Showtime, or movies I have seen over the weekend

[ellen_datlow]

Visited friends Paul and Pam in the wilds of New Jersey (not really, but sometimes it feels like that, especially when taking the bus to or from and it's raining/snowing or in this case, sunshiny and bright and the bus home just did not come).

Anyway, Paul and I watched the DVD of Serenity that I brought with me. I don't remember who recced it but puhleeeze... I'd probably have liked it better if I hadn't been led to believe that it was good. No, it's not good. It's got plastic actors a dumb as shit plot, really bad special effects... other than that, it was kind of enjoyable ;-).


Yardsaling in the morning (after cat emergency with Pam running to the vet because one of the five cats had a hold in her side--I didn't see it, but luckily, it turned out the vet did not have to stitch it up--antibiotics and warm compresses should do the trick) and we hit about 8 including last but definitely not least, an antique store that apparently has a yard (well, yeah, antiques on their front lawn as well as inside)--I found some good stuff there...nice old bottle, two pretty little butter pat dishes (I'm guessing that's what they are) from Bavaria...and an old small, hardcover book from a series called Pocket Library of the World's Essential Knowledge Outline of Science, part I book from 1929.

Earlier, for 50 cents I found a hardcover of Gulliver's Travels illustrated with woodcuts by Fritz Eichenberg published by Junior Heritage (I collect books illustrated by Eichenberg) plus two small picture frames at 10 cents and 5 cents that I can use to frame old postcards --which I have already done. I should have bought the other two --oh well.

Home that afternoon--or rather evening because as mentioned above the 2:29 bus did not show up. P&P kindly drove me to Pompano Lake to catch a different bus there at 3:29...so I got home around 5pm...in time to do a spot of work then watch:

Deadwood season 2, disc 4--yayyy. I love it.

Then, La Vie en Rose, the biopic about Edith Piaf that won the Academy award for Marion Cotillard, who deserved it, playing Piaf marvelously. Alas, she is the best thing about the movie, which is an utter mess. Bad bad script that meanders back and forth in time so much that I was left wondering if they had the dates correct for Piaf's different ages. Looking at her bio in Wiki, I notice that the movie started when she was about 3 years old, but the movie Edith looks much older than three when the movie begins, hence for me... part of the confusion. Also, too many characters running in and out of her movie life as the time switches back and forth. Mysteriously, the movie skips the entire German occupation and her part in it (I gather there are questions about her behavior during this period).

And today I went to see Tropic Thunder with two friends. I loved it--it's very funny, and opens with some very offensive bits that I don't want to give away to those who haven't seen it but you'll know them when you see them). Terrific satire and Robert Downey, Jr. is brilliant. Everyone's good in it, including Tom Cruise, who is always best acting the part of a schmuck. Go see it. And prepare to be offended.

Comments

[txtriffidranch.livejournal.com]

To find someone else who thought Serenity was an overhyped piece of swill? I knew I liked you for a reason.

[ellen-datlow.livejournal.com]

Did people really like it? (I mean anyone other than fans of Firefly, which I've never seen....

[ellen-datlow.livejournal.com]

Ohmigod! It won the Nebula and Hugo for best script/movie, long form. What an embarrassment. Sheesh!

[txtriffidranch.livejournal.com]

Well, you know that quip in Rick Bayans's The Cynic's Dictionary about how a cult movie is "any film seen fifty times by about that many people"? That pretty much sums up Serenity. You had lots of fans of Firefly who saw it over and over, but it bombed miserably in theaters, and even Joss Whedon has written off the possibility of a sequel. Oh, fans tried to make it sell, but when Cat Piss Men started buying blocks of tickets and cornering moviegoers with offers of free tickets, that was enough to guarantee that it wasn't going anywhere.

[agilebrit.livejournal.com]

It seems that people either love or hate "Serenity." My sister loved it and had never seen a Firefly ep. *shrugs*

Robert Downey, Jr., is brilliant in everything. Seriously, even if the movie itself is utter garbage, he's awesome. *cough* Not that I'm biased.

And the reason Tom Cruise is at his best acting like a schmuck is because it's typecasting. /rimshot

[ellen-datlow.livejournal.com]

Paul recalls the whole empty city (Miranda) plot point an anime...but doesn't know exactly when/what he saw.

Re: Tom Cruise? certainly possible ;-)

[foresthouse.livejournal.com]

IAWTC re: RDJr. He is so, so lovely and awesome.

[joeicarus.blogspot.com (from livejournal.com)]

I liked it, but I was a fan of Firefly. When my wife and I watched Serenity in the theater, we were accompanied by a friend who never had seen Firefly, and I remember trying to watch it through that filter and thinking that it was a bit incoherent, but our friend actually enjoyed it a great deal and went out and saw the original series. I've heard that frequently enough and I'm glad that the movie brought more fans to what I think was a terrific series, but I do still believe that it doesn't work terribly well on its own, nor is it as good as the series it's based upon.

For myself, though, I was glad to get a little bit of the rest of the story, and to get to see those characters once more.

[ellen-datlow.livejournal.com]

I'd be willing in seeing the series itself...perhaps I could just the movie itself better. It's not that the movie was incoherent..I'm not sure exactly what hit me wrong about it. Chiwetel Ejiofor and Nathan Fillion (who reminded me of Bill Pullman, who I quite like) were fine. And so was the girl and some of the other characters. But others were boring or just not there Alan Tudyk, the blonde guy was so uncharismatic that I barely remembered he was in the movie....

[txtriffidranch.livejournal.com]

For some reason, a slew of friends think that I look like Alan Tudyk, so they worried about the Czarina seeing the movie because of what happened to his character. I refused to see it at the time, and so she went with those friends, and they kept expecting her to freak out in the theater. Luckily for her, she thinks I look much more like Rik Mayall.

[ardentdelerium.livejournal.com]

I am the sort of person who won't watch a movie based on a book without first reading the book, or watch a sequel without seeing the previous part, so I am definitely behind seeing the show, though I know a lot of people who watched Serenity and then sought out Firefly because they liked the movie.

Me, I'm a Browncoat, love the show and the movie, but don't worry, I'm not one of the scary Whedon fans who go insane at the mere hint that someone might not think he's a god among men and all his works are perfect.

when you say 'the girl,' which do you mean?

[n5red.livejournal.com]

I don't think Joss Whedon does very well with episodes that are over an hour long. He has a tremendous amount of practice with long story arcs being told an hour at a time and is quite good at it. He also doesn't seem to do endings all that well either.

Of the entire Firefly story, Serenity was probably the weakest piece.

[realthog.livejournal.com]

"I don't remember who recced it but puhleeeze... I'd probably have liked it better if I hadn't been led to believe that it was good. No, it's not good. It's got plastic actors a dumb as shit plot, really bad special effects"

That's a fairly adequate description of it. The surprising thing is that I've had quite a few people recommend the movie to me, too.

Still haven't been able to dredge out of my memory the anime from which Serenity borrowed the bit on the planet Miranda . . .

[ellen-datlow.livejournal.com]

I've been (possibly) some time in the far future--persuaded to watch the Firefly series...which I may do...some year. ;-)

[realthog.livejournal.com]

"Earlier, for 50 cents I found a hardcover of Gulliver's Travels illustrated with woodcuts by Fritz Eichenberg published by Junior Heritage"

I was seriously jealous about this. How come you got to that box of books before I did, hm?

[ellen-datlow.livejournal.com]

You were looking at another box--I didn't know you were interested in Eichenberg, too!

[sacredchao23.livejournal.com]

I've just finished the first season of Deadwood. I was really impressed by the season 1 finale, and am moving season 2 up in my Netflix queue momentarily. We have La Vie En Rose at home now but haven't gotten a chance to watch it. And its also good to hear that all the good stuff I'm hearing about Tropic Thunder isn't just hype.

Still haven't seen Serenity but you are a braver person than I posting that you didn't like it.

[ellen-datlow.livejournal.com]

Don't let my comments about La Vie on Rose put you off it, the acting makes the movie worth it.

Oh, there's something to offend everyone in Tropic Thunder! Enjoy.

Uh oh... better watch my back.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_stranger_here/]

I'm not going to argue that Serenity is a complete work unto itself, and I wouldn't have recommended it to someone who hadn't watched and loved Firefly. I think the main beauty of the movie is in the resolution of all those dangling threads left over from a prematurely cancelled tv show, and the emotional satisfaction of seeing our beloved characters get together for one last dance. Having watched and loved the tv show, though, I surely did love the movie. You just went at it backwards!

[ellen-datlow.livejournal.com]

I can accept that. Whoever suggested I rent the movie said I didn't have to see the tv series. But it sounds as if I should have.

for once...

[themadblonde]

we seem to be mostly in agreement about movies. Went to see "Serenity" because an entire community of my friends LOVED "Firefly" & I was ok spending a few $ to support their bid to keep the series going. I pretty much loathed it, didn't find it @ all confusing, just really didn't care about most of the characters.

Those friends I told how I felt about the movie all suggested that I needed to watch the series. It's short, so I went ahead & rented it one weekend. I LOVED it. It seems that, for the series, the studio pressured Whedon to lighten up the Captain & make a few other changes that REALLY, imo, made it a good show. W/ the exception of Morena Baccarin, who played Inara (if SHE'S what Juliard is turning out these days, they're doomed. She's AWFUL!!), I think the acting is uniformly good & the writing less uniform but excellent @ its best. Sadly, when we had watched the series through & went back to the movie, it seemed even worse because it pointed up all of Whedon's "vision" (gloomy captain, River-the-Reever-Slayer, unhappy relationships, & somehow the vision of Baccarin as a good actress) & gave short shrift to the best elements of the series- the comeraderie, the off-kilter humour, & Alan Tudyk & Gina Torres. If you think you can stand it, try a few episodes of the series & you MIGHT come to understand a little better why people love it.

As for La Vie en Rose, I'm w/ you word for word. An amazing performance, NO coherency.

Re: for once...

[ellen-datlow.livejournal.com]

Thanks for your analysis of Firefly and its misbegotten child, Serenity...

[foresthouse.livejournal.com]

Aw, I am pretty sure I'm not the one who recc'd it, but I did enjoy Serenity. I will say it was lacking compared to Firefly, though. I loved almost every ep of Firefly (Heart of Gold = BLEH, though).

I STILL need to see Tropic Thunder. I really want to.

[ellen-datlow.livejournal.com]

I think my sister might have. I forgive you all :-)

[agilebrit.livejournal.com]

Oh, I'm so glad it's not just me that thinks "Heart of Gold" was awful...

Tropic Thunder was alternately hilarious and horrifying for me. RDJ rules, though. I've been on a RDJ kick lately, and I have to say that my favorites are still Iron Man and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, which is brilliant for all the noir tropes it absolutely skewers.