Wouldn't you know, the same day I posted the Rotten Tomatoes Show's funny spoof of sports movie cliches, Princess Di and I saw a movie about a football player that nimbly skips them all.
The Blind Side is based on the true and genuinely inspiring story of Michael Oher, a product of Memphis' inner city projects that often swalllows talent like his. Oher was taken off the streets by a wealthy couple, becoming part of their family. They helped raise his grades from almost passing to the 2.5 GPA required to accept an NCAA football scholarship, leading to his selection by the Baltimore Ravens in the 2009 NFL draft. Now the offensive tackle is a leading candidate for rookie of the year.
Featuring Sandra Bullock's best performance in too long, The Blind Side is now a leading candidate for feel-good movie of the year.
I'll confess to a distantly personal connection to Oher's remarkable story. Two of our best friends, Wayne and Karla Whetzel, adopted five children -- including four African-American brothers from a background like Oher's -- and you'll seldom see a better family dynamic. The kids also improved their grades, social skills and behavior patterns, and they're promising athletes, too. (I kid Wayne that Kevontrae -- "Key" for short -- may turn out to be his 401Key.)
The same warmth I feel when visiting that family is evident in each frame of The Blind Side, none of it as bogus as filmmakers can be tempted to make it. Even before last night's screening, "Uncle" Steve and "Auntie" Dianne promised the Whetzel family that we'll take them on a group outing to see The Blind Side when it opens on Nov. 20. I can't wait. Meanwhile, enjoy the trailer, guys.
The more I listen to my telephone interview with The Twilight Saga: New Moon co-star Nikki Reed, the more I'm convinced that Catherine Hardwicke did most of the heavy lifting on their 2003 screenplay collaboration, the superb teen drama, thirteen.
I haven't heard that many conversational crutches ("like," "you know," etc.) since interviewing Taylor Lautner last year.
Reed became Hollywood's "it" girl when thirteen was released, earning several critics group citations and award nominations for the semi-autobiographical script and her performance. Hardwicke -- who also directed Twilight but was dumped from the sequels -- shared credit but deferred to Reed in interviews because, hey, it was a better story that a teenager was pouring sordid personal experience into a script.
Since then, Reed hasn't produced another screenplay and roles slacked off, to the point that playing Rosalie Hale in the Twilight flicks is a good career move. I couldn't avoid asking Reed why we haven't seen another screenplay from her.
"Actually, I’ve made some pretty decent attempts," she said before dropping this tell-tale remark: "They were solo attempts, and that might be what the issue was."
Or, it could be Reed's emancipation from her divorced parents at age 14, after turning family issues into a movie.
"I was trying to go to high school while living by myself," she said, "which resulted in me dropping out of high school and then going back to take my equivalency (test), taking college courses and trying to pay rent. Meanwhile, I was also exploring the writing aspect. I think in the next year or so that’s what I’d like to focus on."
I asked Reed if it was difficult wrapping her head around such success at an early, unsupervised age. She reportedly did the kinds of illegal and immoral things that thirteen portrayed teenagers doing.
"That’s a very loaded question," she said. "But yes it was. To this day I’m still trying to figure out how to, like, dissect what I’m actually trying to say and represent with this film, so I can do it the right way.
"In a sense, one could walk away and feel exploited, just torn. My family was put on the line, in the interest of doing something really honest and real. On the other hand, I might’ve done it all differently if I had the chance to redo it."
The rest of the interview -- the stuff Twilight fans want to read -- will be published next week online and in Weekend.
I'm hoping that all 158 minutes of Roland Emmerich's disaster flick squared, 2012, are convincing. I've already stopped making mortgage payments, canceled three birthday and four Christmas parties, and this week I'm giving the lawn guy his three years notice.
Just kidding, Tony Twigg. And, yes, that's my lawn guy's real name.
If you haven't heard, or don't live near any Mayans, 2012 is supposedly when the world ends. I'm betting the world turns out like a Kevin Costner movie, lasting far longer than it has a right to.
2012 opens nationwide Friday, if nothing drastic happens before then.
One of the better offerings at this year's Gasparilla International Film Festival was Clear Lake, WI, a psychological thriller starring Michael Madsen, written and produced by is co-star, Morgan Simpson, a Plant High School graduate now living in L.A.
Simpson will return to town Nov. 17, for a showing of Clear Lake, WI at Tampa Pitcher Show, 14416 N. Dale Mabry Hwy. He'll be joined at the screening by executive producer (and fellow Plant alumnus) Charlie Poe. Show time is 7:15 p.m., and tickets are $7.
The movie was picked up for distribution overseas only by Arsenal
Pictures. Amazon.com doesn't list a DVD version available or coming
soon.
Madsen, best known as sociopath Mr. Blonde in Reservoir Dogs, plays a clergyman, which seems like miscasting until you realize his doing his Mr. Blonde thing again, albeit on a mission from God. I gave Clear Lake, WI a brief but positive review before its Gasparilla festival premiere:
"The Reverend, as he's known, went a little funny in the head 15
years ago, believing a toxic spill that caused several deaths was God's
vengeance against sinners, especially horny teenagers. A few straight
arrows agreed with him, setting off a Manson-style massacre of
classmates. Needless to say, everyone cleared out of town after that.
Taking a cue from Stephen King's It, a group of
survivors return to deserted Clear Lake to confront their dark
memories, speaking exposition into a video camera a bit too much.
Bodies start piling up, and it's obvious that the Reverend's work isn't
done.
Clear Lake, WI is a solid flick, and Madsen is worth watching
anytime (although his role is limited to flashbacks and a killer
kiss-off)."
I also mentioned in that blog review that Clear Lake, IA is a decent calling card for Simpson as he furthers his film career. It probably helped him get his next project underway in August, a drama set in Memphis' blues music culture titled Bailey, directed by Mario Van Peebles and co-starring Michael Clarke Duncan. Simpson co-wrote the screenplay, produces and plays the title role.
Poe again serves as executive producer, and snagged a bit part as a musician named Boom Boom.
I have this recurring nightmare, usually after enduring a string of mediocre flicks, that I'm stuck in a room with 1,000 movie cameras aimed at me, like a massive cinematic firing squad. I'm not sure what a therapist would say about that dream, or Richard LaRiviere who's almost making it come true this weekend.
LaRiviere, 64, is literally a film buff, owning Riverboat Nudist Club in Land O'Lakes. His devotion to cinema led to collecting movie cameras by the hundreds since 1964. Now he's shooting for Guinness Book of World Records fame, displaying more than 900 movie cameras -- no duplicate models -- this weekend at the reborn Beaux Arts gallery, 709 S. Missouri Ave. in Clearwater.
The official camera count will be held Friday at 8 p.m., with results sent to Guinness for verification and possible inclusion in its next annual roundup of unique records. The current record holder (600) lives in Athens, Greece.
The camera exhibit -- along with props from such films as The Corpse Bride and Cleopatra -- is part of a weekend celebration of Beaux Arts re-opening. Doors open Friday and Saturday at 6 p.m.; Sunday at 12 noon to 6 p.m. Admission is $10 for a 3-day ticket, with proceeds going to the Museum of Motion Pictures and Television.
Beaux Arts used to be a St. Petersburg cultural institution where artists including Jim Morrison, Jack Kerouac and Marilyn Monroe hung out.
In a news release, new owners Jay “Hunter” Loiselle and Chris Skillman say the new Beaux Arts will “foster an inclusive art culture that incorporates a cross-pollination of art, music, film, writing, sound and performance.” For more information, contact Loiselle at (813) 251-6444 or Skillman at (727) 520-4102.
George Clooney could sail through life and movies solely on his looks, and does a pretty good job of that sometimes. But what I love about this guy is occasionally that he'll drop the tailored suits, righteous causes and debonair air for a goofy role that he'll somehow make cooler than it should be.
I'm thinking of O Brother, Where Art Thou, Three Kings, maybe even Spy Kids 1and 3, when Clooney made cornpone dumb, insubordinate greed and childish derring-do downright artful. I'm also thinking of the movie I'm seeing this morning, The Men Who Stare at Goats. Love that title.
Clooney superbly shows his "serious" side Dec. 25 with Up in the Air -- which, coincidentally, I'm working on a story about today, too -- but this satire supposedly based on fact looks like a fun way to begin the week. Hey, any movie with Jeff Bridges looking like the Dude wearing an U.S. Army uniform certainly will abide.
What you notice about Michael Jackson’s swan song This is It is what isn’t on screen.
No deafening applause. No throngs of screaming fans. No give-and-take between artist and admirers typically included in concert movies.
Because This is It isn’t a typical concert movie, not in structure or purpose. It was never intended to reach theaters, this assemblage of video shot while Jackson rehearsed four months in Los Angeles for a 50-concert series in London that tragically never was.
Jackson isn’t able to enjoy what will happen worldwide with This is It, if Tuesday’s capacity crowd in Tampa is any indication; cheering and sighing at his quicksilver dance moves and shimmering voice, some loudly, impulsively expressing their love as if Jackson were there to hear it.
But you can sense Jackson anticipating that, witness him working perhaps too tirelessly for it, in a movie incomparable to any other since nothing like this happened before. Not with Elvis, not with Frank.
Unlike Presley at the end, Jackson wanted to prove himself again. Unlike Sinatra, he needed to.
Neither of those legends had cameras crews trailing them until hours before dying. The late King of Pop did.
And now, This is It.
Director Kenny Ortega -- whom Jackson trusted with staging his comeback and survivors entrusted with this cine-memorial – orchestrated a minor miracle with This is It, culling footage from weeks of rehearsals into a surprisingly smooth, energetic idea of what a 21st century Michael Jackson concert would be.
It would be stunning, an explosion of pyro and visual effects framing one of the greatest performers ever, who at age 50 hadn’t appeared to lose a step or octave. Of course, part of the Jackson family’s deal with Sony in allowing This is It to be made was that nothing diminishing his image would be included. Jackson appears invincible, as all but the most cynical observers would prefer.
The fact that Ortega isn’t filming a concert but constructing one does create minor problems. Jackson’s volume occasionally trails off, as mixing board adjustments are made. Wardrobes changing several times during nearly each song betray how much patchwork editing Ortega needed to do.
Yet the latter problem also reveals how precise Jackson was, physically and tonally. No matter what he’s wearing, the sound and dance fury are practically the same in each take. Close your eyes and you’d believe he’s singing from start to finish. Keep them open and you’re dazzled by his footwork and deceptively frenetic gestures.
It takes a few minutes for This is It to get traction, after auditioning dancers offer emotional testimonies to their idol, and a news conference announcing the London engagement. Appropriate that Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ is Jackson’s opening number interrupted by Ortega’s choices. He doesn’t make that mistake often.
Jam is followed by They Don’t Care About Us and the movie’s most touching shot; Jackson’s serious expression in mellow blue lighting as Ortega calls for it to fade. Just before the darkness, a sweet, satisfied smile crosses Jackson’s face. He’s happy, and in that moment so are we.
Take your pick of Jackson highlights: his ethereal falsetto on Human Nature, The Way You Make Me Feel slowed to a groggy groove before erupting, Smooth Criminal embellished by the singer digitally co-starring with Humphrey Bogart and Rita Hayworth, one of several backdrop videos Ortega planned for the concerts.
Those video creations expand This is It just when the rehearsal regimen is growing stale. A graveyard filled with 3D zombies to supplement Thriller is a showstopper. Earth Song gets an eye-popping eco-fantasy with a lush forest decimated by fire and a bulldozer – that emerges onstage to threaten the King of Pop.
A few performances fall short of expectations but as Jackson reminds his team several times: “That’s what rehearsal is for.” Billie Jean is a perfunctory run-through with nary a moonwalk. A bouncy Jackson 5 medley ends strangely as the singer names family members to bless without sounding convincing. Several times, Jackson leans too much toward recreating music video choreography rather than dazzling anew.
But that's what Jackson thought was expected, even urging his music director to make the band sound like his records, giving people what they wanted, perfect as possible. Ortega begins This is It with the dedication " for the fans..." and makes you believe that would've been Jackson's dedication, too.
Oscar winning directors and screenwriters Joel and Ethan Coen(Fargo, The Big Lebowski, No Country for Old Men) already had me excited about their plans to remake 1969's True Grit with Jeffrey Lebowski himself (or the Dude, Duder or Duderino, if you're not into the whole brevity thing) Jeff Bridges in the role that won John Wayne a sentimental Oscar for best actor.
Bridges will play the cantankerous one-eyed U.S. Marshal Rooster Cogburn, who's enlisted by young Mattie Ross to find her father's murderer. Mattie's role hasn't been cast yet but any Fanning will do. However, a couple more key roles appear to be going to stars that could make True Grit one of 2010's biggest holiday hits.
Matt Damon is negotiating to play LaBoeuf, a cocky Texas Ranger also on the killer's trail for a Lone Star State crime. Glen Campbell acquitted himself well in the original role, and sang the Oscar nominated theme song to (cowboy) boot. The varmint being chased, Tom Chaney (Jeff Corey in the original), is likely to be played by Josh Brolin, who shot to stardom as the good guy in No Country for Old Men.
No word yet on who'll play Chaney's accomplices, roles handled by Robert Duvall and Dennis Hopper in the first film.
Check out the Duke's classic shootout with the gang in the clip posted above. Rent the movie to see how it turns out.
The festival presents a pre-production workshop Sunday, Oct. 5 at 5 p.m. at the Tampa Jewish Community Center, 13009 Community Campus Drive in Tampa. The workshop will be conducted by area industry professionals including Rose Rosen, a Tampa casting director who has worked on numerous films (Edward Scissorhands among them), commercials and television shows; and indie producer and film professor Greg LeSar.
The workshop will provide an overview of this year's theme, plus tips on casting, locations, shoot schedules, production and post-production techniques.
It's all in preparation for next festival in March, 2010. Entries will be accepted through Dec. 31.
Videos may be up to five minutes long focusing on one of the two topic choices: 1) Judaism, the Jewish people, or being Jewish or 2) interfaith issues and opportunities. Cash prizes up to $750 will be awarded in several age categories. Winners will also be shown at the festival.
For moe information, check out the video posted above, or contact contest coordinator Pamela Behar at amela.behar@jewishtampa.com or 813.769.4703.
I've been looking forward to Jason Reitman's new movie, Up in the Air since it was dropped into the Telluride Film Festival lineup and I couldn't get in. Princess Di and I were waiting first in line for Viggo Mortensen's tributeand The Road while Up in the Air was screening, and didn't wish to give up the spots. (That was a Road we shouldn't have taken but more on that later.)
We did hear unanimous praise for Up in the Air from viewers who walked out of the theater toward the back of the Viggo line. Also caught Reitman outside for a couple photo and a quick hello.
I'm working on an interview with the director of Thank You for Smoking and Juno before Up in the Air lands in Tampa Bay theaters on Dec. 25. I'll see the latter this morning, and if it's as good as the trailer looks Reitman will be 3-for-3 on my top-10 list in his young career. Enjoy!
Steve Persall is the movie critic for the St. Petersburg Times. He was conceived behind a drive-in movie theater his father operated and raised in projection booths and concession stands. He doesn't care how you did it up north.
Steve Persall is the movie critic for the St. Petersburg Times. He was conceived behind a drive-in movie theater his father operated and raised in projection booths and concession stands. He doesn't care how you did it up north.
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