A childhood favorite revisited

"I went to see 'Joe and the Volcano.' It was very funny. It had tom Hanks and meg Ryan. My mom and dad took me my sister went too. I like the part when Joe was on a raft and he started danceing. Soon he reached the Island. They had fun until the time Joe had to jump in the volcano. But when Joe and his girl friend jumped into the volcano they got Busted out agin. Joe's lugege poped out of the water and Joe out of it. Joe and his girl friend floated away." (Written by me on September 28, 1990. Please excuse spelling and grammatical errors -- I was 7.)

For the record, the movie is actually called "Joe Versus the Volcano." I saw it as a child and it has been a favorite of my family's ever since. Some films don't really stand the test of time and maturity. For example, a movie like "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" might not hold the same charm for me now as it did 20 years ago. But I recently watched "Joe Versus the Volcano" again and it was as good, nay better, than it was back when I was 7. As an adult, I can relate to the story on a whole new level -- not to mention I understood more of the jokes. Anyone who is tired of the daily grind will love the opening sequence where Tom Hanks arrives at his utterly depressing office and pours himself a cup of bad coffee under the flickering fluorescent lights. After being diagnosed with a mysterious terminal illness called a "brain cloud," Joe is asked to travel to Waponi Woo and jump into a volcano as a human sacrifice to an island god. Joe must decide between spending his remaining days punching his card at the office or having the adventure of a lifetime -- a no brainer it seems. Between then and his run-in with the volcano on Waponi Woo, Joe encounters a variety of interesting characters and sees and does things he never could have imagined. It's an example of the classic irony, he never learned how to really live until he was facing death. If you're around my age and haven't seen "Joe Versus the Volcano" in a couple decades, I highly recommend that you check it out again. If you liked it back then, you'll love it now. And if you didn't like it (which is highly possible because it's an entirely under-appreciated film), maybe you'll learn to love it. And hey, it's Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, and the most awesome set of luggage ever witnessed by mankind -- what's not to love?

The "Integration Under the Sea" dance -- only in Mississippi

In 1997, actor Morgan Freeman offered to pay for the senior prom at Charleston High School in his hometown of Charleston, Mississippi, where he still resides today. The school declined. Why? Because Freeman was only willing to foot the bill on one condition: The prom had to be integrated. Even though the school had been desegregated since 1970, every spring the seniors had two separate privately-hosted proms -- one for white students and one for black students. Ten years later, filmmaker Paul Saltzman approached Freeman and asked if the offer was still on the table. This time, the school agreed, and thus the HBO documentary "Prom Night in Mississippi" begins. When I first heard about this film about a year ago, I was still living in Greenwood, about an hour south of Charleston. If you're living in (insert name of any non-southern white-bread American suburb here) and you hear about a high school that doesn't allow white and black students to mix at the prom and it's the 21st century, you might be shocked. But if you live in the Mississippi Delta or in many other places around the South, this story is so familiar you feel like you could have written it yourself. In Greenwood, for example, having separate proms isn't an issue -- because black and white students don't even attend the same school (yes, this is still happening, in the United States, in 2010.) "Prom Night in Mississippi" focuses mainly on the students of Charleston High School, many of whom don't agree with the segregated proms and are excited about changing the tradition and making history at their school. As Saltzman learns through the school administrators and the students themselves, it's mostly the parents and the school board members who have forced this out-of-date custom. And as plans for the integrated prom are underway, the film crew learns that some parents, who refused to be interviewed, are still planning on hosting a "private" prom for the white students. This theme of passing the blame onto the older generations is replayed throughout, but the film's weakness is that it's missing the voices of these parents and school board members. We hear the students, staying true to their young ideals, calling the separate proms "stupid" and saying they "don't care about race and just accept people for who they are," but it doesn't dig much deeper than that. In fact, though the racism of the people of Charleston was discussed throughout the film, no one who actually represented these views agreed to an interview. So we never really get a taste of the bitterness at the heart of the story. So, in the end, even though the school's first integrated prom went off without a hitch, there was still a white prom, and we don't quite understand why. Perhaps for many people, just the idea of modern high school students being subjected to Jim Crow-esque segregation is a novel concept, but I was hoping for more out of "Prom Night in Mississippi." More information, more insight, and especially more honesty. I was left wondering how the students of Charleston High School and residents of the town REALLY felt about each other and about this historical event.

Fear and loathing in Connecticut

I recently read "The Feminine Mystique," mostly just so that I could say I read it, but I did really enjoy it. In addition to being a fascinating book in and of itself, I've also found that many films and television programs have become more interesting to me when viewed in the context of "The Feminine Mystique" -- most notably AMC's "Mad Men" and the 2009 film "Revolutionary Road." If you're not watching "Mad Men," you should be. It's probably one of the best shows on television right now. But, since I've chosen movies as my focus here, let's turn our attention to "Revolutionary Road." The film, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, takes place in the 1950s and tells the story of the Wheelers, a middle-class suburban couple who, despite their big dreams, have turned out to be average, no different from anyone else. The first time I saw the film, this concept drew me in instantly, because don't we all feel this way sometimes? As children, most of us have big dreams about becoming an astronaut, a movie star, a football player, etc. But then we grow up and settle for more realistic professions, get married, have kids -- we become "ordinary," just like we told ourselves we'd never be. Of course, most people never take their frustration to the extremes that the Wheelers do, they just sigh and move on with life, but that's why they aren't fictional characters. After reading "The Feminine Mystique," I saw "Revolutionary Road" a second time. This time, I got to thinking about Frank Wheeler, DiCaprio's character, and how he seemed even more trapped and confused than his wife. He was even less willing to dare to dream bigger than she was. Though "The Feminine Mystique" focused on women and was a driving force behind the feminist movement, wasn't Betty Friedan's "problem that has no name" an issue affecting men as well? Perhaps even as much as it affected women? Didn't men also feel trapped by the expectations of society during that time period? Another interesting tidbit was that "Revolutionary Road" was directed by Sam Mendes, who a decade ago brought us "American Beauty," which shows a family dealing with many of these same issues in modern-day suburbia. Again, this got me thinking about how far we've actually come in the past 50 years. Of course social progress has been made in terms of gender equality, but psychologically, aren't people still looking around and thinking, "Is this it? Wasn't there supposed to be more to life than this?" Thought-provoking issues aside, "Revolutionary Road" was a brilliant film all around, especially the performances by Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio, two of my favorites. And yes, I will stop carrying on about how awesome Leonardo DiCaprio is...just as soon as he stops being awesome.

The answer to my love-hate relationship with rom-coms

So don't get me wrong, I love a good romantic comedy as much as the next gal. Problem is, it's becoming increasingly difficult to find "good" movies within this genre. Most of the rom-coms out there these days follow the same generic formula and are: A) Not funny, so can barely be classified as comedies, and B) So unrealistic that they bear little resemblance to actual relationships and make us all question our existence as imperfect people. That being said, it's hard to even consider "(500) Days of Summer" a romantic comedy because it is: A) Funny, and B) A truly realistic depiction of a relationship -- the ups and downs, the exhilaration and the depression. If you've ever fallen in love or had your heart broken, you'll be able to relate. Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel play Tom Hansen, a hopeless romantic looking for the love of his life, and Summer Finn, an aloof young woman who is not, as it turns out, the love of Tom's life. Don't worry, I didn't just give away the ending. "(500) Days of Summer" begins at the point of the couple's break up and then examines the relationship in reverse through Tom's eyes, from the initial attraction to the point where things went wrong. In that sense, it reminded me of sort of a less depressing version of "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," which is a great film and one of my all-time favorites, but let's be honest, kind of a drag. (Speaking of, I can't find my DVD copy of "Eternal Sunshine." If you borrowed/stole it, please return. You can just drop it on my doorstep -- no questions will be asked.) Tom's first attempts to win Summer over and then his later efforts to cling to her as Summer becomes obviously bored with him were played with such charm that Joseph Gordon-Levitt (yes, the kid from "Third Rock from the Sun") has definitely solidified his place as one of my new favorite actors. And of course, Zooey Deschanel is always a pleasure -- Bonus: you get to hear her sing in one scene. I think what I loved so much about "(500) Days of Summer" also is that it avoided the traps that many independent films tend to fall into. It was intelligent without being pretentious, and it was off-beat without being inscrutable. I get tired of movies that try way to hard to be "artsy" and end up sacrificing anything that would have made them actually enjoyable to watch. "(500) Days of Summer" proves that a film can be witty, original, AND entertaining.

This blog post is for humans only

As of now, I haven't seen most of the films that were nominated for "Best Picture" before the Academy Awards aired last weekend, but one I did catch was "District 9." "The Hurt Locker" took home the prize, but make no mistake, "District 9" is no loser. In short, it's a sci-fi action movie with a brain. It's the classic "aliens invade Earth" scenario, but instead of coming to New York or London intent on destruction, these aliens arrived in Johannesburg, South Africa, in the 1980's, malnourished, sick, and seeking refuge. They are initially welcomed by the humans and housed in a temporary government camp, called District 9. Twenty years later, the "prawns" as they come to be known, are still living in the camp, which has become a slum, and the humans of Johannesburg are growing tired of their presence. A Nigerian warlord has moved into District 9, where he deals in inter-species prostitution and gives the aliens cans of cat food in exchange for their weapons. The Multi-National United company (MNU) wishes to move the aliens to a "better" camp outside of Johannesburg, but in reality they are more interested in studying alien genetics and weapons than in ensuring their well-being. MNU field operative Wikus van der Merwe is the man charged with moving the aliens to the new camp. When he arrives with his team to serve the eviction notices, he is accidentally exposed to a strange alien fluid. He begins to feel ill, and after collapsing at a surprise party at his home that night, he goes to the hospital and discovers that he is beginning to take on alien characteristics. MNU now wants him for genetic and weapons testing, but Wikus escapes and returns to District 9 to seek help. He teams up with an alien who says he can help Wikus become human again if he'll help him return to his ship and get back to his home planet. I read that the director and writer of "District 9," Neill Blomkamp, based the film on his experiences growing up in South Africa during apartheid. In fact, the set for District 9 in the movie was no set at all. It was an actual South African slum, which the filmmakers risked their safety entering every day. The director's driver reportedly had his car stolen at gunpoint one night while driving to the site. Despite the parallels to the real history of Johannesburg though, I actually found the new take on aliens to the be the most interesting part of "District 9." Most science-fiction films depict aliens as hostile creatures who mean to destroy us and take over our planet. But what if this wasn't the case? What if they did show up as poor, hungry, huddled masses? How would the human race react? Considering how cold we tend to be to people of other races and nationalities, it's hard to imagine we would show any kindness to beings from a completely different planet. I thought the idea of setting up government housing for the aliens was probably a vast overestimate of the welcome they would get in reality. I don't know if I believe in aliens or not, but I do know one thing, if they do exist, they're probably much better off wherever they are, far away from Earth.

What happens in Vegas makes for entertaining cinema

So let's say you're writing a film about four guys out to have the ultimate bachelor party. At some point in the action, you want the characters to win $80,000 to pay off a crazed Asian high-roller, kidnap Mike Tyson's tiger, and marry one of their friends off to a stripper/escort. What setting do you choose for said film? Boise? You might be able to find a strip club, but it'd be hard to come up with the cash. Minneapolis? No Mike Tyson tigers there. Orlando? Possibly, but too many kids around. No, there's only one place -- Vegas baby! Las Vegas is arguably the best place in America to go crazy in. If you want to enjoy a no holds barred, hang out with your wang out good time, there's no place better than Sin City, and that's what makes it a dream location for Hollywood scouts. "The Hangover" is an example of Vegas cinema at its raunchy finest. Ed Helms (who we all know and love as Andy Bernard on "The Office"), Zach Galifianakis (who has turned the quasi-ruhtard Alan into a household name), and Bradley Cooper (who really needs no explanation because he's EVERYWHERE right now) play three guys who have to hit the streets using missing teeth and hospital wristbands as clues to find their friend Doug after a night of drunken debauchery that none of them can remember. Only in Vegas, folks. What are some other Las Vegas movie classics? "Oceans Eleven" (1960 and 2001 versions): A gang of thieves plans an elaborate casino heist. "Viva Las Vegas": Elvis Presley and Las Vegas, a match made in tacky heaven. "Rain Man": There's only one place to go when you want to exploit your autistic older brother's card-counting talents. "Honeymoon in Vegas": What to do when you can't pay your gambling debts? Trade in your fiance! (P.S. This movie also get a bonus for featuring flying Elvises.) "Casino": Why come up with a money-laundering scheme when you can steal from gamblers legally? "Showgirls": Just one little stripper, who never hurt anyone, who is just trying to make her way in the world -- naked! "Leaving Las Vegas": When you want to drink yourself to death in the arms of a prostitute, again, there's nowhere better. "Fools Rush In" and/or "What Happens in Vegas": After drunken one-night stands, grown men and women learn absolutely no lesson from their mistakes when they fall in love anyway. "Swingers": You're so money baby and you don't even know it. "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas": Title says it all. "Pay It Forward": A child's do-gooder theory sweeps the nation, but started at his Clark County public school. This is by no means a comprehensive list, but just some highlights (and lowlights) of films set in Las Vegas. And as long as people can still cash their paychecks at the casinos, carry open containers down the street, and get married at drive-through windows, I'm sure there will be many more to come. Viva Las Vegas!

Lifetime: Are you man enough?

Life has been busy lately and I'm afraid I haven't been able to watch many movies, which means I've also been neglecting this blog a bit. But tonight I had a chance to light some candles, draw a nice hot bath, and watch some Lifetime (aka television for women.) Just kidding about the first two, but I did watch a Lifetime movie (hanging head in shame.) As much as it pains me to admit it, this was not my first, or my second, or third -- I pretty much lost count a long time ago. Lifetime is a guilty pleasure of mine, and even better is its sister station, the Lifetime Movie Network, where it's all made-for-tv movies all the time. Now, in my defense, it's not as if I go out of my way to watch these films. It's usually a situation where a) There's nothing better to do or b) I start watching and then can't seem to bring myself to change the channel. Anyone who's ever watched a Lifetime movie can back me up here -- they do seem to suck you in. There seem to be three formulas at work: the true-life drama, the false-life drama, or the completely ridiculous comedy. My favorites are the comedies, because sometimes the plots just get so nuts, you have to admire them for going there. You know how all the great Oscar-worthy films get released around Christmas? Well, if there were an awards show coming up for silly Lifetime movies, here are a few doozies I saw back in December that would be up for the honors:

1. Eve's Christmas: A few days before Christmas, a young woman, played by Elisa Donovan, makes a wish and wakes up 8 years in the past to rethink the decision she made when she left her fiance on Christmas Eve to follow her career in New York City. (I liked this movie better the first time I saw it, when it was called "The Family Man" with Nicholas Cage.)

2. Road to Christmas: Jennifer Grey stars as a woman who hitches a ride across the country to get to her Christmas Eve wedding in Aspen. In a fully predictable twist, she ends up falling for the guy driving her, but it all works out because her fiance turns out to be gay. (Sure ladies, hitch-hiking with strangers could be dangerous...or you could live happily ever after. Worth the gamble?)

3. Secret Santa: A newspaper reporter, played by Jennie Garth, tries to uncover the identity of "Secret Santa" a kind soul who grants a Christmas wish to one lucky person in need every year. As the tagline says, she discovers that "the best gift to open is your heart." (Such a lame movie, but I did find myself sticking it out to the end because I wanted to find out who Secret Santa was.)

4. 12 Men of Christmas: Kristen Chenoweth plays a New York City publicist who ends up in Montana helping some lumberjack-types make a shirtless hunk calendar to raise money for their emergency rescue program. No really, that's the actual plot. (Shameless Lifetime, absolutely shameless.)

That's just to name a few. There are countless Lifetime movies out there that are equally groan-inducing. Anyone want to share one of their favorites?