Capitalism - Feudalism without the Kings 

Tax the Rich

 

Movie Monday

 

Historian, Fernand Braudel, said that geography was history. I'm going to join him and say: climate is personality.

 

Since Friday, we have had constant light rain accompanying dreary, non-sun days. It looks like today, Monday, will be joining this weather report and my feeling so enervated in only four days does not bode well for me if this is the climate change of the future.

 

Apparently, Disney and Netflix have made a deal and Netflix will get Disney movies first after their theatrical release. Which means my Starz movie network is the loser here since they used to get Disney flicks first. Not that I think the lack of Disney movies alone is causing my TV movie package to descend into the nadir of new picks.

 

Anyway, it's another week of movie nada for me so I have only the crumbs to share this Monday.

 

First, let's put The Exterminating Angel to rest: I don't think I'm ever going to finish that movie. Instead, I'll recommend The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972) which Bunuel directed and wrote 10 years after TEA at the age of 72. That guy really cooked!

 

TDCotB is the same story at TEA but it's shot in color and has more scenes and sub-plots. Everything is still surreal as when an Army non-com brings a message to his general while he is eating at a swank party and the general says to him: Tell everyone the dream you had the other night. And he does; and what a dream it is. This movie is easier on the eye than TEA, but not on the mind because, as with all Bunuel's movies, the journey has no destination.

 

John Carter (2012). There has been some discussion at The Huffington Post if that movie was treated too harshly by critics. (It got 6.7 from users at IMDb and 51% from professional critics at Rotten Tomatoes.) While it's not the movie I would dress for, pay at the box office for, nor buy the popcorn for, as part of my movie package it's very watchable. More watchable than say that supernatural stinker, Van Helsing. I sort of liked the way JC meandered along giving us the typical stock characters: loyal alien dog, loyal alien sidekick, smoking hot human looking alien princess. It's pretty typical "great white hunter comes to save the aliens with a modern day touch of a strong heroine" story but I think the main and secondary actors did a good job in carrying off what is always a very difficult plot when you are dealing with superheros, super villains, alien planets and a very big budget. (Box Office MoJo: It grossed just $30M more than a budget of $250M.) Bottom line: Catch it on TV.

 

Deadfall (2012). I turned this movie off after about an hour because I found myself just anticipating the next spurt of unexpected violence. Having said that, it was just another noir heist with a lot of unrealistic turns, a daddy issue back story which seems to affect every main character, and sometimes downright foolishness in screenwriting. For example, the female rookie cop (whose daddy, the chief of police, is sexist) applies for the FBI Academy and is accepted. Which leads writer, Zach Dean, to have this conversation between her and the female police clerk: (I paraphrase.)

Clerk: Honey, this is great.

Rookie: Maybe I should stay here with daddy.

Clerk: What and give up a chance to get out of here?

Rookie: I'm all he has.......... 

 

JHC. No one applies to the FBI Academy if they're in doubt about this decision. Maybe they have misgivings about the application they have in at McDonald's but not there. Presenting her in this way, Dean just gives credence to her daddy's sexist attitude towards women in the police force.

 

And having said all that, it's Eric Bana's larger-than-life portrayal of the psychotic, yet weirdly caring, killer that's worth watching here. I've watched Bana in a few dogs (The Other Boleyn Girl, The Time Traveler's Wife) and he always has a presence and hits the right notes so you're pulled into the story. Unfortunately, he's in another dog here but it's still worth watching for him. (Don't forget, I bailed after an hour so I'll have to take another turn at Deadfall to write a final review.) 

 

OK, and now I'm gong to bail. If you're not happy with today's reviews; believe me, I'm more so. I need better movies, and better weather apparently. Well, The Hobbit is opening this week. Maybe I can do a summary of its reception. I know I have some thoughts about Jackson and his love of CGI. But more on that next week. See you then.