Mike's Reactions to films and things (5 items)
January 28
"Forgiven"
So I went and saw "Forgiven". The movie totally blew me away. It reminded me a lot of "Traffic" in the format that it was shot and dead man walking in the type of script. I think that Paul Fitzgerald has written and directed an amazing film which will hopefully get picked up by a major distributor. Russell Hornsby played an amazing character. I could really feel his pain and isolation after he was released from jail. I think that this movie raises some important questions about our legal system. How can we expect people who have been incarcerated to just go back into society and be "normal" after living in such hellish conditions?
After the film was over there was a Q&A session with the cast and director. I had the opportunity to ask Russell Hornsby what it was like to be black and play this type of character. He responded by telling me that as a black man he has seen his friends and even family members incarcerated. He built upon all of those experiences to mold the character that he played. After the Q&A I had the opportunity to talk to him one on one. He was a really nice guy and we had an even more in-depth conversation about being an African American actor in Hollywood. I loved "Forgiven" and the cast members, especially Russell Hornsby, were all extremely nice and talented.
Fun on Main Street
After hearing about a really fun club yesterday morning, Brian and I walked over to Main Street to see what all the fuss was about. After making it past the bouncers, we made it into the Cargo magazine party. I was really surprised at how nice the club looked on the inside. I had only seen the club in passing on the way to the Egyptian theatre. It always had a long line in front of it, and I was told that Jennifer Aniston had hosted a party there on opening night. We walked around the club and received "goody bags" which were filled with magazines, gift cards, clothes, and really nice hair products. We sat down on the really nice couches and listened to a couple of good bands while we drank our FREE drinks. After about an hour and half of relaxing in the club, and working our way onto the guest list for the Counting Crow's concert the next night, we left the cargo party to see what other free gifts we could find.
"Moonshine"
"Moonshine" was one of the worst movies I have ever seen. A group of us went to see it at midnight on Wednesday at the Egyptian theater. From the first ten minutes, I had no idea what was going on in the film. Because of the low budget, the director used jerky cutaways when gore would have been necessary. According to the synopsis, "Moonshine" is about a small town that becomes the victim of a blood-thirsty vampire. Even after the movie was over I had no idea that was what the movie was about. The only mildly redeeming aspect of the entire film was the relationship between Brian Greer and Sarah Ingraham. I thought that these two actors did a great job playing off of each other and keeping the film afloat. As I looked to my right and my left, I saw one person asleep, and the other one trying to figure out why they stood outside in 15 degree weather to see this horrible film. I, on the other hand, was just trying to figure out if I had remembered to pack an extra pair of socks.
"Stay"
I went to the premier of the film "Stay" which was written and directed by Bob Goldthwait. "Stay" is a hilarious comedy in which a girl's (Amy) relationships are destroyed when she reluctantly reveals a past indiscretion. I won't ruin the surprise for you, but "Stay" was in incredibly hilarious movie. Bob Goldthwait has made a great film which posseses some interesting questions. Bryce Johnson plays Amy's fiance. He suggest that the couple be completely honest and tell each other everything. When Amy finally gives in, encouraged to tell the truth by her coworker and mother (neither of whom really knows what she has to disclose), and reveals her secret, all hell breaks loose. Melinda Page Hamilton steals this movie with her amazing acting skills. She manages to keep each scene fresh and hilarious while still making us feel bad for her. For those of you that have seen the film, this is a pretty impressive task.
After the movie was over, Goldthwait came on stage to say a few words. That is exactly what he did, Goldthwait pretty much cursed for 10 minutes, while adding in a few words. After listening to him talk and explain certain aspects of the movie such as budgeting I could tell that Goldthwait was the only man that could ever have made this movie. It was somewhat reminiscent of "There's Something About Mary" and "Meet the Parents", but it had its own unique spin that will probably make it a cult classic. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you even may puke, but in the end, you'll be glad you spent 10 dollars to see this movie.
"Right at Your Door"
So I was extremely excited to see the Mary McCormack film "Right at Your Door". As a long time fan of "The West Wing", I was sure that this was going to be a great film. Unfortunately I was pretty disappointed. "Right at your Door" reminded me a lot of the film "Salvage"; it was about an hour too long. The first 20 minutes of the film were great. When McCormack leaves for work, and her husband (Rory Cochrane) finds out that a bomb has gone off in the same vicinity as his wife, I was emotionally gripped with him, hoping that she's ok. After about 30 minutes, I started to lose that emotional attachment. That attachment then turned to anger when Cochrane would not let McCormack's character into the house because of "possible" contamination. It may just be me, but no matter what I would never leave my wife outside during a massive terrorist attack. I don't care how much of a risk I was taking. This film reminded me a lot of a rollercoaster. It would take very high emotional peeks, and then bottom out. Every time the film appeared to be getting good, it would bottom out and I felt like I was loosing my emotional attachment. The end of the movie threw a huge curveball that disappointed and to come degree angered me. After the film was over, I didn't even feel like staying for the Q&A because I felt like I had just sat through a made for TV movie. If a made for TV movie is what the director and actors were shooting for then they did a great job, but if they were truly trying to make a great film, then I think that they did not succeed. McCormack was the only shining star in this drab movie, her reaction to being locked out of the house was one of the only "real" moments I could relate to.