Way late review: Grizzly Man
March 31st, 2012
Knowing how things end makes Grizzly Man an uncomfortable watch, not because we get to see a bear rip a man and his girlfriend to shreds (we don’t), but because a majority of the film is filled with laughs. For example the movie opens with Treadwell talking about being a warrior, a samurai of sorts as bears roam behind him. Seriously? Herzog finds a plethora of odd footage Treadwell shot of himself, the bears, and the rest of nature around him. Perhaps even stranger are some of the role players, such as the coroner whose every movement and word have creepy connotations. Herzog can’t help himself, as even the seemingly mundane pilot who flew the grizzly man in and out of the Alaska wilderness is introduced with a subtitle of pilot and former rodeo performer. And, like most Herzog documentaries, the narrative is done by the director, not only for exposition but to opine. The deadpan delivery makes it hard to know if Herzog is part of the comedy or sincerely trying to make a point.
The fact that Treadwell wanted to be an actor is not surprising. His roughly one hundred hours of footage he shot while out in the wild is filled with manufactured drama. We know this because we’re allowed to see some of the outtakes and setup of various scenes. This doesn’t take away from the authenticity, in fact it raises it. Instead of pretending the grizzly man is pure in his insane pursuit of his large furry friends, a more complete picture is painted of a man losing his sanity but still hoping to make it big someway. Truth is, Treadwell died just about the time reality TV took off like a rocket. Had he been doing his crazy living with the bears routine today there is little doubt there’d be a bidding war for the rights to the show.
In order to balance out the insanity, there are interviews with those gracefully calling Treadwell out on his crossing the boundaries between man and animal. They don’t make fun of him or point fingers but question his misguided mission. These level headed folks seem alien in comparison to those dominating the majority of the film.
A fascinating character study filled with uncomfortable laughs, Grizzly Man succeeds to peel back the layers that make up the life of a man who wanted nothing more than to trade in the painful reality that life can be at times for the fantasy that grizzly bears could be his best friends.
This post is part of my Way late reviews. Read more reviews here.
Way late review: The Adventures of Tintin
March 21st, 2012
Beyond the off putting looks of the characters in Tintin, there is a somewhat fun adventure movie buried underneath. Not a great screenplay by any stretch, as Tintin annoyingly rushes through endless iterations of journalistic “by golly, I’ve found another clue!” moments, the film sprints into action set pieces as if those will make up for the cold characters. Whatever magic Spielberg or Peter Jackson could lend the movie goes wasted on animation that fails to deliver and a mundane screenplay.
This post is part of my Way late reviews. Read more reviews here.
I’m sorry Apple, this is stupid
March 18th, 2012
The iPod Touch (4th generation) is a nice device. What isn’t so nice is trying to load music onto it from anything other than iTunes. I work for Canonical and run Ubuntu on all our computers here at home. Even before joining Canonical I had switched over to Ubuntu. With that bias out of the way, can I ask why it requires a nuclear scientist to crack the code that is updating music on an iOS device outside of iTunes? How is it that my silly little Sansa Clip+ MP3 Player can get music from just about any software known to man, including the good old file system of the operating system you’re running, while it requires iTunes to properly add music to an iPod Touch?
OK, I get it. I’m not that naive. Apple has total control of the ecosystem. You buy one of their products, you’re locked in the trunk. In fact, you’ve bought the trunk! Most people don’t care and (for the most part) nor should they – until they do. Until one day you realize that what was once done in the name of great design and user experience crosses the line and becomes more about protecting high margins than much else. By that time it’s too late. We’re invested and the trunk has a lock not even Houdini could wiggle his way out of.
Anyway, my son’s iPod Touch looks like it’s getting new music from Banshee 2.3.6 on Ubuntu Precise Beta 1 but it appears the iTunes database is not updating properly, even though I can see the database is getting updated and the files are on the device in the same cryptic manner iTunes would do it (iTunes Control/Music/F00, F01, etc.) I’m guessing the iTunes database format changed and Banshee isn’t updating it quite right. I’m not sure. What I am sure of is that I used to LOVE Apple back in the day. Now? Not so much.
P.S. Yes, I know my son can stream music from Ubuntu One on his iPod, but he wants the tracks on the device and playable through Apple’s music app. Yet another hardening of the lock on the trunk.
Way late review: Hugo
March 16th, 2012
Hugo Cabret (Asa Butterfield) is an orphan who keeps the clocks ticking behind a train station in Paris. Why he and almost everyone around him have British accents is a mystery. I suppose every story set in days of old (yet not too old) demand British accents. Regardless, Hugo does what he needs to do in order to survive, which entails stealing food and other small items he needs to complete his project his father left him, an automaton, a mechanical man who writes with a pen and has a head just small enough to give everyone an uneasy feeling. The station inspector (Sacha Baron Cohen) doesn’t make Hugo’s life easy. He is determined to catch Hugo and put him in an orphanage. Inserted for comedic value, the station inspector seems like a distraction more than an integral part of the story, which is fine except for the fact that a decent portion of the film is spent on that character and his pursuit of Hugo. It’s as if someone told Scorsese he had to add some slapstick fun in his film or no child would tolerate it.
Desperate to find all the parts to get the automaton working so he can see what message his father left him, Hugo gets caught trying to steal a mechanical mouse from Georges Méliès (Ben Kingsley) by Méliès. He is forced to give up his notebook which contains the detailed sketches his father left of the automaton. Méliès promises to burn the book that evening and hands Hugo the ashes the next morning.
Hugo makes friends with Méliès’ god-daughter, Isabelle (Chloë Grace Moretz) who is desperate for adventure. It isn’t long before Hugo sneaks her into Isabelle’s first ever movie. Her godfather won’t allow her to watch films. She is mesmerized by the experience and Hugo is reminded of his father’s shared love for the cinema.
In a moment of chance Hugo discovers that Isabelle is wearing a key with a heart shaped end, which is exactly the key he needs to get his automaton working. In exchange for giving up his secret headquarters behind the walls of the train station, Isabelle allows Hugo to use the key to rev up his automaton so that he can finally see the message his father left for him. To go further is to spoil the surprise, which isn’t much of a surprise mainly because it takes numerous unnecessary twists to revel in Hugo’s true purpose, an undying love for films of old.
It’s hard to imagine a more beautifully shot film than Hugo. Every scene is masterfully shot with colors dazzling and the motion of the camera purposefully setting every moment. And yet for all its beauty, the story and characters pale in comparison. A two hour film that should be at least twenty minutes shorter without losing an ounce of its cinematic grander, Hugo still entertains even while reminding the audience that it could have been so much better.
This post is part of my Way late reviews. Read more reviews here.
Way late review: Being Elmo
March 13th, 2012
Kevin Clash is the gentle giant behind the most beloved character on Sesame Street. (Wait, did I just start a controversy with that statement? Fight amongst yourselves Big Bird, Cookie Monster, and Count fans.) His story is one of the outsider whose obsession is the world of puppetry. From a very early age Clash has been infatuated with the worlds Jim Henson and Frank Oz managed to create on television and the big screen. His keen interest moves from curiosity to making his own puppets and performing wherever he can. Mind you, Clash is doing this in Baltimore, not the suburbs of southern Cal. Despite ridicule from his peers, Clash continues to pursue his passion. Before long he gets a chance to star in a local TV show using all his own handmade puppets.
The love Clash has for his craft is enthralling to watch. He is so sincere about his desire to become a great puppeteer that it’s easy to miss the contrast of this large African American male from Baltimore performing with his felt covered creations. As Clash continues to hone his craft he gets the opportunity to work with the best of the best, including Jim Henson, Clash’s hero. The retelling of how the two met and the working relationship they developed is endearing. Hearing Clash talk about it makes it feel as though it happened just moments ago.
Throughout the doc there is the use of still photos, but rather than settle on the now tried and true practice of Ken Burns like camera movements on and around the photos, the doc uses a 3D like journey through the stills. The effect draws you into the story and is never overused as to make it feel gimmicky. The same cannot be said for the narration by Whoopi Goldberg. Her style of narration seems to be one of over pronouncing every syllable to the point of distraction. While her voice is distinguishable it does not enhance the film.
By the third act the fairly short documentary runs out of steam. Clash is a quiet man and, like so many who are completely taken by their trade, doesn’t seem to have much of interest outside of his puppetry. The film makers do their best to draw more out of his story but it becomes clear that the most interesting story has been told.
The highest notes of Being Elmo are fantastic. The sincerity cannot be missed and the story of the man behind one of the most popular children’s characters of all time is an enjoyable one.
This post is part of my Way late reviews. Read more reviews here.
