“At the Movies” Is Over, and That Stinks

(This is an article I wrote back in 2010.)

When it became official that At the Movies would no longer be produced, I suppose the question wasn’t so much “Why did it end?” but “How did it remain on the air this long?”

In Chicago, where the show got its start on public TV as Sneak Previews, an interested viewer has to be ready to watch the half-hour review show at 10:30 AM on Sundays, sometimes at midnight the previous Saturday. This wasn’t a program that was vying for prime-time TV space.

Ever since the iconic critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert made the first version of the show the highest rated weekly entertainment series in public television history, debates have raged over the role of the TV critic, the use of thumbs to indicate quality, and whether opinions that didn’t come from the typewritten page even mattered.

The End of "The Office"

The Office is finally ending, and I’m still watching it with all the enthusiasm of someone who just wants to get to the end of the massive book they’ve been reading, even though most of the interest ended around chapter 153. Back in 2009, I wrote an article when Steve Carrell was getting ready to leave the TV show that made him a star. I’ve re-posted the article below, along with some updated reactions and opinions to what I wrote: 

Movie Review: Other People’s Money (1991)

(NOTE: This article contains plot spoilers)

Those of us under the age of 25 might be surprised to know that the current economic downturn that’s keeping many of them from finding decent-paying jobs isn’t a new thing. Business cycles have been oscillating wildly ever since the invention of finance, and movies have always had plenty of opportunities to portray the chasm between the haves and have-nots as experienced through the stock market.

The last major economic dip happened during the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, as Main Street paid the tab for the non-stop Wall Street party that dominated the Reagan Era. One of the most enduring films to come out of that moment in time is “Wall Street,” starring Michael Douglas as corporate raider Gordon Gekko and Charlie Sheen as his willing protégé who must eventually choose between making money and doing something moral to save his blue-collar father’s company from ruin. Another, less-successful film that also used high finance and its impact on the Little Guy as a theme was 1991’s Other People’s Money, directed by Norman Jewison and based on a play by Jerry Sterner.

Mini Movie Review: Gomorrah (2008)

Basic Plot: A group of non-interlocking stories that follow the lives of people who inhabit the territory of the Camorras, one of the most violent organized crime syndicates in the world.

5 Words to Describe This Movie: Sprawling, Violent, Photogenic, Novel-esque, Bleak

Basically: This is a beautifully shot exploration of a world full of drugs and violence, as well as how this world preys on its youth and the very notion of civilized society.  It's not a movie to casually show at a party, but well worth the time to explore for its many cinematic merits..

Mini TV Review: Peep Show (2003)

Basic Plot: Two 30-something friends, one an uptight, timid, mid-level corporate drone, the other a lecherous bum with delusions of making it as a musician, live together in London, navigating through life and relationships.

5 Words to Describe This Show: Raunchy, Existential, Clever, Absurd, Innovative

Summary: Most of the shows in this series (sort of an "Odd Couple" for Generation X) can't be shown on U.S. broadcast because of the language, sexual situations, and drug use. Still, it's well worth seeking this one because its smart and very funny. I can't help rooting for the two main characters to succeed at whatever minor goals they set for themselves, even though in many ways they are losers. Although the protagonists get laid on a regular basis, if there's some kind of message in the way they are constantly being up-ended by the endless parade of gorgeous women who come into their lives, that message is something about the near-total impotence of Modern Man.

TV Review: Mike & Molly (2010)

Basic Plot: A Chicago cop and school teacher, both of whom are on the plus side, start a relationship

Review: If this sitcom succeeds, it will be on the strength of its lead characters (played by Billy Gardell and Melissa McCarthy), who I thought were likeable and charming. McCarthy's character is realistic as well – she has the body type of a real "regular person," not the trim and manicured version normally seen on TV and movie screens. Both of them have comedic chops as well. One of my laugh-out loud moments was when Mike was telling Molly's class why he became a cop. His delivery, not just what he said, made it funny.

Mini Movie Review: The Baader-Meinhof Complex (2008)

5 Words to Describe This Movie: Detailed, Harrowing, Informative, Provocative, Slick

Basic Plot: A retelling of the late '60s to mid '70s history of the first generation of the Red Army Faction, a German group of anti-Capitalist freedom fighters or Left-Wing terrorists, depending on your point of view.

In Summary: This is a stylish, fast-paced trip through a very interesting period in modern history. The movie's attention to events comes at the expense of character development, which doesn't take away from the film because there is so much going on. The story is told with an objectivity as to the rightness or wrongness of the subjects' actions. Watching this film was an enlightening experience for me.

My Rating: 8/10 ("Really Liked It")

"Fletch" and the Almost-Superstar Career of Chevy Chase

Fletch was released on May 31, 1985, Memorial Day weekend, at a time when the idea of a Summer Movie Season was only beginning to be a fixture in American culture.

I had never seen Fletch in a theater or even on cable. In fact, I had not seen it until this week, when my TiVo picked it up off of one of those classic movie channels.

I had heard about the “classic” lines from the film, and was expecting to at least chuckle at some timeless humor, but as far as the funny went all I got was a “I guess you had to be there” feeling.

The basic plot is actually Hitchcockian in its intrigue: A reporter who is working undercover as a drug addict beach comber attracts the attention of a millionaire who makes him a proposition – he will pay the bum a large sum of money to kill him.

As a drama or thriller, it’s not a bad way to start a film. As a star-vehicle comedy, the outlandish plot doesn't work as well. Overall, I would say the movie isn’t as good as collective memory seems to indicate, but it isn’t as bad either.

No doubt, the execution is glaringly clunky in spots and most of the acting is sub-par, with the notable exception of George Wendt (Norm from Cheers) delivering a small but superb turn as one of Fletch’s beach buddies. It’s not the worst movie of its kind I’ve ever seen, though.

TV Review: The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret

There are few things in life more painful than dealing with a moron who thinks he’s smart. Over the years, any number of sitcoms and dramas have demonstrated this. It takes talent to pull off this kind of theme week in and week out. One show that does this due to the strength of its cast is “The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret,” an Independent Film Channel original production.

Each episode opens with the same shot of a roughed-up and defeated Margaret (David Cross) sitting in a British courtroom, flanked by security guards, blankly listening to a series of charges made against him while a group of lawyers and guys in suits work themselves into a near riot expressing their disgust for him.

The viewer is then flashed back to the past, to see just how Todd Margaret got where he is. This much we know (and by "we", I mean those of us who are only halfway through the current season) – Margaret is working as a temp at some generic corporation whose boss (Will Arnett), upon overhearing the meek employee in his cubicle using his “Stop Being Such a Pussy!” motivational tape to practice yelling at people, recruits him to relocate overseas and sell a toxic energy drink called Thunder Muscle to the British market.

Margaret, with no natural talent for selling, experience running a business venture, or knowledge of UK culture, soon finds himself in a continuing series of outrageous and desperate scenarios that highlight both his incompetence and tendency to say anything but the truth to get himself out of trouble.

Maybe it’s because of the international setting, but after watching several episodes, I couldn’t help but think how well this show works as a metaphor for the USA’s position in the world for the last 10+ years. Todd Margaret is America in all its headstrong foolishness masquerading as go-get-‘em Capitalism, only too happy to dig a deeper hole than admit he’s in over his head. His globe-trotting, dickish boss, the one who sends toadies on missions to make him more money while he idles away his time doing nothing (when he’s not busy losing large amounts of money at online poker), is the stateless Upper Class, the ones with all the money.

Margaret’s love interest, cafe owner Alice (Sharon Horgan), is the UK, France, Germany, and any other US ally who, by hesitantly but ultimately tolerating Margaret’s buffoonery, instead of telling him to just fuck off already, is arguably just as complicit in the trail of waste and destruction that ensues. Margaret’s sole employee, immediately seeing what a complete tool his “boss” is and taking every opportunity to use it to his advantage and amusement, could represent anyone from an international financier short-selling another batch of Collateralized Debt Obligations to a smiling mullah accepting the latest planeload of cash from the CIA.


Political metaphors aside, this is a funny show that provides a good showcase for Cross’ and Arnett’s talents for cringe humor. It remains to be seen how much the show can keep up the plot before needing to get to that fateful opening scene. No doubt, there getting there will involve a lot more painful moments for the American.

My Rating: 7/10 (“Really Like It”)

Movie Review: The Informant! (2009)

Basic Plot: a dramatic retelling of the story of Mark Whitacre, a former Acher Daniels Midland executive who became the central figure in one of the largest corporate price-fixing scandals in American history.

Review: The longer I remain in the working world, the more I’m sure that the qualities needed to “make it to the top” are only a shade away from what would be considered mental illness under any other circumstances. Whitacre’s story, which would probably be rejected by film studios if it wasn’t certifiably non-fiction, doesn’t do anything to disabuse me of that notion.

Matt Damon does a terrific job with the lead role of a man who rose up the corporate ladder quickly because of his ambition and brilliance, and became caught up in a situation he wasn’t anywhere close to prepared to handle. The stream-of-consciousness narration puts a fine point on the mentality of a middle-level executive whose mind is working like a car speeding down the highway with its brakes cut.

The banality of the million-dollar criminal activity is astonishing, as well as the complexity the Feds face in trying to get their star witness to cooperate with the investigation. The efforts by the agents (Scott Bakula and Joel McHale) in dealing with Whiacre provide most of the film’s black humor.

This one is definitely worth a rental, if only to appreciate just how hard it is to prosecute white-collar crime.

My Rating: 8/10 (“Really Liked It”)

Movie Review: (500) Days of Summer (2009)

What happens when you desperately love someone who doesn't love you back? This is a rite of passage and a dilemma for 99% of humanity, and it's the core of (500) Days of Summer, an "anti-RomCom" to some, a mirror to others. The performances by Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel as the (ill?)-fated couple are fantastic, and there's lots of laughs and wit in the script. Some critics have bemoaned the movie's "hipster" vibe, which I found perplexing as everything looked like the kind of environment young urban singles would inhabit.

This movie actually hit me much harder than I thought it would, because it completely nails the kinds of scenarios and exchanges that are part of the dating process for people who aren't in a position (psychologically or socially) to casually flit from one lover to the next. I don't think any film I've ever seen captured the awkwardness, frustration, and misery of those moments quite so well.

At the same time, this is a film that takes a wonderfully clear-eyed look at L-O-V-E and its problems, while also affirming that love can and does exist, even if not for everyone everywhere all the time. It's a complex message most movies don't have the time or talent to deliver.

My Rating: 9/10 ("Loved It")

Movie Review: "Date Night" (2010)

While the plot is a little thin and "sitcom-y," this movie succeeds on the strength of its two lead characters (played by Tina Fey and Steve Carrell, two of the talents propping up NBC's Thursday night sitcom block), a married suburban couple who get entangled in urban criminal intrigue after stealing another couple's dinner reservation. Fey and Carrell's performances together are outstanding - they're the most believable couple I've seen in a movie in a long time.

There are some technical aspects of the movie that show how big-screen projects differ from TV. Some of Fey's hilarious asides, which work just fine on 30 Rock, sometimes get lost in the sound mix of a film. And film doesn't allow for as many closeups of Carrell's face (like on The Office), where viewers can more easily see his fantastic comic expressions and the conflicting emotions right under the surface.

Still, if you're looking for a light, funny, fast-moving story to watch, I'd recommend putting this on your rental list. This is one of the few films to come along recently where I can say I wouldn't mind a sequel.

My Rating: 6/10 ("Liked It")

A Modest Proposal to Fix the U.S. Film Industry

[This essay was originally written in August, 2011]

Just one more month until Summer's over. We can soon call quits to the endless stream of remakes, reboots, sequels, sequels to sequels, and cartoons that pass themselves off as first-run film entertainment, not to mention the special effects "showcases" that usually involve some kind of cheap 3-D effect. Is it me, or are there more of these movies being made than ever before, and are they getting worse?

There are currently two seasons in American film making – Summer and Oscar. Put out your "prestige" stuff in the fall and winter, entice people to sit in a dark air-conditioned room for a few hours between Memorial and Labor Day. In one sense, it's a great system, especially if you're a major studio. Between box office receipts at home and abroad and the various ancillary receipts from rental markets and TV, the US film industry has never been more profitable. So from a Capitalist perspective there's nothing that needs fixing, outside of tracking down and punishing those pesky bootleggers.

My Favorite TV Show Openings

There’s not much that goes into TV show openings. Their basic function is to let you know the show is starting. The best ones, though, set a definitive tone for what’s going to happen, and stick in the memory on their own right, which is the best kind of free advertising, but also helps cement a show in the annals of entertainment history.

Here’s a list of my favorite show openings and title sequences from my decades of tube-watching:

Star Trek
An obvious choice, and for obvious reasons (to me, anyway). Deceptively simple yet full of dramatic possibilities. Just say the words “Space. The Final Frontier.” and people who watch TV will know exactly what you’re talking about.

London Bus Tour

During the time I did not have a car, I took the bus to and from work. The best part of taking a bus is looking out the window at stuff. Nothing in particular, just watching the world go by, the people and places and activity. This video was shot in London, but it captures this theme wonderfully.

 

London Bus Tour from moritz oberholzer on Vimeo.