Leonardo da Vinci’s painting, The Last Supper, evokes a curiosity in its viewer that is seldom brought about by religious artwork of the 15th century. Perhaps it is the contextual background, so familiar to the viewer, which makes this painting intriguing. That is, given the common knowledge of what befalls Jesus after this dinner took place, viewers may look upon it with the same intrigue they would feel when looking at the last photograph taken of someone familiar to them days before their death. This depiction of Jesus Christ is one that humanizes him; it is this quality that makes da Vinci’s painting so vastly superior to other representations of Christ.
The expressions of Jesus’ disciples speak to their varying levels of shock and disgust at his declaration that one of them would betray him, and what gives their expressions a sense of reality is how they contrast Jesus’ look of knowing sadness and deep despair. The penetrating hurt that is conveyed in his downcast gaze juxtaposes the disciples’ expressions of disbelief, and for a moment, Jesus seems relatable. The exchange depicted in The Last Supper is identified by the viewer as familiar because everyone has experienced the type of hurt only a betrayal by an entrusted comrade can cause.
In most of the stories about Jesus’ life, and all the paintings that depict those events, the listener and viewer may be hard-pressed to truly find themselves and relate to Jesus on a personal level. This painting manages to accomplish this herculean task by focusing on an event that while is monumental in it’s implications for Jesus Christ, Christianity and religion in general, is when watered-down, merely a small snap-shot of a man’s very eventful life. Perhaps it is da Vinci’s nuanced portrayal of Jesus’ interactions with these twelve men contrasted with the relatively simplistic emotional subject matter of the piece that makes this painting so interesting and so difficult to turn away from. As the viewer searches for answers in the painting and clues into how da Vinci interpreted Jesus’ life, the simplicity of the material allows the viewer to somehow already have a tacit understanding of what this painting its meant to examine: the human and emotional side to Jesus Christ.
Saturday
negative art review: mona lisa
Leonardo da Vinci’s painting, Mona Lisa is arguably his most famous painting in his extensive canon; in my opinion, it also happens to be the least interesting piece of art in his catalogue. The overexposure this painting has received since the 16th century has detracted all the beauty and mystery this painting may have offered at one time. When I look at images of the Mona Lisa I feel completely apathetic to the painting. It in no way moves me or evokes any type of emotion from me. I believe that it is because I have become so habituated to this image that I cannot appreciate its legacy as one of the most famous works of art in the history of mankind.
To begin with, if I were to analyze the banality of this painting then I would start with the fact that the woman in the painting is plain and almost masculine in quality. She is neither striking nor interesting to gaze upon. It has been theorized that da Vinci purposefully included his own likeness in the painting, or that of his homosexual lover. Even with the possibility of that being the case, the woman in the painting is plain to the eye, and therefore unappealing. She is not ugly or grotesque in the intricate way that Picasso portrays some of his female subjects, instead Mona Lisa is simply boring.
Furthermore, the conspiracy behind da Vinci put forth by Dan Brown in his novel The Da Vinci Code has made me appreciate this painting even less. Brown’s fabricated drama about da Vinci’s life and paintings detracts focus from the skill and mastery of da Vinci as an artist and makes me less interested in his work in general. The Mona Lisa has become pedestrian through its overexposure in our culture, with its image being plastered on everything from posters to coffee mugs. Seeing this image on such trivial everyday items and given the fact that the painting lacks vibrant colors and has such a simplistic subject matter make this highly acclaimed work of art as moving as a postcard.
To begin with, if I were to analyze the banality of this painting then I would start with the fact that the woman in the painting is plain and almost masculine in quality. She is neither striking nor interesting to gaze upon. It has been theorized that da Vinci purposefully included his own likeness in the painting, or that of his homosexual lover. Even with the possibility of that being the case, the woman in the painting is plain to the eye, and therefore unappealing. She is not ugly or grotesque in the intricate way that Picasso portrays some of his female subjects, instead Mona Lisa is simply boring.
Furthermore, the conspiracy behind da Vinci put forth by Dan Brown in his novel The Da Vinci Code has made me appreciate this painting even less. Brown’s fabricated drama about da Vinci’s life and paintings detracts focus from the skill and mastery of da Vinci as an artist and makes me less interested in his work in general. The Mona Lisa has become pedestrian through its overexposure in our culture, with its image being plastered on everything from posters to coffee mugs. Seeing this image on such trivial everyday items and given the fact that the painting lacks vibrant colors and has such a simplistic subject matter make this highly acclaimed work of art as moving as a postcard.
Tv critique: Reaper
Given the lack of truly bold and unique television programming currently available, it is a shame that the show “Reaper” was unceremoniously cancelled from the CW in 2009. The pilot episode of this show was a dynamic foray into comedy by way of paranormal challenges undertaken by hapless and affable characters. The pilot episode shows promise and potential for the success of this show by drawing viewers in with adventure and hilarity right away, which is why it so unfortunate this show never made it past a second season.
The premise of this show is that Sam (Bret Harrison) a likeable slacker working at a hardware store similar to Home Depot has zero prospects. His life is in essence, going nowhere and he is panicking at the banality of his existence. On his 21st birthday he makes a grim discovery: his parents sold his soul to the devil before he was conceived. His father was sick, and his mother sold the soul of her first born to the devil in exchange for saving her husband; for this reason they never intended on having children, but due to the devil’s meddling with the doctor that tells Sam’s father he is sterile, Sam is born. The devil (played by Ray Wise) appears to him on his birthday to inform him that he has a task for him: abduct souls that have escaped from hell and send them back down. The devil informs Sam, he has no choice; he must fulfill the contract. So Sam now works for the hardware store and Satan, which means his boring life has just taken on new meaning. This new job requires that Sam engage in dangerous fights with demons to capture them in specialized vessels and drop them off at portals leading back to hell. This procedural technicality has its own hilarious details. For instance, the first vessel Sam is given to capture a demon arsonist is a Dirt Devil handheld vacuum cleaner; the portal where the vessel must be delivered is the DMV (hell on earth). So the job is dangerous but funny.
Sam has help though, his best friend Sock, played by Tyler Labine, is beyond excited to help Sam abduct these demons that terrorize Earth. Sock and Sam make an excellent duo and they play nicely off of each other. Sock is the perpetually lazy, chubby, and hilariously sarcastic best friend making Sam, an equally unmotivated slacker playing the straight-man in the series, look like a real go-getter. Sam and the devil have a nice dynamic as well. The Devil is charming and mostly friendly, but he is quick to remind Sam who is in charge and that Sam must obey his commands forever. The Devil is sharp-witted and funny but also encouraging, interestingly, he is the only source of encouragement Sam has in his life. His parents, out of guilt for selling his soul, are perpetually inclined to let Sam coast and therefore he is a chronic under-achiever. The Devil pushes Sam to be better, not that Sam really has a choice.
In a side storyline, Sam has an interest of the romantic sort in Andi, played by Missy Peregrym, who works with him at the hardware store. She is the sort of girl next door that a loser like Sam would pine for. Her character is flat and not very engaging, and it is hard to tell if this is a result of Peregrym’s acting skills or if in the pilot the show’s writers weren’t intending to draw attention to Sam and Andi’s dynamic quite yet. The chemistry between Sam and Sock is far more electric and interesting than that between Sam and Andi. It would be mildly interesting to see how Andi and Sam’s relationship develops throughout the course of the show, and if Sam would ever tell Andi that he is in fact the bounty hunter for Satan himself. Could she deal with that much baggage? Her one-dimensionality indicates that probably not, but her life also seems boring so maybe she would enjoy the excitement. If things did pan out for Sam and Andi, maybe they could be a demon-catching couple that goes off on these dangerous adventures together and this sort of duo might make for interesting television.
Overall, the show has a certain Buffy the Vampire Slayer quality to it because of the supernatural hijinks but is so much better because of how sarcastic and funny the characters are. I think they each add a unique something to this show that makes it completely watchable. The show is fun and carefree without being too silly. The Devil really steals the scene in most cases during the pilot for casting a dark humorous cloud over these humdrum characters’ lives. This pilot displayed a show with a lot of potential to be entertaining, funny, and exciting, it’s too bad it failed to deliver in its second season.
The premise of this show is that Sam (Bret Harrison) a likeable slacker working at a hardware store similar to Home Depot has zero prospects. His life is in essence, going nowhere and he is panicking at the banality of his existence. On his 21st birthday he makes a grim discovery: his parents sold his soul to the devil before he was conceived. His father was sick, and his mother sold the soul of her first born to the devil in exchange for saving her husband; for this reason they never intended on having children, but due to the devil’s meddling with the doctor that tells Sam’s father he is sterile, Sam is born. The devil (played by Ray Wise) appears to him on his birthday to inform him that he has a task for him: abduct souls that have escaped from hell and send them back down. The devil informs Sam, he has no choice; he must fulfill the contract. So Sam now works for the hardware store and Satan, which means his boring life has just taken on new meaning. This new job requires that Sam engage in dangerous fights with demons to capture them in specialized vessels and drop them off at portals leading back to hell. This procedural technicality has its own hilarious details. For instance, the first vessel Sam is given to capture a demon arsonist is a Dirt Devil handheld vacuum cleaner; the portal where the vessel must be delivered is the DMV (hell on earth). So the job is dangerous but funny.
Sam has help though, his best friend Sock, played by Tyler Labine, is beyond excited to help Sam abduct these demons that terrorize Earth. Sock and Sam make an excellent duo and they play nicely off of each other. Sock is the perpetually lazy, chubby, and hilariously sarcastic best friend making Sam, an equally unmotivated slacker playing the straight-man in the series, look like a real go-getter. Sam and the devil have a nice dynamic as well. The Devil is charming and mostly friendly, but he is quick to remind Sam who is in charge and that Sam must obey his commands forever. The Devil is sharp-witted and funny but also encouraging, interestingly, he is the only source of encouragement Sam has in his life. His parents, out of guilt for selling his soul, are perpetually inclined to let Sam coast and therefore he is a chronic under-achiever. The Devil pushes Sam to be better, not that Sam really has a choice.
In a side storyline, Sam has an interest of the romantic sort in Andi, played by Missy Peregrym, who works with him at the hardware store. She is the sort of girl next door that a loser like Sam would pine for. Her character is flat and not very engaging, and it is hard to tell if this is a result of Peregrym’s acting skills or if in the pilot the show’s writers weren’t intending to draw attention to Sam and Andi’s dynamic quite yet. The chemistry between Sam and Sock is far more electric and interesting than that between Sam and Andi. It would be mildly interesting to see how Andi and Sam’s relationship develops throughout the course of the show, and if Sam would ever tell Andi that he is in fact the bounty hunter for Satan himself. Could she deal with that much baggage? Her one-dimensionality indicates that probably not, but her life also seems boring so maybe she would enjoy the excitement. If things did pan out for Sam and Andi, maybe they could be a demon-catching couple that goes off on these dangerous adventures together and this sort of duo might make for interesting television.
Overall, the show has a certain Buffy the Vampire Slayer quality to it because of the supernatural hijinks but is so much better because of how sarcastic and funny the characters are. I think they each add a unique something to this show that makes it completely watchable. The show is fun and carefree without being too silly. The Devil really steals the scene in most cases during the pilot for casting a dark humorous cloud over these humdrum characters’ lives. This pilot displayed a show with a lot of potential to be entertaining, funny, and exciting, it’s too bad it failed to deliver in its second season.
movie review: 127 hours
Even though I knew that eventually I would have to watch a man cut off his own arm, I was still very excited to see James Franco play Aron Ralston in director Danny Boyle’s (of Slumdog Millionaire) movie 127 Hours. I had heard enough about the events that this movie was based on in the news, and enough hype from the movie community about Franco’s performance that I was definitely intrigued. After all, the basic concept seems cool enough: a mountain climber becomes trapped under a boulder while canyoneering alone in the desert and goes to extreme measures to survive: he must cut off his own arm using a dull pocket knife and climb out of the crevasse and back to civilization.
James Franco did a marvelous job of contrasting a cocky, daredevil adventurer with a sensitive and reflective young man staring at a crossroads in his life. The character is stubborn but totally likeable. The rollercoaster of human emotion and sanity that Franco takes the audience on is one worth riding. Given the fact that the audience spends much of the film a foot away from Franco’s face, I thought the fact that I stayed totally engaged in the film was a testament to director Danny Boyle’s ability to tell a great story and Franco’s incredibly convincing acting skills. The audience is immediately transported to the crevasse that Franco is stuck in and stays there with him until the brutal but heroic end. The film does an expert job of representing the full 127 hours that Franco’s character had to spend stuck under a rock because it showed that that is exactly the amount of time that had to pass before a man could reach the level of desperation required to cut off his own limb. In addition, by the time Franco’s character is ready to lose the arm, the audience is prepared as well.
Danny Boyle’s ability to captivate an audience is truly exemplified in this film because even though I knew Franco’s character would survive and escape his, at times, very dire situation, I was on pins and needles until the very emotional end of the movie. The only thing I was unclear about was the message or moral of this story. I wondered if, based on the way in which Boyle told the story, he meant to imply that this experience made Ralston a better, more humble person that is now more willing to ask for help, or if he just wanted to tell this troubling story in an artistic way, open to audience interpretation. The movie is visually very stunning thanks to the both the location of the story and the skillful cinematography, which helps build the reality of the plot for the audience, but the message I took away from the movie was still very simple: human beings will do extreme things to ensure their own survival. Boyle and Franco convey this very basic idea in a moving and very entertaining way in 127 Hours.
James Franco did a marvelous job of contrasting a cocky, daredevil adventurer with a sensitive and reflective young man staring at a crossroads in his life. The character is stubborn but totally likeable. The rollercoaster of human emotion and sanity that Franco takes the audience on is one worth riding. Given the fact that the audience spends much of the film a foot away from Franco’s face, I thought the fact that I stayed totally engaged in the film was a testament to director Danny Boyle’s ability to tell a great story and Franco’s incredibly convincing acting skills. The audience is immediately transported to the crevasse that Franco is stuck in and stays there with him until the brutal but heroic end. The film does an expert job of representing the full 127 hours that Franco’s character had to spend stuck under a rock because it showed that that is exactly the amount of time that had to pass before a man could reach the level of desperation required to cut off his own limb. In addition, by the time Franco’s character is ready to lose the arm, the audience is prepared as well.
Danny Boyle’s ability to captivate an audience is truly exemplified in this film because even though I knew Franco’s character would survive and escape his, at times, very dire situation, I was on pins and needles until the very emotional end of the movie. The only thing I was unclear about was the message or moral of this story. I wondered if, based on the way in which Boyle told the story, he meant to imply that this experience made Ralston a better, more humble person that is now more willing to ask for help, or if he just wanted to tell this troubling story in an artistic way, open to audience interpretation. The movie is visually very stunning thanks to the both the location of the story and the skillful cinematography, which helps build the reality of the plot for the audience, but the message I took away from the movie was still very simple: human beings will do extreme things to ensure their own survival. Boyle and Franco convey this very basic idea in a moving and very entertaining way in 127 Hours.
Final: The Dilemma
Recently I watched director Ron Howard’s movie, The Dilemma, staring Kevin James and Vince Vaughan and I experienced my own dilemma of sorts as I tried to understand Howard’s intention with this film. The movie at times feels like a comedy, and yet the dramatic undercurrent of the movie is what steals the show entirely. After some reflection, I am still not certain of how to classify this film.
The movie stars Ronnie (Vaughan) and Nick (James) as college friends Ronnie and now business partners in a Chicago-based automobile engine company. This brings me to my first issue with this film. The fact that the film takes place in Chicago reminded me of Vince Vaughan’s other Chicago-based romantic comedy The Breakup co-starring Jennifer Aniston and because Vaughan is originally from Chicago, this choice of location for two of his romantic comedies seemed kitschy. I did appreciate the nod to some of Chicago’s truly awesome local establishments such as the jazz club The Green Mill because the use of this club for James and Vaughan’s comedic dance duet scene was a good choice. In any case, these two large oafs have delicate and lovely girlfriends; Jennifer Connolly plays Beth, Ronnie’s girlfriend, and Winona Ryder as Geneva, Nick’s wife. These two actresses are poorly cast in these roles because they are aesthetically mismatched with their on-screen spouses if for no other reason than the massive size differential between the males and females. In addition, these women are vastly more attractive than their male counterparts and this serves as a bit of a distraction throughout the movie.
After we are introduced to these four main characters the plot begins to unfold. Ronnie accidentally spies on Geneva kissing a man named Zip, who is obviously not her husband and Ronnie’s best friend Nick. Channing Tatum plays Zip, the ridiculous rocker/stoner/moron/rageaholic that is not really funny, more dull and annoying. When Ronnie learns of Geneva’s affair, his moral crisis begins. After much soul-searching he decides to confront Geneva and tell her that he knows and her response is surprisingly vindictive and not at all remorseful. This exchange pits Ryder’s character as the villain and opponent to Vaughan’s morally righteous Ronnie. The other issue that challenges Ronnie’s loyalty to Nick and his desire to tell him of Geneva’s affair is that Geneva and Ronnie slept together in college twenty years ago and Nick having no idea, would be crushed if Geneva were to tell him, as she threatens to do if Ronnie tells Nick about her and Zip. Finally, Ronnie and Nick are in the middle of a huge make or break deal with Chrysler and the stress of the deal is causing Nick to have ulcers and the stress of his wife’s affair, Ronnie feels, may be too much for Nick to handle. From here, all kinds of ridiculous antics and scenarios ensue.
Some of the more comedic moments involve Ronnie stalking and then fighting Zip in a violent and bloody streetfight and Ronnie giving a horrendously awkward and inappropriate toast about honesty at Beth’s parents’ 40th wedding anniversary while staring down Geneva who is in attendance. The drama of the conflict is actually more interesting though. For instance, we learn that Ronnie had a severe gambling problem in the past that Beth and him worked through. We also learn that Geneva and Nick are in a severely loveless and distant marriage that has lead her into the arms of Zip, and he into the arms of an Asian erotic masseur at a shady parlor once a week. The implications of these issues are huge for both couples. Beth and Ronnie don’t feel like they can trust each other and when Ronnie starts sneaking around spying on Nick and Geneva, Beth assumes his sneakiness is related to a gambling relapse. Their interactions around this problem show that Ronnie has feelings and is not as shallow as he seems. It opens up a softer side of Vaughan in this role but his foray into deep feelings of love for Beth is distractingly similar to the one he embarks upon with Isla Fisher’s character in Wedding Crashers. This makes the emotional growth and epiphany less interesting. The realization on Ronnie’s behalf that the love has left Nick and Geneva’s marriage brings about some discussion of interesting relationship topics. For example, the notion that everyone must have secrets from their loved ones is explored as well as the idea as to whether or not it is wise to meddle in the lives and marriages of your friends, even if it is to do the right thing.
The culmination of all of Ronnie’s stalking and research on Geneva and his desire to tell her the truth comes at an intervention staged by Beth for Ronnie (because she assumes his fibs and sneaking around is a result of his gambling). Through some other plot meddling, Zip ends up at the intervention pretending to be Ronnie’s bookie. It is at this time that Ronnie feels he can’t keep it in any longer; he must tell Nick about Geneva’s infidelity. Geneva at this point stops being the villain and finally tries to do the right thing in a forced confession, but she has been so conniving and vindictive up to this point that the audience is simply done with her and unprepared to see her in any other light but a villainous one. She emotionally and tearfully confesses and then leaves, not to be seen again. Ryder, true to form, does not miss the opportunity to overact and is annoying to watch in this movie, so it is good riddance to her as she exits. Ronnie also decides to tell Nick that he and Geneva slept together 20 years ago, I couldn’t help but wonder if that was necessary. Nick is obviously humiliated and distraught by his wife’s betrayal but more so at Ronnie for knowing about it and not saying anything. There I believe lays Howard’s opinion of how we should handle this mess: risk your life as the messenger and tell your friend his wife is cheating on him no matter what the circumstances may be.
After this emotional climax I found myself concerned not with how the conflict between the two men would resolve, because it seemed obvious that Ronnie and Nick could work it out past Ronnie’s betrayal, but I was concerned with what would become of Beth and Ronnie. Though the couple lacks believable chemistry throughout the movie, Beth is pleasant and good and somehow I wanted the two of them to end up together if for no other reason than it would seem unfair if Ronnie lost his friend and his girlfriend in one sitting just because he accidentally found himself in this very messy situation. Luckily, they are able to talk it out and the seriousness with which they approach their relationship is refreshing to watch in a romantic comedy. There isn’t a huge separation and reunion for them, simply a problem and a conversation. Suddenly I found Ronnie to be very adult in this moment, which was a nice change of pace considering the last hour’s worth of antics I had endured to this point. They get engaged and the focus is back on how these two men are going to patch things up.
While the relationship drama was occurring, simultaneously Nick and Ronnie were trying to prepare for their big meeting with Chrysler and the blowout happened right before, so the audience doesn’t know if Nick is going to show up or if the two guys are going to be completely broke, thereby adding to their troubles. In fact Nick does show up to close the deal and after some cheap punches are thrown Ronnie’s way the two gentlemen are friends again. The side story of the Chrysler deal is only notable really in Queen Latifah’s presence. She plays some sort of deal breaker between the two parties and this casting choice is a good one but the writing for her character is absurd. She talks frequently in sexually-odd and confusing references but the point of her characters presence is easy to interpret, Howard wants to show that the large pale gentlemen in the room are not monopolizing comedy or raunchy fun and that women can play at this game as well. I liked her inclusion even if the dialogue was strange between her and the other characters.
Overall the movie is only mediocre because it left me feeling ambivalent about how to classify it. I usually love Vaughan’s bromance type comedies, a la Wedding Crashes and Old School but this movie was not as much fun. I think the plot gave the movie a lot of potential to be hilarious, which is why I think the biggest issue I have with this film is that Ron Howard directed it. His career has been built on excellent dramas; he should have left this movie to a comedic director with more experience. After all, the comedy from James and Vaughan is formulaic and easy to manipulate into box office gold if directed properly, but somewhere in the making of this movie control was lost leading to an unfortunate dilemma for the audience.
The movie stars Ronnie (Vaughan) and Nick (James) as college friends Ronnie and now business partners in a Chicago-based automobile engine company. This brings me to my first issue with this film. The fact that the film takes place in Chicago reminded me of Vince Vaughan’s other Chicago-based romantic comedy The Breakup co-starring Jennifer Aniston and because Vaughan is originally from Chicago, this choice of location for two of his romantic comedies seemed kitschy. I did appreciate the nod to some of Chicago’s truly awesome local establishments such as the jazz club The Green Mill because the use of this club for James and Vaughan’s comedic dance duet scene was a good choice. In any case, these two large oafs have delicate and lovely girlfriends; Jennifer Connolly plays Beth, Ronnie’s girlfriend, and Winona Ryder as Geneva, Nick’s wife. These two actresses are poorly cast in these roles because they are aesthetically mismatched with their on-screen spouses if for no other reason than the massive size differential between the males and females. In addition, these women are vastly more attractive than their male counterparts and this serves as a bit of a distraction throughout the movie.
After we are introduced to these four main characters the plot begins to unfold. Ronnie accidentally spies on Geneva kissing a man named Zip, who is obviously not her husband and Ronnie’s best friend Nick. Channing Tatum plays Zip, the ridiculous rocker/stoner/moron/rageaholic that is not really funny, more dull and annoying. When Ronnie learns of Geneva’s affair, his moral crisis begins. After much soul-searching he decides to confront Geneva and tell her that he knows and her response is surprisingly vindictive and not at all remorseful. This exchange pits Ryder’s character as the villain and opponent to Vaughan’s morally righteous Ronnie. The other issue that challenges Ronnie’s loyalty to Nick and his desire to tell him of Geneva’s affair is that Geneva and Ronnie slept together in college twenty years ago and Nick having no idea, would be crushed if Geneva were to tell him, as she threatens to do if Ronnie tells Nick about her and Zip. Finally, Ronnie and Nick are in the middle of a huge make or break deal with Chrysler and the stress of the deal is causing Nick to have ulcers and the stress of his wife’s affair, Ronnie feels, may be too much for Nick to handle. From here, all kinds of ridiculous antics and scenarios ensue.
Some of the more comedic moments involve Ronnie stalking and then fighting Zip in a violent and bloody streetfight and Ronnie giving a horrendously awkward and inappropriate toast about honesty at Beth’s parents’ 40th wedding anniversary while staring down Geneva who is in attendance. The drama of the conflict is actually more interesting though. For instance, we learn that Ronnie had a severe gambling problem in the past that Beth and him worked through. We also learn that Geneva and Nick are in a severely loveless and distant marriage that has lead her into the arms of Zip, and he into the arms of an Asian erotic masseur at a shady parlor once a week. The implications of these issues are huge for both couples. Beth and Ronnie don’t feel like they can trust each other and when Ronnie starts sneaking around spying on Nick and Geneva, Beth assumes his sneakiness is related to a gambling relapse. Their interactions around this problem show that Ronnie has feelings and is not as shallow as he seems. It opens up a softer side of Vaughan in this role but his foray into deep feelings of love for Beth is distractingly similar to the one he embarks upon with Isla Fisher’s character in Wedding Crashers. This makes the emotional growth and epiphany less interesting. The realization on Ronnie’s behalf that the love has left Nick and Geneva’s marriage brings about some discussion of interesting relationship topics. For example, the notion that everyone must have secrets from their loved ones is explored as well as the idea as to whether or not it is wise to meddle in the lives and marriages of your friends, even if it is to do the right thing.
The culmination of all of Ronnie’s stalking and research on Geneva and his desire to tell her the truth comes at an intervention staged by Beth for Ronnie (because she assumes his fibs and sneaking around is a result of his gambling). Through some other plot meddling, Zip ends up at the intervention pretending to be Ronnie’s bookie. It is at this time that Ronnie feels he can’t keep it in any longer; he must tell Nick about Geneva’s infidelity. Geneva at this point stops being the villain and finally tries to do the right thing in a forced confession, but she has been so conniving and vindictive up to this point that the audience is simply done with her and unprepared to see her in any other light but a villainous one. She emotionally and tearfully confesses and then leaves, not to be seen again. Ryder, true to form, does not miss the opportunity to overact and is annoying to watch in this movie, so it is good riddance to her as she exits. Ronnie also decides to tell Nick that he and Geneva slept together 20 years ago, I couldn’t help but wonder if that was necessary. Nick is obviously humiliated and distraught by his wife’s betrayal but more so at Ronnie for knowing about it and not saying anything. There I believe lays Howard’s opinion of how we should handle this mess: risk your life as the messenger and tell your friend his wife is cheating on him no matter what the circumstances may be.
After this emotional climax I found myself concerned not with how the conflict between the two men would resolve, because it seemed obvious that Ronnie and Nick could work it out past Ronnie’s betrayal, but I was concerned with what would become of Beth and Ronnie. Though the couple lacks believable chemistry throughout the movie, Beth is pleasant and good and somehow I wanted the two of them to end up together if for no other reason than it would seem unfair if Ronnie lost his friend and his girlfriend in one sitting just because he accidentally found himself in this very messy situation. Luckily, they are able to talk it out and the seriousness with which they approach their relationship is refreshing to watch in a romantic comedy. There isn’t a huge separation and reunion for them, simply a problem and a conversation. Suddenly I found Ronnie to be very adult in this moment, which was a nice change of pace considering the last hour’s worth of antics I had endured to this point. They get engaged and the focus is back on how these two men are going to patch things up.
While the relationship drama was occurring, simultaneously Nick and Ronnie were trying to prepare for their big meeting with Chrysler and the blowout happened right before, so the audience doesn’t know if Nick is going to show up or if the two guys are going to be completely broke, thereby adding to their troubles. In fact Nick does show up to close the deal and after some cheap punches are thrown Ronnie’s way the two gentlemen are friends again. The side story of the Chrysler deal is only notable really in Queen Latifah’s presence. She plays some sort of deal breaker between the two parties and this casting choice is a good one but the writing for her character is absurd. She talks frequently in sexually-odd and confusing references but the point of her characters presence is easy to interpret, Howard wants to show that the large pale gentlemen in the room are not monopolizing comedy or raunchy fun and that women can play at this game as well. I liked her inclusion even if the dialogue was strange between her and the other characters.
Overall the movie is only mediocre because it left me feeling ambivalent about how to classify it. I usually love Vaughan’s bromance type comedies, a la Wedding Crashes and Old School but this movie was not as much fun. I think the plot gave the movie a lot of potential to be hilarious, which is why I think the biggest issue I have with this film is that Ron Howard directed it. His career has been built on excellent dramas; he should have left this movie to a comedic director with more experience. After all, the comedy from James and Vaughan is formulaic and easy to manipulate into box office gold if directed properly, but somewhere in the making of this movie control was lost leading to an unfortunate dilemma for the audience.
Monday
Album Review: Doo-wops and Hooligans
Artist: Bruno Mars
Album: Doo-wops and Hooligans
Words: 540
When someone asks you what genres of music you like some would say rock, country, hip-hop, or even pop. Each and every person has a different taste in what they like. This variation in taste has been the catalyst of many new styles. Some where along the chain of newly birthed styles came “Top 40’s” a genre that came from songs that were topping the charts. The confusion of this is that it is has become somewhat of an oxymoron due to the fact of artist focusing on achieving this style. But Top 40 shouldn’t be a style is should be just an accomplishment. Bruno Mars’ is an excellent example of such an artist; his style consists of all popular styles. He has no definitive approach on music, thus Mars has proven that marketing alone can create just enough hype for an album so that everyone listening ignores the fact that the lyrics are meaningless and that the music is average “Top 40” fodder.
Bruno Mars’ new album entitled “Doo-Wops and Hooligans” is mediocre. His falsetto voice coupled with the trite lyrics make the album catchy, however it’s anything but special. His album bespeaks a larger issue in the music industry: artists have ceased to be, and now are merely puppets for labels trying to make a quick buck. His album has features from artists like Damien Marley, B.O.B and Cee-Low Green. All three artists bring something else to the table: one reggae, one hip-hop, and one r&b. He starts of the album with the song Grenade, a song that is simply about him loving someone who in no way values the love he has for her. He continues this love ballad theme into the next song, Just the way you are, where he explains how amazing this girl he loves is. His third and forth songs are more of his sappy sudo-romantic attempt to please all. He has the perfect elements for a love/romance album but decides to change the pace at about the middle of the album with The lazy song where he just continues to talk about doing nothing for a total of 3:16, in which I would rather do nothing at all then listen to this song. The album continues with more nothing tracks like talking to the moon and count on me. The only two decent songs that made any impression on me in any manor were Liquor store blues and The other side. Both of these songs also happened to be songs with feature artists. The improvements on these songs were they contained some form of enthusiasm or care for entertainment. I felt as if the way each song was written Bruno had very little care on there affect on his listeners but that he was able to carry a large audience and make his way to his “Top 40” location. If only he were to choose one distinct style and possibly find a genre of his own then maybe he could carry his rank on the charts and carry a lasting career. The only thing done correctly in his entire project was accurately naming his album “Doo-wops and Hooligans” because all I heard were a few “Doo-wops” that only a “Hooligans” could like.
Album: Doo-wops and Hooligans
Words: 540
When someone asks you what genres of music you like some would say rock, country, hip-hop, or even pop. Each and every person has a different taste in what they like. This variation in taste has been the catalyst of many new styles. Some where along the chain of newly birthed styles came “Top 40’s” a genre that came from songs that were topping the charts. The confusion of this is that it is has become somewhat of an oxymoron due to the fact of artist focusing on achieving this style. But Top 40 shouldn’t be a style is should be just an accomplishment. Bruno Mars’ is an excellent example of such an artist; his style consists of all popular styles. He has no definitive approach on music, thus Mars has proven that marketing alone can create just enough hype for an album so that everyone listening ignores the fact that the lyrics are meaningless and that the music is average “Top 40” fodder.
Bruno Mars’ new album entitled “Doo-Wops and Hooligans” is mediocre. His falsetto voice coupled with the trite lyrics make the album catchy, however it’s anything but special. His album bespeaks a larger issue in the music industry: artists have ceased to be, and now are merely puppets for labels trying to make a quick buck. His album has features from artists like Damien Marley, B.O.B and Cee-Low Green. All three artists bring something else to the table: one reggae, one hip-hop, and one r&b. He starts of the album with the song Grenade, a song that is simply about him loving someone who in no way values the love he has for her. He continues this love ballad theme into the next song, Just the way you are, where he explains how amazing this girl he loves is. His third and forth songs are more of his sappy sudo-romantic attempt to please all. He has the perfect elements for a love/romance album but decides to change the pace at about the middle of the album with The lazy song where he just continues to talk about doing nothing for a total of 3:16, in which I would rather do nothing at all then listen to this song. The album continues with more nothing tracks like talking to the moon and count on me. The only two decent songs that made any impression on me in any manor were Liquor store blues and The other side. Both of these songs also happened to be songs with feature artists. The improvements on these songs were they contained some form of enthusiasm or care for entertainment. I felt as if the way each song was written Bruno had very little care on there affect on his listeners but that he was able to carry a large audience and make his way to his “Top 40” location. If only he were to choose one distinct style and possibly find a genre of his own then maybe he could carry his rank on the charts and carry a lasting career. The only thing done correctly in his entire project was accurately naming his album “Doo-wops and Hooligans” because all I heard were a few “Doo-wops” that only a “Hooligans” could like.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)