Buy the ticket, take the ride: Hunter S. Thompson on film

Buy the Ticket, Take The Ride: Hunter S. Thompson on film (2006)

I’m late to the Hunter S. Thompson party, I guess.

My entire knowledge of this highly-regarded man comes from having read his astonishing book about the Hell’s Angels while in college for a class in American Radical Thought, and from my awareness that there is a movie called “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” where Johnny Depp plays Thompson. I’ve never seen said movie, or read any of his other stuff.

Apparently, I’m missing out.

While assembling chairs and a bench for our new dining room table on Sunday night, we decided to hit up Netflix streaming video (It’s changed our life, I tell you) for a documentary.  After scrolling past a bunch of other interesting looking films we weren’t interested at that second in, we came to “Buy the Ticket, Take the Ride.”

It was fascinating.

Thompson’s vivid life is told by his friends, colleagues, and people who knew of him.  Everyone from childhood friends to both his wives, to Johnny Depp and Bill Murray (both of whom have played Thompson onscreen) show up for the party to recall fond memories and to tell a tale of a man who fought the concept of establishment, then became trapped by the character he inadvertently created along the way.

(The documentary is narrated by Nick Nolte. It also features, as one of it’s interview subjects, Gary Busey. Gary Busey’s appearance makes Nick Nolte look like the sanest man on earth. The filmmakers were genius to include ALL of Buseys interview set-up, which is jaw-dropping in it’s weirdness.)

I found the documentary fascinating, and it’s made me want to read more of Thompson’s writings, as I recall being astonished by “Hell’s Angels.”  Eric’s got some of his works, and I’ve added them to my reading list.

The story of this man of a million parties ends on a sad note, as Thompson shot himself in February of 2005.

He left a telling note, which was published in Rolling Stone.

“No More Games. No More Bombs. No More Walking. No More Fun. No More Swimming. 67. That is 17 years past 50. 17 more than I needed or wanted. Boring. I am always bitchy. No Fun — for anybody. 67. You are getting Greedy. Act your old age. Relax — This won’t hurt.”

Harry Dean Stanton closes the doc by singing “Danny Boy,” and it’s quite touching.

If you’re interested in writers and counterculture heroes, the movie is engrossing.  Check it out.

 

 

Tamara (2005)

In honor of Halloween’s fast approach, I thought I’d blog about a fantastic horror movie I watched last night with Mr. Dan.

We tried a few other movies first (“Beware, Children at Play” and “Stupid Teenagers must die”) but within 2 minutes of each movie, the terrible quality was driving us insane..

So we bolted.

And then we found…”Tamara.”

“Tamara” is a great movie, seriously. If you like your horror movies slightly predictable, very clever, quite gory, and like your leading ladies from the mold of Patty Duke in “Valley of the Dolls.”

Do you want your leading lady to chew down scenery?

Do you want her to absolutely own?

If so, this movie is for you.

Jenna Dewan plays Tamara Riley who, of course, is a high school nerd who fantasizes about her English teacher and practices witchcraft alone in her bedroom.  Her father is an alcoholic, and her life sucks, but she’s smart. When she writes an article for the school paper about athletes on steroids, she pisses off superjock Shawn, who gathers his buddies to play a prank on Tamara. Of course, it goes horribly wrong and Tamara winds up dead – and buried in the woods. It’s very “I know what you did last summer,” though, as Tamara (who they’ve buried) shows up for class on Monday, suddenly appallingly hot and ballsy too.

Dewan is a fabulous young actress. She gets exactly what movie she’s in, and owns it. While she’s endearing as a nerd, it’s once she dons the red skin-tight gear that defines Tamara that she really (pardon the bad pun) comes alive.  Her walk even changes from a sloppy shuffle to a full on trampy stamp, which Dan dubbed the “skank walk.” She’s all glaring eyes and tossing hair and waving hands, and it’s a grand, grand performance.

A few other players are solid as well. Matthew Marsden (who is actually NOT related to James, thanks IMDB!) plays the teacher who is the object of Tamara’s evil affection, and he’s great. He’s just dreamy enough to be believable as the cutest teacher in school, without being so hot that you think “He’s not a teacher, come on.” Claudette Mink plays the English Teacher’s wife, and rocks out her limited screen time.  We cheered for her as she got chased around her basement, fighting her way with every household item imaginable (shovel, screwdriver, letter opener, pepper grinder..) Katie Stuart and Chad Faust as Chloe and Jessie, the nice kids caught up by accident in the murder of Tamara, are also great. Dan and I were rooting for both of them to survive the movie. By the time Chloe, royally pissed off, gets her own “skank walk” on, you know it’s going to end fantastically.

There are also some bad performances. Bryan Clark, as Shawn, is kinda dreadful as the stereotypical angry jock. You’re not sad when he gets shanked by the Guidance Counselor (oops, spoiler! ) As his hot, bitchy girlfriend Kisha, Melissa Elias is pretty terrible. (“Omg. She can’t even play zombie.” – Dan) And in the utterly Ashton Kutcher role of Patrick (cocked trucker hat, etc, etc), Gil Hachoen is eye-rolling.

You can tell the crew had a great time making this movie. Jeremy Haft’s direction proves he knows this genre very well.  All the classic elements are there – a hospital chase, a chase through a kitchen, a chase through a basement, a million hyper-sexy shots of Dewan approaching menachingly, a scene on a roof, a scene at a house party. Haft knows he’s not making some super-serious Oscarbait film, thank goodness.

Michael Suby’s score is fantastic, creepy, and right-on.

It’s Halloween. Watch a scary movie. If you have Netflix, this one’s streaming free right now.

Go watch it.

GO!

Made of Honour (2008)

Yes, I watched this movie.

Don’t judge me.

Tom (Patrick Dempsey) and Hannah (Michelle Monaghan) have been best friends since college. In typical movie fashion, he’s a free-wheeling playboy (rich because he invented the coffee sleeve) and she works in an art museum. They’re both single.

Hannah, due to work, heads to Scotland for six weeks, and while she’s gone there’s a series of missed phone calls and bad connections which prompts Tom to realize he’s in love with her.  He decides that he’s going to tell her he wants to be with her, as soon as she returns. But, Hannah has a surprise for him - she’s engaged to a Scotsman named Colin! Dun Dun Dun! And they’re getting married in two weeks! In Scotland! And Colin is rich! Dun Dun Dun! And Hannah wants Tom to be her Maid of Honor!

This is the stuff comedy gold is made of.

Normally.

Tom decides to do it as a way of sticking close to Hannah – and also, of course, in an attempt to break up the engagement.

Colin, no slouch, promptly beats Tom as basketball and (I’m serious) posesses an enormous package. Tom, of course, is threatened. Oh! And did I mention, Colin is a duke – AND has world records.

It just gets worse. There are so many moments that could have offered up laughs, but they all fall short. The Reverend assumes Tom is gay, of course. Then there’s a scene where Tom’s poker-playing best friends wind up filling goody baskets of girly things. Tom’s dad is on his sixth marriage to goldigging bimbos. Elizabeth Hasselbeck shows up for five seconds, hosting a “How to be the best maid of honor ever” movie.  Mary Birdsong even appears as a sex toy saleswoman, but it’s a 30 second scene. None of these deliver as promised. Hannah’s other three bridesmaids are as close as it comes to a hoot, though they’re really cliches.  Tom’s posse of dudes, on the other hand, are not that interesting – and there’s a nerdy dude clearly injected for comedic effect, which doesn’t actually work.

AND – Once they finally get to Scotland, someone clearly decided it would be a laugh riot for Tom to partake in some traditional Highland Games, decked out in a kilt (cue the laughs: A man in a skirt!) to prove he’s the bigger man. It’s not.

I’m not making this up.

It’s a good thing Dempsey and  Monaghan are charming as can be, because this movie is fluff – and not in the way that a movie like “Only You” is fluff.

It’s aiming to be a gender-reversed version of “My Best Friend’s Wedding,” but isn’t nearly as cleverly written, and it fails.

So let this be a lesson, Hollywood. Never underestimate the power of the charm of Julia Roberts and Cameron Diaz.

And, especially, Rupert Everett.

That’s all I have to say.

“Only You” (1994)

(Thanks to the magic of Netflix streaming video, I’m revisiting a movie I loved when I was in  junior high, while spending a nice quiet evening at home...)

Faith (Marisa Tomei) is a teacher who, in her childhood, was told by both an Ouija board and a carnival psychic that her true love’s name was Damon Bradley. Now, she’s about 30 and engaged to a doctor named Dwayne who, though the epic romance she’s spent her life dreaming of, is a bit pushy and a perfectionist. Faith’s best friend (the wisecracking Bonnie Hunt) is married to Faith’s less than endearing brother Larry (Fisher Stevens) and unhappy, as he doesn’t appreciate her.

So, love hasn’t worked out the way these friends wanted. “Life’s not like it is in the movies,” they lament.

One day, while answering Dwayne’s forwarded calls and getting her wedding dress mended, she takes a call from a Damon Bradley (a friend of Dwaynes) and as madness ensues he tells her he’s in the airport on the way to Venice. So, in her wedding dress, out the door she impulsively heads, chasing the dream of her lifetime. She misses the plane, but that gives Bonnie Hunt time to arrive to join the international adventure.

So, because it IS a movie, off to Venice they head. And then they wind up in Rome.

In Rome, all sorts of adventures happen – most of which are spearheaded by a handsome stranger (Robert Downey Jr) who tells Faith his name is Damon Bradley. They’re immediately enraptured with each other, and it’s all very romantic. Guess what? His name isn’t Damon Bradley. Faith soon discovers this, and furious goes about her quest to find the elusive Mr. Bradley. Our hero, the charming as can be Mr. Downey Jr comes along, and it’s a big ol’ Rome-centered romantic whirlwind.  The girls get lost, there’s a transportation strike, Fischer Stevens comes around and heads to Italy to get his wife back, and whoo-hoo! Ah, romantic comedies. Aren’t they the greatest?

Sometimes I don’t demand my movies have a point. Sometimes I just want entertainment.

And Robert Downey, Jr. Let’s not lie.

A word about Roman Polanski

I’m pissed off.

Let me begin this by saying that I consider myself aboout as liberal as they come.

In a political debate, I’m going to be a democrat, and most of the time I side with those wacky “Hollywood liberals” (the big scary term the right uses)

But in the case of Roman Polanski… (Click here if you want to be brought up to speed.)

“Polanski fled to Europe in 1978 after he was convicted in California of raping a 13-year-old girl he had lured to the Hollywood Hills home of actor Jack Nicholson for a photo shoot. Samantha Geimer testified that Polanski, then 44, gave her quaaludes and champagne before having sex with her and sodomizing her.”

Take away the fact that Polanski is a revered, Academy Award winning Director.

On a forum at CNN.com yesterday, someone commented that were he a janitor at this girl’s school, the world would be ready to haul him out in the town square and castrate him, and rightfully so.

But, in this case, Hollywood’s elite are coming out to support him?

“In the aftermath of Polanski’s arrest last weekend, a number of performers — including Penelope Cruz, Tilda Swinton and Monica Bellucci — appear as supporters on a petition which states, “Roman Polanski is a French citizen, a renown and international artist now facing extradition. This extradition, if it takes place, will be heavy in consequences and will take away his freedom.” – Cnn.com Article 

You know what? If you rape a 13 year old, your freedom gets taken away. I realize that must be hard for pampered celebrities to understand, but for those of us who live in the real world where there are actual consequences for things, this is how it goes: You rape a child, you go to jail, and scene. Polanski has already had 30some years of luxury in France, where’s he’s been rolling in his money while evading arrest.

Also signing the petition are Martin Scorcese, David Lynch, Woody Allen, John Landis, Terry Gilliam, Asia Argento, and Alfonso Cuaron.

There are sane celebrities, though. Who would have guessed that Kirstie Alley would be one of them, too? (From Alley’s Twitter: ”JUST FOR THE RECORD….RAPE IS RAPE…this is one HOLLYWOOD STAR who does not CELEBRATE or DEFEND Roman Polanski..his ART did not RAPE her.”) Jewel also twittered the sentiments of the world: “Polanski-admitted raping a 13 yr old-whys every1 in the arts upset hes facing jail? cause hes a gifted director? what am i missing?”

To Roman Polanski, revered director….

You raped a child.

You go to jail.

Fame or not.

Sincerely,

me.

(Betsy said it best – I’m paraphrasing this quote – “I have Rosemary’s Baby on DVD. I can still  watch it while he’s in jail.”)

Nobody puts Patrick in a corner…

My Mom and I don’t always see eye to eye on the attractive-ness of celebrities, but one thing we never differed on was that Patrick Swayze as Johnny Castle in Dirty Dancing was hot. A dancer turned actor, he was perfect to play the role of Johnny, the bad boy dance instructor at a Catskills resort in the sixties, and no one will ever forget his performance in that film. The lifts, the dancing, the leather jacket, and perhaps most famously – the line “Nobody puts Baby in a corner.”

Swoon.

I also remember watching Ghost at the Royal Knight Cinema in Alpena with my Mom and just bawling our fool eyes out. That was an epic romance of a movie, about death and the endurance of love.

Mr. Swayze died after a long battle with pancreatic cancer last night, and he will be missed.

Said his Dirty Dancing co-star, Jennifer Gray:

“When I think of him, I think of being in his arms when we were kids, dancing, practicing the lift in the freezing lake, having a blast doing this tiny little movie we thought no one would ever see. … Patrick was a rare and beautiful combination of raw masculinity and amazing grace.”

Freddy Krueger: The Musical (or, what happens when my completely random interests mix)

Putting horror on stage is hard.

Putting a piece of horror on stage that’s also a musical is a nearly impossible enterprise.

Many have tried – “Carrie” was made into a musical, and a fairly decent one (minus some terrible interludes involving teenagers in random space-age garb. What?) but it was panned on Broadway and flopped.  Most attempts to do horror musicals have flopped (Wildhorn’s Dracula, Elton John’s Lestat, this new off-Broadway Frankenstein), or have been laced with camp and either flopped (Dance of the Vampires), or been relegated to small theatres with narrow audiences (Evil Dead: The musical, The Toxic Avenger, the musical)

Proposition -  “A Nightmare on Elm Street 3 – Dream Warriors” could work as a musical.

The main reason I believe this is due to the infamous cult figure at the center of the NOES franchise: Freddy Krueger.

In Freddy, we have a leading monster who, were he to burst out in song, wouldn’t surprise that many people. I mean, really. Over the course of the 8 movies he’s appeared in, he’s done everything from murder kids in a video game, to posing as a Naughty Nurse, to being in a film noir-y comic book – what the hell difference would a song and dance routine or two make?

(Look at the pic above – It’s got Fosse written all over it!)

Halloween, Friday the 13th.. neither would work as Michael Meyers and Jason Voorhees don’t talk. Hell, they don’t even run. They just sort of walk around like mongoloids and kill people. You never even see their faces. Unless you hire professional dell’arte actors, that isn’t going to read in a NYC house. Chucky is a doll and not over knee-height. These all present problems with finding a compelling monster to be our leading man.

A perfect example of this is The Texas Chainsaw Musical, which I’ve (unfortunately) seen produced. Leatherface is a horror icon, and the dude doesn’t talk. He grunts and runs around with a chainsaw. Him suddenly singing a ballad was completely jarring (AND, it was a stupid ballad in a really stupid score) and any fear that had been built up was immediately gone. Not that any fear had been built up. It was a terrible, terrible show.

I selected NOES3 of all the movies, because it’s got the best opportunity for an awesome supporting cast of young performers, and that always brings in the bucks. The Dream Warriors are a fun bunch – and could lead to some serious “We won’t back down” songs. (You know.. every show needs it’s “One Day More” or “Defying Gravity.”) In addition to our heroine Kristen (originally played by Patricia Arquette) there are a whole passel of young characters who would not only get to play the drama of being afraid of being killed in their dreams, but also get to showcase their talents in the fantasy sequences. You’ve got a blonde leading lady with gymnastic skills, a wheelchair bound geek who becomes a Wizard Master (think of the Harry Potter audiences), a troubled druggie girl with dreams of being a punk badass, and a sassy sidekick who becomes the strongest man in the world in his dreams.

There are some giant technical hurdles that would need to be overcome, though. For example, a giant snake of Freddy tries to eat Kristen at one point…

This is why I propose we hire Julie Taymor.

Woman made giraffes and elephants appear on Broadway. You’re telling me she can’t handle a snake?

In conclusion,

Dear Broadway Producers. I’m just sayin’…… Take a chance. You LOVE turning movies into musicals. Why not pick a movie that isn’t boring and predictable? Think how cool it would be to hear “And the Tony goes to.. Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors – The Musical!” Think of the cast you could get. Any number of young pop singers and American Idol contestants would give an internal organ to appear on the show.

Thanks for listening,

Jamie

[P.S. I'd also like to point out that, in discussion, Eric mentioned Hellraiser. Hellraiser, as a chamber opera, could really work. Pinhead as a lyric baritone/bass, singing about the underworld? Hell, that's the stuff theatre was made of!]

Grey Gardens on HBO!

If you’ve seen the documentary GREY GARDENS, you can’t possibly have ever forgotten it. The true story of Big and Little Edie Beale, two relatives of Jackie Kennedy, who lived in a mansion that had fallen to ruin, has captivated people from all walks of life since premiering in the 70s.

Well, it’s finally come time for a movie to be made – And HBO knocked this one out of the park. Drew Barrymore (proving she’s so much more talented than anyone probably ever thought) and Jessica Lange are flawless, spot on, and perfect as the Edies – and the movie goes even further to humanizing these two remarkable women by reinventing what they and the estate must have been like in their opulent and fabulous earlier days. They are also perfectly assisted by a cast that includes Jeanne Trippehorn, Malcolm Gets, Daniel Baldwin, and other notable performers.

I could watch it five more times, no joke.

Brilliant.

In Little Edie’s words, I hope this film wins “90 prizes.”

Watching “Watchmen”

I have never read the Watchmen graphic novel – apparently the most celebrated graphic novel of all time.

My wonderful boyfriend has – And he’s been anticipating the movie since it was first announced, and he attended the opening night midnight showing of the movie and came home talking about how awesome it was. I wanted to see it, it looked interesting, and we decided that – as a Watchmen virgin – we should see how I would take the movie without any background knowledge of the canon and obsession that fans of the graphic novel went into the movie with.

Dude.

I have to say…it was absolutely awesome.

It’s an enormous movie- like, I honestly can’t think of a movie I’ve ever seemed that seemed bigger. It was violent, there were billions of explosions and tons of blood and fire and fighting. There were superheroes with baggage and stunning visual effects.

I found all of this tremendously entertaining, but I would go see the movie again purely for the characters - because somehow in this mega-opus of a loud superhero fest, Zac Snyder never took the focus away from the beat-down superheroes at the center of it. He didn’t cast movie stars, which absolutely worked in the favor of the movie – Malin Ackerman, Patrick Wilson, Matthew Goode, Billy Crudup, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and Jackie Earle Haley completely embodied every screwed-up aspect of their masked characters even when the masks came off. Basically, it’s an ensemble cast knocking it out of the park – particularly Jeffrey Dean Morgan as The Comedian and Jackie Earle Haley as Rorschach, the two most vile of the characters who, thanks to wonderful actors, are the two most complete characters.

Unlike most superhero movies, Watchmen presents the side of the lives of superheroes there has never been focus on before – backlash, and the burden of hidden identities and parental expectations. It’s a totally intriguing concept for a book/movie/story.

Now, I’m dying to read the graphic novel. Fortunately, I know where I can get a copy.

Coraline

Utterly Gorgeous.

Totally creepy.

Not for small children.

Awesome.

See it.