evan taylor

Okay, so for some time now I had been wanting to see August Rush pretty badly, because I adore music, movies about music, and every once in awhile I just want a reason to get the warm fuzzies. So today, to escape the fact that my senior thesis is due in eight days and I have a 10 page paper to write (oh, and I think I'm supposed to be reading a light short story called Ulysses for my James Joyce class, too...), I decided to enjoy some alone time and take myself to the theater.

The Saturday after Thanksgiving, breezy T-shirt weather in Claremont, I took a leisurely half-hour stroll to the Laemmle in the new expansion of The Village. Walking along the plush carpet of kelly green grass that stretches across Pomona College, dry leaves crunching under my shoes, I absorbed the beautiful day around me, almost regretting my choice to go sit in a dark room for a couple of hours in the middle of the afternoon. But I also was getting in to the perfect mood to be watching a sweet story about a family that finds itself through the bonds of music.

I was kind of...really wrong. I think I'd have been better off enjoying a smoothie while sitting outside, or at least doing something productive if I was going to be indoors all afternoon. Something about this movie really rubbed me the wrong way, and it was a shame to be so disappointed by it. It is, of course, possible for a movie to be sweet and meaningful without being...boring; Keri Russel's last starring turn in Waitress proved this. Unfortunately, too much of August Rush is slow, unbelievable, or creepy to allow the sweet moments to shine through.

Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Keri Russell certainly were the most enjoyable people to watch in this film (not just because they're both insanely beautiful people), and even their scenes were sometimes so over-the-top treacle sweet that I expected Hector Elizondo to pop up out of nowhere. I was expecting that Terence Howard and Freddie Highmore might be given more of an opportunity to shine, as well, but instead, it was as if what their best scenes might have been had been edited out. Robin Williams was just creepy, and I kind of want to rent One Hour Photo and Insomnia just to see if this is just how he is onscreen nowadays.

I feel like this movie aimed way too high in trying to convey love of music to the audience, at the expense of believability in the characters and scenarios. Case in point: the first time the title character sees sheet music - ever - he masters the piano and the organ. My eyes rolled out of my head and had to be persuaded to jump back in their sockets after that. I guess this might be a good movie for kids, but otherwise, I think it can be avoided. If you want a touching movie, I would certainly recommend Waitress, which just came out on DVD, or the incredible What Dreams May Come, in which both Robin Williams and Cuba Gooding, Jr. are stellar (I know, right?).

movie magic

When I first began this blog a few months ago, I was musing about what it is about cinema that is "the magic of the movies." Though I had concluded it had something to do with the illusion caused by light shone through static images, I recently proved to myself that that is only a part of it. Last Friday night I went to the AMC theater in Burbank, whose walls are festooned with the slogan, "where the people who make the movies, see the movies," and settled in to watch Waitress. I didn't think much of the popcorn smell and cushioned seats that we're all so used to, but when the lights went down and the screen lit up, I realized just how long it must have been since the last time I saw a movie in theaters. I'm such a bad film studies major sometimes. Come to think of it, I think the last one I'd seen was 300. That is way too long ago.

Sidenote: there were many excellent trailers shown before the movie began, but one that particularly caught my attention was for Evening. Based on a novel by Michael Cunningham, and starring many of the same actresses that were in the adaptation of his moving homage to Virginia Woolf, Evening looks even better than The Hours. It has the same focus on mothers, daughters, long-lost remembered romances, generations, and sadness, but what can I say? Claire Danes has a much more prominent role this time, so I am bound to think it's better! Also, her love interest is played by Patrick Wilson, and their chemistry has already proven captivating...



The opening credits of Waitress set the tone for the experience to come. It is so clear how much love Adrienne Shelly and her D.P. had for the film and its characters, as is evidenced by the beautiful portrayal of pies. Our main character, Jenna, was raised by a mother who loved making pies, and carries in herself that same passion. The pies in the film are caressed and kneaded and made with the most spectacular panoply of colors and fillings. It actually made me go home and make a very simple pudding pie. Because Jenna and her pies are so inextricably linked, it is a pleasure to see Keri Russell's radiant onscreen presence treated with the same care and closeness as her pastries.

Performances were excellent across the board, as Russell, Nathan Fillion, Cheryl Hines, and Shelly were always pleasant to watch. But the most incredible performance for me had to come from Andy Griffith. Portlier now than I ever would have thought he'd be, he cut such a perfect figure as Joe, the crotchety old pie-shop owner. Ruddy cheeks above a snug bowtie, white, wing-like eyebrows, and a maw that never stops flapping. He was perfectly cast. Other perfect casting was on display with the minor characters of Ogie and Cal. Jeremy Sisto, as Jenna's abusive, smothering husband Earl, must have done a great job, because I keep thinking of the Six Feet Under alum as a greasy creep, which keeps me from wanting to compliment him too much.

I think what pleased me the most about the film is that every time it had the chance to take a turn for the trite, it never gave in to temptation. In a movie about adultery, that's a pretty difficult thing to do. I don't want to spoil the denouement, but it managed to strike a clean balance between realism and fantasy. Certain expectable conventions were present, but they were tempered by the frank look into our characters' lives.

Though it is not directly related to the viewer's experience of the film, I think it is important to say that watching Waitress with an understanding of the awful end to Shelly's life is a bit painful. Clearly, a lot of love went into this film, and I admire so much people who are able to dedicate themselves to the one thing that makes them feel alive. As another non sequitur, I must say that it is a pleasure to see Nathan Fillion onscreen. As much as I love him as Captain Mal Reynolds in Firefly, he is much more than a one-note actor.

As the film came to a close, it became evident to me that I had really been moved by the experience of witnessing a universe unfurl itself, allowing a roomful of willing spectators to get a peek at its minutiae, only to close up and hide its future from us as we move along to our own. This is a big part of the magic of the movies, I think. Man, I just love watching them... does collective escapism make anyone else praise Xenu as much as I do?

trailer mondays?

Let's see if they stick! I know I should have gone with my lit major roots and used alliteration, but I was too bored to wait until Trailer Tuesdays... Also, I want to give props to Stagafling and thank him for the shout-out. I knew something good would come of watching too much TV!

Waitress (April 27)
I have been waiting for this movie for quite some time now, and I think it's going to be delicious (I can't stop with the crappy puns...sorry). It's a real shame how the tragedy of filmmaker Adrienne Shelly may skew the reception of the film, but it seems to be a perfectly stylized vehicle from which I expect the best of Keri Russell and Cheryl Hines. Nathan Fillion, of course, is never a bad thing!


Duck (May 11)
I couldn't tell you what this is about or if it looks like it'll be any good. But the website certainly has enough leafy crescents to imply that there's great critical value to this film that nobody else has ever heard of. One thing's for sure, Philip Baker Hall has given such amazing performances in Paul Thomas Anderson's movies that I must expect greatness from him in a starring role.


Fay Grim (May 18)
Parker Posey and Jeff Goldblum together seems like it would promise some off-beat chemistry, but I cannot say I have high hopes for this picture. First of all, the entire movie seems to be filmed in dutch angles, where the camera has been tilted to lend a sense of unease or quirkiness to everything, which gives me pause in a movie about terrorism? kidnapping or murder? government plots? Can't quite tell. The most unfortunate thing about the trailer is the final title card, which reads, "Watch the way you want. Opens May 18th in theatres and on HDNet Movies. Available May 22nd on DVD." Yeah, the studio really thinks this one is going to make money...see for yourself:


Evan Almighty (June 22)
Bruce Almighty was surprisingly better than I could have expected, but I found the main characters too unlikable and unrelatable for the humor to really come across and hit the mark every time. I have a lot of faith (hee) in Steve Carell's ability to pull this antediluvian character off, and I must say that the story looks quite a bit sweeter and easier to stomach than having to watch Jim Carrey conjure a monkey out of a cholo's ass. Though I must wonder how the film is going to get around the implications for the audience of creating a diegesis where the moviegoers are part of a world of abhorrent sinners that need to be wiped out by a new deluge. Also, notice The Office's Ed Helms in a small role!


Stardust (August 10)
Oooh, this looks like so much fun! Couldn't really tell you what's going on, but I know I want to see this one on the big screen. Hopefully Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert DeNiro, Ricky Gervais, and Sienna Miller won't fall into the same stylistic ruts they've individually occupied for the past few years. And man, do I loves me some Claire Danes!


Superbad (August 17)
Yes! This looks like much of the funny could not be included in the trailer. Reminiscent of Knocked Up, perhaps? Why yes! Produced by Judd Apatow and starring Seth Rogen, it looks like a broader take on "Freaks and Geeks," which can only be a good thing (as long as it isn't too broad, I suppose). And let us not forget - Michael Cera is a bonafide God-among-men. Stay tuned after the trailer below for some bonus Michael Cera action...



Martian Child (October 26)
I wasn't sure how I felt about this at first (K-Pax meets Millions? Starring The John Cusack?), but now I am starting to think that this may be just the kind of movie I'd like to see him in at his age. Identity was good, but having seen Must Love Dogs and (oh hell no) America's Sweethearts, I feel like studios haven't known what to do with such a good actor when he's too old to play Lloyd Dobler anymore. Certainly, he's mastered some more "adult" roles, but I think he will settle into the fatherhood role with the grace of a Shopgirl Steve Martin instead of a Cheaper by the Dozen one. Also, John Cusack --> High Fidelity --> Nick Horby --> About a Boy --> the right kind of role for John Cusack right now.