The Hit: Criterion + Talented Cast and Behind-the-Lens Personnel + Crime Theme = Pretentious, overpraised art pic. Wait, no, what am I saying? I mean that all that equals a sure-fire quality DVD package. Jeez, I don't know what got me there.
Johnny Got His Gun: Maybe THIS got me. I have wanted to see this anti-war movie ever since Metallica used clips for its epic "One" video. I'll bet many others have, too, but this has been all but out of circulation for years, and all we ever hear about it is, yeah, it's the one from the Metallica video, it's kind of spooky, and Dalton Trumbo wrote it. Now we get to see it and freak out together. I mean all of us. Any volunteers to host? I'll bring the sesame sticks.
Bride Wars: Anne Hathaway might have made many forget about her acclaimed performance in "Rachel Got Married" had anyone seen this goofy wedding-angst comedy. And Kate Hudson might have...She might have...Uh, what was that good movie she was in a while back? Where she was, like, a groupie or something? And that kid was palling around with Billy Crudup while all those songs played?
JCVD: This is a piece of film history, folks: Since I am getting this from Netflix, this is, yes, the first Jean Claude Van Damme movie I have ever paid money to see! I am looking forward to this piece of meta VanDammery, too.
Frost/Nixon: Complete Interviews: Uh, it's cool that the complete interviews are out now, but I kind of feel like a tool for bothering to rent the Watergate segments when they came out a few weeks ago. I want to see it all! I'm hoping David Frost asked the former prez about the single most disgraceful act he ever performed in office--declaring Texas the national champion for 1969 when Penn State was 11-0.
Nothing but the Truth: Rod Lurie's tale, loosely inspired by the Judith Miller/Valerie Plame saga, proves that audiences won't turn out to see adult political thrillers...when the studios refuse to release them in theaters.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Cary Grant: Best Cartoon Voice Ever?
With apologies to industry legends like Mel Blanc and Daws Butler, I am beginning to think the best cartoon voice of all time belongs to Cary Grant. I believe this despite Grant, to my knowledge, never having done a voice for a cartoon.
It's why Cary Granite is one of the best-loved supporting characters in the history of "The Flintstones," it's why Fancy was never blown off the screen by Choo-Choo and Benny the Ball in "Top Cat," and it's why I sat transfixed watching old "Dick Tracy" cartoons with my father around Christmastime.
"Dick Tracy" is a fun show but not what I'd call a classic. But each time a certain character came on the screen, a police officer/dog who led "The Retouchables" in an ongoing fight against crime, I couldn't look away. He fascinated me, and it was at least 97.32% because of his ersatz Cary Grant accent. Sure, on some intellectual level, I realized that I was watching a series of drawings and that the voice was not actually coming from that dog. But on my unintellectual level, I was like, "Whoa, that is one debonair dog!"
I put on a disc of Harveytoons a while back, and suddenly in the middle of one, a character named The Cat appeared, a feline that happened to talk like Grant. The voice didn't fool me, nor did it likely fool anyone else then or since, into thinking it actually WAS Cary Grant, but that mattered not. Just the act of "doing Cary Grant" gave The Cat credibility. It made the cartoon more compelling right away.
Oh, how I wish the great man himself had actually voiced some cartoons. It might be too much to expect a full-fledged series like "The New Adventures of Cary Grant" on 1970s Saturday morning TV, but he could have done some guest work on "Wait Till Your Father gets Home," for example. Or put him on "The Jetsons," saying--you guessed it--"Judy, Judy, Judy" to the awestruck Jetson teenager.
We missed out on a lot, but we still have the enduring legacy of the Cary Grant voice in cartoons, even if it was never done by Cary Grant.
It's why Cary Granite is one of the best-loved supporting characters in the history of "The Flintstones," it's why Fancy was never blown off the screen by Choo-Choo and Benny the Ball in "Top Cat," and it's why I sat transfixed watching old "Dick Tracy" cartoons with my father around Christmastime.
"Dick Tracy" is a fun show but not what I'd call a classic. But each time a certain character came on the screen, a police officer/dog who led "The Retouchables" in an ongoing fight against crime, I couldn't look away. He fascinated me, and it was at least 97.32% because of his ersatz Cary Grant accent. Sure, on some intellectual level, I realized that I was watching a series of drawings and that the voice was not actually coming from that dog. But on my unintellectual level, I was like, "Whoa, that is one debonair dog!"
I put on a disc of Harveytoons a while back, and suddenly in the middle of one, a character named The Cat appeared, a feline that happened to talk like Grant. The voice didn't fool me, nor did it likely fool anyone else then or since, into thinking it actually WAS Cary Grant, but that mattered not. Just the act of "doing Cary Grant" gave The Cat credibility. It made the cartoon more compelling right away.
Oh, how I wish the great man himself had actually voiced some cartoons. It might be too much to expect a full-fledged series like "The New Adventures of Cary Grant" on 1970s Saturday morning TV, but he could have done some guest work on "Wait Till Your Father gets Home," for example. Or put him on "The Jetsons," saying--you guessed it--"Judy, Judy, Judy" to the awestruck Jetson teenager.
We missed out on a lot, but we still have the enduring legacy of the Cary Grant voice in cartoons, even if it was never done by Cary Grant.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Cultureshark Remembers Bea Arthur
Bea Arthur, who died this weekend of cancer at 86, was one of the funniest women ever on television. I want to say that right away because I think somewhere along the way, her talent as a comedienne was overshadowed by her reputation as a tough broad. The tall, imposing appearance and the deep voice helped give her a certain aura, for sure, and then there were those characters she played: There aren't many actresses who could have softened their images by playing Dorothy Zbornak on "The Golden Girls," but that was Bea. One of her catchphrases on that show was telling Betty White, "Shut up, Rose," but even then, you see it now and you're like, "Wow, she's a lot mellower than she was on 'Maude.'"
But leave that and her status in recent years as a "go-to gal" for comics looking to get a cheap laugh at someone's lack of femininity and/or attractiveness (I believe it was Jeffrey Ross who coined the joke, "I wouldn't engage in marital relations with you even were I to use the male appendage of Bea Arthur," although he said it in much cruder and funnier language) aside. Bea Arthur was funny, funny, funny. I don't know that she gets enough credit for that. I know comedy is a matter of personal taste, but I'd sure rather watch something with Bea Arthur--even the "Star Wars Holiday Special"--than the average, say, Lucille Ball show.
Bea Arthur could crack me up with not just a sarcastic putdown (I love how those two words ever go together--how come we never hear about a "sincere putdown?"), but with a mere facial expression. Some of the best moments on "Maude" and "The Golden Girls" are simple reaction shots that just frame Arthur and linger on her for a few seconds. The woman was brilliant.
One of the characteristics of a great comedian is the ability to make you laugh even when you know the line (or the take) is coming, or maybe especially when you know it's coming. Much of what I remember Bea Arthur for is like that--material that doesn't surprise me in and of itself but becomes hilarious due to her timing.
Bea Arthur, one of the greats, is already missed. R.I.P.
But leave that and her status in recent years as a "go-to gal" for comics looking to get a cheap laugh at someone's lack of femininity and/or attractiveness (I believe it was Jeffrey Ross who coined the joke, "I wouldn't engage in marital relations with you even were I to use the male appendage of Bea Arthur," although he said it in much cruder and funnier language) aside. Bea Arthur was funny, funny, funny. I don't know that she gets enough credit for that. I know comedy is a matter of personal taste, but I'd sure rather watch something with Bea Arthur--even the "Star Wars Holiday Special"--than the average, say, Lucille Ball show.
Bea Arthur could crack me up with not just a sarcastic putdown (I love how those two words ever go together--how come we never hear about a "sincere putdown?"), but with a mere facial expression. Some of the best moments on "Maude" and "The Golden Girls" are simple reaction shots that just frame Arthur and linger on her for a few seconds. The woman was brilliant.
One of the characteristics of a great comedian is the ability to make you laugh even when you know the line (or the take) is coming, or maybe especially when you know it's coming. Much of what I remember Bea Arthur for is like that--material that doesn't surprise me in and of itself but becomes hilarious due to her timing.
Bea Arthur, one of the greats, is already missed. R.I.P.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Notes from a Borders
Every now and then, I like to visit the local bookstore to see what's new and what's shaking. Since I don't really have a local bookstore, I usually just head to the nearest Borders.
*There are still plenty of books about Lincoln and Obama all over the place. If you like the history section, you'd better like Lincoln. If you like just walking into the store and looking at the new and notable releases, you'd better like Lincoln. And the current prez is still soaking up the retail space, with his mug adorning books, commemorative inauguration mags and papers, and so on. There are dozens of other presidents, too, you know. I saw a softcover edition of a recent Polk bio. How about some more love for James K. Polk?
*I'm not as big a follower of tennis as I used to be, nor am I much of a player (I get out on the courts, oh, about never). Yet I'm intrigued by two new releases and glad to see tennis get some prime shelf placement right in the front of the store.
It took me a long time to warm up to Monica Seles, and though she's using her eating disorder as the hook for her memoirs, I'd like to read about her overall career. But though I get that a "grip" is a vital part of any tennis pro's game, couldn't someone have offered her a less-mockable title than "Getting a Grip: On My Body, My Mind, My Self"? Or is my inner Beavis going overboard here?
*The other interesting tennis book just released is "A Terrible Splendor: Three Extraordinary Men, A World Poised for War, and the Greatest Tennis Match Ever Played." Now, there is a lot of hyperbole in that title, yes, but the match in question is a Davis Cup tussle between legendary Don Budge and...uh, a German player. All I know about him is that he was in trouble with the Nazis, and he was apparently Extraordinary. When the Nazis are involved against the Americans, I think we can all agree the word Greatest is in play. It looks like a fascinating story about a sporting event that is seldom discussed today. If author Marshall Jon Fisher can deliver on the implication of his title and tie the world atmosphere into the tennis, it ought to be a great read.
*Speaking of dominating the shelves: "Twilight." Still. I guess it's good for business, but I can't remember the last time I entered a Borders without nearly stumbling into one of those books (or related products).
*This location, at least is having a big 50% CD and DVD sale, but it looks to be older stuff that is already priced to high. I wonder if they're phasing out those products. I don't like buying music there, but I enjoy listening to it every now and then.
*A look at the sports section reveals a pleasant surprise--the DK WWE Encyclopedia is an impressive-looking book, loaded with pics and info in an attractive package. I won't pay 50 bucks for it, but if it hits the bargain tables, yeah, I'd snap that up. I leafed through it at random, with my only deliberate move a turn to the entry on notorious murderer Chris Benoit. His presence is a shock given the WWE's attempt to erase him from its history.
*I'm disappointed, however, at the lack of new baseball books. This is the time of year, Borders. Step it up! I notice what appears to be a new Yogi Berra book on the bottom shelf. Unfortunately for this poor author, several shelves above, in a prime display spot closer to eye level, is Allan Barra's well-publicized and pushed (at least in the sports world) Yogi bio. This kind of thing happens, of course, in many media, but how would you like to work your tail off on a definitive book about someone only to be overshadowed by a similar effort at about the same time?
*I'm again disappointed by the ongoing shrinkage of the Movie/TV section. People are still making books about these subjects. I love visiting this section in any bookstore, but it seems many places don't want to give it much space. I don't know if this particular Borders is deliberate in this effort or if it's just part of what appears to be an overall reduction in the total book inventory.
*Someone hands out free samples of a delicious strawberry-flavored drink, and I'm tempted, but it just seems the wrong time of day to spend 4 bucks on a drink that'll I down in about 30 seconds. But I like the freebie! It would be funny if employees walked around with a tray of books and offered to read you a sample of some new novel or something.
*There are still plenty of books about Lincoln and Obama all over the place. If you like the history section, you'd better like Lincoln. If you like just walking into the store and looking at the new and notable releases, you'd better like Lincoln. And the current prez is still soaking up the retail space, with his mug adorning books, commemorative inauguration mags and papers, and so on. There are dozens of other presidents, too, you know. I saw a softcover edition of a recent Polk bio. How about some more love for James K. Polk?
*I'm not as big a follower of tennis as I used to be, nor am I much of a player (I get out on the courts, oh, about never). Yet I'm intrigued by two new releases and glad to see tennis get some prime shelf placement right in the front of the store.
It took me a long time to warm up to Monica Seles, and though she's using her eating disorder as the hook for her memoirs, I'd like to read about her overall career. But though I get that a "grip" is a vital part of any tennis pro's game, couldn't someone have offered her a less-mockable title than "Getting a Grip: On My Body, My Mind, My Self"? Or is my inner Beavis going overboard here?
*The other interesting tennis book just released is "A Terrible Splendor: Three Extraordinary Men, A World Poised for War, and the Greatest Tennis Match Ever Played." Now, there is a lot of hyperbole in that title, yes, but the match in question is a Davis Cup tussle between legendary Don Budge and...uh, a German player. All I know about him is that he was in trouble with the Nazis, and he was apparently Extraordinary. When the Nazis are involved against the Americans, I think we can all agree the word Greatest is in play. It looks like a fascinating story about a sporting event that is seldom discussed today. If author Marshall Jon Fisher can deliver on the implication of his title and tie the world atmosphere into the tennis, it ought to be a great read.
*Speaking of dominating the shelves: "Twilight." Still. I guess it's good for business, but I can't remember the last time I entered a Borders without nearly stumbling into one of those books (or related products).
*This location, at least is having a big 50% CD and DVD sale, but it looks to be older stuff that is already priced to high. I wonder if they're phasing out those products. I don't like buying music there, but I enjoy listening to it every now and then.
*A look at the sports section reveals a pleasant surprise--the DK WWE Encyclopedia is an impressive-looking book, loaded with pics and info in an attractive package. I won't pay 50 bucks for it, but if it hits the bargain tables, yeah, I'd snap that up. I leafed through it at random, with my only deliberate move a turn to the entry on notorious murderer Chris Benoit. His presence is a shock given the WWE's attempt to erase him from its history.
*I'm disappointed, however, at the lack of new baseball books. This is the time of year, Borders. Step it up! I notice what appears to be a new Yogi Berra book on the bottom shelf. Unfortunately for this poor author, several shelves above, in a prime display spot closer to eye level, is Allan Barra's well-publicized and pushed (at least in the sports world) Yogi bio. This kind of thing happens, of course, in many media, but how would you like to work your tail off on a definitive book about someone only to be overshadowed by a similar effort at about the same time?
*I'm again disappointed by the ongoing shrinkage of the Movie/TV section. People are still making books about these subjects. I love visiting this section in any bookstore, but it seems many places don't want to give it much space. I don't know if this particular Borders is deliberate in this effort or if it's just part of what appears to be an overall reduction in the total book inventory.
*Someone hands out free samples of a delicious strawberry-flavored drink, and I'm tempted, but it just seems the wrong time of day to spend 4 bucks on a drink that'll I down in about 30 seconds. But I like the freebie! It would be funny if employees walked around with a tray of books and offered to read you a sample of some new novel or something.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
On the Radio: All Summer Long Redux
The other day I was in between CDs and flipping around the radio to and from work. In that short span of driving time, I heard Kid Rock's "All Summer Long" not once, not twice, but 3 different times. I'm not going to go into what I feel about the song again, but come on, 3 times in one day?
As if that stat weren't bad enough, the song played on 3 different stations. One is more or less a straight rock station, another an adult contemporary, and the third a pop-rock/top 40 without all but the poppiest hip hop kind of deal. 3 times on 3 different stations in one day!
Hearing this song once is an irritant, hearing it twice is a nuisance, and hearing it thrice is a harbinger of doom. See, it's not even May yet, and already this "summer anthem" is playing again.
Come to think, though, maybe it never really left. Is it possible that Kid Rock's big hit, the unofficial song of the summer of 2008, lingered around long enough to become the song of the summer of 2009?
I want to believe that America is capable of better, but I worry. Yes, it's April, but it's supposed to get up to 90 degrees around here today, and I'm afraid "All Summer Long" already has an important beachhead on the radio. There's always a chance some dumb rap song will come along and take over this summer, but I'm looking to the rock world to unseat the Kid. I'm looking at you, U2! Your album may have peaked, but there has to be a big summer single on there somewhere!
Don't leave us with Kid Rock all summer long.
As if that stat weren't bad enough, the song played on 3 different stations. One is more or less a straight rock station, another an adult contemporary, and the third a pop-rock/top 40 without all but the poppiest hip hop kind of deal. 3 times on 3 different stations in one day!
Hearing this song once is an irritant, hearing it twice is a nuisance, and hearing it thrice is a harbinger of doom. See, it's not even May yet, and already this "summer anthem" is playing again.
Come to think, though, maybe it never really left. Is it possible that Kid Rock's big hit, the unofficial song of the summer of 2008, lingered around long enough to become the song of the summer of 2009?
I want to believe that America is capable of better, but I worry. Yes, it's April, but it's supposed to get up to 90 degrees around here today, and I'm afraid "All Summer Long" already has an important beachhead on the radio. There's always a chance some dumb rap song will come along and take over this summer, but I'm looking to the rock world to unseat the Kid. I'm looking at you, U2! Your album may have peaked, but there has to be a big summer single on there somewhere!
Don't leave us with Kid Rock all summer long.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Brooks on Books: Best American Comics 2008
A while back, I gave lukewarm praise to the 20o7 edition of this anthology series. Well, I'm just gonna take a few words here and tell you the 2008 book edited by Lynda Barry is much, much better. I checked it out from the library, once again resorting to my cheapskate ways, but I feel this is actually worth the money as a purchase.
There are just more strong pieces this time out, more material that really moves me in some way. Maybe Barry had better stuff to pick from than did previous editor Chris Ware. For one thing, she had a selection by Chris Ware--an amazing series of Thanksgiving covers he did for "The New Yorker." But there's also a series of one-pagers Seth did for "The New York Times," in addition to a host of interesting stories and excerpts from lesser-known (at least to me) creators.
In fact, the opening piece in here, "Burden" by Graham Annable, is a staggering work that grabs you right from the get-go. Its simple appearance and brevity belie its surprising emotional depth. The rest of the book lives up to this great start. Some of my favorites here include "Seven Sacks" by Eleanor Davis, the excerpt from Rick Geary's "The Saga of the Bloody Benders," and the assortment of Derf's "The City" strips, but I enjoyed a lot in this collection. It's an outstanding addition to the "Best American Comics" series.
There are just more strong pieces this time out, more material that really moves me in some way. Maybe Barry had better stuff to pick from than did previous editor Chris Ware. For one thing, she had a selection by Chris Ware--an amazing series of Thanksgiving covers he did for "The New Yorker." But there's also a series of one-pagers Seth did for "The New York Times," in addition to a host of interesting stories and excerpts from lesser-known (at least to me) creators.
In fact, the opening piece in here, "Burden" by Graham Annable, is a staggering work that grabs you right from the get-go. Its simple appearance and brevity belie its surprising emotional depth. The rest of the book lives up to this great start. Some of my favorites here include "Seven Sacks" by Eleanor Davis, the excerpt from Rick Geary's "The Saga of the Bloody Benders," and the assortment of Derf's "The City" strips, but I enjoyed a lot in this collection. It's an outstanding addition to the "Best American Comics" series.
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