The TV Set

I just saw The TV Set, a behind the scenes look of making a pilot and trying to get it on the air. The movie stars David Duchovny who plays a beleaguered writer whose pilot keeps getting watered down and compromised while all the other TV biz workers compromise their own principles, except Sigourney Weaver's character who never had any principles playing the TV executive who brags about having a hit show called Slut Wars. I think if you are interested in finding out about how or why there is so much terrible TV out there and like behind the scenes-type movies, you would like this movie but it may be a little too insideree for some. I liked it and especially got a kick out of Weaver's character's denseness. The TV Set is mild and fun satire.

The Lives of Others

I just saw the DVD of The Lives of Others, a German film that one a best picture Oscar for 2006. I had had it on my queue for a while but kept moving it down the list. When do you feel like watching a movie with subtitles about the East German Stasi (secret police)? It sounds dour and bland and how can you do a crossword and pay attention at the same time. I finally decided I was up for it and well, not right away, but I became riveted and especially interested in the lead character, Gerd Weisler, played by Ulrich Muehe. This pretty nondescript looking guy who seems steely and calculating at first and, while never changing his demeanor, softens. Plus, the plot is intense and keeps you wondering what will happen next. I saw another movie about East Germany called Goodbye, Lenin which was more of a comedy but gave you an idea about what it must have been like to live during the time before the wall fell -- worth watching by the way. The Lives of Others, however, really made you feel what it was like to lose one privacy and to lose all hope in a future.

Trying it out, Once

I've read several reviews for the movie Once and really hoped I would get a chance to see it in the theaters. A. O. Scott of The New York Times describes it as, "realistic rather than fanciful, and the characters work patiently on the songs rather than bursting spontaneously into them. But its low-key affect and decidedly human scale endow “Once” with an easy, lovable charm that a flashier production could never have achieved. The formula is simple: two people, a few instruments, 88 minutes and not a single false note. " While perusing my local newspaper I was amazed to find Once showing in our neighboring town, an even-less sophisticated one than my own. I planned to see it yesterday but made sure to check on line to be sure it was still showing. I drove over the bridge, ready with microwave popcorn (less calories) and my favorite orange pop. I found the theater and was even 10 minutes early. "One for Once, please," I exclaimed. "Uh, oh yeah, that ain't showin' here no more." What? Well, I guess the paper got it wrong and the one week only showing of Once was only showing once. I drove home, dejected.

Teacher Movies

My rule of thumb about teacher movies is Feel Good Teacher Movies, bad. Edgy and Sardonic Teacher Movies, good. I mean watching some inspirational wonder transform a group of unformed disadvantaged kids into sparkling members of society, well that just wounds this teacher. I mean maybe because it's I'm in the trenches every day pushing the rock up the hill, but come on. I'm not going to inflict that upon myself. I had the opportunity to go to Freedom Writers (Hilary Swank transforms inner city kids through journaling) for free and I thought you couldn't pay me to sit through that drivel. Other especially heinous feel-good teacher movies: Mr. Holland's Opus, and Dangerous Minds. Ok, I liked the inspirational Stand and Deliver and Dead Poet's Society, even if they did leave me with a feeling of unworthiness.
Edgy and Sardonic ones? Half Nelson with Ryan Gosling. Yikes how did that guy make it through the day? Notes on a Scandal, mmm, Judy Dench's bitchy narrations about the horrible brats at school is hilarious. (Thanks Deb for reminder) And I hope a new movie just out Chalk, which looks at the world of teaching through a cynical eye, is going to be good. I found School of Rock to be worthy of this category. I enjoyed seeing a teacher use his class to further his own ambitions. I can't think of any others now, but hope to see more in the future.

Talky Movies

You know those movies where there is not a lot of action and a lot of dialogue, dialogue that doesn't necessarily advance the plot but is funny or thought-provoking etc. and some might say boring. Well call me crazy or a lover of boring things, but I like movies like that. Two favorites are Before Sunrise and Before Sunset, movies by director Richard Linklater with Ethan Hawke and the French actress Julie Delpy. Before Sunset is the sequel of sorts of Before Sunrise and both take place in the space of a day.
Julie Delpy must like these movies also because she has recently directed 2 Days in Paris about a couple on a visit to Paris starring Julie Delpy and Adam Goldberg (think whiny guy who briefly roomed with Chandler in Friends). It sounds pretty talky (right up my alley) and so far I read one good review in the Minneapolis Tribune -- so I hope worth seeing.