The West Wing: Seasons 3 & 4

For those who don’t know, I’ve been making up for lost time by racing through all seven seasons of The West Wing. Here’s my quick update on season three and four. I’ve been finding myself impressed with the casting and acting of The West Wing way more than the storyline themselves. Don’t get me wrong, I love the sharp dialogue and certain plots, but I have been finding the military actions as confusing as I assumed they would be.

Season three has been my least favourite of the four seasons I’ve seen so far, but it’s still heads and tails above a lot of television that was around at the time. I loved the revelation of Bartlet’s MS in season two but the trials were less interesting for me; and the Qumar situation only started getting interesting for me in season four. What I loved were the guest stars that appeared in season three. Oliver Platt as Babish continued to impress, especially in his dealings with the First Lady. Mark Harmon did a fine job as CJ’s secret service man. But the actress that was truly a delight to see was Mary-Louise Parker as Amy Gardner. Say what you will about Josh and Donna, but I love Amy more. Parker radiates on the screen and is wonderfully cute at keeping Josh befuddled. I am thrilled to still see her appearing in early episodes of season five. I can totally see why this actress was finally given her own series in the form of Weeds.

Season Four was great fun. Not only did it have some thrilling episodes like Batlet’s debate, the Air Force One trouble, Toby & Andy's pregnancy and Zoey’s kidnapping but it also brought the incomparable Joshua Malina as Will Bailey to The West Wing. I loved Malina work when he co-starred in Sports Night and I feel he has brought new life to The West Wing cast. To be perfectly honest, I really didn’t find myself missing Rob Lowe all that much. Season four also had its share of great guest stars like John Goodman as Speaker of the House Walken, Lily Tomlin as the new secretary and Matthew Perry as Joe Quincy the new lawyer replacing Ainsley. After seeing a bunch of Studio 60 episodes (picked up for the full season by the way, woo hoo), it was great fun to see Perry and Whitford have some one-on-one conversations. I think what impresses me most with the cast of West Wing is that they bring people back to make the show more credible. The fact that they can get Tim Matheson as VP Hoynes to appear in the background during the debate or have Harry Groener return as the Minister of Agriculture for only one line commenting on Walken getting sworn in, is a testament to the production in their efforts to make this presidential life seem real.

I’m wary about watching the upcoming Sorkin-less seasons but onto season five I go.

Stranger Than Fiction

“Fantastic!” That was the word going through my mind as the credits rolled. So far this year, my number one movie has been Thank You For Smoking; but I’m now thinking that Stranger Than Fiction deserves the top spot. While both films have superb acting, interesting characters and funky editing, Fiction has a better storyline with characters that I actually care about. I could see myself applauding an epic or action-packed movie as fantastic but what Stranger Than Fiction is missing in panoramic battles and explosions, it makes up for with subtlety and brilliance.

Stranger Than Fiction is a nicely-paced story of Harold Crick, a mediocre IRS agent who also happens to be a doomed character in an author’s next novel. When I first saw the trailer for this film, I was instantly intrigued with the fun concept of having someone narrating your life as you live it. At the same time, I worried that this device might get annoying after awhile. Fortunately, first-time writer Zach Helm knows what he’s doing and perfectly justifies why and when the narrator intrudes. Stranger Than Fiction does a great job exploring the fundamentals of literary genre with help of Dustin Hoffman’s character. I, myself, love breaking down genres and seeing what makes them tick. I also like how uplifting this story was with its carpe diem message; something you rarely get treated to in today’s day and age.

The acting in Stranger than Fiction is nothing short of amazing. Dustin Hoffman (Meet the Fockers, Finding Neverland) channels his role from I Heart Huckabees, as a literary professor, Emma Thompson (Love Actually, Angels in America) is oddly captivating as an author with writer’s block, Maggie Gyllenhaal (World Trade Center, Secretary) is unbelievably sweet as the baker with IRS problems, and Tony Hale (Arrested Development) is a breath of fresh air as Harold’s only friend. Of course, the standout is none other than Will Ferrell (Ricky Bobby, Elf, Old School) who is amazing to watch as a perfectly normal individual. With the help of director Marc Forrester (Monster’s Ball, Finding Neverland), Ferrell manages to play the character straight without being boring. There’s no mugging for the camera or take-offs on any of his SNL characters; it’s great material like this that allows me to forgive him for making the disastrous Bewitched last year. I would be overjoyed to see Will Ferrell get an Oscar nomination out of this, he’s that good.

The cool thing about Stranger Than Fiction and Thank You For Smoking is that these films are done by newcomers. Fiction’s writer had only written a TV episode and TV movie before, Smoking’s writer/director Jason Reitman had only done a couple of direct-to-video smalltime films. It’s nice to see some fresh blood being pumped into the Hollywood machine. I also enjoy how both movies used the new trend of titling on film to emphasis narration; I guess it’s true that great minds think alike.

To sum things up: SEE THIS FILM! Don’t wait for the DVD. Go to the crowded movie theatre and share in the laughter, the love and the life found in Stranger Than Fiction. I do apologize if I have made expectations too high, but I do believe that this is the best film of the year so far. Take that Borat.

Man of the Year

Man of the Year had potential but it fumbled the ball shortly after the opening credits. The premise was great. A Jon Stewart-like comedian runs for president. Fun stuff. With the impassioned speeches Stewart gives on The Daily Show, I bet many people have fantasized about this guy assuming the role of Commander in Chief. Unfortunately, we don’t get to see that much of the campaign or even the decision to run. It seems Barry Levinson (Wag the Dog) wants to bypass this stuff to get to this boring story of fixed elections and political intrigue. Yawn. Maybe that’s why the trailers for this movie revealed the fact that Williams wins the election. At least I was prepared for the sitcomy presidency that was done far better in the Kevin Kline film, Dave. And while I was disappointed with the bulk of the story, what bothered me more was the lukewarm dialogue given to the gifted comedians.

 To be perfectly honest, I don’t find Robin Williams all that funny. Give me Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock or Bill Cosby any day. I actually like Williams more when he plays serious roles in such films as Dead Poets Society and Good Will Hunting. Williams also brings creepiness to a whole new level in such films as Insomnia and One Hour Photo. Maybe it’s because in those dramatic films, he is forced to slow down. His mile-a-minute manic rants have begun to bore me and come off as a little desperate. It’s like he needs to keep talking in case no one laughs. There have been a few Robin Williams comedies that still make me laugh, but only three come to mind: Mrs. Doubtfire, The Birdcage and Good Morning Vietnam. The latter movie was able to incorporate his rants perfectly into his radio announcements. I don’t get that sense in Man of the Year. There are a couple of fun moments, but not enough to keep me laughing throughout. 

 What really made me cringe was watching gifted comic, Lewis Black spouting off lines that were only partially funny. If you didn’t know, The Daily Show has a recurring segment called Back in Black where Lewis Black rips into the latest trend found on the six o’clock news. His impassioned, angry, bitter sarcasm is a treat to watch and always makes me laugh. Too bad they didn’t tap into that brand of humour for Man of the Year. Black gets a few choice line but spends most of the film wondering if he’ll get to keep his writing job with Williams as president. It looked like Black was making a film he would have cruelly mocked in his own Back in Black segment. 

 In the film, Robin Williams makes an appearance on SNL’s Weekend Update, still hosted by Amy Poleher and Tina Fey. Watching that part of the movie not only dated the film but also made me miss Tina Fey’s presence on the struggling Saturday Night Live. But I digress. 

 So is Man of the Year worth your precious time? Not really. Should you rent it? Maybe, if you really like Robin Williams. I would suggest waiting for the film to show up as a movie of the week on network television. Or better yet, watch The Daily Show and The Colbert Report and just use your imagination. I guarantee you’d laugh a lot more.

Borat

Being a single guy, I sometimes find myself going to the movie theatre alone. Sometimes it’s because I’m a loser who can’t convince his friends to go see a movie with him, other times it’s because I’m a little ashamed that I want to see a particular film, so I’ll just go to a matinee and hope no one notices me. Borat was one of these particular films. I knew going into this film that it was full of crude humour, nudity, racial slurs, and all forms of offensive material. I usually warn my students to stay away from a film with that kind of content. I know friends of mine are probably surprised that I’d let myself be subject to this material. But Rotten Tomatoes has Borat sitting at 94%! Out of the 147 reviews, only 9 critics gave it a poor rating. Now I don’t always agree with critics but this was a landslide! I had to check it out and see for myself. I went to a Saturday matinee assuming that there would only be fifteen people in the theatre. I could not be more wrong. The place was packed. Future showings were sold out. The theatre was full. And laughing. Hard.

Borat: Cultural Learnings of America to Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan is one of the funniest movies of the year. Even the full title makes me chuckle. As most critics will agree, Borat is like Spinal Tap mixed with Andy Kaufman and sprinkled with Jackass. The guerilla-style mockumentary follows Borat as he travels across the USA to learn more about the country and find Pamela Anderson. Along the way, Borat interacts with individuals who show their true colors when prodded. While most of the conversations seem genuine and spontaneous, others seem to be played up for the camera. Larry Charles who has worked on Seinfeld, Entourage and Curb Your Enthusiasm directs the film. Being involved with Curb easily qualifies Charles to be documenting Borat’s every move whether scripted or otherwise.

What amazes me about Borat is the utter talent of Sacha Baron Cohen. I never watched Da Ali G Show, so this is my first exposure to Borat. No pun intended. I’m a big fan of improv and watching Cohen work his magic is sight to behold. He never breaks character or accent. In fact, he would only be interviewed in character when it came to the multiple talk shows on the press tour. I also heard that Cohen only wears one Borat suit that has never been washed. The smell is pretty bad. That’s commitment to character. With all of Borat’s anti-Semitic comments, I do find it comforting to know that Cohen is Jewish and not just a jerk. The true jerks in Borat are the Americans who don’t bother to censor themselves in front of this supposedly naïve foreigner. A gun shop owner doesn’t even flinch when Borat asks what gun is best to kill Jews. The owner suggests a Glock. Scary.

So do I recommend Borat? If you are easily offended, stay away. If you can take the offensiveness, go ahead and enjoy with caution. If you don’t want others to know you’re watching it, wait till the DVD. If you watch this film and not one thing causes you to squirm, I worry about you.

The Prestige

Okay, I know I’ve been slacking. To make up for it, I’ll try and do three movie reviews in a row. Actually, one of the reasons I am so behind is that I can’t make up my mind on The Prestige. There doesn’t appear to be anything wrong with the movie but I didn’t find myself enraptured with the film as much as I thought I would be. This film has everything going for it. Christopher Nolan is a brilliant director that gets the most out of his actors as well as the story. I must admit, however, is that I didn’t find the cinematography as beautiful as his previous efforts, like Insomnia or Memento. The story is carefully woven and keeps you guessing throughout the film. I had my suspicions midway through but it didn’t affect my enjoyment of the storytelling. I love learning the secrets behind magic tricks; I don’t really care that ruins my enjoyment of the wonder of illusion. Of course the tricks shown in The Prestige would not make it onto the stage today, especially the disappearing bird act. While the story is interesting and nicely paced, it’s the superb acting that got my attention. 

 Christian Bale is one of the best intense actors of this generation. It’s unfortunate that more people don’t know of his skill. He was fantastic in Batman Begins but he plays the villain even better. He had the perfect tone of smarm in the Samuel L Jackson remake of Shaft, but his crowning achievement comes in the form of Patrick Bateman in the dark but perversely entertaining American Psycho. If you can handle the disturbing sex and violence put to an eighties soundtrack, give American Psycho a try. Anyway, back to The Prestige, I think Christian Bale has another winning turn as a magician who has made the ultimate trick. But even with his superiority, he makes you sympathize with his plight. 

 I like to see Hugh Jackman fail. We’ve seen him as Wolverine and Van Helsing with his confident attitude, winning smile and sarcastic comebacks. In The Prestige, we see a more desperate side of Jackman that really shows off his acting ability. Rounding out the cast is the incomparable Michael Caine as another wise mentor with tricks up his sleeve, and Scarlett Johannson who always manages to bring the perfect mix of passion and grace. 

 So if it wasn’t the story or the acting, what is it that makes it hard for me to convince everyone to see this film? Maybe my expectations were way too high. Maybe it’s because I saw it on a Monday, which always feels kind of weird. Maybe it’s because I had already seen some of this magic done in The Illusionist. Maybe I’m just an idiot who’s over-analyzing again. It’s probably the latter. Go see The Prestige and judge for yourself. If anything you’ll get a greatly acted story, and what more do you really want from a film?