Posts Tagged ‘self-importance’
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I’ve talked about this in the past, but I’m not much of a Will Smith fan. It’s one of those irrational dislikes similar to Ben Affleck or Shia LaBeouf. I kind of stay quite about it and don’t exploit it for the comic because I know I am in the minority on this one.
How could anyone hate Will Smith? Well, “hate” is a strong word, but, generally, he creeps me out. I’m impressed with his story and how he found his way to fame. I think he manages his career very carefully and is smart about his choices. He stays out of trouble and promotes an uplifting example to others. But I simply don’t trust anyone who is that happy all all of the time. Sometimes it seems genuine, other times it seems fake. I’m not talking about his movie roles. Which, to his credit, seem to be taking a darker turn lately. Just watch the guy in interviews sometime and tell me it isn’t exhausting.
It’s probably just sour grapes. If I starred in a string of hits that have earned more than $100 million at the box office over the last 12 years, I probably wouldn’t have much to complain about, either. I should probably just stick to talking about his movies anyway.
I’ll admit that when I saw the trailer for Seven Pounds that I was sucked in by the mystery of the title. The trailer was also very tense and very well put together. But the more I thought about it, the more it started to look like The Pursuit of Happyness II – Get Happy. Maybe that’s deliberate as both movies share the same director in Gabriele Muccino. After reading movie blogs for a while, people started to guess what the title refers to and a few of them fell into place. I lost interest after that. It’s almost as if they knew the mystery behind the title was their biggest bargaining chip.
Reviews for Seven Pounds have been largely negative. Many critics are attacking it for being at once schmaltzy and ghoulish. Some say Smith is pandering for an Oscar (he may have missed his best chance after Ali). Ultimately, this one looks like a no-go.
I’m not exactly happy about that, in case you thought I was celebrating, or something. I saw The Pursuit of Happyness in theaters and liked it. But my radar was beeping on Seven Pounds. Something felt a little off about it and now I think I understand what it is. Oh, well. You win some, you lose some.
That’s all for me today. Thanks for stopping by and I’ll see you again on Monday!
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I don’t know if the punchline for today’s comic justifies the delay, but I was really enamored with the idea of an Away We Go lunch box. So, there you go.
About that delay, sorry everyone. Couldn’t be helped. I was away from home all day Sunday celebrating my sister-in-law’s birthday and didn’t get home until late. By the time I had an opportunity to work on Monday’s comic, Henry decided to have a total fit and basically wouldn’t sleep. By the time I had been upstairs two or three times to help settle him down, it was 2:00 in the morning and I had to call it a night.
I would have had the comic finished earlier this morning, but we keep Henry home from day care on Mondays and I watch over him. He’s taking his nap now. I actually have to wake him up in about 15 minutes, so I’m running this one kind of close.
As you probably heard, Transformers: Revenge of The Fallen racked up a little over $200 million in 5 days making it the second-largest opening weekend haul since The Dark Knight. I can’t say I’m surprised. In our little Top 10 of Summer 2009 wager between Joe, Gordon and myself, I picked Transformers: ROTF to be the summer’s biggest film, projecting a $400 million box office haul. Even if the movie loses half of it’s audience this weekend, it’s already more than half way there with probably two more months in theaters to make up the difference.
Incidentally, I did have the opportunity to see Away We Go this weekend and it was the perfect antidote to Transformers: ROTF. I liken the film to Stranger Than Fiction or Last Chance Harvey – the kind of film that wears it’s idiosyncrasies on it’s sleeve and is maybe a little too precious for its own good, but is ultimately an enjoyable film that makes you feel good about your own personal journeys. In that regard, it’s probably the LEAST Sam Mendes-like movie directed by Sam Mendes that you’re ever going to see.
The performances were good, too. John Krasinski is a little more extroverted than normal, but plays the same sweet and nurturing notes he does with Jim on The Office. Maya Rudolph is a revelation, though. A completely formed character played with nuance and sensitivity.
You kind of don’t expect the chemistry between these two actors to work as well as it does and I can’t decide if it’s success of the actors or the script that makes it convincing. I mean, if you sat down and thought about it, John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph probably wouldn’t be at the top of anyone’s list to star in a romantic comedy.
Away We Go isn’t really a romantic comedy. I’m just using that for lack of a better term. But the movie is funny and sweet, so it kind of fits. If you have the opportunity to see the film, I highly recommend it. It’s a nice breather during the summer blockbuster season. The more I think about it, the more it has grown on me. Good stuff.
Quick Reminder: Don’t forget to tune in to The Triple Feature tonight where we will most likely spend time talking about Transformers: ROTF. We record live at 9:00 PM CST over at TalkShoe.com.
I hear Henry sneaking down the staircase. I guess he woke up from his nap on his own. So I gotta wrap things up. Have a great day and I’ll talk to you soon!
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