My Yearly Post Habit...

...must be stopped! Therefore, I am going to attempt a more regular blogging schedule. We'll see how it goes and whether a newborn baby interferes (all signs point to, "yes").

As usual, the desire for blogging was inspired by movie-watching. This time around, it was the live-action and CGI hybrid Alvin and the Chipmunks.

You read that right: Alvin and the Chipmunks.

I feel like the masochists at the AV Club who watch something they know will be terrible but do it anyway. Though you are now disregarding me as a fool and navigating away from this page, please let me explain.

See, I have a wife and she is a very kind, gentle, loving soul. When someone offers her a movie to borrow, she accepts. Even if that movie was found to be pointless by some people and
sparked an online feud. She brings it home and causes me to physically cringe as she pushes the dreaded DVD close to me, threatening to touch my skin with it. I must not be tainted by this affront to cinephiles everywhere! A no-talent, phoned-in, greedy, cash-sniffing turd of a movie. A film trying to wring more $$$ from a 50-year old silly, sped-up recording gimmick.

This, I was sure, would be a case where I could judge a book by its cover or, rather, a movie by its poster. Even Jason Lee, whose slacker sarcasm is always appreciated, could not make this worthwhile. In fact, his presence almost guaranteed that this would be a painful viewing: every moment tinged by, "C'mon, I loved you in Chasing Amy and that Sasquatch movie!"

So, after a discussion with my wife, we agreed to only view a few key scenes, so as to give her enough fodder to stumble through any discussion of the movie. A perfect picture of domestic duplicity, we sat down to take a Cliff Notes' tour of Alvin and the Chipmunks. We ended up watching it straight through, even pausing it when one of us had to get a snack!

And, amazingly, I kind of enjoyed the movie. Sure, it was cheesy: few people question talking and singing chipmunks, the slightly forced "we are a family" theme, the silly pratfalls early on. Many moments were uncomfortable: every song and dance sequence had the three 'Munks grooving with midriff-baring backup singers. A lot of the performances were lazily done, Mr. Lee's particularly. But on the whole, the movie tries to just be simple fun for kids. It has an honest message that is important for kids (and parents): rules help us be better people, and family helps us follow the rules. Put another way, family is important because they (should?) look out for you and try to give you a safe place to grow up in.

I have to get used to movies like this. My son is growing steadily in Bethany's tummy and is due in just six weeks. Soon, he'll be old enough to be requesting movies and I'm sure his picks will drive me nuts. But as long as they have a good message, I can't complain.

Beyond the message, the filmmakers were smart enough to give Lee and David Cross (who, spoiler alert!, plays the villain) moments to show their distinctive comedic styles. These moments are few and far between, but I appreciated them. Deadpan humor always gets me.

Also, the cheesiness gets so excessive at points that I couldn't help but laugh. The obligatory montages (rise to stardom, music writing, cleaning house) are just spot on in their complete refusal to have any sort of originality. And that takes guts. Also, David Cross's final scene is brilliant in it absolute lameness.

All in all, I think my slight enjoyment of Alvin and the Chipmunks came from my expectations. I was sure I would be witnessing a creative trainwreck with a massive body count; instead, I got to see a slight fender bender that cause minor whiplash.

Second Time Around

Last night I took the time to re-watch Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. When I had initially seen the film a year ago, I left the film slightly let down. I had loved the original, seeing it multiple times in the theater. This second chapter seemed to lack the spark of excitement from the first adventure, and was merely a showcase for several huge action set pieces.

But a second time around gave me the chance to focus on many subtle aspects the filmmakers put into this film. It is so jam-packed and rollicking that they are easy to miss when you first watch. Much like the original, clues about the mystery are given non-verbally and through the actors' reactions to events/dialogue. A shifted gaze, or slight furrowing of the brow shows so much.

Art (which film is supposed to be) requires multiple interactions with the piece to foster introspection and contemplation. Great art allows one to find new details and learn more with each interaction. While I am not saying that Pirates is high art or anything, I do want to recognize and applaud the filmmakers. Gore Verbinski and his crew have created a deep, twisting experience with these films; a product that rewards rewatching and rethinking. From its unique and rough visual style, to its (sometimes) nuanced acting.

The details don't matter for this post, because what all this got me thinking about was the nature of the film industry in our nation. Time was you could count on a movie playing for at least a month, if not several. Now, anything less than blockbuster is immediately gone after just a week or two. Sad, because we miss the chance to explore deeper by watching and rewatching some great artistic work.