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Reviewing while I’m away: Blindness

By Eric Robinette | Monday, October 6, 2008, 01:04 PM

I’m typing this from Orlando, Florida where I am on vacation. Just because I’m on vacation, however, does not mean I take a vacation from movie-watching. I’m hoping to catch up with some new titles while down here, and I’ll fill them in as I go along.

Before I left, I caught up with one title:

Blindness: The new film from City of God/Constant Gardener director Fernando Meirelles has a reach that somewhat exceeds its grasp. It means to be an allegorical look at society gone haywire, when a mysterious sudden blindness afflicts most of the population. In its attempts to be self-consciously symbolic, it’s emotionally cold. Still, it has some very powerful moments thanks to a strong cast and imaginative visuals. GRADE: B

As for the protests swirling around the film, they are complete and utter bunk. The film is an indictment of inhumanity, not of the blind. The simple fact is, if a large chunk of our population became blind all of a sudden, we’d go berserk. Don’t believe me? Just look at how something relatively mild like the hurricane winds we felt a few weeks ago made us all crazy. By protesting the movie, blind advocacy groups only make themselves look thin-skinned and needlessly victimize those they aim to support. And I say this as a physically disabled man who has seen far too much misplaced indignation.

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Romance the best track of ‘Infinite Playlist’

By Eric Robinette | Friday, October 3, 2008, 07:44 AM

I wouldn’t necessarily put Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist on repeat, but it is an amiable shuffle though the night from hell and the night of love.

However, the movie’s not quite as random as it wants to be. Playlist tries to come across like a junior version of After Hours, Martin Scorsese’s movie about an increasingly harrowing night in New York City. And this is the part of the movie that doesn’t work so well.

The night from hell begins when Nick’s ex-girlfriend Tris (Alexis Dziena) chides Norah (Kat Dennings) about not having a boyfriend. On impulse, Norah talks Nick (Michael Cera) into pretending to be her boyfriend. A spark flies. Then the night gets truly messy when Norah’s buddy Caroline (Ari Graynor) gets wasted and ends up lost in the city.

The movie has the makings of a wild comedy, but this part of the story never takes off the way it means to because it’s not wild enough. There’s little headlong rush of energy, and the filmmakers keep defusing the tension by endlessly calling back a gross gag involving Caroline’s chewing gum. Not only is this not up to After Hours, it’s not even the equal of the best teen night from hell movie, Adventures in Babysitting.

And yet, Playlist still works because the two leads are so strong. There’s never any real doubt about whether they’ll end up together or not, but that doesn’t matter much because Cera and Dennings are so winning.

Many will note Cera is playing basically the same lovable geek he portrayed in Superbad and Juno, but he works very well with the tart-tongued Dennings, who was a strong presence in The House Bunny. Norah’s sarcasm may be her hook, but what makes her a keeper is how unique and touchingly vulnerable she really is. When she and Cera realize they’re in for the long haul, that’s the best scene of the picture.

Some people have called the movie “this year’s Juno”, but other than the fact that both star Michael Cera and both center around teenagers and a romance, the two films are pretty much nothing alike. No one’s going to call a 2009 movie “This year’s Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist,” but it’s still good enough to stand on its own.

GRADE: B

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Suspicious of “Blindness’ protest, sight unseen

By Eric Robinette | Thursday, October 2, 2008, 01:34 PM

A commenter named Roger asked me about a post on our Celebrity Worship blog, regarding advocacy groups for the blind protesting the movie Blindness.

“I was curious what your thoughts are on this especially since you commented on the similar treatment of “Tropic Thunder” and “Wall-E” with their alleged discriminatory messages. Thanks!”

Thanks for your interest, Roger. I haven’t seen Blindness yet, so I must tread somewhat lightly here, but I have to say I am inherently suspicious of any such protest. Sadly, more often than not, these protests come from people who are only looking at the surface of the movie rather than truly trying to understand it.

I have a very hard time believing that a director as savvy as Fernando Meirelles (The Constant Gardner) would have made a film that so assaults the blind. I fear this is the Tropic Thunder mess all over again, and I fear that the advocates for the blind are reacting without carefully thinking first. If that is so, that cannot help their cause.

Movie columnist David Poland has seen Blindness, and he calls the controversy “Stupidest Protest Ever.” He writes:

“The idea that sighted people in their 20s, 30s and older suddenly becoming blind, surrounded by others who are suddenly blind, would not be disoriented and find it hard to deal with a massive new challenge is pretty absurd on its face …

“Blind people have nothing to protest here … Better to use the sections of the film in which people overcome their sudden, unprepared for handicap with kindness and generosity to remind people that being blind does not have to be a bad thing… but being blind doesn’t automatically make you a saint either.”

Take that as you will. I will report back after I see the movie.

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What’s opening Friday, Oct. 3?

By Eric Robinette | Thursday, October 2, 2008, 08:23 AM

Quite a lot is opening Friday, Oct. 3, actually. And at least one of the movies is even good.

An American Carol: Never mind wondering whether the man who co-directed Airplane! and The Naked Gun, among others has lost his mind with this conservative comedy. I’m more concerned he’s lost his touch. His recent filmography includes BASEketball, My Boss’ Daughter, and Scary Movie 3 and 4. Not pretty - or particularly funny.

Appaloosa: Ed Harris moves into directing with this western starring himself, Renee Zellweger and Jeremy Irons. Reviews have been less than great, but I’m still curious.

Blindness: I’m always in for any movie by the director of City of God and The Constant Gardener, even if his movie is attracting middling reviews and a protest of dubious merit.

Beverly Hills Chihuahua: Some people who have seen this film assure me it’s actually pretty cute, but still - no thanks. I’m about to make another Disney trek and I’ll be surrounded by ads for this thing there. That’s more than enough.

Flash of Genius: Is it just me, or is it hard to get excited about the story of a man who got shafted trying to invent the intermittent windshield wiper?

How to Lose Friends and Alienate People: Great title and cast, including Simon Pegg, Kirsten Dunst, Megan Fox and Jeff Bridges. Too bad about the reviews.

Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist: This has been billed as this year’s Juno. It’s not. Find out what it is in my review Friday.

At the arthouses: The Neon in Dayton plans to open Choke, a film from the mind of the man who brought us Fight Club, and Reigulous, Bill Maher’s acerbic take on organized religion. The Little Art opens the highly acclaimed The Edge of Heaven.

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File under Movie ideas, Really Bad

By Eric Robinette | Wednesday, October 1, 2008, 12:05 PM

Looking over some coming attractions lately makes me wish some of them weren’t coming.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen: What concerns me is not so much the sequel itself (which was inevitable) but the fact that it’s being shot partly in IMAX, a la The Dark Knight. One problem with this idea: Michael Bay is not one-tenth the director Christopher Nolan is. I worry that Bay’s frenzied visual style will be even more headache-inducing on the great big screen: Oof.

Disney has a whole raft of questionable films coming up. They may be producing a strong animated lineup, but their live action offerings leave more than a little to be desired. To wit:

Pirates of the Caribbean 4: Call bias on me all you want, as I have stated many times I think this series is overrated. But I know some fans of the franchise thought the third movie was too much of a good thing. Will this one be seven hours long and split into two parts?

Wild Hogs 2: Oink.

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice: A live action modern day remake starring Nicolas Cage and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer.

(Pauses to let the reader take that all in)

It’s official folks. Nothing is sacred anymore. Where are a thousand brooms with buckets of water when you need em?

Or are you actually looking forward to these?

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TCM announces Paul Newman tribute

By Eric Robinette | Tuesday, September 30, 2008, 05:25 PM

As it has always done, Turner Classic Movies has acted quickly to pay tribute to a film legend. A Paul Newman day is set for Sunday, Oct. 12, with the following lineup:

6:00 AM - The Rack
8:00 AM - Until They Sail
10:00 AM - Torn Curtain
12:15 PM - Exodus
3:45 PM - Sweet Bird of Youth
6:00 PM - Hud
8:00 PM - Somebody Up There Likes Me
10:00 PM - Cool Hand Luke
12:15 AM - Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
2:15 AM - Rachel, Rachel
4:00 AM - The Outrage

Darn. The Hustler isn’t on the list. Guess I’ll have to head for Netflix for that one. But I’ll be very glad to catch up to Hud, Somebody Up There Likes Me, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and Rachel, Rachel - that one was directed by Newman.

Any thoughts on this roster?

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Cue the Black Sabbath: Iron Man on DVD

By Eric Robinette | Tuesday, September 30, 2008, 10:18 AM

It’s a good week for DVDs, with two very solid hits hitting shelves today.

Iron Man: Somehow, I get the strange idea that I don’t need to say much to convince people to pick this one up. Me, I the film was a touch overrated. The last third, revolving around the weak and uninteresting villain, weighs the movie down. On the whole, however, it’s still a lot of fun, with an Oscar quality performance by Robert Downey Jr. and smart direction by Jon Favreau. Full review. GRADE: B+

Forgetting Sarah Marshall: For my money, this is the best of the Judd Apatow-produced movies not directed by Apatow himself. Jason Segel, who wrote the screenplay, stars as a man devastated when his girlfriend (Kristen Bell) breaks up with him. He goes to Hawaii to forget his troubles when it turns out his girlfriend and her new beau (a hilariously smug Russell Brand) are staying at the same hotel. Sharply observed and very funny, the script makes a lot of smart moves, including not making the ex a one-dimensional witch. My only major reservation is, like a lot of Apatow movies, this one runs a little too long. GRADE: A- (Funny note: Why does the Amazon entry say it stars William Baldwin and Jason Bateman?)

And elsewhere on the shelves:

Can’t Hardly Wait (10th Annivesary Edition): Ummmm - you mean that’s something worth commemorating?

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