Song of the Week (ed. 11)

Energy by The Apples In Stereo

This is really fun. Wait--no it isn't. How can a song be fun? Can you play with it? Can you rub it on yourself?

The creepy video (they all look too happy..) is directed by someone kind of random. I'll give you a hint: he's a Hobbit.

Brilliant New 'Australia' Trailer

Yowza.

Am I Getting Annoying?

Let's pretend I've signed a contract with David Fincher, describing that I must post every speckle of Benjamin Button news that comes my way.

Kind of.

Anyway, this is huge. The 2 and a half plus minute trailer has surfaced. Some new little images and clips within. Ugh, so exciting.



In other news, I'm starting to become obsessed with Slumdog Millionaire, ever since I heard the film has an entire montage queued up to 'Paper Planes'. Dreams do come true.

In the meantime, watch this 80-second clip from the film that makes no sense.



Why are they chasing her?

An Even Newer Benjamin Button TV Spot

Nothing terribly notable in it, with scenes that may look familiar from the trailer and other spot. No embedding unfortunately, for it's "not allowed" by whoever the hell posted it. Bullshit.

Follow the magical link here.

Cannot frickin' wait...

Song of the Week (ed. 10)

Dancing Choose from the new TV On The Radio album (that I dig..)



Awesome, huh?

TCK Outlook

It's Fall Film Time. Get pumped up.

As I bat away evil thoughts of me giving up blogging that have occupied my brain the past few days, I have decided to have a very enthusiastic approach and, sort of, revamp.

Now, nothing too rash is going to happen, but I might introduce a few new things. Clearly, I changed how the blog looks. I love it, honestly. Do you? Just has a cool, simple look.

Oscar season is coming into full swing, in a sense, so lots of Oscar coverage, because I dig it. Aren't I so descriptive? Anyway, in terms of Oscar coverage, we'll have:

Monthly even-more-in-depth Oscar Predictions in (basically) all categories.
A weekly Oscar Column (can you think of a good name? Comment with ideas!)
Week-long Epic Best Picture Predictions, including my winner.

For general film apparatus:

I'll continue my Fall Film Preview, month by month
Various Lists, News, Trailers, Etc. concerning film

And, of couse:

Culture-realated musings!

..And that's only October.

A Very TV On The Radio-Related Post

I was flipping through Enterainment Weekly this morning (yes, just minutes ago) and I saw a few pictures of Rachel Getting Married in the Anne Hathway article. I looked a little closer at this picture:



It's THUNDE ADEBIMPE! The lead singer of TV On The Radio, one of my favorites. How hadn't I noticed this in the trailer? He's distinct-looking, you know? It even says in the article that he sings a beautiful rendition of Neil Young's 'Unknown Legend', which brings on the waterworks. He has a relatively prominent role, it seems, as Rachel's soon-to-be husband. Whoa. I never knew Adebimpe graduated from NYU Film School and has acted in a few indie films. Awesomenes.

So as my serendipity continued, I flipped a few more pages and came to this:



TVOTR has a new album!? And no one told me!? Well, I'm off to iTunes to grab it, and I can't frickin' wait. (Possibly) expect a review some time.

(Belated) Song of the Week ed. 9

Oh, Arcade Fire. How I love you, my all-time favoritest band ever. You are my world.

Aracde Fire: Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)



Sometimes this song makes me feel like crying. Just that huge guitar riff at the beginning. Oh, so many memories.

Dry Spell

I am on a huge, ridiculous dry spell right now with movies, blogging and other culture-related items. Will it pass? I mean, this is what I was "inspired" to write today. I was inspired to write nothing. Write about writing about nothing. Now I'm writing about writing about writing about nothing. Wait..? Sorry, my brain is cooked medium well, no mustard or relish. Am I having a nervous breakdown? Am I not having a nervous breakdown?

I started watching United 93, which I had on Tivo, and I turned it off and over-managed my fantasy team. Maybe, it was because I didn't like where the film was taking itself, and I was losing interest with rapidity. Maybe it was because I needed to overmanage my team because I'm yet to win a goddamn game. FU, Tom Brady, man who has brought pride to my city three times. You stink for getting hurt for the first time in your career! Or, maybe, possibly I'm having a cinematic dry spell.

I can still read blogs.

You know what I need? I need some crazy culture-related bracket that I can maniacly fill until Oscar season, comparable to the masterpiece, that Joe did at Low Resolution based on his favorite actresses. Any suggestions? Is this a blogging no-no? Comment with some suggestions for a little culture-realted tournament I could milk for all its worth until Oscar season graces us. Oh..oh, wait. I forgot, no one comments. No, some people do. There's a weird discrepency between the views I get to the comments I get. Suspicious.

Yeah, Um, My Hopes Are High...

Damn high.

Watch this, just, just watch it...



Yep..uhuh.

2008 Fall Movie Preview - September

Fall is basically upon us. For life, fall kind of sucks. End of summer, not yet winter. For movies, fall is a marvelous time as the Oscar season's curtains open and we get to see some great films. Buzz bops around at film festivals, like Toronto. Oscar charts start to make sense. And somewhere during breaks from the brilliance, we get a Disaster Movie or something, to remind us that Aaron Seltzer is still, unfortunately, alive.

But I, naive I, have decided to take on a little Fall Film Preview just to post my thoughts on some upcoming flicks. We'll go through the fall, two weeks per post, until we reach winter, and slam on the brakes once we hit January. I have blogging mood swings, so I might just buck the whole idea if I feel like it. So, September, here we come...

September 12th

Burn After Reading
Background: It's the Coens on their little playground, cooking up a criminal farce about fumbling idiots. The crucial memoirs of a former CIA agent fall into the unsuspecting hands of dumb gym employees who use it to their advantage. Then Anton Chigurh (Tilda Swinton) comes in and shoots all of them with a cattle gun. The Coens, crawling up from their indie roots, have come a long way, getting their hands on one of the most A-listy casts of the year (Pitt, Clooney, McDormand, Malkovich and Swinton).
Buzz: The film has gotten mixed reviews prior to opening the Venice Film Festival. The majority of British press fell ass over elbows for it, though some thought it was "too stupid". I myself, find it almost cocky for the Coens to pull such a dumb farce after No Country For Old Men. From what I hear, it almost seems like a sloppy effort. That's just me.
Interest Level: Pretty high. This almost seems Fargoesque and Fargo is probably in my top ten..ever. The trailer was brilliant and Swinton looks hilarious for some reason. Can we conclude that she's going to play a cold bitch in every movie now?
Oscar Hopes: Pretty little. A month ago, before Venice, an acting nod and probably a writing nod seemed possible. Doesn't look like that's the point of this film. It's a screwball comedy. End of story. (Not all of the Coens films have been mega Oscar darlings, like No Country).
Bottom Line: Not Coens Coens it seems, but still well worth seeing.



Towelhead
Background: It's Alan Ball at the helm, this time, of American Beauty and Six Feet Under fame. It's a story of growing up, as a Lebanese tween moves in with her uncle in suburban Texas. The script should be good with Ball running the show. The cast includes all-stars Toni Collette and Aaron Eckhart.
Buzz: There have been a few early screenings, and overall, the reviews have been positive. Supposedly, it's dark, funny, and despicable. The film has come under some fire for the racy, or maybe racist, title, but it firmly stands its ground in its naming.
Interest Level: It's an intriguing movie, with some good actors and a good writer. The trailer was pretty good, displaying that suburban angst as Ball is so good at doing.
Oscar Hopes: Eh, I don't think this really has much of a chance. The acting doesn't seem like it will land any nominations (Collette appears to have a small role), so its best chance is at writing, which doesn't seem entirely probable.
Bottom Line: May be a poor man's American Beauty, except this time, it's Lebanese Beauty. Doesn't have the same ring to it.



Righteous Kill
Background: It's a gritty crime drama decked out with a stellar cast and a...wait, it doesn't have a good director attached. Wait. It's going to suck. It's artificial-seeming, from the looks of the trailer. It wants to be The Departed, but let's face it: Pacino's last role was as some idiot (who didn't own a damn comb), fumbling around in some crappy movie. De Niro's last role was a gay pirate. It's not the '70s anymore, is it? 50 (or is it fitty?) Cent lends his acting gifts.
Buzz: This is obviously getting a lot of buzz due to the long-time-coming pair of Pacino and De Niro, among the best actors of their generation. No early word on how good the film is, but the general consensus is that it isn't going to be Goodfellas.
Interest Level: Decent. It will be interesting to see the two actors together, but overall...DVD?
Oscar Hopes: Who the hell knows? Maybe it's their comeback? Maybe there need be no Oscar-winning director or writer? Maybe they turn in great, harrowing performances instead of treating it like a Sunday drive? I highly, highly doubt it, but you can always believe. I mean, maybe, if you had a pretty high blood alcohol level, this might look good on paper.
Bottom Line: It's just for fun.



The Women
Background: It's the superchick-flick of the summer. Should do great at the box office. It's a story about..women..a lot of them..they're friends..they're catty..am I being sexist?..nah. It's epic, starring a handful of top actresses, like Annette Bening, Jada Pinkett Smith, Eva Mendes, Debra Messing, the list goes on.
Buzz: The film, one by Diane English, has been in the works for over a decade. Meg Ryan wanted to star/produce, Julia Roberts, coming off Pretty Woman fame, wanted to star and produce. Lots of Women wanted to have their hands on this. In the end? We get the not-as-famous spouse of Will Smith, a sitcom star who hasn't done much since Will and Grace, Meg Ryan, hot off of her plastic surgery disaster and Eva Mendes, who isn't that great. Huh.
Interest Level: Not my cup of tea, at all, really. I do think it will serve its purpose and be an above-average chick-flick, there seems to be some passion put into this project. But, no really my thing. I'm one of The Men.
Oscar Hopes: Not a whole lot of Oscar bait here. A romantic comedy is never an Oscar darling. No way. If anything, Annette Bening will get some good press.
Bottom Line: Seems like it might end up coming together well, as well as getting all the women out to see it.



September 19th

Lakeview Terrace
Background: I don't really know squat about this film, other than the fact that the promos on TV look pretty good. I don't really know what to think of Samuel L. Jackson. He's in brilliant roles, like Jules of Pulp Fiction, but then he turns around and stars in Jumper. This might be more on the 'Jumper' region of the spectrum. This film is about a household's neighbor, a whacked-out cop, who appears to cause a hell of a lot of problems for this family, because they're an interracial couple.
Buzz: The director, Neil Labute, has made some horseshit over the years, so it kind of makes you think this will follow suit. The writers don't have tip-top credentials either. Hm.
Interest Level: My interest is lessening as I write this. It's probably going to be pretty bad, but whatever. I'll probably end up being dragged to it by some friends. And I'll like it. And the whole time I'll have to remind myself that I saw 12 Angry Men the other day, and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Oscar Hopes: Yeah, no chance.
The Bottom Line: It's a little popcorn flick. Nothing more.



The Duchess
Background: It's the period drama of 2008, apparently. Usually I have a speckle of interest though. I don't for this. Keira Knightley's face annoys me at this point. That, along with everything else about her. Just (kind of) joking. It's an epic about Georgiana Cavendish who has her up's and down's with the Duke, who happens to be Ralph Fiennes. Expect corsets. And British people.
Buzz: The film has gotten some flack for appearing to be mirroring the life of Princess Diana, which understandably, would piss you off. Word out of the Toronto Film Fest: bland. I believe it.
Interest Level:

It's the period drama of 2008. Usually I have a speckle of excitement, though. I don't for this.

- The Culture Kid
Oscar Hopes: Should probably get some love for the corsets. Yet, word on the street is that Keira isn't that great in the role due to her lack of chemistry with Dominic Cooper. This should be limited to techs, and probably not that many.
The Bottom: The real epic of 2008? It's northwest of New Zealand...



Blindness
Background: It's got a good cast (Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Danny Glover..), a beloved director, Fernando Meirelles, of City of God fame, and it's based off of an award-winning literary masterpiece (that I could get through..). The makings of some movie magic, eh? But there's a catch: It sucks. (We'll get to that later). It's the story of a blindness epidemic, yet a woman (Julianne Moore) finds herself in an even worse position: being the only one that can see.
Buzz: A few months ago at Cannes? It was a failure and didn't even split the audience. Everyone hated it. But just a few days ago, it was apparently revamped and met with some positive press out of Toronto. But were the reviews positive enough?
Interest Level: Who didn't love that trailer? So, right off the bat, I've been excited. Yet that excitement has subsided a bit, due to its bad press. I still want to see it, but not with an aching desire.
Oscar Hopes: Julianne Moore seems like the best bet for any awards success for this film. But Best Actress is stacked this year. I have some doubts she can make the shortlist. Otherwise, this film has very little Oscar hope.
The Bottom Line: Expect a lot of blind people rolling around in feces.



Appaloosa
Background: Based off of the Robert Parker novel, Appaloosa is about two lawmen (Mortensen and Harris) who are sent to a small town, vying to bring down its tyrant, who just so happens to be Jeremy Irons. Who knew? Ed Harris is directing which, apparently, is a good thing. People liked Pollock.
Buzz: But then the shit hit the fan. Ed Harris directing isn't a good thing. Word out of Toronto is that..it's nothing to shout about. And here I was, nearly throwing it on my Best Picture ballot. Isn't my innocent stupidity endearing? No?
Interest Level: I witnessed one hell of a Western last year, in Jesse James, so the prospect of another Western, helmed by the impressive Ed Harris, seemed intriguing. And from the plot, it looks like we could be getting a really good villain in Jeremy Irons. I still want to see it, pretty badly.
Oscar Hopes: Very dim at the moment. If they can edit it, positively, before January 22nd they may have more hope. There are a lot of worms in this can, so it's a shame this isn't getting good reception.
The Bottom Line: Who isn't this really good? I'm still not sold on it's below-averageness.



September 26th

Miracle At St. Anna
Background: It looks like Spike Lee is sort of stepping out of his comfort zone here, which is refreshing. The cast kind of sucks, headed by Derek Luke..of no fame. It's about the connection of a 1984 murder to a battalion of black soldiers in WWII, brought together through an intense investigation.
Buzz: I guess this Fall Preview doubles as a Film Festival Wrap-up. Word out of Toronto? Decent, not really good. The expections, unfortunately were sky-high for some, and the final product apparently, doesn't live up to them.
Interest Level: I like Spike Lee. Most of his movies are pretty good. He has something to say. He's ambitious. But, from the start this never excited me too much. I would like to see it a little, I guess.
Oscar Hopes: I'm not taking this off my radar completely, but acting noms and anything major from there, seem unlikely. Too bad. This would have been a cool film to have in the Best Picture line-up.
The Bottom Line: Lee doesn't appear to be back in 'Do The Right Thing' form. Or 'Inside Man' form, for that matter.



Choke
Background: Written by Chuck Palanhuik in two mediums, now for film, is the story of sex-addict who pays for his sick madre's medical bills by gaining sympathy from those who witness him "choke to death". Oookaaayyy. Sam Rockwell stars. Clark Gregg randomly directs.
Buzz: Everyone has had their eye on this since they heard the name Chuck Palanhuik involved. (He wrote Fight Club). I'm skeptical, in a way. Might be a little too off-the-walls for some and can Clark Gregg direct? We're kind of still wondering if he can act.
Interest Level: I think it sounds freakishly interesting. That's not always a good thing. Will I see it? Probably not. Will I say that I want to see it now? Yeah.
Oscar Hopes: Maybe..maybe the screenplay could grab a nom if some crazy shit happened. Otherwise, I can't see the Academy enjoying this.
The Bottom Line: It will probably split audiences. Which is impressive, sometimes.



Eagle Eye
Background: After Disturbia's popularity, Dreamworks piled four screenwriters in a room and forced them without pay, food or any other emenities, to sit the hell down and write another script Shia LaBouef could star in and DJ Caruso could direct. That became Eagle Eye, a story about two strangers who are turned into pawns in a mystery woman's assassination plot. From there, comes a desperate attempt to outwit the woman. The pawns are LaBouef and Michelle Monaghan.
Buzz: There has been a deep ripple of excitement (from me) over this film. I think it has the chance to be pretty good, along with bringing moviegoers into theaters at an off-time.
Interest Level: Not through the roof, but hovering dangerously close to the ceiling fan. The Caruso/LaBouef (even though I'm kind of hating LaBouef lately..) pairing is uber-exciting and the teaser have all been pretty well done.
Oscar Hopes: If it really...and I mean really takes off, maybe some FX nods could come its way, but other than that, nothing looks to likely.
The Bottom Line: The only popcorn flick this year that I can barely hold my excitement for.



Nights In Rodanthe
Background: I didn't know the title was pronounced in a such a fruity way, since I saw the promo. Row-don-thee. Is it located in Middle Earth? East of The Shire, maybe? The new Nicolas Sparks film adaptation, like The Notebook. A lovey-dovey story about a doctor who meets an unhappily-married woman at an inn in North Carolina. That's all?
Buzz: The trailer actually looks pretty damn good, I must say. It also looks mega-cheesy. No early word on how good the film is.
Interest Level: I'm sort of into it. I mean, I never saw The Notebook, but I still know what to expect with this film. Gushy, kind of entertaining, the script begging you to tear up. Oh, yes I know. But I like the cast and the trailer, as stated, was really good. But still...eh...not to "interested".
Oscar Hopes: This is Diane Lane's film, I would think. Gere is an automatic out for some reason, when it comes to Oscars (why?! I ask!). Still, though, can this kind of film push an actress into that stacked of a category? I doubt it.
The Bottom Line: The Notebook with less dying and older people.



Whew. I'm done. October should come out pretty soon. No later than November...heh..heh. The movies look pretty decent, nothing really sticks out, though. September is kind of a down month, so the look ahead is better. Stick around!

Tunesday Song of the Week - 9/9/08

Radiohead - Bodysnatchers



Love it. I'm becoming more of a Radiohead fan everyday.

September Oscar Predictions

At first, about a week ago, I thought I didn't have much to change on my predictions. But then I begin to second-guess myself and then The Reader comes into the picture and suddenly Australia looks like huge bait and Cate seems like a shoe-in for CCOBB and maybe Charlize Theron will get a lead nom and 'Paper Planes' by that Sri Lankan rapper is growing on me big-time and maybe Revolutionary Road will bomb and suddenly I feel like an idiot for sleeping on Kodi Smit-McPhee and Rosemary DeWitt is suddenly a prime candidate and hell, maybe Demme could get a director nom and maybe I'm thinking this out too much. Whew. Well there are some changes from the August chart to this one. I'm kind of winging it, improvising, if you will.

See my August Predictions here.

Best Picture

Suddenly, so many movies feel capable of getting into this category. What it comes down to, though, is this: what films are least likely to be like Reservation Road? AKA, which films won't bomb? Truly, and I've been saying this for months now, I don't think Milk can fail. Hold me to that. It has all the ingredients and currently it's the frontrunning nominee. No winners just yet. Doubt is riskier, because of it being a stage aadaptation and all that bullshit, but it remains in my line-up. I'm living a lie if I take Button out. Wouldn't I be a hypocrite? But suddenly, my stance on it being the one to beat has diminished. Some shakey reviews and press scare me. Keep Rev Road in there, Sam Mendes is directing it, after all. Then comes The Dark Knight argument. Let's admit it: TDK has lost some steam in the past two weeks. Maybe I'm coming to my senses. We all had it in our line-up during it's wave of fandom.

So it's out. It pains me, but I can't keep it in there. Should I put in Austalia? I don't know! It's biggest thing going against it is that two period epics in one Best Picture line-up sits very badly with me. W.? Whoa, shit. Bad boy, Mark! Never utter those words. Okay, I'm over it. (This is painful. I'm writing to myself.)For a second, I wanted to say Appaloosa. Why is that? Okay, so here it is:

Milk
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Revolutionary Road
Australia
Doubt



Best Director

So, since I'm bucking the whole Dark Knight idea, I guess I have to buck the Chris Nolan idea. Part of me still wants to include him, but I don't feel it anymore. Fincher, Van Sant and Mendes are definately in. I would be shocked if Baz missed out on another Director nom (he didn't get one for Moulin Rouge!). I think Shanley is on the outside looking in again.

So I have an interesting proclamation. Jonathan Demme. He'll get his actresses noms and the Academy loves him, as he already has an Oscar in the trophy case. There are a few other interesting thoughts bopping around for me. Darren Aronofsky is getting great press for The Wrestler, as is Mickey Rourke (read on). Last month, I also had John Hillcoat on the board for The Road. I have a new outlook for The Road, as you'll soon see.

Gus Van Sant, Milk
Sam Mendes, Revolutionary Road
David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Jonathan Demme, Rachel Getting Married
Baz Lurhmann, Australia



Best Lead Actor

I've said this before: Lead Actor is stacked. Pitt got good buzz from that goddamn Telluride "screening" (I think we'll be laughing about all the mixed press Button got from that screening, a year from now). He remains a lock, as does Leo, a very safe pick. Langella and Penn (Milk looks brilliant, right?) seem sure-things as well.
That final spot, though. I've had Viggo for The Road, firmly in that spot for awhile now, but a new name has come up. Mickey Rourke. The buzz for him and The Wrestler is crazy. Some are comparing him to the caliber Daniel Day-Lewis performed at for There Will Be Blood. That's amazing.

Brad Pitt, Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler
Leonardo DiCaprio, Revolutionary Road
Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn, Milk



Best Lead Actress

Similar to Actor, Actress is also a very hot category, with a few performances looking like sure-bets. I think Hathaway has punched her ticket for a nomination (that doesn't make sense, but sounds cool). The rest is comprised of actresses that are among the top in their profession. But do the best always "win"? I mean, we have Streep. She's goddamn Meryl Streep, so I think she's in. I'm pushing the picture of her in Lions For Lambs out of my mind. Kate Winslet is going to do something this year, be it The Reader or Revolutionary Road, but I prefer the latter. Sally Hawkins remains buzzing, but I might take my foot off the gas on that nomination. Let's keep Jolie on the board, reluctantly. For some reason, Changeling just bored the hell out of me. I don't know why. So who is to take Hawkins's spot?

Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie, Changeling
Meryl Streep, Doubt
Kate Winslet, Revolutionary Road
Nicole Kidman, Australia

*22 nominations combined



Best Supporting Actor

From the trailer, Brolin looks great in Milk. If anything, he should nab a two-year Body of Work nomination for all the impressive performances he's given us, lately. Basically, the same goes for Robert Downey Jr., who'll be one of the few nominations The Soloist garners. Heath Ledger is 100% in, no doubts about it. I still have a hanging-by-a-thread hope for Russell Crowe in the wild card called Body of Lies. Is it Oscar bait? Is it just an action flick? Is it both? So the final spot. It always comes down to it. Previously, I had Liev Schreiber occupying that spot, but my Defiance confidence is waning. From a source, called Kristopher Tapley (just about the best source), who read the script, he said many scenes in The Road's script are chances for home runs by Kodi Smit-McPhee. So it looks like he has the material, but is he a good enough actor to pull it off?

Josh Brolin, Milk
Robert Downey Jr., The Soloist
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Russell Crowe, Body of Lies
Kodi Smit-McPhee, The Road



Best Supporting Actress

A new face has come to the surface in a category desperately needing one. Good old, Rosemary DeWitt in Rachel Getting Married. The buzz has been stellar out of Venice. I think two others that are going to forces are Kathy Bates in Revolutionary Road and Penelope Cruz, who is universally loved in Vicky Christina Barcelona. But then it gets sticky with Queen Latifah giving us some honey in The Secret Life of Bees. The trailer looked sweet as honey (I need to stop), but Latifah is always reliable and very talented, so a nomination looks probable. I guess I'll go with Taraji P. Henson in Benjamin to round out the nominations, but not 100-percent-excitedly.

Queen Latifah, The Secret Life of Bees
Kathy Bates, Revolutionary Road
Rosemary DeWitt, Rachel Getting Married
Penelope Cruz, Vicky Christina Barcelona
Taraji P. Henson, Benjamin Button



My mind moves with the wind, though. Everyday a new name comes up, a new name goes down. It's frustrating, but it is what it is. Whatever

Un-Culture-Related Post: I'm Sinking Faster Than The Titanic

There goes my Pats.

There goes my fantasy team.

There goes my life.

Roar! The Wrestler Takes The Golden Lion At Venice

*Goes off and changes Best Picture line-up.*

Milk Trailer Hits

Looks well frickin' done.

Benjamin Button - Short Story by Fitzgerald

As I fulfill the prophecy of me being an obsessed fanboy, the next act of dedication to this work, Benjamin Button, was to read the short story it was based off.

By F. Scott Fitzgerald, the story is tightly wound in about 30 pages, and to me, the literary work seems to be perfectly paced as a short story. Benjamin's life is briskly presented to us and it's truly just about the life of a man. But wait! He was born under unusual circumstances. Uhuh. He ages backward (no shit) and this sets the stage for a life lived curiously, as well as unpleasantly. Everywhere he turns, just living life, the state of his "curious case" is flashing brightly. He can't escape this annoying fate.



It's such a good story, as well as a heart-wrenching one. An especially sad part was when Benjamin was about sixty-five. This means he was in kindergarten. Other kids were taking, that day, about what they wanted to be when they grew up. Little Benjamin had already served in the war, owned a suscessful company, married, had kids, lived a very fulfilled life considering the cards he was dealt. He was alone in the state that in five years, he would be "gone". It's such an odd phenomenon, really.

Now I know that Eric Roth has added a lot of meat to this simple story. Having read parts of it (only parts of it for now, so I can't totally say), the screenplay seems wildly different. Almost worthy of an original screenplay credit. There's no Daisy (Cate Blanchett's character) in the short story. The setting is Baltimore, opposed to New Orleans. In Roth's script, Benjamin was born as a baby (that's usually how it happens), obviously lacking of speech and any coherency, yet of course he had senior features (like arthritis and deteriorated physical capabilites). Yet in the short story, Benjamin, at six months, was smoking cigars and babbling like old people do. A major difference, right there.

But I highly recommend you read this story. I zipped through it in a half hour, so it's not a great undertaking, it's just a delight. Tragic, yet funny. Brilliantly written in some parts. So original and imaginative. I just loved it. These lines of text at the end really stuck out to me, because it was just expressed so perfectly by Fitzgerald. You could say this is spoiler-ish, but it's the inevitable ending you sort of already know:

There were no troublesome memories in his childish sleep; no token
came to him of his brave days at college, of the glittering years when
he flustered the hearts of many girls. There were only the white, safe
walls of his crib and Nana and a man who came to see him sometimes,
and a great big orange ball that Nana pointed at just before his
twilight bed hour and called "sun." When the sun went his eyes were
sleepy--there were no dreams, no dreams to haunt him.

The past--the wild charge at the head of his men up San Juan Hill; the
first years of his marriage when he worked late into the summer dusk
down in the busy city for young Hildegarde whom he loved; the days
before that when he sat smoking far into the night in the gloomy old
Button house on Monroe Street with his grandfather-all these had faded
like unsubstantial dreams from his mind as though they had never been.
He did not remember.

You can read the amazing short story here.

Tunesday Song of the Week

Not Tuesday! But, Tunesday (aren't I pitiful)!

One by Aimee Mann (from Magnolia as you may remember)