Knocked Up
Saturday, June 30, 2007

I am a lazy reviewer. I saw this film a couple of weeks ago. I wanted to say something about it right away, but I never do because I hate looking up the names of the participants.

The same writer / director of "The 40 Year Old Virgin" (and some other films) created this film. I think one can tell the writing style of Judd Apatow by now. He reminds me of Larry David. One of these days I may even review the TV show "Curb Your Enthusiasm."

It stars the guy who looked like a big blond teddy bear in "The 40 Year Old Virgin" (maybe everyone else was short?), Seth Rogen, and that chic from "Grey's Anatomy", Katherine "Isaiah Washington needs to be fired" Heigl. I really don't have any issues with her, but if she's not careful she may end up like the gazillions of other starlets of Hollywood: hot today, gone tomorrow.

I find Rogen rather attractive (I like big blond guys), so casting him as a dweeb, loser-jerk didn't work for me. Well, his friends were weird, that casting call was accurate.

Ms. Heigl has talent, and oddly enough she has the same doe-eyes of that hot-for-a-second actress of the 1990's Jeanne Tripplehorn. Remember her? No? How about "Waterworld" with Kevin Costner? No? Then google her, I don't have time to school you.

Plot summary: celebrating a raise - to be onscreen, out from behind the cameras - Ms. Hiegl (Alison) goes out to a club with her onscreen sister, Debbie. The sister is played by Mr. Apatow's wife Leslie Mann, who plays an excellent and very convincing bitch-fish-wife role.

Alison meets Rogen (Ben Stone(d)*) at the bar and he gets brave. Cut to them humping the night away. He's funny, sweet and adorable, because he's so clueless.

It's a nice, profanity laced film, yet the sentiments are in the right place. A romance film from the guy's point of view - the guy who wants to do right.

A Time's Magazine reviewer suggested a better story would be murdering the baby (abortion), and the two of them following up with a relationship. I can't see how that would work; I can't even see it being a hit. Perhaps that would work as an independent film (you know how fun those sick, twisted flicks are).

Can't wait to see "Knocked Up" again on DVD, I know I missed quite a few jokes!

*Ben is stoned - got it?

Labels: Grey's Anatomy, Judd Apatow, Katherine Hiegl, romance, Seth Rogen

posted by GoldenAh
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Grey's Anatomy: When Victim Groups Collide
Sunday, June 10, 2007

I don't own a television.

I don't watch "Grey's Anatomy." I could if I wanted to, but I don't.

I've read a basic outline of the show's plot. It is a mixed-cast soap opera, based in a hospital, where a number of men (black and white) have the hots for a very plain looking, squinty eyed, boney brunette. I think a number of them are interns.

So this is "ER", with a different slant. You know, where everybody is f***ing each other like "Friends." Since I don't like shows like that, I figure I'm not missing much.

Alrighty then, onto the drama amongst the fighting cast members. Isaiah Washington (IW) said a naughty (okay derogatory) word about another cast member, T.R. Knight (TKK). Then, in a moment of sheer utter stupidity, at an awards show IW said he never called TKK that word.

Wow. Can you say clueless?

Well, to make matters worse, as if they weren't bad enough, one cast member in particular, Katherine Heigl (KH), decided she had it in for IW. Because according to her, TKK was her friend and needed her support. (Smart move girl: great way to put yourself in the middle of the drama.)

IW was sent to rehab, maybe he apologized for being dysfunctional and it seemed that he was coming back. His boss, a black woman named Shonda Rhimes (SR) who created this show along with a half dozen other people, claimed he was staying.

The identity of the show's creator had me asking myself: Did IW act up, because he thought SR would back him? Was the bully behavior of calling another man a nasty name something he thought defensible?

I don't know what IW was on, did he do a bizarre calculation where because your boss is a black female and the target of your slur is a gay man, you would win that struggle? Is that because if you see yourself atop the victim hierarchy others would fall into line?

I saw this in terms (among other things) as who gets to be the most vulnerable victim of all victims. Now, I know IW wasn't the injured party, but I think he saw himself as one. Hence, the strange denials along the way.

He should have known to keep his mouth shut when KH started in on his case. I wasn't surprised he was canned. I am sure at KH's inital insistance, everyone was like, "Who is this chick?"

However, based on the tally from her recent hit flick "Knocked Up" the powers-that-be-said, "He's gotta go!" Since she's now a bona fide star - with power - she got her wish.

So, let this be a lesson, don't call others bad names when you're working with them - always curse them off work site and privately. Otherwise, you will be fired and being part of a politically protected victim group doesn't ensure immunity.

Labels: black men, black women, gays, Grey's Anatomy, Knocked Up, television, victims

posted by GoldenAh
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Scarface: So Hardcore It's Funny
Thursday, June 7, 2007



I've watched many Al Pacino movies. I love watching this guy. He did an excellent "Richard III" with Winona Ryder some years ago.

Most of his films I've watched in reverse chronological order. One of the last films I saw him star in was "Scarface."

I am serious, when I say that "Scarface" is one of the funniest movies I ever saw. I know it was a supposed to be a serious one-of-a-kind film (remake of the original 1930's "Scarface" directed by Howard Hawks) from the early 1980s.



Why was this film so funny? If you start with "Scent of a Woman" to "Dog Day Afternoon" (I know it came before "Scarface"), a mental montage of a screaming, wide eyed, loopy Pacino evolves. So by the time Tony Montana utters the immortal, "Ju know whut ju need? Ju need a job!" Tears of mirth are streaming down my face.

What makes it a complete camp classic are the number of picture frame stores where you can find the favorite mob ensembles: "The Untouchables", "Godfather", "Goodfellas", a picture of Pacino with the cigar, or the machine gun, and the recent "Sopranos." Aside from "Casino" - I've never watched any of these ganster flicks - I can't stand mob movies.

However, my Mom was watching "Scarface" on cable - thought it was funny too - and recommended it. I went out, bought the platinum / gold edition DVD and loved the movie.

I know making it funny wasn't intentional, but it's all good.

Labels: Al Pacino, comedy, gangster films, mob films

posted by GoldenAh
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