And a good evening to you from rain-soaked Los Angeles. Yes, I said “rain-soaked Los Angeles.” Rain is such a shocker in this town that amateur merchants make a good living selling umbrellas on public sidewalks. They get no business from me, however, because my attitude towards any weather that deviates from California stereotypes—as established by the Beach Boys and 30s musicals—is one of utter denial. When it’s cold at night (by cold I mean the 50s), I wear short sleeves anyway; when it rains, I stomp through it, chin clenched shut, staring at a vision in my mind no one else can see. The only extra garments I will put on are those which are fashionable enough in my eye to qualify as style.
“Avatar” has officially broken “Titanic’s” long-standing record…kind of. We all know that the price of IMAX tickets, to say nothing of inflation, probably reverses this little miracle, but I think there’s a good chance that the movie will eventually earn its stripes on all fronts. I know many of you are worried that I’m taking “The Dark Knight’s” bump to 3rd place a little personally, but actually I’m fine with what happened. “Avatar” and “Titanic” are both pure-blooded American cinema, they’re the kind of movies that are designed for and flourish with a mass audience. “The Dark Knight” is a dark, grisly tragedy/thriller whose financial success is something of a wonderful fluke; I’m still exhilarated and baffled that it’s on the top ten in the first place.
Apple is on the verge of unleashing a new product on us, and as I type this on my iMac and play “GTA” on my iPod Touch, I admit that I am not immune to the excitement. It’s comforting to know that whatever this new thing is, I cannot possibly afford it, so there’s little point in me salivating over it. It’s also helpful for me to reflect on the fact that where technology is concerned, he who laughs last laughs loudest; people who buy gizmos on the maiden voyage—”launchies” I call them—are normally the ones who suffer the most. In a way, the product they purchase is the most honest, maybe even the most human, thing that our culture can put out: it’s relatively untested, a dream pounded into material form and unleashed with a nervous shrug. Later iterations will be cynical beasts, hardened by the world, the wonder taken from their souls. I think there’s a sweetness to that first Blu Ray player that develops a bunch of quirks Samsung can’t explain to you. But I prefer the grizzled veterans.
Sam Worthington is about to get the lead in another role. Sigh. Somewhere in Hollywood right now, some kind of super-agent is testing this new theory, a theory that is the worst idea Hollywood has ever come up with: “why can’t we just tell Americans who the stars are going to be?” No. No you can’t. You cannot tell us that. Pardon my English, but who in the Sam Hell is Sam Worthington, and why does he keep getting lead roles? This guy has never sold a movie in his life. Never. “Terminator: Salvation” bombed because he was the star instead of Christian Bale, “Avatar’s” success had nothing to do with him, and “Clash of the Titans” will only sell tickets to 13 year olds. Now I don’t know what scheming crackpot picked this guy out of Australia and decided to Eliza Doolittle him on the American public, but eventually it’s going to fall apart. Everyone in Tinsel Town is just acting like this guy is the next big thing without our freaking permission! It does not work that way!
I have nothing against Sam Worthington. Actually I do, he’s not a very good actor. James Cameron got a performance out of him, probably using brute intimidation, but the man could make a cow emote. He isn’t bad enough for me to mind him, and he does have a credible toughness somewhat akin to Mark Wahlberg, but he isn’t good enough for the career that he currently has. I don’t mind that he’s not a phenomenal actor, there are actually some stars I like who don’t have a lot of range. I mind that he’s not a phenomenal actor and he’s rising to the top so quickly. From now until 2012, Hollywood is jamming this guy in our faces at least once a year, giving him the most desired roles in town, and then acting like he had anything to do with it when they succeed (and ignoring it when they fail).
Once, long ago, this happened with Harrison Ford; George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Francis Ford Coppolla, they all traded this guy around, and he got to be Indiana Jones AND Han Solo within the same time frame. Okay, fair enough, but that was Harrison Ford. Did anyone watch “Star Wars” for the first time and not want to see the guy in every movie ever for the rest of their lives? Are we really going to compare Indy with…ahem…Jake Sully? No, you and I both no we are not. James Cameron was the star of “Avatar.”
Not that I blame Sam himself. What’s he supposed to do, say “no”? I’m just pointing out that someday, some executive is going to cash the Sam Worthington check and discover that it bounces.
Anyway,
It might interest you to know, Dear Reader, that I’m going to begin a cycle on this blog soon of personal favorites. I’ve arranged a list of my 25 favorite films, and agonized over it for weeks since, but I think it’s ready to be rolled out for the general public. In the lower numbers, I’ll post a couple of movies at a time and do briefer descriptions of them, but as we get into the top ten, things are going to get more intense. Of course, this list will hardly be an all-timer, I reserve the right to adjust it whenever I feel like, but I’m hoping my example will compel you to sit down and think about what your favorite movies are. I find people do not do this enough, even in the film-making world. It’s so crucial to appreciating cinema to be critical and introspective about your tastes, to really try and understand the things that draw you to certain movies instead of getting pulled around like a dog on a leash.
If you feel so inclined, please post comments with lists of your favorite movies, and update accordingly. Reflect, Dear Reader! Let’s do this together!
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