The Chronic Rift

I saw The Secret of Kells at the IFC Center last night with a cast of thousands -- the thing has lines that rival the Star Wars re-releases, as it's only playing there, and only until the end of this week.

This magnificent hand-animated feature is about imagination, it's about exploration, it's about the joys of creating art, it's about letting concern for security overwhelm the need to maintain your culture and who you are as a people, it's about growing up, it's about legends and stories, it's about fear, it's about the joys of nature, it's about unlocking potential, it's about love and friendship. The animation is beautiful, very stylized (like a medieval illuminated manuscript, which is the point), and the voice work is fantastic, with special props to Christen Mooney as the Aisling, the fae girl in the forest.

It's only notionally about the Book of Kells. Someone described it on Facebook as a flight of fancy that only bears a passing connection to the actual Book, but it's a darned good flight of fancy as flights of fancy goes, and it's worth tracking down. If you're in NYC, it's playing at the IFC Center on 6th Avenue and W. 3rd Street to the end of this week, and I understand the SoHo Gallery for Digital Art is looking at being able to do screenings after that. And it should be on DVD soon....

Based on all the bad things people had said about it, when I got The Spirit from Netflix, I watched it with low expectations.

Sadly, the movie couldn't even meet those...

There are several problems here: the disjointed pacing, the too-dark lighting, the incoherent scripting, the mediocre acting... It's just really poor, and not even poor in a good or fun way, just a sort-of stare-at-the-screen-and-go-"buh???" way.

This isn't the worst use of Samuel L. Jackson -- George Lucas's utter inability to make Mace Windu interesting will always have that place of honor -- but it's right down there. Jackson's at his best in two modes: utter, frightening calm or manic insanity. Sometimes he does both, viz. Jules in Pulp Fiction. Miller managed to find a weird middle ground that was too manic for Jackson's calm mode but too calm for his manic mode.

The dark palette was especially unfortunate. What worked for Sin City doesn't really work for The Spirit. For all the noir trappings of the comics, Eisner's art was always fairly bright. Muting the colors didn't do the movie any favors. Neither did covering the protagonist and antagonist in mud for most of the first half-hour....

But the biggest problem is that The Spirit always had a sense of whimsy. Yes, it was about a guy who fought crime and cheated death and had lots of violence, but it was always fun. Fun has never been Miller's strong suit, and he wouldn't know whimsy if it bit him on his ass. As a result, we have something that's too silly to work as gritty violence (or, to put it another way, as the Sin City clone this feels like), but too gritty to work as a Will Eisner piece.

This entry has nothing to do with our latest episode, an interview with actress Juliet Landau.  It's very cool and I'm excited and all, but it's not my gauge for determining the arrival of the show as something that is recognized as being a force for promotion for others.  Every interview we have done, right up to this point, has been due to the efforts of Keith, Judy, and myself securing guests for the show.  We approached them.

Yesterday, I received my first email from a potential guest, requesting to make an appearance on our show.

This is my signal that we have arrived.

Someone wants to come on the show.  He wasn't asked.  I am chuffed.  (And I don't like using that word as it's overly used, in my opinion.)

Now, I must place a caveat that we have had three of our guests on the show due to a friend of the program who is in public relations.  He did approach us and asked us to have his clients on the show.  But I temper that victory with the fact that he is a friend.

This email was a cold call email from a complete stranger.  I've looked over the guest's materials and I can happily say look out for his appearance in April on the podcast.

Yes, we have arrived.

Reposting this from my blog, since it relates back to a discussion that ensued after my Couch Potato Salad segment during the 12 Days of Riftmas's review episode:

Be advised that there are SPOILERS GALORE for White Collar in this post....

to Michael C. Hall on his Golden Globe for portraying my favorite killer of killers - Dexter Morgan.  I am a bit torn because John Hamm was particularly good this season as Don Draper on Mad Men.  Also, I'd like to send a shout out to John Lithgow for his win for his super-creepy performance as Arthur on Season 4 of Dexter.

Peace out.

I missed the whole Shield thing.  A friend of my Daddy Bear recommended the show to him.  We just saw the pilot and are on to the second episode.  I detest this Mackie guy.  He's a dirty LA cop out to get whatever he wants.  I see nothing sympathetic or original about him.  Daddy Bear can keep watching, but it just doesn't seem worth my time.

With Dexter, the first person narrative drew me in, and the fact that he cannot help himself but kill killers added to his charm as a character. 

Just my two cents,

(Now, let’s not ruin it for the other kids in the class who haven’t seen it yet.)

Were the last two minutes of last night's season finale necessary?

After careful contemplation, yes, they were.  Given Dexter’s hubris, mistakes, and inaction all season, what other outcome could we fans of a serial killer who kills killers expect?  Although those last two minutes sadden me on many levels (No, I am NOT telling you; watch the darn episode.), they were inevitable.  I simply cannot imagine the dynamic of a Season 5.  The writers are going to have to do some very creative writing to get me to tune in again.  Whoa.

So tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day in the United States, a time where we stop and remember all those things we are thankful for.  In regards to this podcast, I'm thankful for:

- my friends of old, Andrea, Orenthal, Judy, Dan, and Keith who indulged the lunatic when he said he wanted to do a podcast.

- my friends of new, Paul, David, Jay, Derrick, and Rhymephile, who answered the call when I asked for help in shaping the show.

- David Finnerty, who makes this website hum and who has been a great cheerleader for the show.  (You can drop the pom-poms now, Dave.)

- Our guests for these past fifty episodes who have been gracious enough with their time to grant an interview, opine about a Roundtable topic, or just simply record an opening bumper for the show.

- Mevio, who has been a great help in getting the show noticed and in offering us the storage space we now have to maintain our audience with interruption.

- My wife, Sue, who has been incredible in all this as I moved the show from a once a month deal to a weekly one.  It's not always been easy, but she's loved and supported me so well along the way.

We've got a great year ahead folks and we hope you're all there to share it with us.  Happy Thanksgiving.

John

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgbNymZ7vqY&feature=player_embedded

The existence of YouTube -- hell of the entire Internet -- is solely justified by the fact that it gave us this. Wow.

Keith brings the TV
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