list http://www.spout.com/ Recent community activity around The Pursuit of Happyness on Spout Copyright 2005-9 Spout, LLC Spout RSS http://www.spout.com/images/SpoutLogoRSS.jpg http://www.spout.com/ 136 30 http://www.spout.com/films/The_Pursuit_of_Happyness/262440/default.aspx Title: The Pursuit of Happyness
Year: 2006
Director: Gabriele Muccino
Plot: The rousing, true-life story of a single dad who went from living on the streets to owning his own brokerage firm is brought to the big screen by superstar Will Smith, appearing for the first time opposite his real-life son Jaden Smith. Set in early-'80s San Francisco, the film charts the hard times and eventual comeback of Chris Gardner, a suddenly single salesman who has custody of his son, but finds that providing for the two of them is a challenge in the increasingly unstable economic climate. He struggles to work his way from unpaid intern at Dean Witter to something more substantial, even as life continues to offer him setbacks. Making his Hollywood debut, Italian director Gabriele Muccino was championed by Will Smith for the project. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
Times Tagged: 20
Number of Lists: 41
Number of blog posts: 20
Number of discussion threads: 4
SpoutRating: 3
]]>Wed, 18 Feb 2009 23:04:10 GMTThe Pursuit of Happyness2006Gabriele MuccinoThe rousing, true-life story of a single dad who went from living on the streets to owning his own brokerage firm is brought to the big screen by superstar <a href="/players/P____66596/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Will Smith</a>, appearing for the first time opposite his real-life son Jaden Smith. Set in early-'80s San Francisco, the film charts the hard times and eventual comeback of Chris Gardner, a suddenly single salesman who has custody of his son, but finds that providing for the two of them is a challenge in the increasingly unstable economic climate. He struggles to work his way from unpaid intern at Dean Witter to something more substantial, even as life continues to offer him setbacks. Making his Hollywood debut, Italian director Gabriele Muccino was championed by <a href="/players/P____66596/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Will Smith</a> for the project. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide20Tag Target (>10)412043http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/s262440.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/The_Pursuit_of_Happyness/262440/default.aspxFilm http://www.spout.com/blogs/captainryannn/archive/2008/12/20/38660.aspx Post By: CaptainRyannn
Post To: CaptainRyannn Blog
Post Date: 12/20/2008 2:42:34 AM
Body: When I first saw the trailer, I must say, I wasn’t too impressed with it. It didn’t really feel like a movie that I would be moved by despite its overt advertising as a moving film. I then watched an interview with Will Smith on Jay Leno and from the way they were talking, it really seemed like they were onto something here. Now, I’m not sure if it was that which finally pushed me to see this, me wanting to see as many 2008 films as I can in order to create a ‘Best of’ year end list, or the fact that I’ve been listening to DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince’s album, Homebase, almost every morning for the past week. (Man, that’s such a great album.) Whatever it was, I went into it with neither high nor low expectations. We enter the film with a shot of Ben Thomas, played by Will Smith, on the phone with 911. He calls for an ambulance and reports a suicide. When the paramedic asks who the victim is, he says in a crisp, decisive voice, “I am.” We then cut to a scene where Thomas gets into contact with a blind meat salesman, Woody Harelson, and pretty much verbally assaults him in what could perhaps be one of Smith’s darkest scenes he’s ever done. Afterwards, immense regret and sadness come over him and along with the suicide introduction; we are left to ask “Why?” The premise of the film is Thomas going around to seven different strangers, the salesman being one of them, and evaluating their life situation. He then has to decide whether they are really are deserving enough for his help. He utters to one old woman, “It is within my power to drastically change his circumstances, but I don’t want to give that man a gift he doesn’t deserve.” as he attempts to deem the worthiness of another man. Much of the film, perhaps too much of it, relies on the viewers’ lack of knowledge. From the opening scenes and throughout much of the film, we are left almost completely in the dark as to what Ben Thomas’ motives are and what has happened in the past that has left his face scarred with sorrow. We are forced to ask ourselves why he has brought a jellyfish into his cheap motel room and why he’s even in the cheap motel room to begin with. I can understand why director Gabriele Muccino, also responsible for The Pursuit of Happyness, did this; to keep audiences in their seats because frankly, it doesn’t have a whole lot of story going for it other than a theme that’s been done plenty of times before. The one concrete thing that remains here is Will Smith’s portrayal of Ben Thomas, a man who’s haunted by his past and searches for redemption. While I may not enjoy all of Smith’s films, I can definitely admire him as a person. Having an album out by 17 and winning a Grammy at 21. Then going on to do a hit television show and following that up with a career in the film industry, he’s definitely made a name for himself. With one of his most complex characters yet, Smith displays a whole spectrum of emotions that are nothing short of believable. There was so much that could’ve been more thoroughly examined and so many ideas that should’ve had more screen time but were pushed into the background as a victim to the over-attention paid to the romance between Thomas and Emily Posa (Rosario Dawson). While still a pretty decent relationship, there were far more interesting aspects to Seven Pounds that didn’t receive as much notice as they should have. Overall, Seven Pounds is a decent film about an attempt at redemption masked by acts of altruism. His motives aren’t explained until the very end and those motives are perhaps one of the few things that carry the viewer’s interest throughout the film. Now that that’s settled; seven pounds of what?
]]>Sat, 20 Dec 2008 07:42:34 GMTCaptainRyannnCaptainRyannn Blog12/20/2008 2:42:34 AMWhen I first saw the trailer, I must say, I wasn&rsquo;t too impressed with it. It didn&rsquo;t really feel like a movie that I would be moved by despite its overt advertising as a moving film. I then watched an interview with Will Smith on Jay Leno and from the way they were talking, it really seemed like they were onto something here. Now, I&rsquo;m not sure if it was that which finally pushed me to see this, me wanting to see as many 2008 films as I can in order to create a &lsquo;Best of&rsquo; year end list, or the fact that I&rsquo;ve been listening to DJ Jazzy Jeff &amp; the Fresh Prince&rsquo;s album, Homebase, almost every morning for the past week. (Man, that&rsquo;s such a great album.) Whatever it was, I went into it with neither high nor low expectations. We enter the film with a shot of Ben Thomas, played by Will Smith, on the phone with 911. He calls for an ambulance and reports a suicide. When the paramedic asks who the victim is, he says in a crisp, decisive voice, &ldquo;I am.&rdquo; We then cut to a scene where Thomas gets into contact with a blind meat salesman, Woody Harelson, and pretty much verbally assaults him in what could perhaps be one of Smith&rsquo;s darkest scenes he&rsquo;s ever done. Afterwards, immense regret and sadness come over him and along with the suicide introduction; we are left to ask &ldquo;Why?&rdquo; The premise of the film is Thomas going around to seven different strangers, the salesman being one of them, and evaluating their life situation. He then has to decide whether they are really are deserving enough for his help. He utters to one old woman, &ldquo;It is within my power to drastically change his circumstances, but I don&rsquo;t want to give that man a gift he doesn&rsquo;t deserve.&rdquo; as he attempts to deem the worthiness of another man. Much of the film, perhaps too much of it, relies on the viewers&rsquo; lack of knowledge. From the opening scenes and throughout much of the film, we are left almost completely in the dark as to what Ben Thomas&rsquo; motives are and what has happened in the past that has left his face scarred with sorrow. We are forced to ask ourselves why he has brought a jellyfish into his cheap motel room and why he&rsquo;s even in the cheap motel room to begin with. I can understand why director Gabriele Muccino, also responsible for The Pursuit of Happyness, did this; to keep audiences in their seats because frankly, it doesn&rsquo;t have a whole lot of story going for it other than a theme that&rsquo;s been done plenty of times before. The one concrete thing that remains here is Will Smith&rsquo;s portrayal of Ben Thomas, a man who&rsquo;s haunted by his past and searches for redemption. While I may not enjoy all of Smith&rsquo;s films, I can definitely admire him as a person. Having an album out by 17 and winning a Grammy at 21. Then going on to do a hit television show and following that up with a career in the film industry, he&rsquo;s definitely made a name for himself. With one of his most complex characters yet, Smith displays a whole spectrum of emotions that are nothing short of believable. There was so much that could&rsquo;ve been more thoroughly examined and so many ideas that should&rsquo;ve had more screen time but were pushed into the background as a victim to the over-attention paid to the romance between Thomas and Emily Posa (Rosario Dawson). While still a pretty decent relationship, there were far more interesting aspects to Seven Pounds that didn&rsquo;t receive as much notice as they should have. Overall, Seven Pounds is a decent film about an attempt at redemption masked by acts of altruism. His motives aren&rsquo;t explained until the very end and those motives are perhaps one of the few things that carry the viewer&rsquo;s interest throughout the film. Now that that&rsquo;s settled; seven pounds of what? http://www.spout.com/groups/Coming_Soon/Re_Holiday_movies_Cartoon_mice_Jim_Carrey_s_face/216/38443/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: seely
Post To: Coming Soon
Post Date: 12/16/2008 11:36:20 AM
Body: Whoa, where did this come from? Was this kept hush-hush after the flaming peice of sub-mediocrity we know as Hancock? Usually Will Smith releases are a pretty big deal with lots of promotion and hoopla, but the first I ever heard of Seven Pounds was this week--granted I haven't been to a recent theatrical release in awhile, however. My girlfriend and I were trying to find information on it but were barely able to find a complete synopsis for the film. Curious to see how it does... [quote user="spout"] Seven Pounds -- Watch the trailer. Will Smith is an IRS agent who mysteriously assumes the identity of his younger brother and tries to change the lives of seven strangers. Also starring Rosario Dawson and Woody Harrelson, and from the director of Pursuit of Happyness. [/quote]
]]>Tue, 16 Dec 2008 16:36:20 GMTseelyComing Soon12/16/2008 11:36:20 AMWhoa, where did this come from? Was this kept hush-hush after the flaming peice of sub-mediocrity we know as Hancock? Usually Will Smith releases are a pretty big deal with lots of promotion and hoopla, but the first I ever heard of Seven Pounds was this week--granted I haven't been to a recent theatrical release in awhile, however. My girlfriend and I were trying to find information on it but were barely able to find a complete synopsis for the film. Curious to see how it does... [quote user="spout"] Seven Pounds -- Watch the trailer. Will Smith is an IRS agent who mysteriously assumes the identity of his younger brother and tries to change the lives of seven strangers. Also starring Rosario Dawson and Woody Harrelson, and from the director of Pursuit of Happyness. [/quote] http://www.spout.com/groups/Coming_Soon/Holiday_movies_Cartoon_mice_Jim_Carrey_s_face_a/216/38422/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: spout
Post To: Coming Soon
Post Date: 12/15/2008 7:02:54 PM
Body: WEDNESDAY 12/17 The Wrestler -- Watch the trailer. Read the review. Looks like this is a sports movie with guts. I love Mickey Rourke, and I can't think of anyone who knows more about being called a "beat-up piece of meat." Hey, that makes me think of a list... Art Imitates Life: When Actors Barely Have to Act 5. Reservoir Dogs -- Mr. Blue is played by ex-convict and heist veteran Edward Bunker. 4. Pirates of the Caribbean 3 -- Keith Richards, the pirate of rock, is the perfect choice to play Jack Sparrow's dad. 3. A Scanner Darkly -- Tie for third place: Robert Downey, Jr. and Woody Harrelson, who lend this "drug movie" loads of authenticity. 2. The Wrestler -- I wanted to put it at #1, but I haven't seen it yet. 1. Unforgiven -- Clint's portrayal of a reformed murderer gives me goosebumps. When characters talk about how bad he used to be, I think of the Dollars trilogy, and how different they could've been if he was an outright villain. Another Documentary About an Eccentric Artist, but this one looks worthwhile. Scott Walker: 30 Century Man -- Watch the trailer. I'm a music nut, but I hadn't heard of Scott Walker until today. Considering the musicians he's influenced (David Bowie, Brian Eno, The Smiths, Radiohead), I don't know how he's escaped my attention. He looks intense. "I have a very nightmarish imagination. I've had very bad dreams all my life, so everything in my music is very big." -- S. Walker in Scott Walker: 30 Century Man. FRIDAY 12/19 Nothing But the Truth -- Read the review. Inspired by the Valerie Plame/Scooter Libby CIA leak, Karina said this was the most fun she had at the Toronto Film Festival 2008. Starring Vera Farmiga and featuring Matt Dillon, Alan Alda, Kate Beckinsale, and...(are you ready for this?) David Schwimmer. The Tale of Despereaux -- Watch the trailer. This looks good, but it's getting chilly reviews. I don't know, the mouse is pretty cute... Yes Man -- Watch the trailer. Looks a lot like Liar Liar, but it could be fun. I do have to say though, these days I have a pretty low tolerance for Jim Carrey's facial shenanigans. Seven Pounds -- Watch the trailer. Will Smith is an IRS agent who mysteriously assumes the identity of his younger brother and tries to change the lives of seven strangers. Also starring Rosario Dawson and Woody Harrelson, and from the director of Pursuit of Happyness.
]]>Tue, 16 Dec 2008 00:02:54 GMTspoutComing Soon12/15/2008 7:02:54 PMWEDNESDAY 12/17 The Wrestler -- Watch the trailer. Read the review. Looks like this is a sports movie with guts. I love Mickey Rourke, and I can't think of anyone who knows more about being called a "beat-up piece of meat." Hey, that makes me think of a list... Art Imitates Life: When Actors Barely Have to Act 5. Reservoir Dogs -- Mr. Blue is played by ex-convict and heist veteran Edward Bunker. 4. Pirates of the Caribbean 3 -- Keith Richards, the pirate of rock, is the perfect choice to play Jack Sparrow's dad. 3. A Scanner Darkly -- Tie for third place: Robert Downey, Jr. and Woody Harrelson, who lend this "drug movie" loads of authenticity. 2. The Wrestler -- I wanted to put it at #1, but I haven't seen it yet. 1. Unforgiven -- Clint's portrayal of a reformed murderer gives me goosebumps. When characters talk about how bad he used to be, I think of the Dollars trilogy, and how different they could've been if he was an outright villain. Another Documentary About an Eccentric Artist, but this one looks worthwhile. Scott Walker: 30 Century Man -- Watch the trailer. I'm a music nut, but I hadn't heard of Scott Walker until today. Considering the musicians he's influenced (David Bowie, Brian Eno, The Smiths, Radiohead), I don't know how he's escaped my attention. He looks intense. "I have a very nightmarish imagination. I've had very bad dreams all my life, so everything in my music is very big." -- S. Walker in Scott Walker: 30 Century Man. FRIDAY 12/19 Nothing But the Truth -- Read the review. Inspired by the Valerie Plame/Scooter Libby CIA leak, Karina said this was the most fun she had at the Toronto Film Festival 2008. Starring Vera Farmiga and featuring Matt Dillon, Alan Alda, Kate Beckinsale, and...(are you ready for this?) David Schwimmer. The Tale of Despereaux -- Watch the trailer. This looks good, but it's getting chilly reviews. I don't know, the mouse is pretty cute... Yes Man -- Watch the trailer. Looks a lot like Liar Liar, but it could be fun. I do have to say though, these days I have a pretty low tolerance for Jim Carrey's facial shenanigans. Seven Pounds -- Watch the trailer. Will Smith is an IRS agent who mysteriously assumes the identity of his younger brother and tries to change the lives of seven strangers. Also starring Rosario Dawson and Woody Harrelson, and from the director of Pursuit of Happyness. http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/9/19/35306.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 9/19/2008 11:00:46 AM
Body: From left to right, Diablo Cody, Dana Fox, and Lorene Scafaria. Or, the “Femmepire” as they call it, a triumvirate of female screenwriters. Lorene Scafaria has been toiling as a screenwriter for awhile, although her first produced film, Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, is actually an adaptation of a novel by the same name. However, it manages to nail the “teen voice” without slapping a message all over it, and it should open up a few more doors for Lorene. Not that she needs them, since she’s already recorded an album of her own music, and has her next project already in the works. Read on to find out how she tried to capture the New York City feeling in this movie, what she’s been doing with best friend and fellow screenwriter Diablo Cody, and what’s in store for her. Good morning. Good morning! Adapting this from the novel, what was that like? Especially since you’re relatively new as a screenwriter. What was the process like for you? Yeah, I’m definitely relatively new as a screenwriter. Unfortunately, Nick and Norah was my ninth script that I had written. [laughter] But, certainly my first adaptation. And I really wanted to be as true to the spirit of the novel as possible. It was fairly daunting at first, just because I loved the characters so much. I loved who they were, I loved the course of the night, I loved the tone of it. But, movies like this haven’t been made in a while, and so it was just a real challenge to kind of bring it back to those movies that I grew up on in the ’80s, John Hughes movies and Cameron Crowe. And then to try to make it a little more cinematic than the novel was itself, actually, which was beautifully written of course. But everything kind of started in this hyper-intense club and then it was sort of Nick and Norah hanging out for the rest of the night. Which is great…I loved Before Sunrise and Before Sunset so I wouldn’t have minded watching Nick and Norah just hang out all night. But, yeah, we certainly had to come up with some devices to just maintain the thrust of that story. So things like Caroline going missing. Things like Where’s Fluffy, being this band that they’re looking for. You know, little things like that that certainly propelled it a little more. Was music a part of the novel? Yeah, it was. Like specific well known songs? Yeah. But it’s strange, because at the time I didn’t even know if it was a period piece, because of things like The Cure and Green Day. So, I didn’t know when I first started reading it what era it was even. Yeah, certainly The Cure was someone who I sort of grew up with, and Green Day too. So it definitely was a part of it, of course, but it wasn’t specific to modern day. Did you put some of the music in the screenplay or make suggestions? I didn’t write it in, but I made a mix CD, but that was four years ago, with the first draft. What was on it? The Black Keys. It was a lot of… it was music I was really into then: Bloc Party, Frou Frou. I don’t even know how to say that, Frou Frou? But, it was definitely more in my mind than trying to capture that kind of hipster, scenester thing that now the movie is really sort of about. Oh, yeah. Sure, I definitely threw in my two cents. But, ultimately I’d say Pete and Myron, the editor, I think they started to really compile lists together. And certainly I’m a fan of Vampire Weekend and Bishop Allen. The fact that they played in the movie was just so, so cool. Local boys, you know. It was great. But, yeah, I would say it sort of rounded out even in the editing process probably. And especially because it’s wall to wall sound. It’s kind of a throwback to what I loved about American Graffiti. It’s really capturing an era, and that’s what this was doing ultimately with all the real modern rock. Hopefully it won’t be played out by the time, you know… [laughs] Hopefully, it’s timeless in that way and isn’t just representative of right now. I wish one or two of my mix CD songs had ended up in there. [laughs] But that’s OK. Yeah. We don’t see any parents, which I think would probably break the spell of this. Are there parents represented in the book? I mean, is there a conscious decision not to have some parent hovering on the outside waiting for like a cell phone call? Yeah, there actually was. And in the book there was. Norah’s father is a great sort of figure, but I believe he calls at some point during the night. I believe there’s some kind of more of a ticking clock with him and Brown and more of decisions like that. And there was a brief scene in the very early draft that I was trying to rip off The Graduate as much as possible. [laughs] And have Norah kind of be hiding up in her room. I wrote an early scene of her father and mother. But, eventually since that was it and we didn’t really require that, it sort of became great that you don’t have that. You don’t have anybody hovering over. You just really get to absorb what it’s like to be young, and you’re not thinking about your parents when you’re out all night. [laughs] So, why should we as an audience be really focused on that? I don’t know. It’s like Peanuts. It’s like this hermetic kind of world that kids live in. Yeah. That would have been great, just so hear, “Wah, wah, wah, wah, wah.” I would have really liked to hear that. [laughter] Did you like how the film turned out? I really, really, really did. I’m very proud. And it’s so rare, I imagine, someone’s first film getting made the writer would be as pleased as punch. I really am, yeah. I think Pete Sollet’s amazing. I loved Raising Victor Vargas. I saw it when it came out. He came on board, I’d say maybe after the first or second draft of the script. And I just knew he was the guy to do it all along. He captured such reality in his first film, and a very specific group of young people in that. It just seemed so appropriate for this. He’s a New York guy, I’m a Jersey girl. We hung out in cafes in the lower East Side and worked on it together. He’s pretty amazing. How do you think it’ll translate for people who live out in the Midwest, let’s say, or someplace where they don’t have quite as much access to these all night, all these great haunts? Sure, yeah. I would hope that people would still relate to having one of those all night events. I certainly, growing up in the shadows of New York kind of had that experience a lot. Traveling from Jersey into the city and having those nights. I think it’s such a nostalgic piece. If you are young, and in the Midwest I imagine it would strike a chord. And I imagine if you’re older, hopefully it would just remind you of that time. Of course it’s a New York story and everything, but I think it’s really more about being young and falling in love, really. And sort of shedding all those insecurities you have when you’re a kid and trying to be as brave as possible at a very early age. I should hope it’s relatable, yeah. I would love that. And also I imagine people kind of just seeing what that’s like. I was certainly fascinated by L.A. movies before I showed up there. How much of yourself did you put into Norah? You know, it’s weird. Norah, it was me on the page. It was so scary when I read it the first time. Definitely some. What’s strange is if you see a photo of me at 18, I look an awful lot like Kat Dennings without the lips and the… boobs and stuff. I wasn’t quite as stunning of course, but I was trying to look that way. I think girls at that age are so complex, and I think… What do you mean “at that age”? Well, at any age, right? Especially when they’re still trying to figure out how complex they actually are, and unfortunately dealing with boys that age, who are not quite as complex yet. [laughs] Definitely what I love about Norah is she’s got this great sort of wall up that she’s built herself. And certainly over the course of the night and over the course of data with Michael Cera, it’s starts to drop a bit. And I think she’s a pretty guarded person, which I am. And yet pretty outspoken, which I am. So, yeah, I’ve definitely fallen in love with a few musicians in my day. So, I can relate. Also I have this father who’s larger than life, for me anyway. I can really relate to kind of what that experience is like, to sort of feel like you’re living in these halls with these people and your Friday and Saturday night are so very special when you get out of that and sort of shed your skin a little bit. So, yeah, there’s plenty of me in there. But, I felt it when I read the book so it wasn’t hard. I was immediately attached. When I read it, it was a manuscript, it wasn’t published or anything. And I was just lying in bed and I just like closed it and cried a little bit because I was like, wow, that sums it all up. That’s exactly like what I kind of experienced at a time in my life. So it was already on the page, I think. Michael Cera is coming off of Juno which was written by Diablo Cody, which kind of made her this poster girl for young rock and roll screenwriting women, and she has her column in Entertainment Weekly. Do you identify with her as a writer, or are you sort of…. [laughs] She’s my best friend. Well, there you go. I guess that was easy. There’s three of us. There’s myself and Diablo and Dana Fox, who wrote What Happens in Vegas. We call ourselves the “Femmepire.” [laughter] We’re trying very slowly to take over the world. Diablo certainly set the charge, which was kind of amazing. I love her so much. I loved her before I knew her work. So, the beauty of that was actually getting to see her film after I’d already fallen in love with her and getting to see how much of her was on the page actually and on screen. Yeah, I admire her work tremendously. Obviously there’s going to be so many comparisons to Juno. We’re here, it’s the same day, next year. She came out to support me this year, which is great. She and Dana are both here so it’s really supportive. I think what she brings to the table is kind of what I would hope, which is balancing that great line between comedy and drama. And allowing real people to be seen and not treating teenagers like they’re idiots. There are smart kids out there and they don’t all talk the same. She obviously has a very unique voice. I wish we had known each other when we were both writing these things. That would have been kind of great. Now it’s going to   you’ll hear line hopefully repeated over and over. We all write in the same room together and kind of ask each other, “Is this funny? Is this not funny? Is this too offensive.” Most of the time. I take it as a compliment anytime someone says that, for sure. What advice did she give you as you were embarking on this publicity process? Because she had been through that. Yeah. Well, I don’t have to get asked if this is better than stripping, so that’s kind of nice. [laughter] I never did any of that, so I don’t have any of that to fall back on . She was really just kind of… she said I’m going to be exhausted and to try to enjoy it. Dana, who’s also here, she calls it a “business wedding.” So, they’re my maids of honor and they’re reminding me to eat. That’s sort of the thing. Shoving banana bread into my face. I’ll leave it there for a while before I finally take a bite. They’re doing that kind of thing. She didn’t do the hair and makeup, and I was like, “How could you not have taken advantage of the situation?” [laughter] She was like, “I don’t want all that.” So, yeah, that was about it. Have you ever thought of collaborating? Yeah. We have. The three of us have talked about producing different projects together certainly. I think our styles are all so   I think they would gel really well together. I think we’d probably love to oversee a project together more than even collaborating on the writing itself. She’s working on her television show right now, which is taking up a lot of time with “Spielborg,” I like to call him, because he’s part machine, for short. It would be great, but really getting to produce all together would probably be more of a goal than even writing together. I don’t know how that would be. I had a writing partner for a very brief spell. And that’s not easy, it’s really not. It’s really not. I thought it would be half the work, but it’s really twice the work because you’re going over everything even more specifically. When you look at a character like Norah and Juno for example, and then you compare them to the female roles in the John Hughes movies, what do you think it says about how far teenage girls and young women have progressed in the 20 years since then? It’s sort of Molly Ringwald all over again. Unfortunately I think there was a real gap there in the middle where teenage girls weren’t portrayed in that way. A lot of the teen comedies that came out were sexist, in my opinion. [laughs] And really didn’t   I don’t know, I never found them very relatable, certainly. Hopefully it’s a reemergence of that. I should hope so. I think certainly in my era it was all about popularity. Remember? It was like popularity was the theme of everything. And a little bit of class struggle, and that was kind of it. Nowadays I think it’s so much more about insecurity. I think beauty is such a strange and illusive thing these days. Young girls have all these magazines to look at and feel horrible about themselves. Diet, health, all of that. I think Juno, I think Norah, I think they’re real girls. I think both of these actresses are absolutely gorgeous but they’re not walking out of “Gossip Girl.” Conventional. Yeah, it’s not conventional beauty, obviously. I, for one, really appreciate that. [laughs] I should hope it kind of continues. The unfortunate thing is that women in general don’t get those roles any more. And the fact that it could kind of reach teenage girls is even more special to me. Which is so funny, because now they’re the demographic, right? Now, that’s what everybody’s marketing towards. They’re the ones buying the t shirts. So, maybe out of some sick desire for box office they’ll actually maintain these young girl themes of hopefully confidence building rather than the opposite. What are you working on now? What’s next? I wrote a script called Man and Wife about an immigration officer who interviews married couples to figure out which marriages are shams where he’s sort of living his own sham marriage. Gabriele Muccino, who did The Pursuit of Happyness is attached, so hopefully that’ll get going pretty soon. And I’m going to direct hopefully pretty soon, with a mandate again. I’m doing a project that should hopefully hit the trades pretty soon. And I recorded an album during the writer’s strike. [laughs] What? Yeah. I’m a singer/songwriter. I don’t know why. It’s my little hyphenate I’m trying to build up for myself. Yeah, I recorded an album during the writer’s strike because I just was losing, losing, losing my mind, out of just boredom and panic. And so, yeah, I’m going to try to push that as much as possible. What’s it sound like? I play piano and sing. So it’s piano based. It’s all about the lyrics. [laughs] My voice is trying to catch up to my lyrics, I think. It’s Fiona Apple/Feist. Do you have a title or a label? It’s called “Garden Party.” But I don’t have any label. If anybody out there is listening… Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Fri, 19 Sep 2008 15:00:46 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com9/19/2008 11:00:46 AM From left to right, Diablo Cody, Dana Fox, and Lorene Scafaria. Or, the “Femmepire” as they call it, a triumvirate of female screenwriters. Lorene Scafaria has been toiling as a screenwriter for awhile, although her first produced film, Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, is actually an adaptation of a novel by the same name. However, it manages to nail the “teen voice” without slapping a message all over it, and it should open up a few more doors for Lorene. Not that she needs them, since she’s already recorded an album of her own music, and has her next project already in the works. Read on to find out how she tried to capture the New York City feeling in this movie, what she’s been doing with best friend and fellow screenwriter Diablo Cody, and what’s in store for her. Good morning. Good morning! Adapting this from the novel, what was that like? Especially since you’re relatively new as a screenwriter. What was the process like for you? Yeah, I’m definitely relatively new as a screenwriter. Unfortunately, Nick and Norah was my ninth script that I had written. [laughter] But, certainly my first adaptation. And I really wanted to be as true to the spirit of the novel as possible. It was fairly daunting at first, just because I loved the characters so much. I loved who they were, I loved the course of the night, I loved the tone of it. But, movies like this haven’t been made in a while, and so it was just a real challenge to kind of bring it back to those movies that I grew up on in the ’80s, John Hughes movies and Cameron Crowe. And then to try to make it a little more cinematic than the novel was itself, actually, which was beautifully written of course. But everything kind of started in this hyper-intense club and then it was sort of Nick and Norah hanging out for the rest of the night. Which is great…I loved Before Sunrise and Before Sunset so I wouldn’t have minded watching Nick and Norah just hang out all night. But, yeah, we certainly had to come up with some devices to just maintain the thrust of that story. So things like Caroline going missing. Things like Where’s Fluffy, being this band that they’re looking for. You know, little things like that that certainly propelled it a little more. Was music a part of the novel? Yeah, it was. Like specific well known songs? Yeah. But it’s strange, because at the time I didn’t even know if it was a period piece, because of things like The Cure and Green Day. So, I didn’t know when I first started reading it what era it was even. Yeah, certainly The Cure was someone who I sort of grew up with, and Green Day too. So it definitely was a part of it, of course, but it wasn’t specific to modern day. Did you put some of the music in the screenplay or make suggestions? I didn’t write it in, but I made a mix CD, but that was four years ago, with the first draft. What was on it? The Black Keys. It was a lot of… it was music I was really into then: Bloc Party, Frou Frou. I don’t even know how to say that, Frou Frou? But, it was definitely more in my mind than trying to capture that kind of hipster, scenester thing that now the movie is really sort of about. Oh, yeah. Sure, I definitely threw in my two cents. But, ultimately I’d say Pete and Myron, the editor, I think they started to really compile lists together. And certainly I’m a fan of Vampire Weekend and Bishop Allen. The fact that they played in the movie was just so, so cool. Local boys, you know. It was great. But, yeah, I would say it sort of rounded out even in the editing process probably. And especially because it’s wall to wall sound. It’s kind of a throwback to what I loved about American Graffiti. It’s really capturing an era, and that’s what this was doing ultimately with all the real modern rock. Hopefully it won’t be played out by the time, you know… [laughs] Hopefully, it’s timeless in that way and isn’t just representative of right now. I wish one or two of my mix CD songs had ended up in there. [laughs] But that’s OK. Yeah. We don’t see any parents, which I think would probably break the spell of this. Are there parents represented in the book? I mean, is there a conscious decision not to have some parent hovering on the outside waiting for like a cell phone call? Yeah, there actually was. And in the book there was. Norah’s father is a great sort of figure, but I believe he calls at some point during the night. I believe there’s some kind of more of a ticking clock with him and Brown and more of decisions like that. And there was a brief scene in the very early draft that I was trying to rip off The Graduate as much as possible. [laughs] And have Norah kind of be hiding up in her room. I wrote an early scene of her father and mother. But, eventually since that was it and we didn’t really require that, it sort of became great that you don’t have that. You don’t have anybody hovering over. You just really get to absorb what it’s like to be young, and you’re not thinking about your parents when you’re out all night. [laughs] So, why should we as an audience be really focused on that? I don’t know. It’s like Peanuts. It’s like this hermetic kind of world that kids live in. Yeah. That would have been great, just so hear, “Wah, wah, wah, wah, wah.” I would have really liked to hear that. [laughter] Did you like how the film turned out? I really, really, really did. I’m very proud. And it’s so rare, I imagine, someone’s first film getting made the writer would be as pleased as punch. I really am, yeah. I think Pete Sollet’s amazing. I loved Raising Victor Vargas. I saw it when it came out. He came on board, I’d say maybe after the first or second draft of the script. And I just knew he was the guy to do it all along. He captured such reality in his first film, and a very specific group of young people in that. It just seemed so appropriate for this. He’s a New York guy, I’m a Jersey girl. We hung out in cafes in the lower East Side and worked on it together. He’s pretty amazing. How do you think it’ll translate for people who live out in the Midwest, let’s say, or someplace where they don’t have quite as much access to these all night, all these great haunts? Sure, yeah. I would hope that people would still relate to having one of those all night events. I certainly, growing up in the shadows of New York kind of had that experience a lot. Traveling from Jersey into the city and having those nights. I think it’s such a nostalgic piece. If you are young, and in the Midwest I imagine it would strike a chord. And I imagine if you’re older, hopefully it would just remind you of that time. Of course it’s a New York story and everything, but I think it’s really more about being young and falling in love, really. And sort of shedding all those insecurities you have when you’re a kid and trying to be as brave as possible at a very early age. I should hope it’s relatable, yeah. I would love that. And also I imagine people kind of just seeing what that’s like. I was certainly fascinated by L.A. movies before I showed up there. How much of yourself did you put into Norah? You know, it’s weird. Norah, it was me on the page. It was so scary when I read it the first time. Definitely some. What’s strange is if you see a photo of me at 18, I look an awful lot like Kat Dennings without the lips and the… boobs and stuff. I wasn’t quite as stunning of course, but I was trying to look that way. I think girls at that age are so complex, and I think… What do you mean “at that age”? Well, at any age, right? Especially when they’re still trying to figure out how complex they actually are, and unfortunately dealing with boys that age, who are not quite as complex yet. [laughs] Definitely what I love about Norah is she’s got this great sort of wall up that she’s built herself. And certainly over the course of the night and over the course of data with Michael Cera, it’s starts to drop a bit. And I think she’s a pretty guarded person, which I am. And yet pretty outspoken, which I am. So, yeah, I’ve definitely fallen in love with a few musicians in my day. So, I can relate. Also I have this father who’s larger than life, for me anyway. I can really relate to kind of what that experience is like, to sort of feel like you’re living in these halls with these people and your Friday and Saturday night are so very special when you get out of that and sort of shed your skin a little bit. So, yeah, there’s plenty of me in there. But, I felt it when I read the book so it wasn’t hard. I was immediately attached. When I read it, it was a manuscript, it wasn’t published or anything. And I was just lying in bed and I just like closed it and cried a little bit because I was like, wow, that sums it all up. That’s exactly like what I kind of experienced at a time in my life. So it was already on the page, I think. Michael Cera is coming off of Juno which was written by Diablo Cody, which kind of made her this poster girl for young rock and roll screenwriting women, and she has her column in Entertainment Weekly. Do you identify with her as a writer, or are you sort of…. [laughs] She’s my best friend. Well, there you go. I guess that was easy. There’s three of us. There’s myself and Diablo and Dana Fox, who wrote What Happens in Vegas. We call ourselves the “Femmepire.” [laughter] We’re trying very slowly to take over the world. Diablo certainly set the charge, which was kind of amazing. I love her so much. I loved her before I knew her work. So, the beauty of that was actually getting to see her film after I’d already fallen in love with her and getting to see how much of her was on the page actually and on screen. Yeah, I admire her work tremendously. Obviously there’s going to be so many comparisons to Juno. We’re here, it’s the same day, next year. She came out to support me this year, which is great. She and Dana are both here so it’s really supportive. I think what she brings to the table is kind of what I would hope, which is balancing that great line between comedy and drama. And allowing real people to be seen and not treating teenagers like they’re idiots. There are smart kids out there and they don’t all talk the same. She obviously has a very unique voice. I wish we had known each other when we were both writing these things. That would have been kind of great. Now it’s going to   you’ll hear line hopefully repeated over and over. We all write in the same room together and kind of ask each other, “Is this funny? Is this not funny? Is this too offensive.” Most of the time. I take it as a compliment anytime someone says that, for sure. What advice did she give you as you were embarking on this publicity process? Because she had been through that. Yeah. Well, I don’t have to get asked if this is better than stripping, so that’s kind of nice. [laughter] I never did any of that, so I don’t have any of that to fall back on . She was really just kind of… she said I’m going to be exhausted and to try to enjoy it. Dana, who’s also here, she calls it a “business wedding.” So, they’re my maids of honor and they’re reminding me to eat. That’s sort of the thing. Shoving banana bread into my face. I’ll leave it there for a while before I finally take a bite. They’re doing that kind of thing. She didn’t do the hair and makeup, and I was like, “How could you not have taken advantage of the situation?” [laughter] She was like, “I don’t want all that.” So, yeah, that was about it. Have you ever thought of collaborating? Yeah. We have. The three of us have talked about producing different projects together certainly. I think our styles are all so   I think they would gel really well together. I think we’d probably love to oversee a project together more than even collaborating on the writing itself. She’s working on her television show right now, which is taking up a lot of time with “Spielborg,” I like to call him, because he’s part machine, for short. It would be great, but really getting to produce all together would probably be more of a goal than even writing together. I don’t know how that would be. I had a writing partner for a very brief spell. And that’s not easy, it’s really not. It’s really not. I thought it would be half the work, but it’s really twice the work because you’re going over everything even more specifically. When you look at a character like Norah and Juno for example, and then you compare them to the female roles in the John Hughes movies, what do you think it says about how far teenage girls and young women have progressed in the 20 years since then? It’s sort of Molly Ringwald all over again. Unfortunately I think there was a real gap there in the middle where teenage girls weren’t portrayed in that way. A lot of the teen comedies that came out were sexist, in my opinion. [laughs] And really didn’t   I don’t know, I never found them very relatable, certainly. Hopefully it’s a reemergence of that. I should hope so. I think certainly in my era it was all about popularity. Remember? It was like popularity was the theme of everything. And a little bit of class struggle, and that was kind of it. Nowadays I think it’s so much more about insecurity. I think beauty is such a strange and illusive thing these days. Young girls have all these magazines to look at and feel horrible about themselves. Diet, health, all of that. I think Juno, I think Norah, I think they’re real girls. I think both of these actresses are absolutely gorgeous but they’re not walking out of “Gossip Girl.” Conventional. Yeah, it’s not conventional beauty, obviously. I, for one, really appreciate that. [laughs] I should hope it kind of continues. The unfortunate thing is that women in general don’t get those roles any more. And the fact that it could kind of reach teenage girls is even more special to me. Which is so funny, because now they’re the demographic, right? Now, that’s what everybody’s marketing towards. They’re the ones buying the t shirts. So, maybe out of some sick desire for box office they’ll actually maintain these young girl themes of hopefully confidence building rather than the opposite. What are you working on now? What’s next? I wrote a script called Man and Wife about an immigration officer who interviews married couples to figure out which marriages are shams where he’s sort of living his own sham marriage. Gabriele Muccino, who did The Pursuit of Happyness is attached, so hopefully that’ll get going pretty soon. And I’m going to direct hopefully pretty soon, with a mandate again. I’m doing a project that should hopefully hit the trades pretty soon. And I recorded an album during the writer’s strike. [laughs] What? Yeah. I’m a singer/songwriter. I don’t know why. It’s my little hyphenate I’m trying to build up for myself. Yeah, I recorded an album during the writer’s strike because I just was losing, losing, losing my mind, out of just boredom and panic. And so, yeah, I’m going to try to push that as much as possible. What’s it sound like? I play piano and sing. So it’s piano based. It’s all about the lyrics. [laughs] My voice is trying to catch up to my lyrics, I think. It’s Fiona Apple/Feist. Do you have a title or a label? It’s called “Garden Party.” But I don’t have any label. If anybody out there is listening… Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/9/16/35197.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 9/16/2008 2:01:08 PM
Body: I’m probably the least financial-minded person there is, and I’ve never owned a stock, bond or whatever else people invest in. But I am an expert on being broke, being poor, being frugal and, most importantly, putting things into perspective. What I mean is, whenever I feel like things just can’t get any worse for me money-wise, I think of the people who are or were actually worse off than I am. And by people, I mostly mean characters from the movies. So, as you may be worrying about your finances after Black Monday, consider dropping by the video store on your way home from the office (or job interview) today. Invest a few bucks into your own sanity and happiness by renting one of the following movies. Don’t worry, I’ve tried to make the selections rather common and accessible. If you’re like any of the financial guys and girls I know, you’re not likely the sort to go for obscure or difficult cinema. And if you are of the sort, then you probably don’t need this list anyway. The Grapes of Wrath (1940) Let’s begin with one of the basics, a movie that will make you glad you at least aren’t living through the Great Depression. There are tons of films from and about the era, but this is perhaps the definitive example, adapted from John Steinbeck’s definitive story of the Okie migration. At times I’ve felt like I can identify with the financial hardships of the Joads, particularly when I’ve been after a job that tons of other people are after, too. But there’s really no comparison, and you’re likely to agree. After seeing the family’s struggle, you’ll be glad you don’t have it so bad. But you’ll also hopefully be lifted up by the conclusive speeches of both Tom and Ma Joad, who inspire us all to keep on keeping on, no matter what the setback. American Madness (1932) Going back a little earlier, here’s another film dealing with the Great Depression (though not as directly), and one that’s more relative to the current situation of bank failures. Its plot deals with a bank that is robbed and then rumored to be out of money, leading to a withdrawal panic. Released one year prior to the creation of the FDIC, it may be a comforting reminder of how much more secure your deposits are today. (Even if it is a potential problem that the FDIC doesn’t exactly have as much money as it insures against.) Nine Queens (2000) A lot of films dealing with cons can be watched to ease the suffering of financial woes. But then you have to realize that while you may be better off than the victim who has lost all his savings or seen his casino vault emptied, you’ll still want to hate the con artist who gets away with the fortune. With Nine Queens, there is indeed one of those guys you’ll be upset with in the end, but the film has an extra level to it than most movies about a long con, because it’s set amidst Argentina’s economic collapse at the turn of this century. Like the desperate bank run scenes from American Madness, a similar scene involving a crisis at a Buenos Aires bank should leave you a little more optimistic about the current situation in the U.S. Surely we could never experience as critical an economic failure as they did in Argentina, right? One more thing: don’t dare rent the inferior American remake, Criminal, which just doesn’t have the same relevance. I Served the King of England (2006) You won’t find this in the video store just yet, but hopefully it’s playing in a theater near you (currently it’s on 37 screens). I’ve so far contrasted your possibly upsetting financial situation with that of sufferers of the Great Depression and of the Argentine economic crisis. Now, here’s the worse-off situation of the Czechs under Nazi occupation and then communism. Filled with irony and wit, this film should, unlike some of the rest, put a smile on your face while also making you thankful that you didn’t have the misfortune of becoming a millionaire right on the brink of your nation’s change to communism. If there’s anything worse than losing your fortune, it’s losing your fortune and being sent to prison for having such a fortune. Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005) On the other side of the coin, you may want to watch this documentary about the Enron scandal if you are more angry about your economic situation and would rather see a villain sent to prison for corruptly amassing a great fortune. Of course, while the protagonist of I Served the King of England is a lot more lovable, his riches aren’t exactly free from sin, either. And if you’re completely averse to watching either a doc or a foreign film, you could just watch Wall Street again and take out your frustration on Gordon Gekko. Bicycle Thieves (1948) Hopefully you’re not against foreign films, though, because anyone experiencing a financial crunch should take a look at this Italian neorealist classic. Any time I’ve felt helpless due to unemployment or lack of money, I remember that at least I have a certain level of education and skill to fall back on, unlike poor Antonio, who can’t get work after his bicycle is stolen. Films with similar stories inspired by DeSica’s masterpiece, including Cyclo and Man Push Cart (but probably not Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure), may also be worth a look. Grey Gardens (1975) Also, hopefully you aren’t completely against watching a documentary, especially one that’s a little more lighthearted than Enron. Of course, watching two nutty former socialites living in squalor and allowing a once-beautiful mansion to fall apart could possibly make you just as irate. Just be glad that your own riches to rags story doesn’t involve tons of feral cats and a seemingly oblivious daughter who will one day be a poster girl for drag queens. Trading Places (1983) Despite whatever happens with the current economic disaster, America will always be a place where one can get rich as quickly as one can lose it all, and no movie focuses on that truth as well as this comedy, about a bet to see how easily a bum can be made a millionaire, and a millionaire can be made a bum. Plus, it’s always nice to watch the greedy Duke brothers get their just deserts in the end. Just don’t watch Coming to America afterward, so as to pretend they never come back. The Pursuit of Happyness (2006) A lot of people are too cynical to enjoy this movie, but when you’re down in the dumps, especially financially, it’s a good pick-me-up, both for the uplifting story and the general American dream idea that one can truly rise from such poverty to such success as the real Chris Gardner did. Of course, given the current events, getting excited about a man struggling for a career in the financial world may not be so easy. I wonder if there are any good movies about working hard and making it big that don’t involve finance, sports or the entertainment industry. The Gold Rush (1925) In the Depression-set movie Sullivan’s Travels, it’s realized that audiences struggling with financial difficulties and other real-life woes would rather watch comedies than serious films focused on social problems. In that film, it’s a Disney cartoon called Playful Pluto that gives evidence of this, but it’s widely known that Preston Sturgis intended to use a Chaplin picture instead. So, as the final movie selection for the economically depressed, here’s one of the more fitting Chaplin features. While any film involving the Little Tramp could possibly serve to relatively lift you up, there’s just nothing better than watching Chaplin eat his boot and then being thankful for what you’ll be eating for dinner tonight. Now, I must address the possible outcry over the idea of making oneself feel better through the suffering of others. Yes, it’s terrible what people have had and still have to go through, both in America and around the world. Poverty is no joke, and it’s not exactly something that exists merely to balance out the brattiness of those not living in and with such poor conditions. So, I encourage you to, after watching whatever movie lifts your spirits up, find it in your heart to also be inspired to help someone less fortunate than yourself. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Tue, 16 Sep 2008 18:01:08 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com9/16/2008 2:01:08 PM I’m probably the least financial-minded person there is, and I’ve never owned a stock, bond or whatever else people invest in. But I am an expert on being broke, being poor, being frugal and, most importantly, putting things into perspective. What I mean is, whenever I feel like things just can’t get any worse for me money-wise, I think of the people who are or were actually worse off than I am. And by people, I mostly mean characters from the movies. So, as you may be worrying about your finances after Black Monday, consider dropping by the video store on your way home from the office (or job interview) today. Invest a few bucks into your own sanity and happiness by renting one of the following movies. Don’t worry, I’ve tried to make the selections rather common and accessible. If you’re like any of the financial guys and girls I know, you’re not likely the sort to go for obscure or difficult cinema. And if you are of the sort, then you probably don’t need this list anyway. The Grapes of Wrath (1940) Let’s begin with one of the basics, a movie that will make you glad you at least aren’t living through the Great Depression. There are tons of films from and about the era, but this is perhaps the definitive example, adapted from John Steinbeck’s definitive story of the Okie migration. At times I’ve felt like I can identify with the financial hardships of the Joads, particularly when I’ve been after a job that tons of other people are after, too. But there’s really no comparison, and you’re likely to agree. After seeing the family’s struggle, you’ll be glad you don’t have it so bad. But you’ll also hopefully be lifted up by the conclusive speeches of both Tom and Ma Joad, who inspire us all to keep on keeping on, no matter what the setback. American Madness (1932) Going back a little earlier, here’s another film dealing with the Great Depression (though not as directly), and one that’s more relative to the current situation of bank failures. Its plot deals with a bank that is robbed and then rumored to be out of money, leading to a withdrawal panic. Released one year prior to the creation of the FDIC, it may be a comforting reminder of how much more secure your deposits are today. (Even if it is a potential problem that the FDIC doesn’t exactly have as much money as it insures against.) Nine Queens (2000) A lot of films dealing with cons can be watched to ease the suffering of financial woes. But then you have to realize that while you may be better off than the victim who has lost all his savings or seen his casino vault emptied, you’ll still want to hate the con artist who gets away with the fortune. With Nine Queens, there is indeed one of those guys you’ll be upset with in the end, but the film has an extra level to it than most movies about a long con, because it’s set amidst Argentina’s economic collapse at the turn of this century. Like the desperate bank run scenes from American Madness, a similar scene involving a crisis at a Buenos Aires bank should leave you a little more optimistic about the current situation in the U.S. Surely we could never experience as critical an economic failure as they did in Argentina, right? One more thing: don’t dare rent the inferior American remake, Criminal, which just doesn’t have the same relevance. I Served the King of England (2006) You won’t find this in the video store just yet, but hopefully it’s playing in a theater near you (currently it’s on 37 screens). I’ve so far contrasted your possibly upsetting financial situation with that of sufferers of the Great Depression and of the Argentine economic crisis. Now, here’s the worse-off situation of the Czechs under Nazi occupation and then communism. Filled with irony and wit, this film should, unlike some of the rest, put a smile on your face while also making you thankful that you didn’t have the misfortune of becoming a millionaire right on the brink of your nation’s change to communism. If there’s anything worse than losing your fortune, it’s losing your fortune and being sent to prison for having such a fortune. Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005) On the other side of the coin, you may want to watch this documentary about the Enron scandal if you are more angry about your economic situation and would rather see a villain sent to prison for corruptly amassing a great fortune. Of course, while the protagonist of I Served the King of England is a lot more lovable, his riches aren’t exactly free from sin, either. And if you’re completely averse to watching either a doc or a foreign film, you could just watch Wall Street again and take out your frustration on Gordon Gekko. Bicycle Thieves (1948) Hopefully you’re not against foreign films, though, because anyone experiencing a financial crunch should take a look at this Italian neorealist classic. Any time I’ve felt helpless due to unemployment or lack of money, I remember that at least I have a certain level of education and skill to fall back on, unlike poor Antonio, who can’t get work after his bicycle is stolen. Films with similar stories inspired by DeSica’s masterpiece, including Cyclo and Man Push Cart (but probably not Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure), may also be worth a look. Grey Gardens (1975) Also, hopefully you aren’t completely against watching a documentary, especially one that’s a little more lighthearted than Enron. Of course, watching two nutty former socialites living in squalor and allowing a once-beautiful mansion to fall apart could possibly make you just as irate. Just be glad that your own riches to rags story doesn’t involve tons of feral cats and a seemingly oblivious daughter who will one day be a poster girl for drag queens. Trading Places (1983) Despite whatever happens with the current economic disaster, America will always be a place where one can get rich as quickly as one can lose it all, and no movie focuses on that truth as well as this comedy, about a bet to see how easily a bum can be made a millionaire, and a millionaire can be made a bum. Plus, it’s always nice to watch the greedy Duke brothers get their just deserts in the end. Just don’t watch Coming to America afterward, so as to pretend they never come back. The Pursuit of Happyness (2006) A lot of people are too cynical to enjoy this movie, but when you’re down in the dumps, especially financially, it’s a good pick-me-up, both for the uplifting story and the general American dream idea that one can truly rise from such poverty to such success as the real Chris Gardner did. Of course, given the current events, getting excited about a man struggling for a career in the financial world may not be so easy. I wonder if there are any good movies about working hard and making it big that don’t involve finance, sports or the entertainment industry. The Gold Rush (1925) In the Depression-set movie Sullivan’s Travels, it’s realized that audiences struggling with financial difficulties and other real-life woes would rather watch comedies than serious films focused on social problems. In that film, it’s a Disney cartoon called Playful Pluto that gives evidence of this, but it’s widely known that Preston Sturgis intended to use a Chaplin picture instead. So, as the final movie selection for the economically depressed, here’s one of the more fitting Chaplin features. While any film involving the Little Tramp could possibly serve to relatively lift you up, there’s just nothing better than watching Chaplin eat his boot and then being thankful for what you’ll be eating for dinner tonight. Now, I must address the possible outcry over the idea of making oneself feel better through the suffering of others. Yes, it’s terrible what people have had and still have to go through, both in America and around the world. Poverty is no joke, and it’s not exactly something that exists merely to balance out the brattiness of those not living in and with such poor conditions. So, I encourage you to, after watching whatever movie lifts your spirits up, find it in your heart to also be inspired to help someone less fortunate than yourself. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/7/3/32089.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 7/3/2008 6:00:33 PM
Body: In response to Karina’s post from yesterday about plot songs, I feel it is necessary and timely to pay tribute today to the best plot song writer since Huey Lewis: Will Smith. From the ’80s on, Smith has provided the world with songs serving as storytelling supplements to his TV show, his movies and even other people’s movies. At times he has even prematurely released songs that could later be applied to movies for which he failed to attach an official plot song. Uh huh. To get us started, here’s one for Hancock. It’s a song released three years ago, but it’s much more relevant now: “Here He Comes” for Hancock The above video is the closest thing I can find to a video for the song, which applies to Smith’s latest movie in three ways. (1) The title is close to the former title of the movie, “Tonight He Comes.” (2) It samples the theme to the Spider-Man TV series, fitting it in with the superhero plot. (3) It works as a big defense against all of the naysayers thinking he’s finally struck out with Hancock. “If U Can’t Dance (Slide)” for Hitch Because the video featuring “Here He Comes” that I embedded already included this track, I’m moving on to it next. According to Wikipedia, the song features a dialogue sample from the hit movie, but I don’t hear it. Still, it does relate to the movie, because of this scene. “Wild Wild West” from Wild Wild West The movie may have been complete crap, but the theme song — and its video — is worth its being made. How this didn’t inspire new hip hop fashion trends is beyond me. “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (Theme Song)” from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Every sitcom should have an opening theme song that lays out a prologue for the series. Especially one as easily remembered as this. If you don’t know the lyrics, you’re definably unAmerican. I think McCarthy said that. “Men in Black” from Men in Black I know that reworking the chorus from “Forget Me Nots” has relevance to the memory-erasing devices in the movie, but the song’s concentration on the Men in Black not letting us remember always made me think about the memorability of the movie itself. The song later became more significant for me when I completely forgot the entirety of Men in Black II a few days after seeing it. “Black Suits Comin’ (Nod Ya Head)” from Men in Black II Huh. What do you know? I completely forgot this plot song existed, too. “Nightmare on My Street” for A Nightmare on Elm Street Smith never appeared in any of the Nightmare on Elm Street movies, but that didn’t stop him from recording this single, which coincided with the release of A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master. According to Wikipedia, there allegedly was a video made for the song, but due to New Line’s unhappiness with the track, it was never unveiled to the public. So, hopefully this fan-made video, which apes the Fresh Prince video style perfectly, will do. “Parents Just Don’t Understand” for Made in America I couldn’t leave out this classic Fresh Prince track, because it tells such a great story, so I’m forcefully relating it to an early Smith movie that has to do with parents. It was either that or consider it a plot song for the double-Lohan version of The Parent Trap, in which it appears. Isn’t it about time, though, that this video be adapted into a feature-length film? “Just the Two of Us” for The Pursuit of Happyness The song is apparently in actuality a plot song for a children’s book of the same name that Smith wrote. But since I’ve never seen said book, I’m linking it to his movie about a father and son struggling to get by (they can make it if they try). The video features a different son than the movie, but in fairness to the kids, we can ignore that lack of consistency. “Ring My Bell” for I Am Legend Smith should have updated this old Fresh Prince single and applied it to his previous sci-fi blockbuster. Throughout the movie, he broadcasts what’s basically an invitation for survivors to ring his bell. He’d need to throw in an extra verse about how he doesn’t want the undead creatures to call him up, but that wouldn’t have been too difficult. “I Think I Can Beat Mike Tyson” for Ali This single off the DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince album “In This Corner…” predated Smith’s portrayal of boxer Muhammad Ali by 11 years. And its lyrics don’t exactly apply to the biopic (the closest line to an Ali reference is “I’m rough like a freight train, smooth like ice”). Had Smith waited a decade, though, he could have easily altered the song to fit his Oscar-nominated role. Maybe it would have been titled “I Think I Can Beat George Foreman” or something (Ali would have never said “I think I can”). And maybe it would have gotten Smith a second Academy Award nomination for Ali — for Best Original Song. “Tell Me Why” for World Trade Center Too bad Smith wasn’t cast in Oliver Stone’s 9/11 movie, because this would have worked as its plot song. I guess that would have made the movie a little too silly, though. Maybe it will be on the soundtrack for the inevitable Michael Bay 9/11 blockbuster. “Miami” for Bad Boys and Bad Boys II Three years late or five years early, this should have been the theme song to the Bad Boys movies. Yes, only because the franchise is set in Miami. “Will 2K” for I, Robot “Will 2K” makes me think of Y2K, which makes me think of computers malfunctioning, which makes me think of robots taking over. Say what now? “Summertime” for Independence Day There’s nothing in the song about aliens, destroyed landmarks or even Randy Quaid. But there’s no denying that it goes with the movie, because there are only two things every American must do on the 4th of July: watch a Will Smith movie (preferably ID4) and listen to “Summertime” while sitting back and unwinding. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Thu, 03 Jul 2008 22:00:33 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com7/3/2008 6:00:33 PM In response to Karina’s post from yesterday about plot songs, I feel it is necessary and timely to pay tribute today to the best plot song writer since Huey Lewis: Will Smith. From the ’80s on, Smith has provided the world with songs serving as storytelling supplements to his TV show, his movies and even other people’s movies. At times he has even prematurely released songs that could later be applied to movies for which he failed to attach an official plot song. Uh huh. To get us started, here’s one for Hancock. It’s a song released three years ago, but it’s much more relevant now: “Here He Comes” for Hancock The above video is the closest thing I can find to a video for the song, which applies to Smith’s latest movie in three ways. (1) The title is close to the former title of the movie, “Tonight He Comes.” (2) It samples the theme to the Spider-Man TV series, fitting it in with the superhero plot. (3) It works as a big defense against all of the naysayers thinking he’s finally struck out with Hancock. “If U Can’t Dance (Slide)” for Hitch Because the video featuring “Here He Comes” that I embedded already included this track, I’m moving on to it next. According to Wikipedia, the song features a dialogue sample from the hit movie, but I don’t hear it. Still, it does relate to the movie, because of this scene. “Wild Wild West” from Wild Wild West The movie may have been complete crap, but the theme song — and its video — is worth its being made. How this didn’t inspire new hip hop fashion trends is beyond me. “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (Theme Song)” from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Every sitcom should have an opening theme song that lays out a prologue for the series. Especially one as easily remembered as this. If you don’t know the lyrics, you’re definably unAmerican. I think McCarthy said that. “Men in Black” from Men in Black I know that reworking the chorus from “Forget Me Nots” has relevance to the memory-erasing devices in the movie, but the song’s concentration on the Men in Black not letting us remember always made me think about the memorability of the movie itself. The song later became more significant for me when I completely forgot the entirety of Men in Black II a few days after seeing it. “Black Suits Comin’ (Nod Ya Head)” from Men in Black II Huh. What do you know? I completely forgot this plot song existed, too. “Nightmare on My Street” for A Nightmare on Elm Street Smith never appeared in any of the Nightmare on Elm Street movies, but that didn’t stop him from recording this single, which coincided with the release of A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master. According to Wikipedia, there allegedly was a video made for the song, but due to New Line’s unhappiness with the track, it was never unveiled to the public. So, hopefully this fan-made video, which apes the Fresh Prince video style perfectly, will do. “Parents Just Don’t Understand” for Made in America I couldn’t leave out this classic Fresh Prince track, because it tells such a great story, so I’m forcefully relating it to an early Smith movie that has to do with parents. It was either that or consider it a plot song for the double-Lohan version of The Parent Trap, in which it appears. Isn’t it about time, though, that this video be adapted into a feature-length film? “Just the Two of Us” for The Pursuit of Happyness The song is apparently in actuality a plot song for a children’s book of the same name that Smith wrote. But since I’ve never seen said book, I’m linking it to his movie about a father and son struggling to get by (they can make it if they try). The video features a different son than the movie, but in fairness to the kids, we can ignore that lack of consistency. “Ring My Bell” for I Am Legend Smith should have updated this old Fresh Prince single and applied it to his previous sci-fi blockbuster. Throughout the movie, he broadcasts what’s basically an invitation for survivors to ring his bell. He’d need to throw in an extra verse about how he doesn’t want the undead creatures to call him up, but that wouldn’t have been too difficult. “I Think I Can Beat Mike Tyson” for Ali This single off the DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince album “In This Corner…” predated Smith’s portrayal of boxer Muhammad Ali by 11 years. And its lyrics don’t exactly apply to the biopic (the closest line to an Ali reference is “I’m rough like a freight train, smooth like ice”). Had Smith waited a decade, though, he could have easily altered the song to fit his Oscar-nominated role. Maybe it would have been titled “I Think I Can Beat George Foreman” or something (Ali would have never said “I think I can”). And maybe it would have gotten Smith a second Academy Award nomination for Ali — for Best Original Song. “Tell Me Why” for World Trade Center Too bad Smith wasn’t cast in Oliver Stone’s 9/11 movie, because this would have worked as its plot song. I guess that would have made the movie a little too silly, though. Maybe it will be on the soundtrack for the inevitable Michael Bay 9/11 blockbuster. “Miami” for Bad Boys and Bad Boys II Three years late or five years early, this should have been the theme song to the Bad Boys movies. Yes, only because the franchise is set in Miami. “Will 2K” for I, Robot “Will 2K” makes me think of Y2K, which makes me think of computers malfunctioning, which makes me think of robots taking over. Say what now? “Summertime” for Independence Day There’s nothing in the song about aliens, destroyed landmarks or even Randy Quaid. But there’s no denying that it goes with the movie, because there are only two things every American must do on the 4th of July: watch a Will Smith movie (preferably ID4) and listen to “Summertime” while sitting back and unwinding. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/jj79/archive/2008/6/9/30955.aspx Post By: JJ79
Post To: JJ79 Blog
Post Date: 6/9/2008 1:08:47 PM
Body: At the beginning of "The Pursuit of Happyness", a small disclaimer comes on the screen stating this movie is inspired by actual events. Of that, the audience can never have any doubt. At the end, this is reinforced with title cards explaining what happened to Chris Gardner and his son Christopher (played by Will Smith and his real life son Jaden): he founded his own brokerage firm and then sold it in what is described as a multi-million dollar deal. And therein lies the biggest problem with this film, a sugary, ultimately feel good production designed to garner Oscar buzz and little else. The idea "The Pursuit of Happyness" is "inspired" by real events plays against it. As opposed to its thematically similar "based on actual events", this film has put a glossy sheen on everything that happens in an attempt to pull at every conceivable heartstring there is in the human body. In the end, though, it's all something we've seen done better-and more convincing-before. We're told, through various flashbacks and voiceovers, that Chris and his wife Linda (Thandie Newton in a role that calls upon the same emotions as her stint on "ER") sunk their life savings into buying medical scanners-overpriced and slightly improved over other models-for Chris to sell as a traveling salesman. In the present, Chris is struggling at his job, Linda is forced to take double shifts at her sweat shop job and the two are constantly at each others throats. The lone bright spot in their lives is their son, Christopher. Eventually, when Linda leaves and Chris begins an unpaid internship at Dean Witter, he loses his apartment and backup hotel room. The father and son find themselves living in homeless shelters and train station bathrooms. As I alluded to already, this is a deeply flawed film. At least part of the issue stems from the fact Chris is never shown to be anything but a saint stuck in a bad situation. He never takes responsibility for thinking the medical scanners would provide for his family. He never tells his wife or son that he's sorry for what he's put them through. Chris is this superman...a superman the audience is supposed to root for despite the fact he's not a character we can empathize with. There is no person, living or dead, who is this pure, this selfless and with this much gumption to keep trucking on, only breaking down once. It's an actual impossibility. So every time Chris overcomes another obstacle (and there are obstacles on top of obstacles compounded with even more obstacles), the outcome is already known. The film seems to want to see how bad it can make the situation for Chris and Christopher, not to mention how much it can raise the father into the level of sainthood. One of the worst examples of this is a comment basically laying blame for everything that goes wrong to the duo at the feet of Linda. Something along of lines of she wasn't strong enough or she abandoned them. Whatever it was, it fits right in line with the decidedly anti-female and anti-Linda vibe in the movie. The events of the film take place in the early 1980s, a time when minorities and women didn't comprise much, if any, of corporate America. "The Pursuit of Happyness" slyly wants to show Chris as the stereotypical black man fighting against the white oppression. The landlord who kicks him out of his apartment is a white man. The three people making the unpaid internship decisions at Dean Witter are all white. The people running the homeless mission are white. All the potential clients for Chris are white. And at every single turn they "conspire", as the movie would have us believe, to keep Chris down. There are even overt signs of racism in the training instructor who picks on Chris mercilessly. Again, this all feeds into the feeling the movie has an ulterior motive, a racial undertone that is never actually mentioned. "The Pursuit of Happyness" is strangely unaffecting. Reports of audience clapping, crying and cheering are most likely nothing more than publicity plants. The movie hits every single emotional note it's supposed to and pulls every heartstring the human body has in an attempt to elicit some kind of emotion from the audience besides "is this over yet?". From montages that come straight out of weepy Lifetime movies to the tried and true "American" paradigm, this movie seems at least a decade too late. Do homeless people exist in our society? People who lose their homes, see their families dissolve and end up in the proverbial toilet bowl of the world? Of course, don't be naÔve. But if you're going to make this kind of movie and expect the audience to be emotionally connected to any of the characters, you have to make them human. Chris clearly isn't human. He can fix complex medical scanners he can run blocks upon blocks in San Francisco in work clothes, carrying all his world possessions with him he can schmooze just about anyone, even scoring invites to a 49ers football game from a man he doesn't know he can hatch plan after plan to pull himself out of train station bathrooms. But the one thing our society teaches us is to accept responsibility, as I mentioned before. Even a simple mention of Chris regretting something would have sufficed. It never happens. I keep coming back to this idea of Chris as superman because the movie is so dependant on the audience feeling and identifying with the characters. Without that connection, were left with an overlong, over preachy, over hyped concoction of a film. Which isn't to say there aren't bright spots in the production. Will and Jaden Smith do have a rapport on screen which isn't hard to understand since they are father and son in real life. But the elder Smith is never able to step out of his personae AS Will Smith to inhabit this character. Either as a fault of the script or simply casting Smith, we never see him as anything but the Fresh Prince or Agent Jay. We still see these previous characters when we should be seeing this new one. The other massive problem with "The Pursuit of Happyness" is that the dialogue feels like it comes straight out of a Hallmark card. At nearly every turn, someone-usually Smith-has something profoundly deep to say about dreams, ambitions or wants. An example? "You got a dream, you gotta protect it. People can't do something themselves, they wanna tell you that you can't do it. You want something? Go get it. Period." If he's as smart as the script wants us to believe, then why hasn't he put those witticisms to use? Chris is too stubborn and set in his ways selling the scanners to change at any point before the desperate times. "The Pursuit of Happyness" refers to a line in the Declaration of Independence. Chris contends, in his Hallmark way, that it is the journey finding happiness which is the important thing, not the actual happiness itself. Happiness, it can be said, is a fluid thing. What will make us happy one day doesn't make us happy the next. There is a message here, but by the time the end of the film comes along, the audience is entirely ready to leave this manipulative and calculated movie-of-the-week behind. The best thing here is the actors, but with weak material we've all seen previously, there's not a lot even they can do for it. "The Pursuit of Happyness" gets a 5 out of 10 for being a completely unemotional, formulaic and frankly boring affair that squanders the talent of Will Smith. If you need trite life lessons, go to your local Hallmark, pick up any card and save yourself 116 minutes of your life.
]]>Mon, 09 Jun 2008 17:08:47 GMTJJ79JJ79 Blog6/9/2008 1:08:47 PMAt the beginning of "The Pursuit of Happyness", a small disclaimer comes on the screen stating this movie is inspired by actual events. Of that, the audience can never have any doubt. At the end, this is reinforced with title cards explaining what happened to Chris Gardner and his son Christopher (played by Will Smith and his real life son Jaden): he founded his own brokerage firm and then sold it in what is described as a multi-million dollar deal. And therein lies the biggest problem with this film, a sugary, ultimately feel good production designed to garner Oscar buzz and little else. The idea "The Pursuit of Happyness" is "inspired" by real events plays against it. As opposed to its thematically similar "based on actual events", this film has put a glossy sheen on everything that happens in an attempt to pull at every conceivable heartstring there is in the human body. In the end, though, it's all something we've seen done better-and more convincing-before. We're told, through various flashbacks and voiceovers, that Chris and his wife Linda (Thandie Newton in a role that calls upon the same emotions as her stint on "ER") sunk their life savings into buying medical scanners-overpriced and slightly improved over other models-for Chris to sell as a traveling salesman. In the present, Chris is struggling at his job, Linda is forced to take double shifts at her sweat shop job and the two are constantly at each others throats. The lone bright spot in their lives is their son, Christopher. Eventually, when Linda leaves and Chris begins an unpaid internship at Dean Witter, he loses his apartment and backup hotel room. The father and son find themselves living in homeless shelters and train station bathrooms. As I alluded to already, this is a deeply flawed film. At least part of the issue stems from the fact Chris is never shown to be anything but a saint stuck in a bad situation. He never takes responsibility for thinking the medical scanners would provide for his family. He never tells his wife or son that he's sorry for what he's put them through. Chris is this superman...a superman the audience is supposed to root for despite the fact he's not a character we can empathize with. There is no person, living or dead, who is this pure, this selfless and with this much gumption to keep trucking on, only breaking down once. It's an actual impossibility. So every time Chris overcomes another obstacle (and there are obstacles on top of obstacles compounded with even more obstacles), the outcome is already known. The film seems to want to see how bad it can make the situation for Chris and Christopher, not to mention how much it can raise the father into the level of sainthood. One of the worst examples of this is a comment basically laying blame for everything that goes wrong to the duo at the feet of Linda. Something along of lines of she wasn't strong enough or she abandoned them. Whatever it was, it fits right in line with the decidedly anti-female and anti-Linda vibe in the movie. The events of the film take place in the early 1980s, a time when minorities and women didn't comprise much, if any, of corporate America. "The Pursuit of Happyness" slyly wants to show Chris as the stereotypical black man fighting against the white oppression. The landlord who kicks him out of his apartment is a white man. The three people making the unpaid internship decisions at Dean Witter are all white. The people running the homeless mission are white. All the potential clients for Chris are white. And at every single turn they "conspire", as the movie would have us believe, to keep Chris down. There are even overt signs of racism in the training instructor who picks on Chris mercilessly. Again, this all feeds into the feeling the movie has an ulterior motive, a racial undertone that is never actually mentioned. "The Pursuit of Happyness" is strangely unaffecting. Reports of audience clapping, crying and cheering are most likely nothing more than publicity plants. The movie hits every single emotional note it's supposed to and pulls every heartstring the human body has in an attempt to elicit some kind of emotion from the audience besides "is this over yet?". From montages that come straight out of weepy Lifetime movies to the tried and true "American" paradigm, this movie seems at least a decade too late. Do homeless people exist in our society? People who lose their homes, see their families dissolve and end up in the proverbial toilet bowl of the world? Of course, don't be na&Ocirc;ve. But if you're going to make this kind of movie and expect the audience to be emotionally connected to any of the characters, you have to make them human. Chris clearly isn't human. He can fix complex medical scanners he can run blocks upon blocks in San Francisco in work clothes, carrying all his world possessions with him he can schmooze just about anyone, even scoring invites to a 49ers football game from a man he doesn't know he can hatch plan after plan to pull himself out of train station bathrooms. But the one thing our society teaches us is to accept responsibility, as I mentioned before. Even a simple mention of Chris regretting something would have sufficed. It never happens. I keep coming back to this idea of Chris as superman because the movie is so dependant on the audience feeling and identifying with the characters. Without that connection, were left with an overlong, over preachy, over hyped concoction of a film. Which isn't to say there aren't bright spots in the production. Will and Jaden Smith do have a rapport on screen which isn't hard to understand since they are father and son in real life. But the elder Smith is never able to step out of his personae AS Will Smith to inhabit this character. Either as a fault of the script or simply casting Smith, we never see him as anything but the Fresh Prince or Agent Jay. We still see these previous characters when we should be seeing this new one. The other massive problem with "The Pursuit of Happyness" is that the dialogue feels like it comes straight out of a Hallmark card. At nearly every turn, someone-usually Smith-has something profoundly deep to say about dreams, ambitions or wants. An example? "You got a dream, you gotta protect it. People can't do something themselves, they wanna tell you that you can't do it. You want something? Go get it. Period." If he's as smart as the script wants us to believe, then why hasn't he put those witticisms to use? Chris is too stubborn and set in his ways selling the scanners to change at any point before the desperate times. "The Pursuit of Happyness" refers to a line in the Declaration of Independence. Chris contends, in his Hallmark way, that it is the journey finding happiness which is the important thing, not the actual happiness itself. Happiness, it can be said, is a fluid thing. What will make us happy one day doesn't make us happy the next. There is a message here, but by the time the end of the film comes along, the audience is entirely ready to leave this manipulative and calculated movie-of-the-week behind. The best thing here is the actors, but with weak material we've all seen previously, there's not a lot even they can do for it. "The Pursuit of Happyness" gets a 5 out of 10 for being a completely unemotional, formulaic and frankly boring affair that squanders the talent of Will Smith. If you need trite life lessons, go to your local Hallmark, pick up any card and save yourself 116 minutes of your life. http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/3/13/26188.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 3/13/2008 5:02:42 PM
Body: The Promotion is such an insightfully hilarious and beautifully bittersweet movie about the American and human spirits that I wish Steven Conrad had always been directing his scripts. Conrad previously wrote The Weather Man and The Pursuit of Happyness, both of which can be felt here as less evolved ancestors; structurally they’re quite the same, while The Promotion shares some of the offbeat tone of Weather Man and a lot of the heart of Happyness. But there’s a story in The Promotion that is far more universal, relatable and familiar, which makes this one much, much funnier and much, much more sympathetic. And certainly Conrad’s ability to balance the sweet and the salty, as a director, is responsible for most of the film’s success. One scene in particular exemplifies the movie best: John C. Reilly, as the new-to-Chicago “Richard”, sits opposite four supermarket executives, interviewing for a promotion to be a full-on store manager, and he’s just had to defend how his Canadian-ness caused him to miss an employee prank. Conrad keeps a close-up shot on Reilly as the actor fluctuates expressions that communicate, non-verbally, a plea of innocence, then ignorance, then stupidity, then insanity, then doubt, then back to innocence again. The combination of comedy and pathos that comes out of this lengthy close-up and perfectly tuned performance, which is broken up by a couple reversals to the executives and which is permitted more time and attention than most films nowadays allow any single moment, is the most brilliantly thoughtful thing I’ve seen done in this kind of movie in a very long time. (more…) Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Thu, 13 Mar 2008 21:02:42 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com3/13/2008 5:02:42 PM The Promotion is such an insightfully hilarious and beautifully bittersweet movie about the American and human spirits that I wish Steven Conrad had always been directing his scripts. Conrad previously wrote The Weather Man and The Pursuit of Happyness, both of which can be felt here as less evolved ancestors; structurally they’re quite the same, while The Promotion shares some of the offbeat tone of Weather Man and a lot of the heart of Happyness. But there’s a story in The Promotion that is far more universal, relatable and familiar, which makes this one much, much funnier and much, much more sympathetic. And certainly Conrad’s ability to balance the sweet and the salty, as a director, is responsible for most of the film’s success. One scene in particular exemplifies the movie best: John C. Reilly, as the new-to-Chicago “Richard”, sits opposite four supermarket executives, interviewing for a promotion to be a full-on store manager, and he’s just had to defend how his Canadian-ness caused him to miss an employee prank. Conrad keeps a close-up shot on Reilly as the actor fluctuates expressions that communicate, non-verbally, a plea of innocence, then ignorance, then stupidity, then insanity, then doubt, then back to innocence again. The combination of comedy and pathos that comes out of this lengthy close-up and perfectly tuned performance, which is broken up by a couple reversals to the executives and which is permitted more time and attention than most films nowadays allow any single moment, is the most brilliantly thoughtful thing I’ve seen done in this kind of movie in a very long time. (more…) Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/pippin06/archive/2008/1/1/23410.aspx Post By: pippin06
Post To: Reel Thoughts
Post Date: 1/1/2008 9:53:58 PM
Body: The Pursuit of Happyness was also lent to me by my generous friend and is somewhere on my Netflix queue as well. I had no deep-seated desire to view this film; the only interest I had in it was connected to the attention paid to Will Smith during last year's Oscar season. It seemed like a feel-good movie, anyway, and I knew I would at least feel somewhat happy after watching it. Also, I do love Will Smith. I think he is a natural actor and shows more depth and range than a lot of stock leading men who seem to be playing themselves (or an aspect of themselves) in all of their movies. Plus, he's kind of pretty to look at too.The former Fresh Prince (does anyone get tired of saying that?) plays Chris Gardner in a series of events inspired by real life. He is a down-on-his-luck salesman in 1981 San Francisco, trying to peddle medical scanners after essentially investing in an early version of a pyramid scheme. He's having trouble making ends meet and is at odds with his wife Linda (Thandie Newton), who is growing increasingly unhappy with her efforts to pick up the financial slack. Chris, trying to provide for his family and gain some degree of self-worth, decides that he would like to apply for an unpaid internship at Dean Witter to learn to be a stockbroker. In the meantime, Linda leaves him, and Chris must provide for him and his son, Chris Jr. (Will's real life son Jaden) while attempting to make ends meet for six months, all the while wheeling and dealing to get himself in the position to be offered the one available paid job extended to one of 20 interns. The six months are fraught with difficulties, and Chris finds himself and his son homeless before his eventual rebound and stunning rise to success.The long and short of my take on The Pursuit of Happyness is that it is a standard feel-good, inspirational film covered in a slightly spicier plotline. The viewer already knows the conclusion to the story, and the film does not pretend it's anything less than happy. This film is content to show the journey only, which has its good points and its bad points.I found the film long and kind of boring, however. Will Smith gave an excellent performance, again broadening his horizons as an actor by showing an incredible and very genuine range of emotions. I can't help but think that working with his real son gave him (and his son) a comfort level that allowed him to open up and connect to the character more, experiencing rather than merely effecting the emotional extremes that real life Chris must have experienced on his journey to success. Jaden Smith did well, too, although I'm not convinced that his performance was as laudable as some painted at the time of the film's release. Again, he was at work with his dad and comfortable, and none of his scenes stretched the imagination of a young child's acting capabilities. If he cultivated what is surely a genetic talent, however, he might be very good in future films, should his dad (and stepmom) allow him to continue acting.Really, though, the whole film was Chris' emotional journey, centered on his perseverance and will to provide and care for his son. The story is complete and told with enthusiasm through a slightly annoying narration by Chris Sr., but it's a story that's been told many times and in many different ways. Aside from the performances of Will and Jaden, there isn't much to this movie save for whether the viewer connects to the triumph of the main characters.I liked the message, but as a film, the movie was mediocre and run-of-the-mill at best, from writing to direction to most artistic elements. If you're a fan of Will Smith, however, this movie is a good one to see because he really has come a long way from the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and his many action or scifi movies of the nineties. I rate this movie a 6 for cute but mediocre in its essentially recycled (though based on true life) foundations. The Pursuit of Happyness, however, does not pass my test, mainly because I was a little bored. The film is largely unoffensive but, in that same way, is largely less than extraordinary, gimmicky spelling of one of the title words or no.
]]>Wed, 02 Jan 2008 02:53:58 GMTpippin06Reel Thoughts1/1/2008 9:53:58 PMThe Pursuit of Happyness was also lent to me by my generous friend and is somewhere on my Netflix queue as well. I had no deep-seated desire to view this film; the only interest I had in it was connected to the attention paid to Will Smith during last year&#39;s Oscar season. It seemed like a feel-good movie, anyway, and I knew I would at least feel somewhat happy after watching it. Also, I do love Will Smith. I think he is a natural actor and shows more depth and range than a lot of stock leading men who seem to be playing themselves (or an aspect of themselves) in all of their movies. Plus, he&#39;s kind of pretty to look at too.The former Fresh Prince (does anyone get tired of saying that?) plays Chris Gardner in a series of events inspired by real life. He is a down-on-his-luck salesman in 1981 San Francisco, trying to peddle medical scanners after essentially investing in an early version of a pyramid scheme. He&#39;s having trouble making ends meet and is at odds with his wife Linda (Thandie Newton), who is growing increasingly unhappy with her efforts to pick up the financial slack. Chris, trying to provide for his family and gain some degree of self-worth, decides that he would like to apply for an unpaid internship at Dean Witter to learn to be a stockbroker. In the meantime, Linda leaves him, and Chris must provide for him and his son, Chris Jr. (Will&#39;s real life son Jaden) while attempting to make ends meet for six months, all the while wheeling and dealing to get himself in the position to be offered the one available paid job extended to one of 20 interns. The six months are fraught with difficulties, and Chris finds himself and his son homeless before his eventual rebound and stunning rise to success.The long and short of my take on The Pursuit of Happyness is that it is a standard feel-good, inspirational film covered in a slightly spicier plotline. The viewer already knows the conclusion to the story, and the film does not pretend it&#39;s anything less than happy. This film is content to show the journey only, which has its good points and its bad points.I found the film long and kind of boring, however. Will Smith gave an excellent performance, again broadening his horizons as an actor by showing an incredible and very genuine range of emotions. I can&#39;t help but think that working with his real son gave him (and his son) a comfort level that allowed him to open up and connect to the character more, experiencing rather than merely effecting the emotional extremes that real life Chris must have experienced on his journey to success. Jaden Smith did well, too, although I&#39;m not convinced that his performance was as laudable as some painted at the time of the film&#39;s release. Again, he was at work with his dad and comfortable, and none of his scenes stretched the imagination of a young child&#39;s acting capabilities. If he cultivated what is surely a genetic talent, however, he might be very good in future films, should his dad (and stepmom) allow him to continue acting.Really, though, the whole film was Chris&#39; emotional journey, centered on his perseverance and will to provide and care for his son. The story is complete and told with enthusiasm through a slightly annoying narration by Chris Sr., but it&#39;s a story that&#39;s been told many times and in many different ways. Aside from the performances of Will and Jaden, there isn&#39;t much to this movie save for whether the viewer connects to the triumph of the main characters.I liked the message, but as a film, the movie was mediocre and run-of-the-mill at best, from writing to direction to most artistic elements. If you&#39;re a fan of Will Smith, however, this movie is a good one to see because he really has come a long way from the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and his many action or scifi movies of the nineties. I rate this movie a 6 for cute but mediocre in its essentially recycled (though based on true life) foundations. The Pursuit of Happyness, however, does not pass my test, mainly because I was a little bored. The film is largely unoffensive but, in that same way, is largely less than extraordinary, gimmicky spelling of one of the title words or no. http://www.spout.com/blogs/jakestevens/archive/2007/10/10/20578.aspx Post By: JakeStevens
Post To: JakeStevens Blog
Post Date: 10/10/2007 12:49:35 PM
Body: I didn't want to like this movie. I really didn't. But I think I did - maybe. Thankfully, Will Smith actually plays someone other than himself (for once - or twice if you count "Ali"), and it mostly works. The story sometimes falls into clichés (the voiceovers denoting the "chapters" in Chris Gardner's life, for instance), but overall, it's just your typical feel-good movie. No surprise, really, how it's gonna end, but considering it's "based on a true story", it shouldn't be too hard to figure out. On a side note, I really don't see what all the ballyhoo is over Smith's son's performace - it really didn't seem all that inspired to me as any kid actor could have pulled this off. I would've said "this won't win any awards"...
]]>Wed, 10 Oct 2007 16:49:35 GMTJakeStevensJakeStevens Blog10/10/2007 12:49:35 PMI didn&#39;t want to like this movie. I really didn&#39;t. But I think I did - maybe. Thankfully, Will Smith actually plays someone other than himself (for once - or twice if you count &quot;Ali&quot;), and it mostly works. The story sometimes falls into clich&eacute;s (the voiceovers denoting the &quot;chapters&quot; in Chris Gardner&#39;s life, for instance), but overall, it&#39;s just your typical feel-good movie. No surprise, really, how it&#39;s gonna end, but considering it&#39;s &quot;based on a true story&quot;, it shouldn&#39;t be too hard to figure out. On a side note, I really don&#39;t see what all the ballyhoo is over Smith&#39;s son&#39;s performace - it really didn&#39;t seem all that inspired to me as any kid actor could have pulled this off. I would&#39;ve said &quot;this won&#39;t win any awards&quot;... http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/Great/MemberTagFilms.aspxGreat
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