"Isn't it Ironic? Don'tcha think?"

Irony is my armour. Irony is the essential component in my approach to the world. Without it I would be lost, confused and angry. Irony gives us the detachment we need to consider the people and events that shape our daily lives beyond our preliminary emotional reaction. It allows us to sustain antithetical ideas. It is the enemy of ideology. Irony will free your mind from dogma and allow you to become that most rare and valuable of things, an original thinker.

This is not to say that we should recoil from the sincere, but perhaps we should be wary. With few exceptions, I suspect that most of the evil we've unleashed upon the world has been done so with the utmost sincerity. A sincere idea is only valuable if it is a good one and a good idea can survive ironic scrutiny. Quality and originality generally look after themselves.

 I'm, also, not advocating snark, sarcasm or cynicism. These are not intellectual processes but attitudes. Snark is derisive and dismissive with no thought to context. A cynic, in the words of Oscar Wilde, knows "the price of everything and the value of nothing". Sarcasm (unless you're John Cleese) is just lazy and mean spirited, if occasionally pretty funny.

With no sense of irony, whole worlds of art and entertainment are closed to you. How can anyone appreciate Hamlet without understanding the character's endless and complicated ironies. Humour, the thing I most admire in my species, is one dimensional if we can't take delight in the spectacle of people behaving badly, and how can you laugh off bad behaviour if you have no sense of the ironic?

My favourite book is James Joyce's ULYSSES, a work of, amongst other things, the most profound irony. A day in the life of the most ordinary of men elevated to the epic level of gods and heroes. What an elegant literary irony and how moving and sincere the effect.

My favourite film is Sam Peckinpah's THE WILD BUNCH, on the surface a tough hard boiled adventure, utterly devoid of irony. Look closer, apart from the fact that he makes us care about a crew of callous murderers who can't even live up to there own codes of conduct, these men achieve redemption, even transcendence through an explosion of onscreen bloodshed that shocked the world and changed cinema forever. Don't tell me Sam Peckinpah wasn't an ironist (is that even a word? Never mind I like it).

One last thing before I cease this pretentious rant. Irony has nothing to do with rain on your wedding day.
Here endeth the lesson.

What? Movies Again?

Well, it's still January so I don't think it's too late for me to give my thoughts on the year in movies. This isn't a formal "Top Ten" (a meaningless and arbitrary number) or even a  "best of" list. These are just the movies that, for whatever reason, captured my imagination in 2010. I'm sure there are dozens of worthwhile films from all over the world that I have yet to see, so this is far from a definitive portrait. Anyway, enough stalling. Here's 2010 at the movies:

A COUPLE OF LATE 2009 RELEASES.

















DAS WEISSE BAND (THE WHITE RIBBON)

Austrian director Michael Haneke is known for provocative and disturbing subject matter and this is no exception. In a small German village, on the eve of the First World War, a series of strange and maliciously intended incidents threaten to tear the deceptively peaceful community apart. As chilling as any horror movie this is a cold, misanthropic film that's not for everyone. However, if you like challenging, enigmatic drama that refuses to provide easy answers, this is a must see. The black and white cinematography by Christian Berger is luminous, and gives this dark allegory an ironically beautiful surface.

UN PROPHET

This compelling prison drama from France tells the story of a young Arab's rise from powerless convict to crime boss. Avoids the usual prison film cliches through, subtle direction, naturalistic acting and careful, meticulous plotting. Lengthy at 155 minutes, but watching this intelligent and consistently surprising character finesse his way through the prison minefield of violence and ethnic distrust, is never less than engrossing. 


IN DEFENSE OF THE LOWLY REMAKE

LET ME IN

I know. It was completely pointless to remake the lovely Swedish vampire film "Let the Right One In" after just a couple of years. Audiences seemed to agree as it was a huge flop at the box office (when my wife and I went to see it we were alone in the cinema). Well that's too bad because this is a very well made film, as moody, creepy and ultimately moving as the original. Even re-located from Sweden to New Mexico this story of a friendship between a lonely boy and an immortal monster in the body of a young girl, retains all of it's subtle pathos. Sadly however,North American audiences have spoken and they prefer their vampires hunky and sparkly. Dammit!

TRUE GRIT

I love westerns above all other films and I'm a huge fan of John Wayne. However, I've never been an ardent admirer of the 1969 film of True Grit. It's an entertaining movie with a fun, if buffoonish, star performance from Wayne but not in the first rank. Therefore I was not at all bothered by the prospect of a remake. Actually, given that it was to be directed by the Coen Brothers and to star Jeff Bridges, I would describe myself as enthusiastic.
Well, they didn't let me down, the new True Grit is a joy. Roger Deakin's cinematography is, as always, flawless, the Coen's really capture the sly spirit of  Charles Portis' marvellous novel and the cast is nearly note perfect. I say "nearly" because Matt Damon doesn't quite register as strongly as his co-stars. Bridges is almost as hammy as Wayne but much funnier and far less of a caricature and young Hailee Steinfeld steals the film as the story's real hero the redoubtable Matty Ross. A new classic.


THRILLERS FOR GROWN-UPS

THE GHOST WRITER

Roman Polanski will always be a controversial and divisive figure, and rightfully so, but I'm not here to discuss his transgressions. It's also true that his output of late, "The Pianist" not withstanding, has been well made but relatively uninspired in comparison to his early masterworks. The Ghost Writer is in many ways a return to form. An intelligent, low key thriller for adults that builds it's suspense and palpable feeling of paranoia slowly and carefully. Even if he hadn't directed it, I would have described it as "Polanskian".
Ewan McGregor is the titular character hired to compose the memoirs of a charismatic but shady Ex-British Prime Minister played by Pierce Brosnan in a career best performance. Smart, immaculately crafted and highly recommended.
Great final shot (you'll see what I mean).

THE AMERICAN

George Clooney plays a hitman hiding out in a picturesque Northern Italian village. That's it really. We observe his daily rituals. We see him accept a contract and work at it diligently. We watch as he gradually opens up to the gregarious village priest and begins to fall for a beautiful young prostitute played by Violante Placido. As he gradually becomes more humanized he also begins to unravel, giving in to paranoia and distrust.
A portrait of existential crisis dressed up as a thriller and very European in pace, tone and attitude. Beautifully composed by director Anton Cobijn and cinematographer Martin Ruhe, this would probably be my favourite film of the year if it was just a little more substantial. As for George Clooney, he's at his least ingratiating, forgoing his usual boyish charms and sly smile in favour of a cold brooding intensity. In doing so he captures a little bit of the coiled-spring coolness of an actor like Steve McQueen in his prime. In terms of cool, there is no greater compliment known to me.


A PAGAN VISION QUEST

VALHALLA RISING

Confession: I'll watch any movie about Vikings, good, bad or indifferent, so I've seen a lot of them. I can honestly say, though, that there's never been one quite like Nicolas Winding Refn's Valhalla Rising. It begins straightforwardly enough, as we watch a slave called One-Eye forced to engage in combat to the death. These opening scenes are jarringly violent so you'll know early whether this is something you can stomach.
I hope you can, because at the halfway point this film becomes something very surprising. Through circumstances I needn't dwell on, One-Eye finds himself on an ill-advised trip to the "holy land" with a crew of Christian Vikings. Things don't go well. Far from a straight forward adventure narrative, the film becomes increasingly strange, even hallucinatory. It invokes some of the visionary qualities of early Werner Herzog combined with the spiritual striving of Andrei Tarkovsky. A film that begins in mud and blood becomes, ultimately a story of transcendence. An original and striking work.


ONE FOR THE NERDS

SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD

Flat out, the most fun I had at the movies this year. Edgar Wright's fantasy rom-com should have been a defining hit for the 8-bit generation but went sadly unappreciated in a summer crowded with mediocrity. The story of a likeable but self-absorbed hipster doofus, played by the much maligned Michael Cera, who meets his (literal) dream girl and has to deal with her baggage, namely seven "evil exes" who all want a piece of him. Epic battles ensue in the fight for true love and self respect. Wright pulls out all the stops and the film is a tour de force of visual invention. The young cast are all terrific with the scene stealing award going to Kieran Culkin as gay roomie Wallace. I predict this will be considered a classic some day. You wait.



ONE FOR THE HISTORY BUFFS

THE KINGS SPEECH

Surprisingly moving account of George the VI and his struggle to overcome a serious speech impediment. Not sure how reliable this is as a piece of history but as drama it's a total success. Colin Firth has always been a solid and consistent actor but over the last couple of years has really hit his stride. Helena Bonham Carter and Geoffrey Rush are equally effective in support. It also helps that the director Tom Hooper has a good cinematic eye so the film avoids the "masterpiece theatre" look that seems to plague so many costume dramas.
Solid classical film making.


WICKED GOOD BOXING DRAMA

THE FIGHTER

A surprising film from the mercurial David O. Russell the man who gave us "Three Kings" and "I Heart Huckabees". Surprising in that it's a fairly conventional rags-to-riches boxing story with all the working class hero cliches intact. Luckily it all works beautifully due to terrific acting and a solid screenplay. Chrisian Bale is excellent in the showcase role of the junkie older brother but Mark Wahlberg is completely believable as both a fighter and a native of the tougher areas of Boston.  Good work from Amy Adams and the always great Melissa Leo as well. I was a bit shocked by how caught up in this I became. You really want the best for these people.


CLASSY TRASHY COOL

BLACK SWAN

Darren Aronofsky's psycho sexual horror ballet film is a daring, delirious piece of pure cinema. Is it over the top? Absolutely, and gloriously so. Take elements of  Polanski's "Repulsion", Cronenberg's "The Fly", bits of "Mommy Dearest", a smidgen of "Showgirls" (that's right "Showgirls") and a lot of "The Red Shoes" and you've got this wonderful mad melodrama bursting with more cinematic life than a half dozen other films combined. Natalie Portman's character is a bit one-note (until the very end) but what a note! A fine brave performance.


MY TOP TWO

WINTER'S BONE

Newcomer Jennifer Lawrence gives, perhaps, my favourite performance of the year as a teenage girl, in the Ozarks, trying to keep her dirt poor family from losing their home. A portrait of true courage and determination, she sets out in search of her meth cooking father despite being warned off by her hoodlum uncle and various other local lowlifes. Director Debra Granik directs with simple grace and screenwriter Anne Rosellini never judges or condemns any of the characters no matter how vile their surface. John Hawke provides excellent support as her frightening but strangely sympathetic uncle. A great film in a small, unpretentious way.

THE SOCIAL NETWORK

Well at this point, what can anybody add about this film. Great ensemble cast led by the brilliant and abrasive Jesse Eisenberg, a tremendous screenplay that squeezes the maximum amount of drama and entertainment from what could have been a very dry subject and of course, the director. David Fincher has been one of the most consistently interesting filmmakers working in the U.S. over the last two decades. His choice of challenging and complex subject matter combined with a striking eye for lighting and composition have placed him in the top rank. His work on The Social Network is no exception. I just wish his film "Zodiac" had recieved nearly as much attention. Anway, a great film that, I think, will endure.


Whew, almost done just let me tie up some loose ends:

HONOURABLE MENTIONS:

TOY STORY 3:  Yeah, I know, it's great and should be numbered amongst the best of the year. I have to admit, however, I am getting ever so slightly suspicious of Pixar's slick emotional button pushing. I saw three animated films in 2009 that I found far more delightful and surprising than recent Pixar work. Still, it's a strong film and a great send off for the characters.

THE TOWN:  Solid crime drama from Director Ben Affleck. Good performances and a great sense of place. Just too many cliches for greatness.

INCEPTION:  Like all Christopher Nolan's work, I enjoyed this while it lasted but it didn't really resonate. Clever, exciting and, fairly, original but not the masterpiece we were led to expect.


GUILTY PLEASURES:

PIRANHA 3D:  Cuz who am I to turn up my nose at a movie with an underwater nude lesbian scene. In 3D!

THE EXPENDABLES:  For Mickey Rourke, who manages to find grace notes in the testosterone haze.


Oboy, that took a lot out of me. Well, I hope you enjoyed it and that it may give you some idea of what I look for in a film.
I gotta go lie down now.

Movies, Shmovies or, Confessions of a Movie Geek

It was inevitable that my first real post would be about movies. They have been my primary preoccupation (I'd say "obsession" but I'm not given to hyperbole) from a very young age. It wasn't always easy either. Everybody likes movies, or at least some movies, but relatively few people give them any thought beyond the immediate experience. You can drone on forever about sports or have passionate opinions about music and nobody thinks anything of it. However spend too much time discussing the movies and eventually you'll hear familiar patronizing words  about "over-analyzing" or "thinking too much". What are you supposed to make of a fellow human being looking you straight in the eye and saying "I don't want to think, I just want to be entertained" as if the two were mutually exclusive.

Over the years I've made an effort to embrace every kind and every genre of film. Take a look at my embarrassingly huge personal collection and it'll back me up. I have preferences of course, but it's just a matter of keeping an open mind and not dismissing anything out of hand (although it is getting more and more difficult to defend the romantic comedy as a worthwhile genre). I have a particular prediliction for westerns and horror films but that's a subject for another day.

It's always a good idea, whether we're talking about movies or anything else, to free your mind of prejudices and preconceived notions. A film, like any story, does not have to adhere to a rigid structure. It can be driven by a complex plot or have no plot at all. The characters can be likeable and easy to sympathize with, or they can be complex and difficult people.  The great (and occasionally pompous and alienating) French director Jean-Luc Godard admitted that a film does need a beginning, a middle and an end, "just not in that order". That's a good start.

You know, when I started writing this, I intended it to be a sort of guide to what I look for in a film and how I decide it's worth. I was going to go on about aethetics vs thematics, plot vs character etc, etc.  Well, luckily for you, I'm not going to do that beacause, the fact is I have no real schematic approach to the cinema or any other art. First viewing is almost always about your emotional reaction and that's too subjective to be accurately measured or predicted. I do however have a few thoughts:

Film is a visual medium, not a literary one. There is an unfortunate tendency amongst film critics to ignore camera movement and composition in favour of dialogue and plot.

If  you've only seen a movie on your phone, than you haven't actually seen that movie.

If you've only seen that movie edited for television and pan and scan, than you haven't actually seen that movie.

There's a whole world out there. Try to watch at least a few foreign films. Some of them are even fun!  Also, with very rare exceptions dubbing sucks.

Actors are great, I love actors, but don't make them your only criteria for choosing, or not choosing, a film.

A slower pace is an attribute, not a weakness (or strength) .

Try to come to at least some understanding of what a director is and what they do.

Remember  "entertaining" and "dumb" are not, necessarily, the same thing (although sometimes they can be).

Well, I'm not entirely satisfied with this post. I just started writing and hoped something coherent would come out of it. It might help to think of it as an intro to my next post which is going to be about the year in movies. After that I'll write about something else, I promise.

Seriously, why?

Well, for starters, hello.
You should know, before you get too far into this, that I have no real idea what this blog is, or will become.  I've never been one for making plans so I'm hoping the form and function of this little project will arise organically from my ramblings.  There, you've been warned.

A little about me, very little, the littler the better.
I am older than Justin Bieber but younger than God. I am a Canadian. A Nova Scotian by birth and temperament but currently living, by a caprice (or two) of fate, in Edmonton, Alberta. My greatest achievement in life, so far, is somehow convincing a women who is far too attractive and intelligent for me, to be my wife. That was a pretty good day, I tell you.
I'm a university graduate but was, at best, a mediocre student so I don't put too much stock in that. I would describe my politics as liberal, with a few conservative facets.  I have no religion.

 I think that's enough biography for now.

There's going to be a lot about movies here, and literature. Also, TV, comedy, some theatre (not much), comics, (books and strips), travel, music and miscellaneous ephemera . Politics and media will play some small part but I think I'm on somewhat shakier ground there, so I won't be dwelling on these subjects.
If I ever spend pages and pages rambling about my philosophy of life, as if that could possibly hold any relevance for any other human being, please point this out to me and it will stop immediately. I hope to share ideas and opinons with people but the last thing I want this blog to be about is the wonder of me.

If I seem ambivalent about this process, it's because I am, but that's okay, I'm ambivalent about most things.
Anyway, I think that'll do as an intoduction, but let me finish by asking you....why the f*ck are you reading this?