Summer Movie News
These are the best “scene stealers” the summer could produce? Movie lovers are in tough times.
How could this guy not steal a scene? Look at his competition in the movie!
The Kenny Powers of Mall Cops: Observe and Report’s Ronnie Barnhardt
Observed Seth Rogen in “Observe and Report” last night at a preview and am busy writing my report. Am not supposed to spill the beans on content until Friday, but if you like Kenny Powers, and to a lesser degree Fred Simmons, you’ll probably like Rogen’s Ronnie Barnhardt and his retarded antics.
I can, however, use this opportunity to comment on Metacritic, and not because it flouts the unspoken agreement against bean spilling before the opening. Worse, it assigns an overall ranking based on a limited number of reviews. Not only could this mislead the public, but probably influences other critics, no offense to fellow critics, unless you are the influenceable kind. Imagine you just saw the movie, and look on Metacritic to find a big 80 percent average score. You might take that to mean everyone else loves it, without noticing the score is only based on a few reviews (as of Wednesday April 8 anyway). Metacritic should change that policy and hold off on scores until it gets a number of reviews closer to the estimated total it’s going to include, depending on the movie. An average of four really doesn’t mean much.
Not to get all Ronnie and up in everyone else’s business or anything. Just saying.
I Wake Up Screening – Noir Fest at Egyptian
Mugs and dames return to the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood April 2-19 for the annual Film Noir Festival, Deadline: Noir City. A notice of the event from the Egyptian popped up on my Gmail calendar yesterday, coincidently after a week I’d just spent re-watching my collection of the Fox Film Noir series. Most of them have an excellent commentary track by noir historian Eddie Muller, who will be at the festival. Muller’s film commentary is only rivaled in my opinion by Peter Bogdanovich. I try to buy every film each has done. If you’ve only experienced commentary tracks familiar in newer releases, stuff done by historians and film critics on older movies can tend to run like they are reading a prepared statement, which can be rather dry, especially when some of them concentrate exclusively on actor backgrounds. Some even sit there and describe what you are seeing on the screen, as if it were meant for a blind person. Muller talks about the movie, like you are re-watching it with a friend who knows a hell of a lot about what you are seeing. I’m sure it takes a lot of natural talent along with a lifetime of study to be able to sit there and ad lib for an hour and a half while making the commentary conversational and informative. Muller will be at the festival giving introductions to the films, which range from popular, well-known films to much rarer selections.
Victor Mature in Bruce Humberstone’s “I Wake Up Screaming”
Kenny Powers Now Getting Most Traffic
As I commented in an earlier post, no matter what else was on them people kept looking at my blogs for my review and post for “Never Back Down.” Well the reigning champ has been undone by the thunder, aka Kenny Powers, the main character in HBO’s “Eastbound & Down.” People love this guy. I shall now try to mention Kenny Powers whenever I post anything, for any reason… like, Kenny Powers. There.
The series is over, but you can catch a rerun of the last episode this Saturday and Sunday night. Star Danny McBride is going to be in Will Ferrell’s adaptation of Land of the Lost, this summer.
Another Mall Cop
This is not a follow-up to “Paul Blart: Mall Cop.” The timing is odd, but the newer one actually looks a little better.
The film is directed by Jody Hill, the man at least semi-responsible for Kenny Powers and Fred Simmons (he directed “The Foot Fist Way” and “Eastbound & Down”).
Observe and Report opens April 10.
On Beckett Lane
I’m a great admirer of Samuel Beckett, and a great admirer of Anthony Lane. So I definitely enjoyed this article on Beckett by Lane, although the latter seems to be trying a little too hard to be cool.
Neo-Neo-Neo-Realism
Interesting potential feud over what’s neo about neo-neo-realism brewing soon. Stay tuned.
For those who landed here looking for Neo, check out allmovie.com.
Devoured By Books
1. I really love to see stuff like this. All life should be art, and at least a trip to the library should be.
2. Despite the devotion to the space (children’s libraries) you can’t deny there’s something at least irreverent, if not perverse (purposefully I’d guess) about the Christoph Niemann T-Rex rearing to chomp the little boy with its book teeth. I mean I’d like to say I’ve been bitten by a book or two in my life, but still. Not disparaging it though. It’s great. – W.M.
From the New York Times.
Bukowski Town
There was a time when Charles Bukowski would have been floored if he could have received even one portion of the proceeds from this tour of his former haunts, which costs a whopping $58 to attend. Looks cool but the price could be seen as anathema to the spirit of the man. (More to the spirit is me re-publishing the news too late for anyone to take advantage of it.)
Bukowski’s best work of fiction, which is what I like most of his writing, is “Factotum,” a hilarious first-person look at the different-job-a-week life of Bukowski’s alter-ego Henry Chinaski. It was recently adapted into a well-meaning but slightly off movie version starring Matt Dillon that missed the self-depreciating humor that makes the book such a fun, extremely funny read.
Probably not supposed to do this but here’s one of my favorite excerpts, from Chapter 3, Copyright 1975 by Charles Bukowski.
I went out on the street, as usual, one day and strolled along. I felt happy and relaxed. The sun was just right. Mellow. There was peace in the air. As I apprached the center of the block there was a man standing outside the doorway of a shop. I walked past.
“Hey, BUDDY!”
I stopped and turned.
“You want a job?”
I walked back to where he stood. Over his shoulder I could see a large dark room. There was a long table with men and women standing on both sides of it. They had hammers with which they pounded objects in front of them. In the gloom the objects appeared to be clams. They smelled like clams. I turned and continued walking down the street.
- W.M.
Big Bloody Cheeky Bull
God help me…
I rented “Australia.” It was on Blu-ray at the vid store and I couldn’t resist.
All I can say is… crikey.
I read a lot of reviews of this movie when it came out in theaters and can’t believe no one mentioned the tone, which is a throwback to American Westerns of the ’70s, with that faux rustic-symphony music you’d hear in a Broadway Western, and a similarly genial, light-hearted undercurrent running through most of dialogue. Cross that with “Legends of the Fall” and you have a good idea of what it’s like. Truly something for people who think Jay Leno is too controversial, and on too late anyway. Would have been much better with some tranquilizers. – W.M.
