Donna Freitas: May 2009 Archives

I love a good caper. I even love the word caper. Capers are my favorite kind of movie. "The Thomas Crown Affair" is a good one. "The Imposters" another. And now comes "The Brothers Bloom," more mad-cap than most perhaps, but thoroughly, utterly satisfying. I want "The Brothers Bloom" to be this summer's indie sleeper hit so badly--it's confusing and suspenseful in the best way (think "The Usual Suspects" but way more lighthearted), it will definitely make you laugh until you can't breathe in certain moments, and it will likely make you cry, too.

All this, plus an unbelievable cast: Adrien Brody, Rachel Weisz, and Mark Ruffalo, and it's a literati dream--it's got all sorts of meta going on about "written" and "unwritten lives" that have to do with cons (on a basic level) and then the Big Meaningful Stuff that makes a well-lived life.

Sigh.

Without going into too much plot detail (and really, I couldn't if I tried--this is one of those movies that I want to go back and see again to capture the full, layered story now that I know the end), the Brothers Bloom are con artists born at a tender age, with the first con "written" (literally as a story with a plot and a romantic interest) by the older Bloom, Stephen, so that his younger, shier brother called, simply, Bloom, might have a reason to talk to a girl he's sweet on. Thus begins a life of con after con until Bloom tires out of the life and wants something real. He wants to live his own story and not the tales of lies his older brother has spun for twenty years now--or so he thinks he wants "an unwritten life" for once.

Apparently there is serious talk about a new big-screen "Buffy" flick! My heart went all a flutter when I read the recent article, ""Buffy the Vampire Slayer," Returning to Big Screen" sent to me by fellow Idol Chatter blogger Kris Rasmussen (who knows I'm a huge fan of all-things "Buffy" and vampires in general).

It begins: "A new incarnation of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" could be coming to the big screen, courtesy of the director of the original movie."

My reaction: EEEeeeeeeeee!

But then the joy thudded to a halt when I read that "'Buffy' creator Joss Whedon isn't involved," and "The new 'Buffy' film, however, would have no connection to the TV series, nor would it use popular supporting characters like Angel, Willow, Xander or Spike," and "The producers do not rule out Whedon's involvement but have not yet reached out to him."

Why? Why would Joss and the original cast not be involved? How could they not be?

To say that "Terminator Salvation" is dark can't be too understated. The entire movie is filmed in grey scale, there is only about a total of 15 minutes where something--or someone--is not exploding or being shot at, and then, there's the fact that it stars Christian Bale who has become the King of Darkness when it comes to onscreen saviors and heroes.
I suppose if you like that sort of thing, then "Terminator Salvation" is for you.

However, if you're anything like me, and you like a little plot with your movie--a plot other than let's blow up all-things Skynet and talk about it in low, pained voices--and even if you like Christian Bale, as I do, then "Terminator Salvation" is a waste of two hours not to mention potentially damaging to your ear drums.

The only real commentary to be made about this latest Terminator incarnation, is how disappointing Christian Bale is as the hero--oh wait, excuse me, the savior, since the very first thing you see on screen is Bale's first name split into two, emphasis on the "Christ." Not so subtle. Basically Bale reprises his Batman role but for the purposes of a different movie. He sounds exactly the same, his facial expressions are equally angsty, yet I loved him in Batman! I really hated the fact that he imported his Batman qualities to another franchise. Shame on you CHRISTian!

So I can't help but respond to Dena's Idol Chatter post about the release of the "New Moon" movie poster to the press--especially since I hate it! I am Team Edward through and through, and it was one thing to suffer the Edward-Bella separation in the novel of "New Moon"--even though I do like the way the friendship (emphasis on friendship) develops between Bella and Jacob--but it's another to see Bella in JACOB'S arms on the poster for the film! Ugh.

Does anyone else out there agree with me? It makes me a bit nervous for the movie, since I was not exactly over the moon (ha!) about the choice of actors for Jacob in "Twilight," either. I'm a little worried that "New Moon" is going to end up being too much Jacob Black and not enough Edward Cullen.

Two other things:

1) Has there ever been so much buzz for the release of a movie poster before? Seriously. It's been covered in every newspaper, webzine, and magazine in the country. This shows what a huge phenomenon "Twilight" has become.

2) The initial footage for "New Moon" will be shown during the MTV Movie Awards on May 31st. I can't wait to see it! (And I'm hoping it will calm my worries about too much Jacob...)

As someone who both writes and adores YA (young adult) novels, and has her own share of prom-going experiences to draw on, I get a bit nostalgic this time of year when I see a limo pull up at a fine restaurant and several high school couples--dressed in their finest--step out of it.

And while Prom is certainly a teen high school rite of passage, I've never thought much about whether or not it's sacred before. Not so for Kelly J. Baker, a professor at the University of New Mexico, who reflects the following about her own prom-going experience, in her wonderful article, "Glamour, Nostalgia, and Coming of Age: The Prom As Sacred":

"The prom was a ritual that marked our voyage to adulthood, and it contained all the trappings of religious experience: the rite of passage, the parameters of dress, the constrained space of the ritual, authority, liminality, transformation, particular rituals, community (imagined or otherwise), etc. In my small town, the prom proved sacred. Parents and teens came together to imagine the event: to codify rituals (to garter dance or not to garter dance?); to grant that these teens were no longer children; and to concretize this coming of age in pictures, words, and actions--a religious rite of passage."

But what about prom today? Does Baker think that Prom still has "all the trappings of religious experience" as it did in days past? Well, sort of:

The Catholic Church is under attack! There's a war between science and reason! Quick, lock the Cardinals in the conclave or the Catholic Church is lost! The Pope's been murdered! Call Dr. Robert Langdon of Harvard! He'll save us--even though...

Miss California, Carrie Prejean, certainly made ripples a few weeks ago at the Miss USA pageant when she took a stand against gay marriage--whether these were positive or negative ripples she sent outward depends on your politics. And yesterday Donald...

This weekend, Terrence Rafferty of The New York Times looks at the tension that flares up whenever faith and cinema clash--"The awful thing about these religious-movie dust-ups is that there's no resolving them to anybody's satisfaction, either believers' or nonbelievers'"--and...

According to an article from the Associated Press, the folks in Rome aren't worried about the new Dan Brown movie, "Angels & Demons," which premiered there on Monday, reporting that: "Reviewers at the Vatican's newspaper have passed judgment on "Angels...

At this point in the year, I am in need of a little post-winter inspiration and likewise, starved for a fun romance flick--emphasis on the fun and the romance as opposed to tragic and dark, which for me, defeat the...