I’ll admit it, I’ve never been much of a fan of Denzel Washington, he’s a great actor but for some reason he just never did it for me. But in American Gangster Denzel captivates and hold the screen. He’s both charming and disarmingly deadly at the same time. I generally love gangster films but hate the over glorification of the lifestyle. Never once in AG did I feel American Gangster glorified Denzel’s Frank Lucas.

Lucas is cold and calculating, but exudes a quiet charisma. He’s smart enough to build his empire while avoiding the trappings of the Gangster lifestyle. Yes he has the fabulous houses, but he dresses in drab, suits to blend into the crowds. He’s not like other Gangsters of the period like Nicky Barnes (Cuba Gooding Jr.) a showboating, loud dresser who carries around copies of his press clippings. In one scene Lucas sees one of his cousins wearing a loud outfit and tells him to take it saying “Why are you wearing a suit that screams arrest me.” He says this in such a way that’s part concerned relative with a hint of something else behind his eyes.

This film isn’t as violent as you would expect, but the few moments there are, makes you yell “now that’s straight gangster.” The pacing of this movie is almost perfect, every time you start to imagine that Lucas is nothing more than an American businessman Director Ridley Scott will throw in a moment where you see exactly how brutal Lucas really is, or a scene of how his drug dealing is impacting his community.

What separates Lucas from every other Drug dealer at the time is, he’s smart and will do anything, but he also understands that at the end of the day he’s running a business. When he has trouble with the local tradesmen, he decides to go directly to the source of the drug trade, which is Vietnam and is smart enough to use Vietnam soldiers to import the stuff back into the states. Then he brands his product as well.

Trying to stop him is a down and out beat cop Detective Richie Roberts (Russell Crowe) who gets into trouble earlier in his career by returning a million dollars in unmarked bills, his fellow Officers don’t trust him because an honest cop can be dangerous to a corrupt department.

Crowe is one of those actors who I really don’t like, I’ve always felt him to be overrated and frankly I’ve hated all his films from “A Beautiful Mind,” to “Master and Commander,” he gives another one of his patented Crowe performances, but here it works. Roberts is downtrodden, he’s in the middle of a nasty custody fight, and he has to defend his friendship with his childhood friend who happens to be a local mob boss.

The film spends as much time showing us Roberts’s life as it does Franks, but it’s there to show the sharp contrast between predator and prey. In this case Lucas thinks he is a predator and he has no idea that he’s really the prey. Roberts goes after Lucas but the film never goes “Hollywood,” where you have the stereotypical confrontation. No, Lucas has no idea Roberts exists that alone a reason to fear him. It’s like Heat where Pacino and De Niro don’t appear onscreen together until the end.

There’s a weird coda to the film that almost make everything seem sort of anti-climatic even when Roberts finally nabs Lucas it feels weird because again, Lucas never knew he was being hunted and had no clue who Roberts was, but somehow this felt more real to me than other Gangster films. What really surprised me was, apparently this film is based on a true person.

American Gangster is by far the best film of the year with stand out performances from Crowe and Washington.

Final Grade A

EM Review by
Michelle Alexandria
Originally posted Nov. 2, 2007

Jerry Seinfeld’s first excursion into the realm of CG animation is a lively, sleek [82 mins] legal comedy, ecological fable and unlikely romance – starring bees. Thanks to Dreamworks Animation and a heartfelt script, Bee Movie is actually the second movie I’ve seen in the last little while to warrant audience applause.

After a harrowing three days of education, Barry B. Benson [Seinfeld] is about to graduate university and select a job – a job that last the rest of his life! While his best friend, Adam Flayman [Matthew Broderick] is excited about the prospect of doing these things, Barry isn’t sure he wants to be one thing for the rest of his life. When the two friends try to hit on a couple of girls by pretending to be pollen jockeys, a real pollen jock dares him to venture outside the hive with his team on their next assignment.

Barry does just that – and finds a stranger world than he could ever imagine. He breaks a bee rule and talks to a florist named Vanessa [Renee Zellweger], discovers that humans steal most of the honey bees make and sues the human race to get it all back. The consequences of his actions are quick and deadly – with enough honey that they don’t have to work, the bees stop working. The result is an ecological disaster.

While the ecological aspect of the movie is a bit on the ham-fisted side, none of the film really talks down to children – or up to adults, for that matter. The humor ranges from some inspired slapstick to bad puns, and everything in-between. Patrick Warburton is of particular note, voicing Vanessa’s boyfriend, Ken, a guy who thinks that turning his resume into a fold-out brochure is a masterstroke of self-promotion and is way too into tennis.

Chris Rock is along as a mosquito hitching a ride to Alaska because he’s heard that moose blood is a righteous experience, and John Goodman plays an evil version of every good ole boy, cornpone lawyer we’ve ever seen, as he defends the honey industry from Barry’s lawsuit.

The animation is lovely, coming to within a hair of matching PIXAR brilliance. The main characters are well drawn in both senses – character development-wise, and in terms of their CG design. Directors Steve Hickner and Simon J. Smith have produced a film that never stops moving, even in the more emotional character moments.

There equal measures of intelligence and wit here, though, as I said above, Bee Movie loses points for the rather awkward handling of the ecological crisis – though that is offset by some awesome visuals [millions of bees saving a jetliner, Superman style, for one]. Overall, the pluses outweigh the minuses by a wide margin – which might be why the audience at the screening I attended broke into applause at the end – not polite applause, either. Star Wars/Raiders/Transformers applause.

Final Grade: B+

Last month I caught up with Morgan Freeman at the LA Press day for Feast of Love, a small Indie film that had a limited release a few weeks ago with the hopes of having it go wide in the coming weeks. Feast of Love is a small indie film that talks about the various stages of love from the perspective of 3 different couples – one young couple in love, to the middle aged couple who end up getting a divorce and Freeman and his wife who have been together for several years. Check out my review. Morgan was in a great mood for this round table interview and was surprisingly funny and was a little reluctant to talk about Batman, but our friend Frosty over at Collider kept at him till Morgan gave us a quote. It’s funny Frosty and I was battling over who gets to ask the Batman question and I told him to go for it. Check out the interview it was fun, and I expect the studio will do an award campaign around this film. In this really weak year, it wouldn’t surprise me to see Morgan get some attention in the supporting actor category for this.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO MORGAN FREEMAN – INTERVIEW RUNTIME – 17 MINUTES

Last week I had a chance to have a sit down with the ever Popular Leslie Bibb. The interview was fabulous she was in a real talkative mood and who am I not to cater to it. So we talked a lot about Iron Man, what the atmosphere on the set was like, the character she plays, one of my old Favorite TV shows Popular (for some reason I got all giddy when she mentioned that one of her closest friends is fellow Popular co-star Carly Pope, what it’s like to be on the cusp of becoming an “A-List Actress,” her latest film Wristcutters: A Love Story and a whole lot more. It’s a fun informative 15 minute interview click the link below to listen.

LESLIE BIBB INTERVIEW – RUNTIME 18 MINUTES

 

Dan Burns is a widowed advice columnist with three daughters. Hmmm… My Three Daughters? No, not nearly. Dan in Real Life is an old-fashioned, family-friendly comedy with genuine heart and some new nuances for what should’ve been a formulaic flick.

It’s been several years since Dan Burns’ [Steve Carell] wife died and he seems to be happily adjusted to a life that centers on three daughters [seventeen-year old Jane Allison Pill], who is just itching to drive; Cara [Brittany Robertson], fifteen and in the throws of first love, and Lilly [Marlene Lawston], about ten, and easily the most sensible sister] and his advice column – which just may be getting syndicated.

As they prepare to head off to an annual family get-together, we see Dan, in highly organized mode, distributing laundry [and wondering at a thong], fixing food, making sure packing is done and fending off would-be driver Jane while trying to convince Cara that what she’s feeling isn’t love. Lilly, of course, is following directions and is ready before everyone else.

The family get-together is the usual semi-dysfunctional to-do, and Dan, who is the only single adult, is assigned the Dan tries to sleep. While the others try to figure out how to get Dan into the dating world, he is told to get lost for awhile and, in that process, meets Marie [Juliette Binoche] in the local Book * Tackle Store, where she mistakes him for an employee and solicits his advice on some reading material [her exacting and exasperating description of what she’s looking for is the first real that Dan in Real Life is something more than just an old-fashioned, romantic comedy].  Naturally, the two are attracted – but she’s in a relationship – with his brother, Mitch [Dane cook], it turns out.

The film may follow most of the conventions of such comedies [the family bickering; the way Dan’s mom [Dianne Wiest] sets him on a fateful blind date; Cara’s boyfriend follows her to her grandparents’ home, etc.], but what sets it apart is the way in which Dan comes to realize that love is love, whether it’s Cara’s first love, or what he’s felt from the moment he met Marie.

Sure, there’s the ironic moment when Dan realizes that he hasn’t been paying attention to the advice he’s given others, and there’s pratfall off the roof as he sneaks away from an embarrassing moment in a shower – and you have to know that Jane’s desire to drive will pay off.  Even the scenes with the cop have a payoff that is, if not original, exquisitely timed. And the inevitable moment where Dan and Mitch have to deal…

One of the reasons Dan in Real Life works is that writers Peter Hedges [who also directed] and Pierce Gardner have treated in a way that makes it feel fresh and new. The gags rise naturally from the situations and there are very few actual punchlines. The humor comes with the realization that we’ve all been in similar situations – whether it’s Cara’s desperate desire to be with her boyfriend, or being the odd adult out in a family gathering where every other adult is married. We know how these situations should feel and the writers do, too.

That said, there are a few things that keep Dan in Real Life from being a masterpiece – besides the familiarity of the situations. The pacing is a bit awkward at times, and the setting is a bit grim [it’s autumn, I would guess from the grey skies and intermittent rain]. But some of the film’s best moments will make the audience squirm with remembered embarrassments [we’ve all suffered through a family talent show like this one] and laugh at the same time. And, of course, in a film about family, flaws and True Love, the dysfunctional family will pull together to support Dan; seeming flaws will be seen in a new light, and True Love will win out.

In a movie like this, it’s not the plot that matters. It’s the way the characters are given nuances by its cast and director. Carell shows us the wonder of love being rekindled after accepting the possibility it might never happen again. Robertson reminds us of the pain of parental refusal to accept first love as real. Even the usually awful Dane Cook is not hateful, here, as he manages to make Mitch almost sympathetic.

Dan in Real Life isn’t a big, flashy, crude comedy with a heart, it’s a quiet little comedy that sneaks up on us with its affection for its characters and its willingness to bring real emotion to what has become an almost forgotten genre.

Final Grade: B

 

This week two of the best TVonDVD sets ever hit the shelves. First, there’s the seminal My So-Called Life, the original teen series that has influenced every teen soap and/or adventure series since. Next, there’s perhaps the best TVonDVD set ever released – The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones, Volume One. It’s the project that George Lucas is most proud of, and it show.

For everyone who wondered what Indiana Jones was like as a kid, The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones will come as a surprise [if they never watched the series on television]. While there’s a certain amount of derring-do [mostly from the older Indy, played by Sean Patrick Flanery], the episodes are not exactly fraught with supernatural overtones, like the movies. Instead, the series concerned itself with real world history and science, but did so in a way that used adventure to flavour its educational aspects in ways that would be more palatable to a younger audience – without simultaneously alienating its older audience.

Over the course of the two volumes, Lucas has combined the forty-four TV episodes into twenty-two movies [combined in the same order as the VHS release]. Volume One contains eleven of these movies and a bonus Interactive disc. That doesn’t sound like much, but each movie is accompanied by as much as two hours of supplemental material.

Take My First Adventure, for example… The actual movie combines the first episode of the series, The Curse of The Jackal [Egypt, 1908] with an unaired adventure, also in 1908, set in Tangiers. The curse of the Jackal found Henry Walden Jones Junior [Cory Carrier] accompanying his parents on an international trip  – Henry Sr. having  published a book that demanded his presence as a speaker at many renowned universities around the world.

This episode explored a recent archaeological discovery in Egypt – an unknown architect’s tomb – and introduced young Indy [and us] to a young T.E. Lawrence [who gave him this counsel: “Wherever you go, learn the language”].The second half of the movie brought young Indy into contact with slavery – as a trip to Monaco leads to his being assigned a companion – Omar, a young slave.

The supplemental material on this DVD includes: Archaeology: Unearthing Our Past; Howard Carter and Tutankhamen’s Tomb; Colonel Lawrence’s War: T.E. Lawrence and Arabia; and From Slavery to Freedom. Each documentary complements Young Indy’s adventures and provides background to the settings and events.

Over the course of the show’s run, it featured many  legendary and soon-to-be-well-known actors as historical figures: Jeffrey Wright [Angels in America] as jazz great Sidney Bechet; Lukas Haas [Witness, Brick] as Norman Rockwell; Jean-Pierre Aumont as the French artist, Edgar Degas; James Gammon as President Theodore Roosevelt; Paul Freeman [Raiders of the Lost Ark’s villainous Belloq] as Frederic Selous; Elizabeth Hurley as the daughter of a London suffragette; Catherine Zeta-Jones as a belly-dancing spy; Daniel Webb as Pablo Picasso, and many more – including Vanessa Redgrave, Christopher Lee and Jane Krakowski [Ally McBeal, 30 Rock].

In all, there are some thirty-nine hours of bonus material here, all designed to bring each of Junior’s adventures more depth and help them to come alive in the audience’s mind.

Besides the features on Disc One, the special features include:

Disc Three: Theodore Roosevelt and the American Century; Ecology – Pulse of the Planet; American Dreams – Norman Rockwell and the Saturday Evening Post; Art Rebellion – The Making of the Modern; Edgar Degas – Reluctant Rebel, and Braque & Picasso – A Collaboration

Disc Five: Giacomo Puccini – Music of the Heart; It’s Opera!; The Archduke’s Last Journey – End of an Era; Powder Keg – Europe, 1900 – 1914; Sigmund Freud – Exploring the Unconscious; Carl Jung – The Journey to Self Discovery, and Psychology – Charting the Human Mind

Disc Six: Seeking Truth – The Life of Leo Tolstoy; Unquiet Voices – Russian Writers and the State; Aristotle – Creating Foundations, and Ancient Questions – Philosophy and the Search for Meaning

Disc Seven: Jiddu Krishnamurti – The Reluctant Messiah; Annie Besant – An Unlikely Rebel; Medicine in the Middle Kingdom, and Eastern Spirituality – The Road to Enlightenment

Disc Nine: Thomas Edison – Lighting Up the World; Invention and Innovation – What’s Behind a Good Idea?; The Mystery of Edward Stratemeyer, and Wanted Dead or Alive – Pancho Villa and the American Invasion of Mexico

Disc Eleven: Easter Rising – The Poets’ Rebellion; The Passions of William Butler Yeats; Sean O’Casey vs. Ireland; Winston Churchill – The Lion’s Roar; Demanding the Vote: The Pankhursts and British Suffrage, and Fighting for the Vote – Women’s Suffrage in America

Disc Twelve: Interactive Timeline; Historical Feature – The Promise of Progress, and Revolution – Interactive Game

Normally, I dock a DVD set a full grade for not including commentaries, but this set contains such terrific extras that it really isn’t hurt by the lack of commentary tracks. In fact, if there was a higher grade than A+, this set would get it.

Grade: The Adventures of Young Indian Jones, Volume One – A+

Grade: Features – A+

Final Grade: A+ My So-Called Life: The Complete Series

Without My So-Called Life, there might well have been no Felicity, no Beverly Hills 90210, or even Buffy, the Vampire slayer. That’s a pretty big statement, but even Joss Whedon [creator of Buffy] acknowledges the possibility in his introduction to this lovely set from shout! Factory.

What makes this series so influential? Simple, it was the very first portray teens as being real people [and not some idealizes or dumbed down version], while at the same time giving equal weight to the parents. Neither kids nor parental units had all the answers. In a world of platitudes and easy, comfortable answers, My So-Called Life admitting that neither side really had a handle on life, the universe or anything else. Seen from the viewpoint of fifteen-year old Angela Chas [played by thirteen-year old Claire Danes in the pilot], the series evolved to become a true ensemble when union rules wouldn’t allow it’s young star to work more than eight hours a day.

The result was that Angela still narrated the show, and it still focused on her life and problems a slight majority of the time, but the rest of the core cast was developed to the point where another character [Brian Krakow, played by Devon Gummersall] even got to do the narration.

The show dealt with such issues as “breaking up” with one’s best friend [and then trying to figure out how to un-break up]; teen alcoholism; gay bashing and its aftermath [one of the core characters, Rickie, was gay and in the process of becoming comfortable in his own skin]; parents who didn’t quite fit at times [Angela’s mom ran a very successful printing business; her dad was a stay-at-home dad who gave up his dream of becoming a chef when they married]; being let down by hero figures [one of Angela’s favourite teachers tries to persuade her to drop out], and so much more.

The cast was uniformly excellent:  Tom Irwin and Bess Armstrong as Graham and Patty Chase, Angela’s unevenly empowered and frequently confused – but not unintelligent or caring – parents; Lisa Wilhoit as Danielle Chase, Angela’s ten-year old sister; A.J. Langer as Rayanne Griff, Angela’s new best friend and runner on the ragged edge of disaster; Wilson Cruz as Rickie Vasquez, multi-racial, gay and secure in his self-image; Devon Gummersall as Brian Krakow, classic kid next door whose crush on Angela caused him a lot of discomfort; Jared Leto as Jordan Catalano, who leaned with the best of them, couldn’t read and was the sexily sullen crush of most of the girls at school – and Angela’s first love, and Devon Odessa as Sharon Cherski, Angela’s former best friend and as much the Good girl as Rayanne was the Bad Girl.

Angela, of course, was played by Claire Danes, who was, at thirteen, at that stage of her life where she could be luminously beautiful one moment and the ugly duckling another. She also managed to be compelling as a girl who was two years older than she, and dealing with situations that she hadn’t even begun to experience in her real life. Angela Chase was the best performance of her career.

Features include: a forty-page booklet that includes introductions by series creator Winnie Holzman and  Joss Whedon [Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, Angel] – in which he acknowledges his debt to My So-Called Life; Janeane Garofalo, and Michele Byers, a professor Saint Mary’s University in Nova Scotia and co-editor of the book, Dear Angela: Remembering My so-Called Life; six Audio Commentaries [Pilot, by producer Marshall Hershkovitz, creator Winnie Holzman and producer/director Scott Wynant; Other People’s Mothers, by Bess Armstrong and director Claudia Weill; Life of Brian, by Devon Gummersall, director Todd Holland and writer Jason Katims; Self-Esteem, by Claire Danes and Winnie Holzman; So-Called Angels, by Wilson Cruz, Winnie Holman and Scott Wynant, and Weekend, by Bess Armstrong, Lisa Wilhoit and writer Adam Dooley]; Featurettes with MSCL Cast and Creators: “My so-Called Life Story,” A Conversation with 1) Claire Danes and, 2) Marshall Hershkovitz and Winnie Holzman; The Characters: Angela, The chase Family and The friends; The Music [Interview with W.G. "Snuffy" Walden]; Interview with Claire Danes; Highlights – 1995 Gallery.

The set comes in a sturdy plastic bookshelf case with embossed logo. The DVDs are set in a fold-out.

Grade: My So-Called Life – A+

Grade: Features – A+

Final Grade: A+

 

One of the strongest legal shows in years features an utterly ruthless litigator named Patricia Hewes. Damages, which has its first season finale tonight [FX, 10/9C], is a drama that has gotten more and more twisted with each passing week. Recently we were fortunate enough to join a teleconference with Tate Donovan who plays Hewes’ number two man, Tom Shayes.

I was wondering if you know or have a sense when you’ll know about whether or not Damages is going to have a second season? 

Currently the word is, is that FX doesn’t let people know shows known until after all of the episodes have aired. But we’re hoping. We’re definitely hoping.

Okay. And I know you obviously can’t reveal too much but can you kindly of give us some hints as to who the killer is? 

Which killer? You know, what I’m saying? I have to say it makes total sense like they’ve been sort of laying this sort of plot for a long time. And when you’re – when you find out who th killer is you’ll be like, “Oh, wow.”

I have to say the – when I first reading the final script I was like so impressed how they set up the second season – if there’s going to another season. They’ve set it up in a way that you’re just like you cannot wait to see next season. It’s really cool what they’ve done.

What did you pull on? What did you – what sort of influences did you get from to play your character? 

Well, I have an uncle who’s a corporate lawyer. And I spent a couple of days with him and I actually brought Rose Byrne with me to his law firm here in New York. And she got a couple of days with a female partner.

And so, I mean while personality wise they’re not very similar my uncle and Tom Shayes. Just to sort to get the sense of how corporate lawyers has spent their day and what they do, how they talk, how they relate to each other and their client. He helped me out quite a bit.

I have a couple of things I wanted to address. One is throughout the series to this point Tom has been more or less the “go-to” guy who is not the number one chair. And he pretty much jumps when, you know, Patty Hewes says jump – but at the same time he also has the confidence to bring different points of view to the discussions they have and he’s not afraid to back his point. Where did you draw from experience to handle a character who has such shadings? 

That’s a good question. Let’s see. You know, I don’t know. I mean it’s just sort of like co-working with Glenn Close, you know, she’s a pretty formidable actress. So, to sort of listen to her and I think that she has said something that’s, you know, completely correct and a bit of sort of a legal genius is pretty easy to do.

So, I think Tom really, really respects almost more than anybody. Patricia Hewes is sort of certain legal mind. And so that’s easy part and I think Tom himself is a very bright guy. And, you know, so he’ll know when to sort of step up and defend himself or – but overall he really has a great allegiance.

And I think he’s just deeply impressed with Patty Hewes. And he’s never sort of met anybody like her or I think he just recognizes that she has just an extraordinary mind.

And, you know, in the legal world it’s the smartest guy in the room wins, you know. So, he’s definitely able to put aside his – let his ego go to listen to the smartest guy in the room even if it’s a woman.

The second thing I was wondering, I mean you’ve got an all star cast here with Glenn Close and you, and Rose Byrne… 

Ted Danson.

…and Michael Nouri. You’ve got recognizably A-list TV directors like – I’m not sure how to pronounce it – I think it’s Greg Yaitanes… and Mario Van Peebles. 

Uh-huh.

It’s such a wonderful situation, How did the role come to you? 

I just like, you know, everybody else just audition, you know. And thank God they picked me. You know, they picked over like some actors that I am sure I would never beat out.

But it was – I just feel very fortunate, very lucky to be part of this whole group. It’s really right down the line from the procedures to the crew and the whole cast is pretty A-list I’ve got to say.

I was going to ask you questions about the October 2nd episode sort of like the family.There was a phone number on Ellen’s voicemail and I actually decided to call it. 

You’re messed up, man. [laughs] You’ve got a problem.

What it does it actually links – it takes me to like Hughes & Associates voicemail thing like for a real company. 

Come on.

I’m serious. It’s all set up through FX. I was just wondering if the cast… 

That’s brilliant!

 …knows about this stuff? 

No. We had no idea.

That’s really cool. You just check it out. You want the number?

Yes.

212… 

Yeah.

752-4708. 

That is – how did you figure out the number? You just heard it?

It’s – yeah, you can hear it. Plus if you go to the official website on Sony… 

Uh-huh.

…it’s listed right there. It’s like the company’s phone number. 

That’s outrageous!

What’s the story behind Uncle Pete? 

I know, isn’t he a mysterious character there?

He only gets more mysterious, by the way. The final episode you’re just like, “Oh my God!

That ties into an online blog thing I saw, because whoever writes that has this really interesting theory about him. You should go check it out. 

All right. I will. Yeah. I mean that show definitely brings up a lot of theories. A lot of people, I mean people come up to me with most crazy theories about what they’re going to, you know, what Tom is up to. It’s so funny.

Basically, I’m thinking Uncle Pete is Patty’s cleaner if you know what I mean. 

Maybe… or dirtier actually I think.

The storyline has just been so intricate woven throughout this first season and it’s reallybeen an amazing thing to watch. And one of your co-stars Peter Facinelli it spoke to thefact that as an actor it’s really as exciting to read the script as has been for us the viewers to watch the show. I was just curious some if you agree with that or how you felt your (frame) was with respect to that? 

Yeah, it’s been kind of a very sort of freeing experience. You know, it’s sort of like, you know, we have no idea what, you know, what our characters are going to be doing next. And they don’t talk so it is secretive they just sort of, you know.

These guys are really bright and they have, you know, few ideas in mind and they literally come up with stuff. Sometimes the, you know, the morning of we’re going to shoot something …and they’ll literally e-mail the pages to the set and then we’ll get them and then we’ll have to, you know, memorize and then do them right there.

It’s kind of – it’s an amazing experience. It’s sort of like you really let go of like thinking you’re in control of your character… and you just react and do the best you can and just give it up then it’s kind of fun actually.

I just wondered, I know you got a chance to direct an episode and I was just curious, how is that for you when you’re directing a show in which you’re also the star? Does it make it easier? Is it harder? What’s kind of the most challenging aspect of wearing kind of both those hats? 

Well, actually I haven’t done it on Damages. I’m hoping to do it next season.

Oh, I’m sorry… 

Yeah. I did it on another television show it was called the O.C. But hopefully next season I’ll be doing. I can’t really answer that question.

Oh. 

But basically, you know, it’s surprising that directing really helps your acting and I think acting really helps your directing. It really, you know, you just – the more you know as an actor for me is the better. So it’s not as hard as I think a lot of people think. I mean there are people who watch the monitor, you sort of set up the shot with them standing and then you… go and do it and you have it feeling because you’re there. And also, you know, people behind the monitor sort of you trust and the producers are there. And it’s not as difficult as one would imagine.

 If you would look back on the first season, what do you think you’re going to really take away with most? Or is there one thing that you’re really going to really remember the most about it for you personally and professionally perhaps? 

Oh, gosh. Yeah. You know, we just finished last night at 4 o’clock in the morning…

 Anything that sticks out maybe an experience or one particular episode you really enjoyed or just working like that. 

Well, I had a great episode like I think it’s episode four or five where I, you know, it was a lot about Tom and that was a great experience to sort of have the show be about Tom and…You sort of got under his skin and thought, you know, what he was going through. And I really – I loved shooting that. I was really – so I just, you know, and I hope that there’s just more episodes like that, you know.

So that was my sort of favorite episode. And, you know, just working with such a good group of people they really are – the procedures are – I’ve never really worked with producers like these that are so sort of bright and so sort of inclusive. And I don’t know. They just work so hard. You just admire them so much.

I think that’s what I walk away with the most. It’s just admiring the producers so much.

Great. Well, let’s hope for a second season.  

Yeah. I know, say a prayer.

You said that they don’t really let you know in advance, you know, where the story arc is headed, what you’re doing? 

Yeah.

I’m curious. How do you prepare for that, like, how do you as an actor get ready to be able to fly by the seat of your pants? 

You just let go, you know. I think when we first started we were really like, “Where am I going? Am I good a guy? Am I bad guy? What do I do? You know, why am I lying to Patty or, you know.”

And then you just sort of go, you know what that, you know, sort of like life itself, you know. You just… like, there’s a plan for me I’m not necessarily sure what it is but I’m going to do my best. I’m going to just be as good as possible in the scene. From what I know this is where Tom is going. So I’ll try to do my best to create it.

And it’s very – it’s an interesting – it’s very Zen like experience, you know.

 As an actor I’m sure you’ve done stuff where you did know the complete story arc and  where you didn’t. Is there one way that you prefer over another?  

Well, I think, you know, you like to know the story arc, I mean, you know. But, you know, I’ll tell you this has been one of the best experiences in my life.

I think ultimately you just want to know that the people who are in charge are really bright and really good.

And these guys are really are super bright and really good at what they do. So this is tremendous. You have a trust in them, you know… it’s sort of like, well, like, you know, I know that they’re going to come with something great. So it’s just great to be part of it, you know.

As someone that’s starred in, you know, drama and comedy and animated stuff, is there one genre you like more than another? 

Not really, you know, it’s funny because I always try to add a little comedy to the dramas and I’m always adding a little drama to the comedy. I guess that you sort of my instinct is to pull it in the opposite direction and it’s going, you know. And I’m always on the set. I’m always trying to, “Hey, it would be funny if I did this.” You know, like, “Hey”.

It’s not really about being funny. You’ve got to like this plot here. I mean I think there’s like one laugh in the entire season of Damages. I’m proud to say that I think it’s me. You know, this is, you know, in the pilot.                              

But there’s just, you know, I guess I sort of my instinct is to sort of poke fun or try to find some sort of levity in the serious situation. Because I found in my life that in the most serious, dire of circumstances there’s always humor.

In touching on something you mentioned before, I’m wondering what it is like to play characters that are up against some such strong women like Patty Hewes or Julie Cooper? 

I don’t know. I’m used to it. You know, I just was raised I guess in the family where women were very strong. And I just – it doesn’t come as some sort of odd surprise or, you know, below to my ego or something like that, you know. I’ve always sort of seen women as authority figures or, you know, some of them can be.

So, you know, in show business is still. There are really powerful women. So it hasn’t really been that big of a deal. I mean she’s – (some) are great actresses like both of them that you mentioned. It’s pretty fun, you know.

Right. This is a show that really plays loose and free with morality and I’m wondering then if you view Tom as evil or he’s just sort of humanly flawed. 

I, you know, it’s so funny. I have to say I’m shocked by how people see me as evil or awful and terrible and – I’m kind of personally are taken aback. I see Tom as a very, you know, a guy who’s really just trying to do the best he can in pretty precarious world.

And I think he’s an – he’s a good father. He’s a good husband. He’s a good employee. He’s a good partner to Ellen, I mean, to Patty and I think he’s treated Ellen for the most part really well.

I mean he’s sort of, yeah, he had a moment of weakness. But who doesn’t, you know? And he’s lied and he sort of fudged the truth and he’s sort of gone beyond people’s backs.

But it’s a pretty tough competitive world out there. And yeah, I see Tom as far more sort of, you know, good or understandable than I think a lot of the audience.                                                                                                                                      

Well, I’m hoping in the 11th hour he’s going to be to our hero and, you know, spring Ellen from jail.  Also finally speaking, I’m just wondering if there is a second season of Damages where you would hope that the producers and writers take your character? 

Oh, gosh. You know, I would love them, you know, there are two kinds of lawyers, you know, I read this great book by – oh, God, it’s called “Letters to a Young Lawyer by – oh, he’s such a good lawyer and really famous lawyer, but I just sort of spaced on the name.

But anyway I read this book and he said there are two kinds of lawyers: one who want everyone to like them and the other doesn’t care at all and maybe in prefers to be disliked. And Tom is definitely a guy who wants to be liked.

So I think it would be fun to take Tom into maybe the realm of politics. And, you know, that sort of world where being liked is super important. And he can use his talent of as affability, you know, towards that.

But, you know, it’s really up to them as long as I have lots to do I’m a happy camper. They want to make me the mass murderer, that’s fine with me. If they want to make me a hero that saves people in the end, I’ll take it, you know. I just like to be in the mix.

We kind of see Tom going from being Patty’s lapdog to standing up for himself and making sure he’d became partner and what not. So how important has this growth over the season been and finding out how it happens and the pieces coming together in the last episode? 

How important is Tom’s growth connected to like what happens to the end of the episodes?

I don’t think it has much to do with him. But I could be wrong, you know. Maybe, you know, sometimes you can’t see your character as clearly as the audience or as producers can see it so.

But to me it always has nothing to with the finale.

You don’t know, for sure, that you’ve been picked up or not for next year. But does FX know that Jimmy Cooper or like that Tate, you’re written off the show or don’t make it after the finale that, you know, ratings could drop like 20% like the O.C. did? 

I don’t know but you should let them know that.

How’s the season finale coming to an end? Is it pretty much completely wrapped up or will it kind of rollover into next season? 

What’s pretty cool is that they, you know, really answer a lot of the major questions. I mean really certain big mysteries are wrapped up. You know, you find out who kills David. You find out what happened to the Frobisher case.

The big central sorts of mysteries are solved. But what they’ve done is they set up a dynamic for next year that is fantastic. I mean when I finished reading it I was like, “That is so good”. It totally makes you, you know, satisfied and then it totally makes you go, “Oh, my God. I’ve got to check out next season because that’s going to be amazing”.

Was Tom in on the firing or not? 

You know what, is so funny. I can tell you that while we were shooting it the answer was no.

But, you know, I asked them that and then the producers like, “No”. Tom has no idea he’s getting fired. He has no idea about Ellen and in that scene in the stable I am telling the truth.

I just thought – I literally was talking to when the producers yesterday and he’s like, “Well, you know, Tom knew about the firing and he knows why she hired Ellen”. And I was like, “Honestly.Yeah, you guys switched that because in the pilot we talked about and there were like…” “Yeah, you know, we switched”.

So it really – the answer is both. While we were shooting the pilot we thought one thing. And I think as the year goes on I think a lot of people don’t realize that actors and just as, you know, the schedule also the same influence the story. And, you know, the writers sort of just come up with stuff and insert it and hope they can get away with it.

And it’s not like it’s all laid out, you know, in the pilot and we all know where we’re going. I think a lot of this stuff is sort of changed and switched and changed in editing and with performances and stuff like that.

Another question with the pilot because there’s just another one that just kind of bugging me and I just want to get your thoughts on is when you paid off Uncle Pete… 

Right.

…for killing Katie’s dog. Did he know what he was paying off over there was he… 

Tate Donovan:      Tom?

 …hurt as well? 

No. He had no idea.

I’d like to know about shifting from a network show and moving into a cable series like Damages. Is that a challenge for you? Like what do you find different about it? What do you enjoy more/less?  

What is a lot more freedom, you know, there’s a lot more. You know, the notes that you get sort of handed down from the network or whatever are far more, you know, interesting. And, you know, working for a, I mean FX is a pretty amazing network. I mean the guys who run FX are extraordinarily bright people..

It’s not that the people who move out run Fox aren’t really bright. But I’m – they’re just – I don’t know I’ve been sort of really impressed with them. And they sort of let the shows go a little bit more than I think other networks. And that’s kind of freeing and fun. And the only thing is that you don’t get paid as much. But, you know, it’s worth it to be on a good show.

You know, it’s kind of a mystery – the whole season has been a mystery and everybody watching it and trying to figure it out. Were you in the cast as on edge and trying to figure it out and it surprises – the shocking ending or, you know, as intrigued as the audience might be, were you as involved and trying to figure out the mystery as we are? 

I would say more involved. Yeah. I mean, you know, we’re all like, you know, “Is it me” you know, like we all want to know what, you know, we were heavily involved.

Absolutely and, you know, it’s always sort of like you want to ask the producers a lot of questions. But you also like don’t want to bother them all the time, you know.

So, it’s always like trying to find the right time or like, “What’s going on with this? And why is that happening, you know?” And so, it’s always sort of like because those guys are just – they just work so hard. You know, you don’t want to like annoy them with questions. But trust me, yeah, we were deeply involved of what’s happening.

Anyone figure it out before the final script? 

No. Not at all. Although when you find out who, you know, who kills David, it makes total sense, you’re like, “Oh yes, of course”. But they’ve been very quietly laying down the track for that for a couple of episodes.

But it’s great. You’re going to enjoy it, I guarantee.

I was wondering if you could give us some insight as to what it’s like to behind the scenes from the show, like did you guys joke around a lot, did you hang out much? What’s that like? 

Yeah. Yeah. The set of course is far more fun than the sort of, you know, when you watch it. You know, I mean Glenn is – she’s giggly, she’s funny. She tells really good stories, you know.

Rose Byrne by the way is like one of the most fun, you know, relaxed, cool people I’ve ever worked with. I mean she really – she’s from Australia and she is just so kicked back.

Ted Danson is hysterical. We’re all just cracking up and saying totally inappropriate stuff, you know, and making fun of the show. You know, it was very like I’m sure it will be a really good gag reel,  if you know what I mean.

You mentioned earlier that you were surprise that some of the actors you beat out for the role. Can you name names or is that just not cultured? 

Well, yeah, you know, I guess it’s not cultured. I don’t know.

One of the theories that I have going in was that did Tom have a little bit of a crush on Patty. And I’m wondering what your thoughts are on that if there’s, I mean sort of romantic interest that you had towards her. 

Well, that’s interesting. I think Tom had a crush… definitely had like a legal crush on her. You know, like I think Tom is truly in awe of the way she – her mind works.

I mean she’s three to four steps ahead of everyone. And I think he really admires that. And I think that, you know, that sometimes especially when you’re working together that can sort of, you know, turn into some sort of romantic ideas.

But in terms of like actually expressing them, I don’t think Tom has ever thought about it. I think Tom is pretty happily married guy. And – but I do think he has at least a professional crush on Patty. Yeah.

I’d like to revisit your statement that your doing this show has been a fairly freeing experience in that you pretty much leave things in the hands of the writers and pages pop into your hands. You know, just before you’re starting to shoot an episode sometimes… that sort of thing.  

Uh-huh.

And I was just wondering with that kind of situation how much influence do you have on the development of your character? And if you could give us any examples of where something that you’ve thought or said to someone has, you know, born fruit in terms of you performance, or in the way the character was written henceforth? 

Well, you know, there’s certain like little tiny specific things like they know I’d do triathlon and I ride bikes a lot. And so when I – they did an episode of more about Tom they started out with me on a bike, you know, that kind of stuff. Very simple, you know, stuff that they know I can do.

But in terms of the major arc of Tom, I’m not too sure. You know, that’s more of a question for them. You know, like I’m not too, you know, you’ll never really know how you influence somebody, you know. I’m not too sure whether I influence my part in it at all.

If you could have a conversation with Tom or tell him one particular thing what was that be? 

That’s a good question. Let’s see. If I could have one conversation with Tom…

It would be advice or just maybe, you know, shoot the breeze. It doesn’t matter. Just curious what you would say to him. 

You know, this may sound kind of odd but, you know, it’s sort of like I don’t really feel sort of a huge difference between Tom and I, you know. I mean – so I guess, you know, I try to be a little bit more honest and more upfront than old Tom.

But then again, I’m not in world where this kind of stuff is going on, you know. I just make, you know, films and television and theater and, you know, trying to have, you know, a decent, nice relationship every once in a while.

But, you know, it’s sort of like, you know, he’s in an entirely different world. And sometimes being a little underhanded like, you know, I think I’m far more naïve than Tom. I think Tom is far more jaded and is in a tougher world than me.

So I think he probably have some advice for me. Like, “Hey Tom, why don’t you talk to the producers and, you know, get your own show, you know.

I think Tom would have far more advice for me than I would for Tom.

 Okay. That’s great. Thank you.

 

As I watched Ben Affleck’s directorial debut, two thoughts crossed my mind repeatedly: crime stories set in Boston are far nastier and grittier than those set anywhere else – and Thelonious Monk was right!

When a couple of neophytes from Boston co-wrote and acted in a little indie flick called Good Will Hunting, they won an Oscar® for their screenplay and were hailed as geniuses. Afterward, Ben Affleck had some immediate success and Matt Damon didn’t. Then, in a twist that seems like a movie script, Affleck’s good fortunes waned and Damon became the go to guy for a major franchise and showed a remarkable range in other, smaller films. After once again serving notice that he really could act [Hollywoodland], Affleck has returned to the one what brung him – writing – and taken on a new challenge in directing.

Gone Baby Gone is a strange beast for a crime story. Morality and immorality play out in unique ways; what’s legal may not be right, while what’s illegal might be… The film is based on the novel of the same name by Dennis Lehane. I haven’t read the novel, but I mention it in case you have read and enjoyed it, and are worried about whether it is adapted well.

The plot revolves around the kidnapping of four-year old Amanda McCready while her mother was allegedly visiting a neighbour across the street. The mother, Helene [Amy Ryan] is an addict [booze, drugs, whatever...] and it’s her sister-in-law, Bea [Amy Madigan] who raises Cain and brings in the police and the news media. It’s also Bea who brings in private eye team of Patrick Kenzie [Casey Affleck] and Angie Gennaro [Michelle Monaghan] – rightly figuring that there are those in neighbourhood who won’t talk to the police but might talk to Patrick and Angie.

The film is rife with intriguing and unique characters –  Helene’s angry and mouthy friend Dottie [Jill Queeg], drug dealer and information vendor Bubba [Boston rapper Slaine] and half a dozen others who were cast from local non-actors – who give the film an authenticity you don’t usually see. It helps that the director and his lead are Boston natives, as well. Gone Baby gone moves like a Bostonian, looks like a Bostonian and sounds like a Bostonian – though Morgan Freeman cop, Captain Jack Doyle, does seem a bit out of place [but given the directions the plot takes, that could be deliberate].

Which brings us to Thelonious Monk who was not, as far as I know, a Bostonian – but developed a jazz piano style that was unique for a number of reasons, not the least of which was encapsulated in one of his most famous tunes, Wrong Is Right. Monk, more than most jazz players, had an understanding of the importance of silences as well as the ability to find notes that were, technically, completely wrong by any logical measure, but when combined with his use of space worked to create a sound that was right.

Affleck’s film almost feels like that Monk piece. There are decisions that make no sense in most senses; honorable actions [noble, even] that we can see are simply wrong – you will know them when you see them. Which begs the question, if you do the right thing for all the right reasons, how can the result be wrong? Which, of course, in this instance, it is.

Once again we’ve got a film that moves rather deliberately, for the most part – though when there are bursts of action, they really crank up the adrenaline. Affleck the Elder does an extremely good job of building character, presenting clues [which you will not recognize as such, though they’re in plain sight] and choreographing every aspect of the action. He also gets some stunning performances out of people who have never acted before.

Some critics may express surprise that Casey Affleck gives such a strong performance, but really, when you watch his earlier work [especially his comedic bits in the Ocean’s movies and completely unaffected dramatic turn as Robert Ford in the long-winded title that stars Brad Pitt] he seems completely natural and is totally believable.

Here, he’s letter perfect as the baby-faced P.I. who knows people and isn’t afraid to bust a head if he has to. He has great chemistry with Michelle Monaghan, whose Angie is his partner both at work and at home. She gives a nicely modulated performance that serves to accentuate all his best qualities. It’s important to note that he takes the case because she becomes emotionally involved – especially when you see what effects the case has on them.

If Ben Affleck can follow Gone Baby Gone with another film of equal substance, he may well hear the word genius being used in reference to him again, soon.

Final Grade: A

Eclipse Review Posted by Sheldon Wiebe

Originally Posted on 10/20/07

The BBC Television Centre in West London has been the home of BBC Television and News output for almost the last half-century. In an announcement on 18 October, BBC Director General Mark Thompson confirmed that this iconic building is to be sold off in a series of cost-cutting measures which include the loss of up to 2500 staff over the next six years.

Thompson said his plan would deliver “a smaller, but fitter, BBC” in the digital age, but made it clear that audiences could expect more repeats and fewer original programmes. This is bad news all round. The BBC has created some of the best and most ground-breaking shows of recent years, among them Doctor Who, Life on Mars, Casanova, and Queer as Folk. Now it looks as though the schedule will be even more littered with repeats of ‘Allo ‘Allo and Last of the Summer Wine, rather than developing new content.

And the sale of the flagship Television Centre in Wood Lane, West London, will change the architectural landscape of the area forever.

The Television Centre was designed by architect Graham Dawbarn. Given an extensive brief to turn the site from the home of the Franco-British Exhibition of 1908 into a world-class production and broadcasting facility, he headed straight to the pub for a think. With a pint helping the process, he doodled a triangle on the back of an envelope. Then he added a question mark in the middle of the triangle – and realized that a question-mark shape was exactly what was needed to house the studios, production galleries, dressing rooms and offices.

The loss of such a national landmark will also be a shock for the thousands of people who have regularly queued on the pavement outside to join the audiences for shows such as Any Dream Will Do and Never Mind the Buzzcocks.

Farewell, BBC Television Centre. You will be greatly missed.

Words and photos © Carole Gordon 2007