Weekend Update
Apr. 16th, 2007 09:47 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shipperxSo, I'm still drawing on "the goddamned house" (which is what I've taken to [silently] calling my sister's house which I don't think she'll ever build because it's going to cost too much, but just try talking reason to her. It's impossible. ) Anyway, while stuck at home drawing, I leave the TV on. So, some comments about stuff which played while I drew.
The Lakehouse w/ Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves
The Inside Man w/ Denzel Washington, Jodie Foster, and Clive Owen
Alien w/ Sigourney Weaver
The Amazing Race
The Lakehouse w/ Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves
Not bad. The time travel part is a bit dopey (especially in how it plays in the resolution of the movie) and I don't think Sandra's unwillingness to meet Keanu throughout much of the movie is particularly well explained. But all in all, I found the movie lazily enjoyable. Whoever wrote the script (and since this movie is a remake of the Japanese movie, this probably has to do with the original Japanese movie) did have some familiarity with architecture if, perhaps, only in having read From Bauhaus to Our House Not only did they mention the "gods" Meier and Corbu, but the whole quandry of Keanu's family seemed entwined with Wolfe's essay on Modern Architecture. Maybe this is why I still enjoyed the movie despite Bullock's depressive character in the film.
The Inside Man w/ Denzel Washington, Jodie Foster, and Clive Owen
Pretty good. Liked Denzel's shout-out to Dog Day Afternoon. Quite twisty. Jodie Foster is scary as hell. Yeah, I realize that the Nazi subplot leads to some interesting questions about the bank president's age... and they never explain how Clive Owen's character knew about the past or the box, but-- still -- fairly good movie with interesting actors.
Alien w/ Sigourney Weaver
You know something? Like Jaws, this movie withstands the test of time. It's still scary. Still, after all these years, the parameters of the alien in Alien is well known due to it's many sequels, so it doesn't quite carry the same impact it would have in the movie's first airing. Looking at the original, however, I have to say that it truly had a great script. Wiping away foreknowledge gained from "Aliens" and then the ever worsening sequels that followed, and just looking at the story structure of Alien, it was extremely well done. It's not just a run, hide, and shoot at stuff movie. In fact, the first half is rather quiet. It's really grandly mysterious sci-fi (if you can erase all the things you know from subsequent movies). It's plotted as a series of (unpleasant) discoveries. The initial search of the alien ship where there's no knowledge of what it is, is atmospheric and creepy but only sets up anticipation because little happens... well, until he ends up with the thing glommed onto his face.
And poor (shockingly youthful) Sigourney as third in command (and facing some sexism) who is right when she starts spouting protocol about quarentine. She may appear bitchy to her co-workers by adhering to the rules, and lacking in compassion because the guy has a creature on his face, but she's right. They are endangering everyone by bringing him back on board.
It's so easy to overlook how wonderfully this movie is plotted because decades later we're so familiar with the shocks in the movie such as face sucking creature leading to little alien spewing from the guy's chest to the acid blood to little alien becoming big-ass unstoppable alien, but in the original script this is a wonderful build of danger and anticipation. If you don't know the aliens life-cycle (as of course we do even if our famliarity was only pop culture. The popping out of his chest scene is pretty iconic at this point)... anyway, if you were unaware of the aliens procreation cycle, the pacing of the movie is beautifully done with ever rising horror. The face sucking creature is pretty scary. Discovering that trying to kill the creature secretes acid that could eat through the hull of the ship raises the stakes because -- hello! spaceship! Eating through the hull would be bad (and probably why most of the sequels have been based predominantly on planets). Then little creature they think they can catch becomes big-ass unstoppable monster.
Also, though this part is impossible to erase because we all know -- it's Ripley!!! If you erase the fact that you're aware that Sigourney Weaver is the star of the franchise, and look at the original film, Ripley isn't telegraphed as the hero of the first movie. Tom Skerrit looks like the hero, and John Hurt was a bigger star at that time. Ripley is third in command and, as previously mentioned, surprisingly young looking. Ripley begins the movie very much in the tertiary role. Therefore, as the "heroes" are killed off, it would have been a great shock. It's almost "Psycho"-like in that for the first half of the movie, it looks as though the movie's lead is Skeritt (in fact, I think he's even first in the credits). Yeah, we know now that Sigourney is going to be the kick-ass heroine of the movie, but without the knowledge of the sequels or the knowledge of the original movie, the original script itself doesn't cop to that fact until half-way through the movie. I think Sigourney Weaver herself as has said as much. And, it's worth noting, that this was 1979. There hadn't been a history of kick-ass heroines when this came out. Ripley is really one of the first, far pre-dating Terminator's Sarah Connor, Xena, Buffy, Aeryn Sun, or even Dana Scully. Ripley being the true hero of the movie was a deft changing of movie leads in mid-stream in the plotting of the script.
And, speaking of the fact that this was released in 1979, this movie and its special effects hold up extremely well. The computers are way outdated, but other than that the dour, dark special effects still work. The characters and "look" of the film still work. And there's a reason this movie is a classic. It was really, really well done from script to actors, directing to special effects. Still good after all these years (even if Alien Resurrection sucked balls. And I don't even acknowledge the existence of Alien Vs. Predator.)
And poor (shockingly youthful) Sigourney as third in command (and facing some sexism) who is right when she starts spouting protocol about quarentine. She may appear bitchy to her co-workers by adhering to the rules, and lacking in compassion because the guy has a creature on his face, but she's right. They are endangering everyone by bringing him back on board.
It's so easy to overlook how wonderfully this movie is plotted because decades later we're so familiar with the shocks in the movie such as face sucking creature leading to little alien spewing from the guy's chest to the acid blood to little alien becoming big-ass unstoppable alien, but in the original script this is a wonderful build of danger and anticipation. If you don't know the aliens life-cycle (as of course we do even if our famliarity was only pop culture. The popping out of his chest scene is pretty iconic at this point)... anyway, if you were unaware of the aliens procreation cycle, the pacing of the movie is beautifully done with ever rising horror. The face sucking creature is pretty scary. Discovering that trying to kill the creature secretes acid that could eat through the hull of the ship raises the stakes because -- hello! spaceship! Eating through the hull would be bad (and probably why most of the sequels have been based predominantly on planets). Then little creature they think they can catch becomes big-ass unstoppable monster.
Also, though this part is impossible to erase because we all know -- it's Ripley!!! If you erase the fact that you're aware that Sigourney Weaver is the star of the franchise, and look at the original film, Ripley isn't telegraphed as the hero of the first movie. Tom Skerrit looks like the hero, and John Hurt was a bigger star at that time. Ripley is third in command and, as previously mentioned, surprisingly young looking. Ripley begins the movie very much in the tertiary role. Therefore, as the "heroes" are killed off, it would have been a great shock. It's almost "Psycho"-like in that for the first half of the movie, it looks as though the movie's lead is Skeritt (in fact, I think he's even first in the credits). Yeah, we know now that Sigourney is going to be the kick-ass heroine of the movie, but without the knowledge of the sequels or the knowledge of the original movie, the original script itself doesn't cop to that fact until half-way through the movie. I think Sigourney Weaver herself as has said as much. And, it's worth noting, that this was 1979. There hadn't been a history of kick-ass heroines when this came out. Ripley is really one of the first, far pre-dating Terminator's Sarah Connor, Xena, Buffy, Aeryn Sun, or even Dana Scully. Ripley being the true hero of the movie was a deft changing of movie leads in mid-stream in the plotting of the script.
And, speaking of the fact that this was released in 1979, this movie and its special effects hold up extremely well. The computers are way outdated, but other than that the dour, dark special effects still work. The characters and "look" of the film still work. And there's a reason this movie is a classic. It was really, really well done from script to actors, directing to special effects. Still good after all these years (even if Alien Resurrection sucked balls. And I don't even acknowledge the existence of Alien Vs. Predator.)
The Amazing Race
While I haven't exactly been a fan of Mirna. I haven't actively loathed her until last night but sheesh! What a hypocritical shrew! Somehow, in her mind her own tactics are always pure and wonderful and true. But if you're someone other than Mirna then those actions are reprehensible and teh evol! Sheesh. YIELDING IS NOT PLAYING DIRTY! IT'S PART OF THE GAME! And, what the hell does Mirna care, anyway! The BQ's didn't yeild Mirna. No, Mirna, BQ's don't deserve bad karma for playing the freaking game. And, newsflash, the BQs are no more "dirty" than you! STFU.
And Eric is a douche. I don't much like Danielle what with her triple D's hanging out in every country in the world (couldn't she come up with a shirt that at least covered the cleavage just a tiny bit?!) but, my jaw dropped at the end where he reserved the right to blame HER for their being last. Uh...wah? Did I miss something somewhere? At what point did she do anything that put them behind? Neither of them were at the ticket counter when the Mirna/BQ ticket smackdown was going down, so it's both their faults that they weren't there to fight for their place in line, and he's the stubborn fool who wouldn't stop to ask directions! And somehow, their being last is Danielle's fault?! Sexist ass.
And Eric is a douche. I don't much like Danielle what with her triple D's hanging out in every country in the world (couldn't she come up with a shirt that at least covered the cleavage just a tiny bit?!) but, my jaw dropped at the end where he reserved the right to blame HER for their being last. Uh...wah? Did I miss something somewhere? At what point did she do anything that put them behind? Neither of them were at the ticket counter when the Mirna/BQ ticket smackdown was going down, so it's both their faults that they weren't there to fight for their place in line, and he's the stubborn fool who wouldn't stop to ask directions! And somehow, their being last is Danielle's fault?! Sexist ass.
