Archive for June, 2005
Birth (2004)
This was a weird one. I leave Sarah to her own devices, free movies from the library, and she comes home with some strange choices.
The basic premise, as the box will tell you, is that this woman believes this 10 year old boy is the reincarnation of her dead husband. Nicole Kidman does an awesome job of making this believable, but it doesn’t change the fact of how creepy this movie gets when she starts to fall in love with this little boy. So not only does it make me nervous from some weird perversion, I also have to put aside my problems with the ideas of reincarnation, which isn’t at all possible when it comes to the beliefs of Christianity.
The movie is filled with long, dramatic, pauuuusessss. Music sets the mood and reactions further the disbeliefs that all of the main characters have when this little boy starts to reveal facts that only the dead husband would know. But through the whole movie, you wait in anticipation of some sort of payoff, but it never comes. Things seem to be a little unresolved. Kidman falls for the little boy, she believes that it is really her husband, and you wonder how the movie is going to end.
Then, one character, his apparent lover, throws a wrench in the picture. He denies he is who he said he was, and Kidman marries another man, ending the movie in some crazy dramatic event where she seems to be on the verge of suicide. Does the boy lie, saying he isn’t the husband because of this alleged affair with another woman he was having, that this would cause problems later if he went through with everything? Does kidman go wacko because she knows deep down it is him and feels like she’s lost him again? Does she try to kill herself on the beach, where they met to be with him in another life? You see what I mean, I don’t really know, there is no resolution, and you sort of care during the course of the movie, but you sort of don’t.
I wouldn’t recommend this movie to many people. Only if you like things that are a weird and something you’ve never seen before would you want to check this out. Which as I find as I grow older, includes me at times. If I have to research the meaning of a movie after it is over, that may mean I sort of liked it.
Vanity Fair (2004)
Who’s in it
Reese Witherspoon, Gabriel Byrne
What was good
Reese Witherspoon was beautiful as usual, but didn’t do much on the acting front.
What sucked
The previews made this movie seem like it was about Reese Witherspoon seducing men until she got to the top. From what I remember she was actually more ordinary and didn’t rise all that much on the social ladder.
Who should go see this
I don’t think I would recommend this to anyone. It is cool to see most attractive women in this older dress with the bustier but that wasn’t enough to warrant anyone to see this. I would say pass to anyone who would ask.
Hitch (2005)
A truly funny and original movie. Will Smith and Kevin James are a more natural pair up then it would seem.
Will Smith plays “Hitch”, a dating doctor of sorts. He makes opportunities for his clients to be noticed by a woman that they are interested in. He then coaches them as how to treat them and keep them long term. Kevin James is an accountant who is in love with a celebrity socialite, and is one big clutz.
I haven’t ever seen Kevin James in a movie, but he does a nice job of toning down the over the top fat guy from his “Kind of Queens” to a believable and hilarious middle aged man without a clue. Eva Mendes (Smith’s interest) is an intelligent sexy girl who plays the guarded hurt girl that is unattainable. She does a great job, and this was one of her better roles, as “Stuck On You” was not. Oh, and she’s easy to look at.
As the movie nears the end, we find that Smith is not only trying to help guys with the opposite sex because of a scar he has from a past relationship, but that it also gives him the chance to be indirectly involved with a woman, without getting hurt. He is wary of letting women get to close, and although isn’t fake, has a certain persona that he holds during most of the movie.
Smith is the suave guy every man wishes he was, and Kevin James is the hope that any loser can get a great girl. A great movie, every person should see this one. The only reason that I didn’t give this one a full five is that the ends gets a little mopey and sloppy. It may have needed it, but the end seemed really cliche.
Changing shortcuts / Customize shortcuts in 3DS Max
I have mentioned in passing that I have been trying desperately to get a firm hold on 3DS Max for the last 3-4 weeks. It is a dense program, and I attribute that to the fact that Autodesk (Discreet) is also CAD, which to me is all about architecture and engineering and not user friendly GUI’s. This program is very dense, and would be hard to organize, but seriously, it can be so overwhelming. This is the hardest program I have ever had to learn on my own.
That said, one of my largest crutches when it comes to programs like this is shortcuts. I can only learn as fast as I can manuver, and I wanted to move quickly, with keys that I knew from other programs, so for the first week I lived in the Shortcuts menu.
But you ask, as I did what seems a simple question, How do I change those shortcuts?
Step 1: Open 3DS Max
Step 2: From your main menus choose Customize > Customize User Interface
Step 3: Choose your option.
This may not be inherent at first, but you will get the hang of it soon enough. The best tip I can give a new user is hover over the button in the interface that you want to change, and then view it in the list to change it.
For example, the “Move” tool is actually called Select and Move, so scroll through the list, find it, change the shortcut and then, very important, save your shortcuts. I have had problems where they seem to get reset, maybe this is a stupid user error, but I have no idea why they wouldn’t be there anymore after using them for awhile and then closing the program.
Hopefully this is a good start. I know it doesn’t introduce anything, but I can’t teach the whole interface, instead I hope to highlight the stuff that Autodesk does not make very obvious.
A Civil Action (1998)
This movie was just as good the second time I saw it as the first.
It is ironic though, that this movie really is about lawyers and the games they play and their hardships, than it really it about the case at hand.
John Travolta is partners in a firm with William H Macy, and well, two other guys. They have this case dropped on their desk that seems like a long shot. A case that involves contaminated water that has been killing children in a small town in significant numbers. Travolta is used to sure fire wins, easy settlements outside of court, and doesn’t see how he can win. But he is quickly blinded when he realizes that they parent company of the manufacturer they are going after has a ton of money.
A painful movie, that doesn’t have a happy ending, Travolta risks it all and loses. You get a glimpse into how people can get to be when they are desperate for money and how that tears age old friendships apart. Travolta’s nemesis on the other hand is Robert Duvall, who is evil to the core, and by the end, you learn to hate him more for his character than those who are at fault for contaminating the drinking water.
A funny and poignant movie, it is hard to describe. In the footsteps of any smart lawyer movie, like The Rainmaker, this is involving to the end. I gave it four stars because I wouldn’t watch it over and over, but a great movie nonetheless.
Thoughts On “The Crow”
When I got home all jazzed about the Pittsburg trip I went to check out the guest list for our next confirmed journey – Heroes Con in Charlotte. One of the names that jumped out at me was J. O’Barr. The Crow was a big impact book for me.
Something compels me to want to write about this book before I meet him. I’m pretty sure it probably won’t have any bearing on the way I feel about the book, but I can’t be positive.
Only a foolish person is unaware that the experiences we have color & shape us. Only by recognizing & admitting that experience affects us can we hope to begin to exert any control over that influence.
So just to be PERFECTLY safe – let’s talk about The Crow now before anything else comes to bear on my opinion.
Pausing for a disclaimer before we continue – these reviews are as much about me as they are about the books. *smile* So if you want something more straight up & less fluffy go online & read the Comicqueen or SimplyJD. But if you want the skinny with a little more flavor – press on.
I’ve read this book at LEAST four times that I can recall. I read it once after my divorce, once again after the “Big Love” walked out and once in between those two times. Then for good measure I read it right before I wrote this just to refresh on the details.
And what has that got to do with anything? Well, everything…
It’s happened to everyone – a song comes on the radio & just strikes you a certain way. Every word applies to what’s going on in your life
that day; that week, that YEAR. Every chord washes over you with meaning – it tears you up.
Then time goes by – you hear the song again. You remember that song & how much it meant to you. You may even still get that nostalgic rush.
But if sufficient time has passed you might not have such ready access to the exact feelings that imbued it with meaning the first time.
Or, if you’re screwed – you might be having the kind of day where this song puts you EXACTLY back in the place where you were when you first heard it.
That’s what The Crow was like for me. Even on a good day it’s an emotionally gut-wrenching tale. Heck, I’m feeling GREAT right now, but last night when I read it – I still had to set it down at least once & take a minute to regain my composure.
So I’ve read it twice at a time of stability in my life (that would include, ahem – NOW) & twice at a time of upheaval. When things are straight up normal it’s a GREAT book. But, when coping with grief, loss or a sense of abandonment, this is a freaking masterpiece. So that’s where I’m coming from when I’m writing about it.
We’ve wallowed in personal subjectivity long enough – let’s talk about the book. (Or Jeff is NEVER going to let me write for his blog again! *laughing*)
Maybe I went off on that long tangent because I’m a little daunted by writing about the “plot”. How do you describe the plot of a symphony? Where to you start untangling this beautiful fusion of art & prose & poetry.
The opening mantra may be a good place as any start:
“A year ago…a cold October night…
A broken down car on a dirt road…
A man…a girl…madness…pain…and the shadows…
My God, the shadows…”
A year prior to the beginning of the story our main character, Eric, was murdered. Before he died, he witnessed the brutal rape & murder of his fiancé, Shelly. Fiancé is an understatement though. This was his soul-mate – the love of a lifetime.
There is dead and not quite so dead. The loss, the grief – the need to answer to the unanswerable question “Why?” was not extinguished with the death of his body. The compulsion – the obligation – to bring whatever justice he can binds Eric to the mortal world.
Half shade – half man, he hunts down the crime’s perpetrators one by one. I’ve been using a lot of flowery girlie-words to describe this book, but make no mistake – this is a violent book. There are grisly demises aplenty.
Though Eric spends a good deal of time killing, he also is capable of great compassion. He shows kindness to a sad & terribly neglected little girl. He even cares for a stray cat during his stay in the world. And, remarkably, he takes time to make sure each will be provided for after he is gone.
The titular Crow accompanies Eric on his quest. He serves many purposes – observer, counselor, narrator, guide and many other things that I’m sure I’m not smart enough to think of. The Crow is witness to Eric’s suffering – there to talk him through painful reminiscences of his lost love.
That is one of the greatest things about the artwork in this book. The stylistic changes in the art help convey the feeling of different episodes. There is such a sharp contrast to the soft, clean images of the time when Eric and Shelly were in love and the dark, gritty scenes of vengeance.
And, yet, I hate to use a word like vengeance. That’s not really what I get from this story. It’s not so much about revenge & murder – it’s a howl of pain. I’m not denying that there is rage & anger but it is fueled by the anguish & the blackness of loss. I never felt like Eric was “avenging” Shelly as much as he was honoring, with absolute devotion, her & the memory of the time they had.
I know, I know – could I BE more melodramatic?
This is also one of the few books where I esteem the art & the words equally – which is RARE for me. For example, when I first read “Shiver in the Dark” – I kept forgetting there were words to the story because I was so captivated with the artwork. But when I was reading “Superman: Red Son” – well, I think that book had pictures, but I don’t really distinctly remember.
In The Crow there was no such separation for me. Words & art seamlessly tell the story. On one page it might be a snippet of poetry that cuts to the heart. On another page it might be a breathtaking picture. Or, more frequently, the combination creates the perfect tone & mood – one would not be the same without the other.
Now I’ve know some people who’ve had a “Meh” kind of reaction to the story. I’m not saying you’ve had to experience some tragedy in life to totally get this tale, but it speaks with honesty to those who’ve seen dark places in their lives.
And, heck, in this shallow, “hook-up” culture to which we seem to be inexorably gravitating this story shines like a diamond. It seems everywhere you look there is an absence of conviction – nobody knows what they believe in anymore. So presented with a story of passion, devotion & eternal loyalty – well, for a girlie-girl like me, it hardly gets any better than that.
I don’t know what just happened there but we suddenly moved from review to lament. *smile* I think that’s my cue to exit.
Can you tell how much I like this book? I’ve probably way over-praised here, but if you’re going to call yourself a fan of the graphic novel, you should read this. I think it’s a classic of the form.
I’d lend you my copy but somebody’s already snatched it off my desk. That makes me happy though. We can always use a few more converts now can’t we?
Thanks for listening.
Later!
