The Next Big Reality Show

The drummer on the current NIN tour has been diagnosed with a heart condition and apparently will be unable to continue on the tour. The result:

My Brush With Genius

Maybe the problem is a lack of maturation. Considering my rural, small town background, the "fish out of water" connotation might apply to me during my undergraduate years at the University of Illinois. I blame my four years of high school. What a big waste of time. The teachers were not to blame. Intellectual stimulation was not on the table in a place where 85% of the students were not college bound.

These early teen years where I was able to get away with doing very little work made me lazy. This laziness remained while at the UofI, though I was able to shake it off whenever I found a class that I actually liked. Disinterest in the material was a major impediment: for the typical class (mostly history, as that was my major) scanning about 60% of the so-called required reading was sufficient for obtaining a "B." My first two years of undergrad I got straight Bs.

Maybe it is time that I arrived at the thrust of my post, before I am accused of too many longwinded introductions. I never really connected with my history classes. The professors were as dry as the material. My major required that I also take 20 hours of another subject. So I began taking English classes. One of these classes was an American literature class taught by one Michael Berube. I do not remember if it was Berube himself or his selection of required readings that caused me to finally connect with the material. Suddenly I liked what I was reading. I was spurred to think and have ideas.

Last night I was looking up the bio of Joseph Conrad when it suddenly occurred to me to type in Michael Berube's name in the Google search. The search revealed that Berube is an author, with several books to his credit, and many articles. Berube even has a blog. Looking at his credits and writings, it strikes me that Berube is something of a genius. Many people are scholars, but few are geniuses. And this genius was a good teacher.

Isn't Two Better Than One?

I just read this article. It is quite slanted against the hybrid vehicles. While the author offers up some points to think about, his conclusion is dubious. His main point is that the premium price of the hybrids cannot be overcome by the savings from buying less gas. First off, these cars might cost a premium, but one would assume that they also have a greater resale value. He makes no mention of this. Second, he starts off by saying that the Prius cars are selling like crazy. He then goes on to mention other hybrid models in making his argument that hybrids are not a very good financial investment. He finally gets to the Prius model (you know, the one that was selling so well) and says that it might "save a small amount of money." Gee, he had exact figures on the money losers, but he couldn't come up with a figure on the Prius. And apparently he did not include the 2006 tax credit in his figures either. One more thing. Anyone who knows anything about new products sales knows that increased production volume leads to cheaper production costs which in turn leads to cheaper pricing, assuming adequate competition is present. The price difference between hybrids and non-hybrids will shrink quickly, especially if you consider how few hybrids are manufactured currently compared with the non-hybrids.

This is a money article, so I can understand why he did not mention how enviromental concerns would factor into a person's purchasing decision (he even absurdly recommends diesel cars). But what about this: maybe people would rather their money go to the Japanese (who last I checked were not a haven for terrorists) rather than enriching the Middle East (or the price gouging refinery companies in this country). This is a money issue, and the financial future of the people of this country could be greatly affected if enough people buy into the hybrid cars. At the very least it could stabilize demand and therefore stabilize the price of gas.

Washington Square

In a previous post I mentioned that I was reading Washington Square. This book really picks up the pace about halfway through. The verbal sparring that takes place is more than a little jarring after reading chapter after chapter of chivalrous exposition. Not one character is very sympathetic, yet James masterfully creates sympathy for every character. It is that fleeting sympathy that keeps the reader interested. It is also what makes the melodrama more than tolerable. Washington Square is clever, even if its heroine is not. **** out of 5.

I am anxious to see The Heiress, the 1949 film version of the James novel. I had never heard of this movie before, but after some research it seems that the film is something of a classic (even Pauline Kael liked it). Olivia de Havilland and the great Montgomery Clift star. Unfortunately The Heiress is not on DVD yet. More recently Jennifer Jason Leigh starred in a movie version (this time with the original title of Washington Square) that costarred Albert Finney as her father and Maggie Smith as her meddling aunt. This version is on DVD, and will be going in my Netflix queue.

And Then They Threw Away The Key

Arrested Development's season 3 debut was Monday night. The brilliant series (the best thing Ron Howard has ever been associated with) has been plagued by poor ratings throughout its run. Monday's night's rating was dismal, as less than 5 million people tuned in. In comparison, an awful "comedy" like two and a half men (which doesn't deserve to be in bold) is watched by 15 million morons, err, I mean retarded idiots each week.

Why has Arrested failed to attain a higher viewership if it is such a good show? The biggest reason is that this type of show (no laugh track, semi-incest, etc.) has never played well on one of the big broadcasting networks. Anyone remember Garry Shandling's first show? It couldn't even survive back in the early days of the fledgling Fox network. Shandling wisely moved on to HBO.

Exacerbating the problem is the show's frequent use of in-jokes that would only be understood by regular viewers. However, the joke per minute ratio is high enough that this should not matter. I think the dumb viewers feel overwhelmed by the fast paced comedy, and quickly bail.

Is there anything that can be done at this point? Nope. Arrested Development is doomed. It might not even last the entire season. Its only hope in that regard is that Fox might want a full season 3 to release on DVD.

There is one hope for a season 4. HBO could take on the show. Shows have switched networks before. But I do not recall any show moving to HBO. Hmmmm. The more I think about it, the less likely it seems to happen.

Maybe going out after 3 seasons is for the best. James Dean is considered one of the greatest actors who ever lived, and he only made three movies. Could Arrested go down as one of the greatest comedies of all time? A lot depends on this season. But Monday night's episode forbodes a great finish (if they are allowed to finish---my biggest fear is that cousins Maeby and George-Michael won't get around to having sex, thus preventing the Parents' Television Counsel from having another thing to bitch about.)

They Said They Was From New Orleans...

Ok, read this.
Why weren't these people properly questioned before the handouts began? I'm not talking about doing a full background check before giving them aid, but some basic questions could have caught this trash in their lie. Can I see your driver's license? No driver's license? How did you get to central Illinois? Why is it you do not have a Louisiana accent? Give us a phone number of a relative who can verify this information. If this questioning comes up with no verifiable information, then separate the kids from the parents and ask them the same questions. Use an interpreter if necessary. I wonder what "prosecuting to the maximum extent" means. Probably probation, which is why people will continue to commit fraud like this.

Closer to 2001

We already had tickets bought for the NIN concert in Chicago coming up on Friday, October 7. Then Christy noticed that 2001: A Space Odyssey is playing at The Music Box that weekend, in 70mm. The key to what I just wrote is the "in 70mm" part. Viewing a true 70mm film is a breathtaking experience. And it is an experience that few have undertaken due to the paucity of theaters that have a 70mm projector on which to show these films. There is only one such theater in Chicago, and there are only a handful remaining across the country. I have been fortunate enough to view several 70mm films at Roger Ebert's film festival in Champaign, Illinois, which remarkably enough has a historic theater with a 70mm projector. Most of the remaining 70mm projectors are to be found in large metropolises like Los Angeles, New York, Seattle, and Atlanta.

I have already seen 2001 in 70mm at the Virginia in Champaign. It was stunning. And everyone among the crowd of 1,200 that saw it with me would agree. The print was absolutely pristine. A couple of the special guests that night (including Keir Dullea) remarked that it looked even better than they remembered it looking when it opened back in 1969.

Unfortunately, the filmgoing experience at The Music Box will fall a little short of the Virginia experience. The Box's screen is about 1/3 the size of the screen at the Virginia. To make up for this deficiency I am going to sit up front, probably in the first five rows. 2001 is a spectaculary visceral experience that loses a lot on television.

Oh, I almost ended this post without describing exactly what the difference is between 70mm and 35mm, the standard for today's film releases. 70mm is brighter and sharper. Much sharper, almost to the point of seeming 3 dimensional. If 70mm is so good, then why was the format largely abandoned by the early 1970s? Cost. The film and cameras were much more expensive, which is why only select movies were filmed in 70mm.

Is Someone Trying To Tell Us Something...

A big storm yesterday knocked over the top of this beautiful maple tree in the side of our yard. When the best part of your yard gets destroyed...let's just say I was not very happy. This is the third weather related yard injury in the past year. A ten foot tall bush in our front yard is standing at a 60 degree angle thanks to last Thanksgiving's ice storm. And last summer 1/4 of the Mulberry tree in our back yard fell down during another windstorm. To clarify, the yard that I am talking about is our current yard, not the place we just bought and will become our new residence in a few weeks. It's a good thing we're moving!

Shall We Dance

I let Christy choose the movie tonight. The result was Shall We Dance. "Oh god!" my sympathetic readers exclaim. Well, don't fret too much for my well-being. J-Lo was nowhere in sight.

This is actually the second film named Shall We Dance that I have watched. And again, J-Lo was nowhere in sight. Shall We Dance (1996) was an amusing Japanese film that played at Ebert's film festival back in 2003. The J-Lo "effort" was a remake of that film. The Christy selection was the 1937 film starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

Now that the clarifications are out of the way, on to my review of the film. Shall We Dance (1937) tries to be what many musicals try to be-part comedy, part drama, part dance, and part singing. It succeeds at the third. The comedy needed to be diminished. Lame comedy vignettes needed to hit the cutting room floor, including the record setting number of double-takes by Edward Everett Horton's character during the first 15 minutes. The drama was underdeveloped, as the relationship between Astaire and Rogers seemed to flash between cold and hot, cold and hot, in a love'im or hate'im fashion. The singing was ok. Fortunately the songs, by the brothers Gershwin, were relatively brief. They were not very memorable, except for the ultra-famous "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" and "They Can't Take That Away From Me."

Finally, the dancing was good. Spike Lee would be pissed off by a number that takes place in the bowells of a cruise ship, a location that is entirely populated by black workers. The workers wait around for whitey to show up, at which time they can perform while whitey dances to their music. One could look at the scene as offensive, or perhaps it was a restrictive way to provide some diversity in an otherwise monotone film.

Other dancing included a number on roller skates! Now, this was impressive. Not quite as impressive as the dancing woman who contorted her body in a right angle (backwards), but still impressive. Astaire and Rogers were able to keep perfectly in sync with each other, which must have taken ample practice or a multitude of takes. [Holy bejesus, I just read that this scene took around 150 takes! Wow.]

*** (out of 5)

Encountering James

I'm in the middle of reading Washington Square this week. Christy had the book hidden away in a drawer, and when we rearranged our second bedroom for staging purposes said drawer was opened. Never having read Henry James, my curiosity was piqued.

This novel is not plot heavy. In fact, I'm on Chapter 11, and the events so far can be related in one sentence: A young woman is being pursued by a jobless and wayward suitor, with her disapproving father looking on. That's pretty much it. James provides glimpses into the minds of multiple characters, though the point of view is mostly restricted to an omniscient narrator for comprehension's sake. The young woman is described as being "not clever." It is not often in literature that the heroine is a dummy.

I have no idea where the book is going. Unpredictable is good. I just hope it is going somewhere.

Kicking the Dead

One of my principle interests/hobbies in life is the cinema. So expect movie news/discussion/reviews to appear here frequently. Like the following: Robert Wise is dead. Ho-hum. His name does not really standout in mainstream circles, but it is associated with some very famous films. The Sound of Music and West Side Story are his two most recognizable titles. Others (mainly Geeks) might not realize that he directed the first Star Trek film.

My opinion of Wise is less than favorable. He began as a film editor and should have stayed one. He was the editor on Citizen Kane. How much credit he should be given for Kane's breakthrough stylistic choices is debatable. Wise's later films demonstrate little of the genius found in Kane. Undoubtedly it was Welles' genius overflowing into the editing room on Kane.

I bear a grudge against Wise. It was on Welles' followup to Kane, The Magnificent Ambersons, that the controversy lies. Wise was also the editor on Ambersons. Here is the short version: the movie had been completed, and Welles made the mistake of going to South America to work on a new project. Meanwhile, Ambersons was shown to a preview audience, who allegedly hated the movie. The studio panicked and demanded changes to be made. Welles sent instructions on editing changes, but this was not enough. Here is where Wise made a fateful choice. He tried to edit the movie in accordance with the studio's wishes, and the studio even had Wise film a new ending. Wise was a studio man, and pleasing the studio was his primary goal. The fact that Ambersons was butchered was immaterial. In fact, Wise was too much of a hack to even realize that his actions had not improved the movie. The deleted scenes, including the original ending, have never been found and were probably destroyed. We are left with a crippled, "what could have been" masterpiece. Wise is not 100% to blame for this, but he was a major contributor.

Shift forward in time. Wise parlays his "studio man" image into a directing career. The movies were often artistically mediocre but commercially successful. The best thing that could be said about Wise was that he was versatile, making films in many genres. It is just that none of these films were great. That includes the overrated The Haunting and The Day the Earth Stood Still. Wise will not be missed by me.

Nice eulogy, huh?

Three Heads Are Better Than One

This day marks a milestone in mine and Christy's lives. We bought our first house. And, considering we got it for $3,000 below the appraisal value, I think we made a good investment. We would have been happy with the house anyway, as its aesthetic appeal was what really won us over, not just the affordable price. Though we might be happy, the final arbiters of good taste will be the cats, who like a room with a view and plenty of running room. I expect they will question why we need 3 bathrooms when they have the one little kitty litter area, way down in a secluded part of the basement. They might have a point.

The Fifth Blog

This is fifth time I've tried to start writing my blog. Waitasecond, I just said blog. What is a blog, anyway? One of my favorite online writers (notice I didn't say bloggers) is James Berardinelli. Said writer opined about the blog in his Aug. 25th column.

Hopefully this fifth attempt will be more successful, with nearly daily updates. The daily updates will be possible thanks to my lax work schedule with ample Internet access. A good timekiller at work, in other words.

I don't know how entertaining this blog will be. Usually I'll be writing to amuse myself. As long as this remains a pro bono enterprise, I am not overly concerned about the size of my readership.