The Fine Line Between Clever and Stupid

Monday, September 10, 2007

TV Time: South Park Season 4

I decided to pick up a season of south park on dvd because the prices were pretty low ($25), it is highly rewatchable, and the dvd editions are fairly nice. I somewhat randomly picked season 4 because it was in the best condition of the season at Best Buy. It was a good choice.

South Park is one of those shows where I'm pretty sure I've seen most episodes, but I'm really not sure how many I haven't seen. I was pleasantly surprised to see that there were several in Season 4 that were new to me. Matt and Trey are comic geniuses, there is no other way of saying it. I feel extremely lucky that this show persists, and has, to date, 160 episodes (with no signs of stopping). South Park has quietly become one of the most significant shows of the past decade.

Season 4 has some classic episodes. "Timmy 2000" marks the first prominent appearance of everyone's favorite handicapped boy (unless you prefer Jimmy). "Cartman Joins NAMBLA" features Cartman looking for more mature friends, and finding plenty of older men looking to befriend young boys. Here's a quick top 5 from season 4:

1. Timmy 2000
2. Helen Keller! The Musical
3. Trapper Keeper
4. Cartman's Silly Hate Crime 2000
5. Cartman Joins NAMBLA

Cartman is a character that I will remember long after this show has ended its run. Many of the season 4 episodes revolve around him (mostly about his many attempts to make $10M). Butters (my other favorite character) is also featured in several episodes.

Like most seasons, there are many episodes that could be offensive if misinterpreted. So, if you are easily offended, or are already a South Park hater, please try not to misinterpret them. They are not hatefully making fun of any protected groups. What they are parodying is the absurdity of our world and our society. Their shows usually have good message behind them.

There are groups that they do target from time to time (NAMBLA, PETA, scientologists, etc.), but they are usually extremists of some sort. I am not defending everything they do, but they are very careful with the messages that they send, believe it or not.

Oh, and the show is freaking hilarious.

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Movie 14: L.A. Confidential

L.A. Confidential (1997) by Curtis Hanson

starring Russell Crowe & Guy Pearce

In a nutshell: a top-notch film that falls just a hair short of classic

Quick synopsis: L.A. cops investigate a shooting and unravel a much deeper plot, often blurring the lines between real-life-style crime-fighting and Hollywood-style crime-fighting.

Content: L.A. Confidential is a great ride, even if it's a tad too long. The sprawling cast includes Kevin Spacey, James Cromwell, Kim Basinger, David Strathairn, Danny DeVito, Ron Rifkin, & Simon Baker supporting the main protagonists, played by Crowe and Pearce in the film's best performances. Strathairn and Spacey stand out among the ensemble.

Crowe and Pearce are 2 highly regarded cops that get results with very different methods. In fact, they are polar opposites at the beginning of the film. To Ed Exley (Pearce), there is black, and there is white. To Bud White (Crowe) there are many shades of grey in between. Exley is the guy we love to hate because he would turn in every one of his peers for the slightest rule infraction to put himself ahead. White is the guy we hate to love because of his penchant for losing his temper and blindly following orders he knows to be questionable.

Naturally these men must learn to coexist if they are to solve the mystery of the night owl. This is where an inferior script can go horribly wrong and end up in hollywood cliche hell. But L.A.Confidential goes its own direction.

Without giving anything away, Vincennes (Spacey) plays a much larger role in the beginning of the movie than the end, and it is through his actions that the other 2 men realize that their cases are one in the same. The unification of Exley and White is handled subtley through their mutual acquaintance, Vincennes, who never feels like he is only a plot contrivance to bring them together.

What I have covered thus far could easily be enough to fuel an average cop movie, but this film has so much more to it. Danny DeVito is a headline hungry magazine editor, willing to trade free press to corrupt cops willing to help him catch young hollywood misbehaving. Strathairn runs a smut ring with models that are made to look like hollywood legends (leading to the best moment in the entire movie when Exley and Vincennes happen across a woman dressed like Lana Turner). Vincennes moonlights as an advisor to a television cop show.

The characters are brilliantly complex, each having their own vices. For a while, it is really difficult to distinguish the heroes from the crooks because everyone has their bad side, although the common viewer can relate to each of them. White's weaknesses are that he is used as muscle by corrupt senior officers, and he obeys their orders without question. He also has a wicked temper and a weakness for women in distress. Exley has no friends because he clearly thinks that he is the only cop that is not corrupt. He would pass judgement on his best friend and turn him in, if he had one. Vincennes is buyable for the price of fame; he clearly loves the spotlight. Nevertheless, he wants to do the right thing when presented with a deeper moral conflict.

Each of these characters is so well thought out. They each change noticeably, yet believably during the course of the film. Of course, I haven't even mentioned the major plot point yet because the film spends so much time with its characters. The mystery is a worthy one indeed, which makes the movie that much better. Although I have to admit, it took me 2 or 3 viewings to completely understand all that is going on.

In time, the movie could prove to be a classic, but for now I consider it just below that status.

Rolling Rankings:
1. Pulp Fiction (#8)

2. LA Confidential (#14)

3. Napoleon Dynamite (#5)

4. A Prairie Home Companion (#11)

5. Raising Arizona (#13)

6. The Illusionist (#9)

7. Dr. No (#7)

8. Little Children (#12)

9. Fahrenheit 9/11 (#10)

10. Heist (#6)

key:

masterpiece

excellent

good

mixed bag

more bad than good

garbage

Tuesday, September 4, 2007

Movie 13: Raising Arizona

Raising Arizona (1987) by the Coen Brothers
starring Nicolas Cage & Holly Hunter

In a nutshell: Great fun

Content: Raising Arizona is the first two time entry in my log. In the interest of actually keeping track of every movie that I watch, I will be making multiple entries for multiple viewings, complete with any new thoughts that I have.

There were certain aspects of this movie that I liked better the second time around, and certain flaws that became more apparent.

I noticed an extra layer to the action in a few places. For example, recurring camera shots turn up in different places, and I think I may be starting to understand the mysterious biker a little better. He is surely more than just a flesh and bone character.

The chase scene is so much fun. Sonnenfeld's Coen Brothers movies have a different feel to them than the later films that Roger Deakins did with them, which isn't to say that they are better or worse, just different. His fingerprints are all over the chase scene and other key shots. The 1st person perspective, moving camera shots are also prevalent.

The ending is a bit anticlimactic, but it's ok. Nicolas Cage as the narrator describing his dreams isn't really how I wished it would end, but I can't really think of a better one.

The movie is a tight 90 minutes. The Coen brothers did a good job keeping the action moving at a brisk pace. The comedy also prevents the story from ever getting stale. It did not occur to me until just now, but there is remarkably little to this story. It takes gifted filmmakers to create a feature length film that never drags with such a thin story.