tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post7737029963799411471..comments2024-03-24T13:26:57.317-07:00Comments on Sergio Leone and the Infield Fly Rule: THE SIMPSONS HAIRSPRAY ULTIMATUMDennis Cozzaliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01954848938471883431noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-68978686057064141452007-08-16T23:30:00.000-07:002007-08-16T23:30:00.000-07:00In response to Lenny's complaint summarized by Den...In response to Lenny's complaint summarized by Dennis: <EM>now that the situation is in the hands of sober-minded citizens like those manning the senate hearings, all is likely to be well and returned to order?! Talk about a cop-out.</EM><BR/><BR/>Indeed, the Senate hearing is similar to the penultimate scene of Identity, in which Brian Cox announces the closing of Treadstone immediately followed by an easily missed announcement of a new project called Blackbriar, which we can now see was nothing more than a nomenclature shellgame.<BR/><BR/>But the idea that Ultimatum’s conclusion rings false because congress would presumably continue the cover-up of Treadstone/Blackbriar implies that the average congressman is both knowledgeable and savvy about black ops, while I think it more likely that most if not all congressmen are little more than buffoons. The first movie reinforces this notion by the ease with which Cox slides Treadstone under their noses, and it’s implied that their evident approval of Blackbriar is due to the opaqueness of the programme’s aims, not its transparency. <BR/><BR/>Futhermore, in today’s polarized political climate I think congressmen would be eager to expose any clandestine goverment activity for the chance of scoring political points against the opposing party.<BR/><BR/>Lenny wrote: <EM>Shouldn't Bourne have remained in the water without swimming away?</EM><BR/><BR/>Like you, I did find the very last shot to be depressingly optimistic. Bourne’s survival militated against the themes of all three movies, especially the last ten minutes of Ultimatum. Especially given the revelation of David Webb’s voluntary acceptance of the assassin program, in terms of movie morality a character who’s done the things he has done should not be spared, no matter how likeable the protagonist. Did the few people he decided not to shoot in Ultimatum atone for the many assassinations of which we were constantly reminded via paperwork?<BR/><BR/>Admittedly, floating in the water was a metaphorical death for the character, but by restricting it to a metaphorical-only death with his swimming away, they let the audience have their cake and eat it too. But in terms of the literal narrative the “happy ending” is actually an upsetting one which perpetuates the absence of justice that characterizes the trilogy’s critique of the world. In that sense, at least, the film affirms its paranoid conspiracy theory foundation.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-16394728455363050352007-08-13T14:19:00.000-07:002007-08-13T14:19:00.000-07:00Lenny-- you're absolutely right - the ending of Ul...Lenny-- you're absolutely right - the ending of Ultimatum strikes more false notes than a middle school marching band. Greengrass had an opportunity to really engage with the ideas and imagery of post-9/11 life, to open up the film in the same way Coppolla opened up The Godfaher Part II - explicitly going after the links between big business, politics, and organized crime without sacrificing any of the elements that made the first film such a success<BR/><BR/>I guess it's his right to waste that opportunity by creating just another compelling, well done (I didn't mind most of the fights/chases), thrill a minute spy movie cynically exploiting real world issues - but it's still disappointing. Though it shouldn't be much of a surprise considering that Greengrass' last movie, United 93, has got to be one of the more noxious con jobs in recent cinematic history.<BR/><BR/>I probably wouldn't have minded this as much had the film (as you so correctly point out, Dennis) not also jettisoned character development and an actual plot in the process.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-46076667546545878842007-08-13T13:56:00.000-07:002007-08-13T13:56:00.000-07:00Moviezzz: Yes, I would think that Hairspray is eas...Moviezzz: Yes, I would think that <I>Hairspray</I> is easily, from front to start, the most fun I've had at a movie all year. And the thing that still amazes me is that, were it not for my friend suggesting we take my daughters, I might have let myself miss it altogether. I was one of those John Waters fans who figured there was no way the movie could live up to the original, when, in fact, I think it many ways it outdoes it-- it's even more family friendly, without giving up its <I>raison d'etre</I>, than the original movie, and Waters always maintained that making a PG movie was the most perverse thing he'd ever done in his career!<BR/><BR/>Nobody, Lenny: You guys went much further into the disappointment, the hollowness, of <I>Ultimatum</I> than I was willing (or capable, at 2:30 in the morning) of going. I particulary like Lenny's ultimate point about the facile approach of the movie, especially the points made after the spolier alert. What is it that made a presumably politically engaged filmmaker like Greengrass conclude this conspiracy-riddled series with the implication that, well, all this man-hunting and illegal surveillance and death-dealing to American and other innocents, that was all just some rogue element, and now that the situation is in the hands of sober-minded citizens like those manning the senate hearings, all is likely to be well and returned to order?! Talk about a cop-out. Lenny, you say it best: "The way the film actually ends, distances the audience from the reality that much of what these films suggest about our governments shadow operations are true. So what do we have to take this ridiculous visual castor oil for? It ends just like your average entertainment does." I really appreciate you guys stopping by and offering you more-than-two cents worth. You really helped illuminate for me, and a lot of other people, I bet, my own dissatisfaction with <I>The Bourne Ultimatum</I>.<BR/><BR/>On the other hand, Anonymous, your comment (which will soon be deleted), was not only mean-spirited, but thick-headed as well. I'm assuming your epithet was slung because I dared to recommend a movie you've obviously decided is for a certain non-heterosexual demographic only, and that it's well beneath you. Or maybe it was because I dissed the uber-manly <I>Ultimatum</I>? Well, either way, that's the mean-spirited (as well as ridiculous) part. The thick-headed part comes from your assumption that I would in any way be insulted by being accused of being part of or associated with this demographic of which you're apparently so frightened. The only thing that insults me is the word you chose. In the future, I'd appreciate it if you'd keep your bigoted outbursts to yourself and out of my comments thread.Dennis Cozzaliohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01954848938471883431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-61974710256844709802007-08-13T05:48:00.000-07:002007-08-13T05:48:00.000-07:00In response to your THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM writings,...In response to your THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM writings, I'd like to share some comments that I left at another site that I think are appropriate:<BR/><BR/>Ever had a nightmare in which you are lost, you're trying to get home or whatever, and as soon as things begin to look vaguely familiar, you turn a corner and you're completely lost again. That's sort of what watching the collective BOURNE films, including and especially THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM, was like. The strangest thing is that my initial reaction upon exiting the theatre Sunday morning (I caught a 11:20 pm show), was that this was the best of the bunch. I've been trying to figure out what that means ever since.<BR/><BR/>All the hand-held, herky-jerky camerawork only has value to me insofar as it expresses the psychology of the characters and the situations in which they find themselves. On that grounds, this extremely over-used style would be somewhat justified, particularly within the context of the shadow world that Bourne exists in. I started to type "the paranoid shadow world," but thought better of it because, in fact, Bourne has no reason to be paranoid: he knows people are after him.<BR/><BR/>If the migraine inducing camerawork is, however, expressive of the psychology of Bourne as he tries to either avoid or confront the powers that bind him, shouldn't he be dead by now? After all, this is someone trained to be cool and rational under duress, to be able to think and improvise as the moment dictates, to push his body hard, to the point of exhaustion for the average person, yet maintaining peak focus on achieving the mission set before him. So, is the justification for this style that it depicts the mind-state of the hero, or is it meant to place the audience in the context of the action to convey the chaotic nature of the proceedings? Is the idea that the audience, in having it's nose rub into the "reality" of some of the horrific things our government does, in our supposed name, be intentionally denied the usual action-adventure pleasures of, say, the James Bond films? Is this castor oil for our past entertainment sins?<BR/><BR/>If the former concepts are true, the films fail miserably, because it is near impossible for the brain to grasp hold of some of the more extreme fight scenes (the chase and close quarter, hand-to-hand combat with Desh), and the car chase sequence towards the end of the film (THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM). At some point, like in the nightmare I mentioned, you need a visual frame of reference to orient you to your surroundings. Without any markers, you are completely lost. With a few reference points, you may not know exactly where you are, but you certainly have more confidence that you'll be able to figure out your way. If you knew exactly where you were, then you'd be able to sit back and truly ascertain how well the filmmaker is able to do the job of telling a story visually.<BR/><BR/>I had a similar feeling when viewing BATMAN BEGINS. I could give Christopher Nolan the benefit of the doubt concerning the confusing depiction of his initial fight with the mob boss and his goons, but by the time we get to the final confrontation in city (with the script or editing taking all sorts of shortcuts---the town is in chaos but characters, both good and bad, are able to locate each other at the drop of a hat), there really is no excuse for not clearly showing us what's happening---unless he's not able to. The one really majestic, iconic shot that I thought Nolan had pulled off---Batman flying out the back of the subway car before it crashes---was completely botched by quickly cutting away. Don't these current batch of filmmakers watch older, better filmmakers to see how to shoot action or spectacle?<BR/><BR/>SPOILER ALERT<BR/><BR/>On another note concerning the ideas found in THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM, was anyone let down by a conclusion in which some top secret papers are faxed and suddenly congressional hearings are being conducted left and right and the president is declaring (according to CNN) that he wants answers regarding these matters? Here you have unconstitutional operations being run by, or under the noses of, our government for three films, depicting a world essentially gone mad (sanctioning the murder of Americans), and the filmmakers expect this pat ending to be adequate? <BR/><BR/>Shouldn't Joan Allen's character have been shot first by David Straitharn, then he notices the information has already been sent? Shouldn't Bourne have remained in the water without swimming away? Shouldn't the investigations into the documents have been still-born due to responses concerning their "historical" nature (ala Condi and the National Security Estimate report in August of 2001 stating Osama's intent to attack inside the U.S.), or due to claims of executive privilege, or due to news media being corrupted by corporate influence? The way the film actually ends, distances the audience from the reality that much of what these films suggest about our governments shadow operations are true. So what do we have to take this ridiculous visual castor oil for? It ends just like your average entertainment does.Lenny Moorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16200417746540207658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-86236612840322390952007-08-12T15:28:00.000-07:002007-08-12T15:28:00.000-07:00You are a faggot!You are a faggot!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-11404038073040727662007-08-12T00:24:00.000-07:002007-08-12T00:24:00.000-07:00Great pull from the Simpsons, I think the church/b...Great pull from the Simpsons, I think the church/bar swap provoked the loudest guffaw from me in the whole movie but no one else in my cinema seemed to laugh.<BR/><BR/>I didn't think it was possible but you've actually made me curious about Hairspray!<BR/><BR/>I have to admit your thoughts on Ultimatum are the way I felt about Supremacy, and I was disappointed to hear Greengrass would be retained for the third installment. I think Liman's camera choices -- handheld for Bourne and stable for Treadstone early on, changing to stable for Bourne and handheld for Treadstone later in the film -- reflected the characters' emotional states in Identity much better than Greengrass' fundamentalist devotion to disorientation.<BR/><BR/>In Supremacy I considered the shaky camera to be a waste of all the money spent on that spectacular car chase because we were never allowed to see what was happening, and spatial clarity is never more crucial than in a chase scene. Why organise such split-second automobile choreography then waste the celluloid?<BR/><BR/>United 93 is the only of Greengrass' films I've liked since the lack of character focus made his faux-documentary approach feel less manipulative than it did in Bloody Sunday. (I stupidly brought a date to Bloody Sunday, but credit to her, the movie inspired a fantastic post-movie conversation!)<BR/><BR/>At any rate my expectations are quite low for Ultimatum when it finally comes out this weekend, so at least I have a chance for some unexpected enjoyment, because that's the only kind I'll have.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-551228755897486922007-08-11T08:45:00.000-07:002007-08-11T08:45:00.000-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.TALKING MOVIEzzzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11621046844665110326noreply@blogger.com