boingo. My curiosity was piqued, and James was all to eager to indulge it. Sara, bless her heart sat through it again too. Wow, words can not begin to describe the film. It was fascinating in its badness and utterly inscrutable.

It was a carnival of the damned, but set to music, complete with whiny transvestites and dirty clowns running around in their t-shirts and underwear and engaging in assorted frottage. Not to mention Hervi Velichez and his zaftig queen and their daughter the shapely and very topless princess.

I can’t say it was good, but it was a hoot to watch. It was a totally-whacked out musical theater set piece, with some really funky animation. Plus Danny Elfman as Satan, singing “Minnie the Moucher” was priceless. It was interesting seeing elements of future Oingo Boingo videos in there, and as I remarked afterwards, “and who would’ve though they went on to make something good later on.”

Originally Written 12/16/05

I went and saw The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe tonight. It was a brilliantly done movie and it totally met my hopes and expectations.

It was very true to the book. I could see places where they had to take some things out for time. There were also some scenes of new material which were added, but that enhanced the story, while staying true to the spirit of the book. One thing I really liked was how they fleshed out the characters of the children more.

That gave them more depth and you could really understand the motivations for their actions, as well as empathizing with them. The actors were all quite good as well. And finally, for those people who are worried about the religions overtones of the movie, don’t let those concerns keep you away.

Like in the book, the Christian subtex is very nuanced and deftly handled, and the story can be taken in both secular or pagan and religious manners. I’ve always loved how C. S. Lewis handled the religious allegories in the Narnia books. Aslan is an obvious Christ figure, but that’s never heavy handed and I liked how warm and caring the character is, even on the occasion when he’s acting as a moral shepherd.

The visuals were amazing. First all the location shots in New Zealand were impressive. There were several breathtaking scenes, and I was reminded of The Lord of the Rings movies in a couple of shots. And of course the creature effects were outstanding. The whole film celebrated Lewis’ love of myths and fantasy and it really brought the world of Narnia and its inhabitants to life. The diversity in characters and creatures was really impressive and the immersive visual fantasy was a lot of fun.

I was a little saddened by the stereotyping of the wolves, as I was when I read the book, but they were still neat to see. Even though the minotaurs were the bad guys, they were also great to look at. The griffins were so cute too, but Mr. and Mrs. Beaver were my favorites. They had good voice actors for them too. And of course Aslan was wonderful too, they got his characterization spot on and Liam Neeson gave his voice a wonderful mix of power and compassion.

One thing that surprised me in the film was the battle scenes. The film opened up with London under attack by a Nazi air raid. I wasn’t expecting that, but it really set the tone for the opening of the film. Then, in the battle between Aslan’s and the White Witch’s armies, I was again surprised by how brutal it was. It wasn’t gorey, there was no blood shown, but it was quite intense. I think it works for a family film, and was definitely not gratuitous. It shows what was at stake and didn’t glorify violence, but at the same time it might be better for older kids.

And the scene with Aslan sacrificing himself to be killed on the stone table was another impressive scene. The stroke of the blade cutting him was never even shown, instead the camera focused on his eyes as the Witch brought down the blow. I felt that to be even more effective. It was very powerful and natural, and not manipulative. There were a couple of scenes in the movies where I felt my eyes watering up, and that was one of them.