In Paul Blart: Mall Cop, comedian Kevin James reunites with long-time collaborator Nick Bakay. What emerges is something akin to John Candy’s Only the Lonely meets Die Hard. James has the sensitivity of Candy, but the strong physical humor of Belushi and Farley.
Paul Blart is a loveable loser. He’s a mall cop who can’t seem to make the NJ State Police force due to his hypoglycemia. His ex-wife only married him to get her green card, so he lives at home with his mom and daughter. He exudes shame, confronted with his failures, seemingly, at every moment. He seeks comfort in food, which just adds to his shame (this is how addictions work).
But Paul’s heart is taken with young and beautiful Amy who works at one of the kiosks. He tries to be himself, and woo her- but mistakenly gets drunk and acts the fool.
All this leads up to Black Friday, and a plot to rob the mall Paul guards. He uses his wits and knowledge of the mall to slowly subdue them. Like McClain, he’s the inside man talking to his friend on the outside while the specialists remain clueless. He refuses to escape to safety so he can rescue Amy from the robbers.
This is a silly romp that does not take itself seriously. What results is a fun little movie that requires little of the audience. But, this shame-filled man becomes a hero. The self-important people who belittled him folded under the pressure, but love drove Paul Bart on to risk his life to save others. So, in the silliness there is a message. It’s not who people think you are that matters, but who you really are. Enjoy the silliness.
They brought in Edward Norton (big improvement), Liv Tyler (I preferred Jennifer Connelly), William Hurt (an equal exchange for Sam Elliott) and thankfully didn’t revisit the storyline with his father. The script here is heavier on action, and less on emotional storylines apart from Bruce’s longing for Betty while he wanders the world in an attempt to stay ahead of General Ross’s attempts to capture him. They “redo” his initial transformation into the Hulk during an experiment gone wrong as part of the opening credits. It differs from the Ang Lee version. There is a quick glimpse of some Stark Industries blueprints [sonic(?) cannons used in a battle scene], setting up Tony’s appearance at the end (cameo by Robert Downey Jr.). The story runs essentially concurrently with Iron Man.
Hulk is more creative in his rage. He uses parts of cars as shields, brass knuckles etc. His rage is more apparent. He seems more dangerous, scary and less “corny”. He’s not jumping outrageous distances. He’s also more human, which is what adds to the terror in some ways. He retains knowledge of Betty. His love for Betty is the one thing that can control his behavior. It is more of a love story than the previous take on Hulk.
After rescuing her during a battle on the college campus, there is a scene reminiscent of King Kong. They are hiding in the cleft of a rock face. She is both afraid and drawn to him. I could not help but think of Christ- He is not safe, but he is good and reborn hearts are drawn to Him despite the fact He is mighty and awesome.
Mark Wahlberg plays the obedient, trusted son Joseph. He joined the Police Department and has risen to the rank of Captain. He is angry at his brother for leaving home and the family business. Bobby is angry at him for messing up the good thing he thinks he has going, and the condemnation he feels.
What emerges is an average cop drama with a fantastic performance by Joaquin. Not all that happens makes sense, particularly during the car chase. The ending seems a bit under-whelming as well. The most interesting aspect of the movie was the family relationships as Bobby comes home seeking redemption. Like Jesus’ story of the Prodigal, the ‘stay-at-home’ brother resents the welcome home the licentious brother receives. Only time reveals Joseph’s true motivations for the “righteous” life he led. Funny how we just can’t escape Christ’s teaching, no matter how hard we try.
CavWife and I finally watched Amazing Grace, the biopic on William Wilberforce. We suffered from some laser issues at times- the in-laws’ DVD player is in decline- which affected our ability to both enjoy it and follow the story line, at times.
Braveheart is one of my favorite movies. Mel Gibson was on a great run there for awhile. It is a movie about the value and price for freedom, and it is a stirring film (historical inaccuracies aside).
“If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” With nothing to lose but a morning in which I had no plans, I decided to give it the ol’ college try. This time we went to the right theater and saw yesterday’s intended film- The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything.
From CavGirl’s perspective, this movie was too scary. She really didn’t like the villain, seen here. That did prompt a few moments of “Dad-time” as she sat in my lap and hid her face in my chest, blanket covering her face.
There was a tip o’ the hat to O, Brother, Where Art Thou? with the blind prophet speaking to 3 friends about to embark on a voyage in which one of them will regain his family’s respect. This, of course, is one of my favorite movies.
So … we saw this. Yes, Alvin and the Chipmunks. It was okay, aside from some words I was not excited about my daughter hearing. Like “sucks” for instance- even though they used it to mean “awful”. The scatological humor was something else I could do without. The singers & dancers who joined them on stage were not exactly kid appropriate either.
The Joker is utterly diabolical; something of an anti-christ figure who unleashes chaos and destruction on Gotham. Unlike the other villians, he has no origins we know about. He appears mysteriously. We never know who he really is, or why he is the way he is. He even tells different stories about why he has the nasty smile-shaped scar on his face. He does not have the usual motives- money or power. He wants to destroy people, to test them and reveal that they can become evil if pushed to the edge. He is the devil while Batman plays the role of Job in this theodicy without a God.
This version has many more explosions and gun shots, in addition to the hand-to-hand (the real meaning of mano a mano) combat. The Joker is a violent psychopath who murders plenty of people. He has no respect for human life. He sees it all as a game between himself and Batman (the unstoppable force meets the immovable object). Nolan creates an exciting, thoughtful story filled with one memorable character in the Joker, and a very hideous character in Two Face- the ‘converted’ Harvey Dent who was driven mad by Joker’s insideous plan. He gives in to the notion of chaos and chance ruling the universe.
I expected more from American Gangster. It stars two first-rate actors, and personal favorites, in Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe. It is directed by Ridley Scott. The acting and direction were very good. The story was interesting too. So, I’m not quite sure why I’m not content, or as content, with this movie. Perhaps my expectations were too high. Perhaps it was that the story takes place over such a long period of time, but offers no time line to better understand its development. And I thought it would have more action.
Those crooked cops stand between the men for years. Lucas hates the fact that he has to pay them off. In another great line of thought I couldn’t find again to copy- he compares their love of money to an addict. The crooked cops (and the hangers on in his life) can’t get enough- they are just as addicted. Another great window to our souls! They also hinder Roberts’ efforts to bring Lucas down. When Roberts get the goods on Lucas, he uses him to bring them down.
“Keep hope alive.” Martin Luther King, Jr. knew that hope was a fragile thing. And there is nothing Evil wants to do as much as kill hope that we might be overcome with despair.
One of my good friends is about to be married. He has lots of changes going on: graduated from seminary, starting a new job in a new town, and taking a bride. We met when he rented a room from me the summer before my own marriage. He’s lived with us 2 times since then as he underwent transitions.
It focuses primarily on the Southern perspective of the war, though Lt. Colonel Chamberlain (Jeff Daniels) provides a brief glimpse of a Northern perspective- and a far more philosophical one. The Southern perspective was that the North sought to violate their land and oppress them. Jackson’s allegience was to the State of Virginia, and what she decided he would do. They neglect to mention anything about the initial aggression of the Confederates at Fort Sumter. They think the Republicans as war profiteers, and Abraham Lincoln as a war monger who seeks to disrupt their civil, gentle lives.
Chamberlain talked about God periodically, but there was not glimpse into his personal piety. Jackson would pray at the drop of a hat. He had a very warm piety- but the acting of those scenes seemed outside the realm of my experience. I just have to wonder if the writers and director were people of faith- because the way it was written & directed made it feel foreign to them. Like a white guy trying to be black- it just doesn’t work.
Anticipating lots of traffic, I took CavWife’s car so I had access to a CD player. On the way to Orlando I was able to enjoy Perfecta by Adam Again. Very good, though not their best album (probably that honor belongs to 10 Songs By or Dig). Lots of loud guitars and extended songs with jamming. Gene Eugene’s lyrics here are mostly indecipherable, at least to me. But there are some very good songs.
On the way home I tried to listen to the Celtics-Pistons game. Reception was sketchy until it finally became unrecognizable. So I turned to 
I watched The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Bob Ford yesterday. It is based on a novel, so I have no clue how much truth might be mixed in with the fiction. So, I’ll treat it all as fiction.
The portrait that emerges is one of James (a fine performance by Brad Pitt) as both charismatic and crazy. He is a paranoid psychopath who begins to kill members of the gang he suspects are going to turn him in. Rejection begins to turn Bob’s heart and a series of incidents continue the turning. After he has killed Jesse’s cousin, he knows that eventually Jesse will come for him. But during this time Bob has grown more confident, self-assured. He has also turned state’s evidence in an attempt to hedge his bets. The Governor is played by James Carvel (yes, the Democrat attack dog- both sides have them) and Ted Levine (Monk, Silence of the Lambs) has a role as the Marshall. The movie runs along these 2 lines, Jesse and Bob Ford.
I’m not a big Iron Man fan, nor was I anticipating the movie. Robert Downy Jr.? Not even remotely a draw for me. But Jon Faverau (Mikey from Swingers, director of Elf) is the director (as well as pulling a cameo as Tony Stark’s driver) and the trailers made it look interesting. The initial reviews have been pretty good. So I plunked down my $6.50 and enjoyed a matinee.
There aren’t as many battle scenes as I’d like, but they fit the story line. The focus is on character development. Tony comes face-to-face with his personal emptiness, confessing to his personal assistant (played well by Gwyneth Paltrow): “You are all I have.” Due to her attentiveness to his compulsive nature, he is all she has too. A very different looking Jeff Bridges plays Obediah. He looks like he’s put on some muscle (thicker, but not fat), grew a goatee and shaved his head.
Dan in the Real World represents a definitive shift in Steve Carrell’s career. No, still doing comedy. No, still has that under-current of sadness in his character. The shift is to playing a family man in a (mostly) family-friendly movie.
It is a sad, sweet comedy (the director talked about “comedy tempered with pain and sadness”) that has some good laugh-out-loud moments. It also has some of those “uncomfortable” moments when you know he’s doing the wrong thing (like in Swingers when Mikey kept calling the girl and leaving really long messages). You really pull for him (or maybe it’s just because I’m the father of a little girl and I am not looking forward to those dating & driving moments when I am forced to surrender control).
This is a remarkably clean movie. There is a mention of “self love”, and you watch him struggle with his own attraction to Juliette Binoche’s character. There is also one scene where they are situation that was handled well by the director. He focused on how the embarassment real people would experience rather than going for an opportunity to show some skin.
There is one important scene where Tibbs confronts Mr. Endicott. He is the rich guy who pretty much runs the town, and was trying to stop the new factory from coming into town. He viewed himself as a caretaker for the helpless black man. He realizes they have come to question him about the murder of the Chicago businessman and slaps Virgil in the face. He promptly strikes him back.
