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May 29, 2007
FIVE GOLDEN LINKS
1. Further proof that Kobe Bryant is a bad person and a virus to whover is around him.
I loathe this man. I don't know if it's just classic case of a (young) man gaining the world but losing his soul, or if it can simply be boiled down to a bad person acting badly. Either way, he is the most detestable superstar of my lifetime, and this in an age of Mike Tyson, all the dopers in baseball, and Barry Bonds. There is no one I like watching lose more, and this article gives me hope that he will continue to lose (because his childish antics keep the Lakers from adding top talent), thus proving my point.
2. A great article from The Oxford American on Paul Newman and the cracker persona he adopted for the many Southern-backdrop movies he was in.
Carson uses Newman as a vehicle to discuss Southern movies. Newman starred in THE LONG HOT SUMMER, CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF, SWEET BIRD OF YOUTH, COOL HAND LUKE, HUD, and a few other sweat-soaked, ham-tastics classics. Actors love to play Southerners, because it means they roll their consonants and fan themselves with a paper hat. Recently, Sean Penn did considerable damage to his reputation with an interpretation of Huey Long that was somewhere in between a retarded teenager and a drunken high school football coach. But butchering Southern accents and personas is a filmic tradition that goes back a long way, and its ugliness is portrayed in performances as diverse as Nick Nolte in PRINCE OF TIDES, Rod Steiger in IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT, Keanu Reeves in THE DEVILS ADVOCATE, Karl Malden in BABY DOLL, and Kevin Costner in too many performances to name (In some sort of acting hell, Costner will be pushing a boulder up and down a hill for all his accent crimes.)
The best Southern accents in movie history are almost unnoticeable. Burt Reynolds, a real Southerner whom I have long admitted my hideous man-love for, never plays it up any more than he needs to. Jon Voight, despite being from Yonkers, puts on a naturally affected drawl that must be calculated but somehow doesn't seem so. In THE GREAT SANTINI and COOKIE'S FORTUNE, the directors rely on well-drawn character, and not several well-placed "Ya'll"s.
I'm not sure who has the worst Southern accent. This is a topic for discussion.
But the Carson article is interesting for a many reasons, but loses points for Carson's arrogant criticism of COOL HAND LUKE. If you watch it today, COOL HAND LUKE doesn't date at all, mostly because it plays on timeless themes and features brilliant performances.
3. A very funny Jim Carrey/Will Ferrell SNL skit. Carrey plays a life-guard for a hot tub. He's at his ACE VENTURE-era best, showing the kind of unpretentious wackiness we haven't really seen since THE TRUMAN SHOW convinced him he should pepper every comic performance with a lot of pathos and affectations; it's like his career has become a commentary on itself. His post-TRUMAN comic best is BRUCE ALMIGHTY, but only in portions. Many scenes could be played by any of the reigning romcom dorks, whether it be Ben Affleck or Demi Moore's husband.
But in this episode of SNL, Carrey was blowing me away. Another skit, that I couldn't find, had him punctuating every sentence with "I'll See You In Hell." Then, the skit closes with Carrey hanging out in Hell, and happy to see everyone.
4. My friend Ann Brainerd gave me a good article about dealing with panhandlers from a Biblical perspective. This has become a real issue for me. I've decided that I need to construct an ethos for panhandlers. In the past, I've been very inconsistent - I'll either give them money so they'll leave me alone, or I'll say I don't have money even if I do, or I'll just tell them no. On good days, when my schedule isn't pressing, I'll buy them a sandwich, but this often serves only to make me feel good about myself and get "random act of kindness" points.
The problem is that I am, apparently, Prime Rib for panhandlers. I have seen them zero in on me at gas stations when there are twenty other people around. I don't completely understand this psychology, but I'm sure there is a strategy for unscrupulous beggars who lie to get whatever they need. A conversation with these sad people only opens up more lies, and more commitment. This, of course, sours us to those who actually do need help - because often the liars are more convincing that the truly needy.
I don't think this essay answers any of my big questions, but it does help fuel my ever-expanding world view on the subject. It is such a complex issue, and one that I rarely consider. Any thoughts?
5. I have turned a number of people on to FILMSPOTTING, the only Podcast I listen to regularly. I love this show (movie-reviews and more) and look forward to it every week, even though I rarely go to the movies any more. Last week, they read an entire email of mine on the air (I'm "Andrew" Black). Basically, I was taking to task co-host Sam "Van" Hallgren over his petty, contrarian review of DOUBLE INDEMNITY, one of the handful or so of Masterpieces that I would take with me to a desert island. You can hear me (or at least Adam Kempenaar reading my passionate response) here - Just skip ahead to about 28:40 on the clock. (You can right click the link to d/l it into ITunes; or just go to about of the bar on the screen that comes up)
Sam was just plain wrong about this one, and it further aligns me with Adam Kempenaar, officially my favorite critic. His rapport with Sam is what makes the show fun but I'd follow Adam even if he got his own show, blog, or website. He has a great respect for classic movies and a frustration with modern excesses, but mostly what you gather is that he's not a film snob, and he just flat out loves movies. The worst criticism I can give critics is that it's apparently that they love reviewing movies, but hate movies. Owen Glieberman and David Edelstein are two of the worst of these: their prose is catty, their damning assessments shallow. Often their reviews only serve to prove that they can pick apart the logic of a story and thus prove it unworthy. While Adam is not giving five-star reviews to everything he sees, his comments often make me decide whether or not I'm going to go to the movie theater.
| By Andytown | 06:12 PM
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Comments
Hey, if you get a chance, go see "Avenue Montaines". We both liked it. And, I think "Once" will be coming to a theater in Memphis. We saw it at Sundance and loved it. "Blackbook" is a bunch of hype with some gaping plot holes.
Posted by: Ben at May 29, 2007 11:17 PM
w/r/t #4 - thanks for the link about "panhandlers." it's something i struggle with as well (and a common source of debate between alex and me). my general approach to the matter has always been to give freely when asked - if i have money to spare and someone asks for some change, i just give it, no question. i still don't believe this is something for which i should have to apologize or feel ashamed, BUT the article definitely challenged me to try and look at the issue from a different angle..
Posted by: jenny (winston. from nashville. alex's wife.) at June 1, 2007 11:26 AM
There is not a trace of a doubt in my mind that the two worst southern accents ever caught on film are:
1) James Van Der Beek as Jonathan Moxon in Varsity Blues and 2) Eric Bana as Hoot in Blackhawk Down. These two actors (and the directors who failed to reign them in seem to think that a southern accent simply involves sounding cool and tough. Pathetic
Posted by: Harvey at June 20, 2007 03:41 PM