TOL

Tree of Life -- I'll be seeing it this Saturday in NYC.  I can't fucking wait.

VACATION

I'll be on vacation for the next week so postings will be minimal/limited.

Pirates 4 opens today and it's getting ripped up by the critics.  I'm not all that pumped for it to be honest -- it looks like a studio-stage-bound retread of the first three movies but without the subversive visual wit that Gore Verbinski brought to the original trilogy.  Still, for completists sake, I'll see it at some point over the next few weeks; the mermaids will be enough to draw me in for a viewing but I am not sure if I'm willing to shell out extra greenbacks on the 3-D as I've read that the filmmakers did nothing to utilize the format.  I'm starting to think that Jerry Bruckheimer might be well past his expiration date -- he needs to do Bad Boys 3 more than ever at this point...

Next weekend brings The Hangover: Part 2.  It looks wild.

Over vacation next week I'd like to try and see Will Ferrell's newest film, All Things Must Go, which sounds like a rare dramatic turn for the actor.

Shipping from Netflix today is Jack Goes Boating, Philip Seymour Hoffman's directorial debut.  I'll catch up with it when I get home.

AWESOME ART

HOLLYWEIRD

Has Stephen Dorff EVER top lined a major movie before? He TOTALLY OWNED in Somewhere. Hollywood ennui has never been more fascinating to watch. Sofia Coppola made up for the cream-puff-and-lace-idiocy that was Marie Antoinette in a big way with this quiet, sad, and extremely engrossing look at the life of a movie star who's in the throws of substance abuse and basic emotional meandering. Elle Fanning was delightful as the 11 year old daughter that Dorff has been neglecting.  When his ex-wife has some sort of off-screen breakdown and leaves their daughter with him, Dorff's laconic to the extreme Johnny Marco has to try and become the father that he's been avoiding.  But it's tough to be an effective parent when your days are spent drinking and sexing the hours away with women who show up naked at your hotel room for various forms of entertainment at any given hour and your main food group is alcohol; it's an all-too convincing portrait of Hollywood excess. Harris Savides (Elephant, Zodiac) is a camera-God so it's no surprise that the film has such a beautiful look.  Long master shots comprise most of the film, drawing the viewer in carefully and patiently.  The first 20 minutes or so are nearly wordless, forcing the viewer to take in the atmosphere and the emotional vibe of everyone and everything; the best parts of Somewhere are in the subtle details.  Dorff does so much with so little (dialogue that is) in Somewhere that it's easy to dismiss his performance as just "being there."  Hardly.  Somewhere is a slow-burn, 70's style mood piece with major European influences running through its cinematic veins.  It will definitely frustrate viewers who are looking for a traditional narrative but it will be fantastic for those of us who aren't so concerned with "plot" and external conflict.  Much like The American, this is a film that's all about internal conflict, which for some, can be interpreted as "boring."  Somewhere could only have come from a filmmaker like Coppola (she's stated that aspects of the film are autobiographical) and it's clear that she made exactly the film that she wanted to make.  Oh -- that opening shot that goes on for roughly five minutes -- totally brilliant.

GIRL POWER

There's no use in overselling Paul Feig's hysterical new comedy Bridesmaids.  Funny is funny is funny is funny.  Yeah, fine, comedy is the most subjective genre, and what some people find funny others aren't remotely amused by; people still think I'm deranged for loving Observe and Report and finding Due Date funnier than The Hangover.  Kristen Wiig is one of the funniest people on the planet, a comedienne capable of going toe to toe with anyone, and in Bridesmaids, she owns the entire picture, which is no small feat considering the estimable company she find herself in.  Having co-written the script and taking on the lead role, Wiig's many contributions to this smart, warm, and occasionally filthy comedy can never be underestimated.  The terrific supporting cast is up to her every move, with Rose Byrne registering strongly as Wiig's main competition within the bridal party.  There are some awkward-funny moments between these two performers that are laugh until you cry funny.  Rehashing the plot isn't necessary -- if you've seen the trailer you know the broad strokes.  What I wasn't prepared for were the smarts in the screenplay department that Bridesmaids has up its sleeve, and how the film never went totally over the top.  Far removed from supposed "chick-flicks" (and pieces of garbage) like Sex and the City (the films, not the television series) and any movie starring Kate Hudson, Bridesmaids is a further reminder that female-oriented comedies can appeal to guys and never talk down to women.  The best part of the film is the honest emotion that Wiig and Feig are able to ring out of every scene, no matter how crazy the situation.  And Feig, being a veteran director of The Office, brings his considerable talent of underplaying comedy to the point of the dryest of humor.  This is one funny movie that will get better with repeated viewings.  I loved it.

BETTER THAN I EXPECTED

No Strings Attached was surprisingly well written which kept it quite watchable.  All they really did was flip-flop the standard rom-com conventions (she's the one with committment fears and he's the one who wants to snuggle) but Portman and Kutcher had very good chemistry and the colorful supporting cast hit some funny notes.  There's some solid, bawdy, R-rated sex humor that punched things up, but overall, the movie has to be seen as a major success for its director, Ivan Reitman, who has been responsible for one piece of shit after another for the last 15 years (Junior, Father's Day, Six Days, Seven Nights, Evolution, My Super Ex-Girlfriend -- it's a fucking miracle that he got another movie ater that string of disasters!)  Seriously -- the last great comedy Reitman directed was Dave; this is a guy who has been living off his 80's lore for quite some time now.  No Strings Attached isn't great -- hardly -- it's more like decent or above average.  But it's better than total shit.  Which is a step in the right direction.  It's so funny to see Portman go on a popcorn movie binge (Thor, No Strings, Your Highness) atfer her riveting performance in Black Swan; she can do anything it seems.  Good movie for a rainy day.

MAJOR FUN