Posts tagged kids
“The Force That Changed America”
Mar 25th
Star Wars was changed, as you know, and in 1997 could also have been changed to “Twenty years ago in a Hollywood universe far, far away a young man named Lucas fulfilled his vision and managed to make a sappy space opera filled with mythological overtones, innovative special effects and filmmaking techniques that were a throwback to Saturday matinee serials, and young Lucas was also farsighted enough to keep all the merchandising rights for his creation, which became so successful that it changed how we look at movies, how Hollywood makes movies and society itself, which became seduced by the Dark Side of merchandising and greed.”
On May 25, 1977, Star Wars opened in a little over 30 theaters and went on to do blockbuster business, earn obscene amounts of money, spawn many equally successful sequels, make George Lucas a wealthy man and an unequaled force in the entertainment industry and perhaps “single-moviedly” create movie fan clubs and people obsessed with collecting every collectible associated with the movies they could get their hands on.
However, Star Wars is more than just a sappy space opera filled with mythological overtones, innovative special effects and filmmaking techniques that are throwbacks to Saturday matinee serials. It is also a transference of power and importance from one generation to the next, and it might not just be coincidence that the “special edition” came 20 years later, the time of one generation.
If you were one of the millions who stood in line at one of the 1800 theaters in which Star Wars (Special Edition) opened January 31, 1997, you might have noticed how it was not as interesting if you already knew everything that happens and what everything means. Wait! We already knew that from the many, many times we had already seen it, whether in theaters the first time around long, long ago or on TV from either broadcast showings, movie rentals or our own private collections.
We already know that Mark Hamill was a wooden actor, that the story is sappy at the beginning when Luke Skywalker is with his aunt and uncle and that scenes go on way, way too, too long to show us the razzle-dazzle of special effects rather than advancing the story. And we already knew that the superficial banter between Han Solo and Princess Leia is just a cover-up for their mutual attraction.
Yes, we knew how the movie begins, how it middles and how it ends. So, why were we so fascinated to want to see it again when it was already etched in our brains like a historical myth?
Well, that depends on who “we” is. Some of us were (ahem) old, old enough to have seen it the first time around, which means we were probably Baby Boomers and didn’t want to grow any older and were reliving that experience again, which helped us to think we were still that age of 20 years earlier.
Some of us were just old enough to have children, and we probably wanted to see it again with our kids, sort of like passing a sacred totem on to the next generation.
And some of us were (ahem) young, young enough to have never seen it on a large screen, where Lucas maintained it was meant to be seen.
Lucas said he was only 50% to 60% happy with the film 20 years earlier and later he was 80% happy with it. He said, “The only thing I joke about now is it would be fun–and we can’t do this for another 10 years or so–to go back and digitize the entire movie and clean it up.”
May the Force help us!
Was this how we wanted Hollywood to treat our icons? Was this how we wanted movies made and remade as new technology allowed filmmakers to ignore the limitations of their raw material?
Think of Independence Day. Think of Plan 9 from Outer Space. Heck, think of Mars Needs Women.
Star Wars created Hollywood’s obsession with the blockbuster, it created the phenomenon in which merchandising earns more than the box office and it probably has a direct influence on why magazines and newspapers contain more advertising than text over time, companies now sponsor sporting events and even uniforms, and athletes make more money from endorsements than they do from playing their sports.
Star Wars is the Force that changed Hollywood, and as Hollywood goes, so goes America.
I rest my case.
“The Incredible Burt Wonderstone” So Credible, It’s a Cliche
Mar 22nd
“So Credible, It’s a Cliche”
“Hotshots” looks at a movie!
The Incredible Burt Wonderstone may appear to be fresh and original, but if you examine it closely, you will realize that you have already seen this movie many times before.
It has the same plot as many other movies before it, and all you have to do is change the profession, the setting, and whether you want to make it a drama or a comedy.
Here is the basic plot: Two lifelong friends are in business together, they have a falling out when an edgy newcomer arrives on their turf and starts taking business away from them, one of them seeks the advice of the person, now retired, who got them started in the business in the first place, there is a reconciliation in time for a final resolution, and the ending credits.
In this case, the profession is magic and magicians, the setting is modern-day Las Vegas, and the genre is a comedy.
Oh, and because the two magician partners are men, there is also a woman in the story, but in this case she doesn’t come between them, and their falling out isn’t because of her, but because of professional differences.
And let the record show that the quote of note in this movie is when the title character says about the newcomer, “He’s not a real magician, he doesn’t even have a costume.”
So, to fill in the remaining blanks, Steve Carell plays The Incredible Burt Wonderstone; Steve Buscemi plays the lifelong friend and partner Anton Marvelton; Jim Carrey plays the edgy newcomer Steve Gray; Olivia Wilde plays the love interest Jane, although there are many laughs caused by her being called Nicole; and Alan Arkin plays Rance Holloway, the retired magician who caused Burt and Anton to become magicians in the first place when they were kids.
Incidentally, Arkin seems to be the go-to guy in comedies these days, and he doesn’t let us down in this one.
Now, we will see all the standard magicians’ tricks during the course of the movie, but there is one at the end that you probably have not seen before, the disappearing audience trick.
Afterwards, we get to see how that trick is done, and it is more funny than amazing.
The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, however, is not only credible, but it’s so credible, it’s a cliche.
I’m Dan Culberson and this is “Hotshots.”
News from Flagler College
Nov 11th
Mormons. Trappist monks. Gang kids. Pope John Paul II. 9/11. The Rwandan genocide.
Helen Whitney has spent a lifetime examining people and subjects from all walks of life. The acclaimed writer, producer and director will speak on “A Life in Film; Spiritual Landscapes,” a retrospective of the last 40 years of her life and work, with an emphasis on the defining spiritual themes as part of Flagler College’s “Ideas and Images” series.
Whitney, whose series began on Nov. 6-7 will return to the college for two more lectures at 7 p.m. Nov. 13-14 in the Lewis Auditorium at Flagler College, 14 Granada St.
“It is an exploration of a wide variety of topics, among them: juvenile crime, the McCarthy Era, contemporary presidential politics, Papal authority, the troubled relationship between Jews and Christians, our dysfunctional mental health system the oppression of gay men and women, the birth of a new American religion, Mormonism, the spiritual aftershocks of 9/11, the complexities and contradictions of the new forgiveness and many other subjects,” said Whitney.
Whitney’s lectures will also touch on filmmaking issues from journalistic ethics and narrative structure to the language of film and the special challenges inherent in making films about spirituality.
Whitney’s features have aired on PBS, HBO and ABC including “Faith and Doubt at Ground Zero,” PBS’ two-hour special on 9/11 which explored the spiritual aftershocks of this horrific event. Amongst her many accolades are an Oscar nomination; two Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards; a George Foster Peabody Award; an Edward R. Murrow Award for distinguished journalism; an Emmy Award; and awards from The Writer’s Guild of America, The Director’s Guild of America, The Hamptons International Film Festival and The San Francisco International Film Festival.
Whitney is a sought after lecturer and frequently speaks at universities, divinity schools, museums and art institutes. She has served as the Director of the Board of Film Forum in New York City and has been artist in residence at six universities and is a Woodrow Wilson scholar.
“Ideas and Images: Visiting Scholars and Artists Program” will feature an international composition of artists and authors, introducing a fresh and creative component to the greater St. Augustine community.
Each event is free and open to the public. Call (904) 819-6282 or visit www.flagler.edu/our-community for more information.
Locker speaks on post-election politics at Flagler Forum event Nov. 15
No matter who wins the election on Nov. 6, Ray Locker says the political campaigning and wrangling will not be over yet.
“We still have the upcoming lame-duck Congress and a bunch of key issues to hash out by the end of the year,” said Locker, the Washington enterprise editor for USA TODAY who will speak at Flagler College on Nov. 15 as part of the 2012 Forums on Government and Public Policy lecture series.
Locker, who will speak on “It’s Not Over Yet: The 2012 Election and the Stakes for a Lame-Duck Congress,” believes the outcome of the election will come down to important factors such as Hispanic and minority voter turnout as well as the discussion on future of major entitlement programs such as Medicare and health care.
He also believes the outcome of this race could determine how campaigns are run in the future.
“This year will be the test between advertising and campaign organization,” said Locker. “I believe it will lead to fundamental changes in how pollsters do business in future elections.”
As the Washington enterprise editor for USA TODAY, Locker supervises the investigative work in the organization’s Washington bureau. He has been the paper’s White House and politics editor and national security editor in the seven years since joining USA TODAY in 2005. His work as an editor and reporter was nominated for Pulitzer Prizes in 2008 and 2010.
Before joining USA TODAY, Locker ran the Associated Press bureau in Sacramento and coordinated the news service’s coverage of California government and politics, including the 2003 recall campaign that led to the election of Arnold Schwarzenegger. He worked for the Los Angeles Times and spent 13 years as a reporter, columnist and editor at The Tampa Tribune.
All forums take place at Lewis Auditorium at Flagler College, 14 Granada St., at 7 p.m. Forums are free and open to the public thanks to the generosity of speakers who donate their time in support of the series. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. Sign language interpreters are provided. Call (904) 819-6400 for more information.
Source: Flagler College