Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers

So it's a rainy day and I'm on a classic music kick. Here's a mash-up I came across on YouTube. Enjoy!

Rainy Day

So it's raining today? I love it! Look what stormy weather inspired:

Contagion

Over at Slate, Patrick Goldstein and James Rainey present an interesting analysis of the current paranoia-thriller "Contagion", comparing it to the 1950 film, "Panic in the Streets" directed by Elia Kazan. The authors connect the themes in both to current issues of paranoia and fear. Although I haven't seen "Contagion" yet, I intend to soon. The essay is worth a look. The conclusion:

Six decades later, “Panic in the Streets” remains just as engaging as “Contagion,” in part because it was intended as suspenseful entertainment, not message-oriented drama. The movies that linger the longest in our imagination are the ones in which the messages are buried beneath the surface. We are afraid, very afraid today — of losing our jobs, of living in a country caught in a downward spiral. When we see movies like “Contagion” or “Panic in the Streets,” where people work together to defeat an insidious virus, it gives us a dose of optimism about fending off all the other insidious forces at work in our lives. At the movies, the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.

Movies to See

I saw "Warrior" recently and was surprised by how good and entertaining it was. When I saw the trailer, it seemed like little more than a routine Rocky-like fighter film set in the world of cage-fighting, and of little interest. But I was dragged to it by a friend and became more and more enthused as I watched it. The fighter meme is merely a hook for the real dynamic at work, the interaction between the estranged father and his two sons. Very dramatic and well-acted, with addiction themes and the possibility of forgiveness in a seemingly intractable situation. Recommended...

A Guilty Pleasure

Yes, I know...pure crap. But what excellent, fun crap it is! Like my love for John Carter of Mars, Conan holds certain pleasures and attractions not to be found in your typical Merchant-Ivory or Masterpiece theater endeavor. This kind of stuff allows me the vicarious thrill of slaughtering my enemies without lifting a finger - kind of like the phoney danger of a roller coaster. And it belongs to one of my favorite genres of film and fiction: fantasy. Of course, "The Lord of the Rings" lives on a much higher plane, but it, too, has its escapist and brutal allure - enough to piss off literary critics. This type of entertainment exists to take us out of ourselves Plus, like all other fantastic fare, it disguises its more serious intent: to analyze and explore grand human themes in the most imaginative and entertaining way possible (although it's really disguised here!). In fact, this type of story-telling existed far earlier than the serious, character-driven stuff which has established itself as legitimate art. Sure, this isn't "The King's Speech", but it has it's place as well. Besides, it features a hot, near-naked man. So, enjoy!

Hot Man of the Day

Liam McIntyre, the new Sparticus on Starz.

Monkey Business

I don't know about anyone else, but I'm getting heartily sick of the bad news coming out of our dysfunctional government and economy (and wingnut repubs) - too much bad news and speculation doesn't make for much serenity. One can, indeed, be overwhelmed by the media's obsession with selling itself through emphasizing bad news. Thus, I am taking a break, and shifting my attention to some fun stuff, like the following:

Yes, I know: another retread from a Hollywood bereft of ideas. However, this is getting great reviews (an 80 on Rotten Tomatoes.com and a good review from the L.A. Times' Kenneth Turan), and the effects look interesting. And, as with all great SciFi, important issues can be examined in an imaginative way (treatment of animals, drug experimentation, enhanced intelligence drugs and genetic manipulation, etc.). Plus, another Andy Serkis CGI performance...

Given the record of humanity, maybe it's time to give the simians a chance! ;-)

John Carter of Mars

I remember reading these novels by Edgar Rice Burroughs during my teen years and being enthralled by the fictional Martian world they portrayed. My budding sexuality was stimulated by the descriptions of John Carter's magnificent physique and the nudity on display among the Martian people (never mind that the big romance was with the beauteous Dejah Thoris - the hidden subtext was quite homoerotic - LOL). Burroughs is, of course, better known for the creation of Tarzan, but to my mind, the Mars novels are more interesting and entertaining. I can also partly ascribe my lifelong love of science fiction to these books (also my obsession with reading - although that started earlier).

Imagine my joy when I heard that these great stories are being filmed! They see tailor-made for the big screen, as they are quite cinematic. Of course, the images and adaptations of our favorite books rarely meet our imagined worlds, but I'm still looking forward to seeing they measure up. Here's the teaser trailer, and, though it doesn't match what I'm carrying around in my mind (no nudity, for instance - big surprise), it looks intriguing...

Can't wait!