Posts Tagged ‘observations’
3 items.
As promised, I’m back to take aim at a couple more issues from the weekend,site related goodies and more.
Cami and I went to see The Interpreter on Friday night and had a really good time. The film is expertly put together. A well-paced adult drama that is never gratuitous, but you can tell it has a smart head on its shoulders.
I think what I appreciated most about the movie were the small charactertouches that fleshed out the lead actors performances. Sean Penn, in particular.
When we’re introduced to Penn’s weary Secret Service agent, he’s in a dive bar presumably drowning his sorrows. Penn’s body language communicates as much. In the background a grating country song is blaring out of the jukebox.
Without a word, Penn gets up and saunters over to the jukebox. He unplugs it, cutting the abrasive tune off before it’s finished. He immediately plugs the jukebox back in, puts in a dollar and punches in the digits for a different song.
Penn’s song is melancholy, wistful and romantic. He drags himself across the bar to the pay phone. We think he’s about to call someone the song reminds him of, but the pay phone is broken. He whips out his cell phone.
He calls the number and waits for someone to pick up. It’s the machine. It’s a woman’s voice. He smiles. He listens to the message and then hangs up. He immediately calls back and listens to it again. He smiles.
Without a word of dialogue, we know Penn misses this woman terribly. And the vibe isn’t creepy like he’s stalking her. It’s affectionate
* THE REST OF THIS BLOG POST WAS LOST WHEN THEATER HOPPER MOVED TO WORDPRESS IN JANUARY 2009 *
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I kind of felt like I was shirking my duty not talking about Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest incredible first weekend at the box office. When you stop to think about it, the accomplishment is pretty crazy.
I mean, sure, there’s always going to be debate about box office records. What with inflation and the increased number of theaters across the American strip-mall landscape. But when you frame Pirates three day take of $132 million against Superman Returns take of $52 million (ignore the bloated numbers from the extended 4th of July "holiday weekend)… well, to paraphrase Samuel L. Jackson in Pulp Fiction – we’re not in the same ballpark, the same league or even the same sport. I mean, Superman Returns had one of the largest domestic releases ever – 4,065 screens. Now Pirates sweeps through and everyone is like "Superman, who?" Just goes to show how fickle we can be, I suppose.
I know Pirates 2 has its detractors, but I’m just glad that the numbers were better than X-Men 3’s Memorial Day weekend take of $102 million. Superman Returns was supposed to knock it off it’s throne as *the* summer blockbuster. When it didn’t, it gave validity to the Brett Ratner’s of the world at the expense of what I felt was a sincere and thoughtful adaptation of The Man of Steel. Superman Returns at least had something on it’s mind and it was being punished for it. Meanwhile, I disorganized noise-fest like X-Men 3 takes home all the cash? Not fair.
If a balls-out action/adventure movie is going to take the brass ring this summer, I would rather it be Pirates 2 than X-Men 3. That’s all I’m saying.
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Back in 2004, I created a comic that introduced an alter ego for Tom who went by the name “Pimp Tom.” Reaction to the character was so positive, I created a shirt in his honor.
As part of the massive fire sale I have going on now in the store, I sold the very last shirt christened with his image. It seems unlikely to me that I will ever produce another Pimp Tom shirt again.
I was thinking about the character, though and I don’t know why I haven’t used him more often. I break out Jared’s alter ego “Goth Jared” usually two or three times a year. He even has his own entry on the Cast page!
I don’t know. I don’t have anything especially insightful to say. Maybe I’m just feeling a little nostalgic. I could bring back Pimp Tom any time I suppose. Maybe have Pimp Tom meet Goth Jared! Who knows?
I’m just making observations, I suppose.
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