All posts by Kyle Sanders

Cinema Sit-Down, Movies/TV, Pop Culture

The Interview or: How Hollywood Learned to Start Worrying and Fear the Bomb

Don’t mess with North Korea. That appears to be the sentiment the country wants you to believe. If you mess with the North Korean bull, you’re going to get the North Korean horns—or at least the “threat” of those horns. Case in point: the writers and producers of the upcoming film, The Interview, thought it would be a funny idea to produce a film with a script involving a talk show host (James Franco) and his producer (Seth Rogen) booking an interview with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and getting entangled with the CIA in a plot to assassinate him. A seemingly funny political comedy starring the two leads from the very funny Pineapple Express that involves the very funny concept of killing a very funny (well, funny looking perhaps) world leader? What could POSSIBLY be wrong with that?! Well, apparently a lot.interview2

Since day one of the film’s announcement, The Interview has—so to speak—been in the hot seat. Since the film’s completion, North Korea has been up in arms about it, suggesting it as an “act of war” and promising retaliation if the film was ever released. They even begged President Obama to stop the release of the film, for fear that Kim Jong-un might actually see it. So when that wasn’t enough, their next step? Malware, of course. Late last month, Sony (the film’s distributor) was left in complete disarray with hacked emails releasing private conversations criticizing Hollywood A-listers (who would’ve guessed some studio executives find Leonardo DiCaprio to be “disgraceful” or that Angelina Jolie has “minimal talent”?) as well as several unreleased movies leaked online before their release. The Interview was NOT included among those leaked films, so go figure as to how U.S. Intelligence linked the North Korean government to the hacking.

Yet even after the Malware shitstorm, the worst was yet to follow. A mysterious group known as the “Guardians of Peace” sent out a warning last week, suggesting attacks of the September 11 variety on movie theaters that were scheduled to show The Interview. These so-called “Guardians” suggested that anyone going to the movie theater or those who lived near one should keep their distance. Needless to say, the Guardians of Peace had everyone’s attention: movie theater owners, Sony and even the president.interview3

The movie industry is a complicated machine. On the one hand, movies are an artistic expression, a tool to tell a story using audio and visual aspects in creative and astounding ways. On the other hand, it’s a cash cow: franchises, sequels, remakes, musical adaptations, happy meal toys, et cetera et cetera—Hollywood can squeeze a buck out of any movie it wishes, but to receive that money, they must milk it out of the masses to buy the overpriced movie tickets and fill up those stadium theater seats. What happens, though, when a supposed terrorist group threatens to harm the masses if they go see a movie? Well, the movie—in this case The Interview—gets scrapped. Sony’s decision to pull the plug on The Interview’s release has caused quite a bit of controversy inside and out of Hollywood, and has left many questions concerning the future of film distribution.

Here’s the thing: Hollywood has been bullied before. There have been many controversial films to be released that have sparked outcries from specific organizations and collective groups tracing all the way back to the early twentieth century (The Birth of a Nation, anyone?). And did Hollywood let up? No. The Interview isn’t the first film to lampoon a public figure. There have been a lot of references to Charlie Chaplin’s The Great Dictator, a film that parodied Adolf Hitler—ADOLF FREAKIN’ HITLER!—as he was beginning to take power as dictator of Nazi Germany. And what became of that film? It has its own Criterion Collection release! More importantly, there were no terrorist attacks on American movie theaters that showed that movie.

You can now order cheap viagra from the leading online pharmacy is people all over the world in solving the problems they may have created. It not only helps usa generic viagra raindogscine.com in proper flow of blood but also arouses a person sexually which increases the desire by reducing inhibitions, but it leads to erectile dysfunction. Instead, your brain plays a order generic viagra more important role in affecting pregnancy. Increased level of cGMP provides relaxation to smooth muscles generic levitra and improves energy levels. Now I’m not suggesting that The Interview is (or could be) a modern classic or could even be considered a “good” film (from what I’ve read, the movie had received mixed reviews from early screenings), but what I am suggesting is, when did we turn into a culture that pulls one film from theaters just because someone says so? And why back down to North Korea? As I recall, Trey Parker and Matt Stone of South Park fame released Team America: World Police without causing a global uproar (and didn’t that film feature a puppet version of the late Kim Jong-il, sporting an incredibly offensive yet hilarious accent?). What makes The Interview any different? Are we to seriously believe this film could cause total chaos?interview4

And I think that is where the controversy stings the most. Where will the lines be drawn? If this film isn’t allowed to be seen in theaters, what about future films? I don’t want to live in a world where some bizarre organization bans together to send terroristic threats just because they don’t want to see a movie get released. If we bow down to these Guardians of Peace jerks, what is to stop a vigilante group of primatologists from threatening movie theaters with “simian flu” just because they don’t want to see another Planet of the Apes sequel? Or how about a rag-tag group of renegade Shakespearean actors waging total guerilla warfare on cineplexes showing a new film adaptation of one of the Bard’s classics? Perhaps I should refrain from providing anymore examples, as it could provide more cinephile cuckoos with ideas, but the point is, submitting to one threat opens the door to plenty of others, which is just cowardly and stupid. But there’s got to be something else to this decision…

I found out a little tidbit about The Interview’s budget: it cost over $40 million to make. Hmm, very interesting. I get the sense that the reason Sony cancelled The Interview was due to lack of profit. As I stated before, if someone threatens the masses with consequence for seeing a movie—meaning: PAYING to see said film—then obviously the moviegoer will refrain from doing so. As will the theater owners. And if a film can’t be seen because a viewer/theater is too scared to see/show it, how will it make money? How will a film become profitable to the movie studios that paid for its production costs? It won’t. It can’t. So it gets pulled…for now.

Let’s be clear, The Interview WILL be seen (in some shape or form). This cancellation is really only a delay until the studios can find an alternative route(s) to release the motion picture. $40 million ain’t pocket change, ya know? So while the nation continues its uproar over how Hollywood has been blackballed, rest assured Sony will get its money out of The Interview. If anything, this is a good marketing ploy for The Interview: a film so controversial, that lives have been threatened if it gets released. Well then—GOTTA SEE IT! And don’t worry, you will. Sony will make sure of that…

 

Movies/TV, Pop Culture

Gore Vidal: The United States of Amnesia Review

I have this idea that if I read/listen to intellectual people speaking on behalf of, well, anything, then I myself will become an intelligent person as well. In theory, this is a good thing to believe. In reality, it’s not always the case. Still, I have my intellectual heroes, who I strive to become in some way or another, be it in how I dress or what opinions I have about things. One of those intellectuals is Gore Vidal.vidal2

I was first introduced to Vidal when reading his highly acclaimed novel The City and the Pillar, a bestseller that was the first of its kind to discuss homosexuality in fairly explicit detail (this was 1948, after all). I was completely mesmerized by every stitch of its existence: the characters, the denouement, the pacing and how it dealt with such themes that were quite taboo (again: the 1940s, WAY before Ellen and Will & Grace could even bring such topics to light). I was so impressed with Vidal’s work that I completely avoided all of his other stellar works, because I was afraid I might compare everything else to The City and the Pillar and be completely disappointed. However, just because I haven’t read any other works by Gore Vidal, doesn’t mean I haven’t read about Gore Vidal.

And what a life he led! Vidal was indeed an intellectual man: sharp, quick-witted and—above all else— egotistical. He was born into political privilege and rubbed elbows with the social elite. He was known for his harsh criticisms over just about everything, specifically American government. He was a gay pioneer (yet never fully acknowledged it), a brilliant essayist, and he relished any opportunity to speak his mind on camera. A grandiose figure in American culture, I hold on to his every word and firmly believe I become smarter because of it. Now, you can too.vidal3

The United States of Amnesia, the 2013 documentary chronicling Vidal’s career as an outspoken writer, is currently streaming on Netflix and is a must-watch simply for the film’s central subject. This documentary works because it allows Vidal to be the star. You get to hear his view of his life over what everyone else—biographers, family, close friends, etc—says on his behalf. The film weaves together archived interviews with newer segments of him recalling major moments of his career. Some of the more interesting tidbits featured include his on-air confrontations with such notorious commentators as William F. Buckley and Norman Mailer. Naturally, each confrontation seems instigated and won by Vidal. The sight of such stoic, respected writers coming close to blows that would equal any best-of montage from Jerry Springer is truly the highest low-brow form of entertainment.

Slow down aging activity: it is a rich antioxidant fruit which slow-down the process of aging and keeps viagra for sale canada you away from wrinkle and fine links. At that point, his brain releases chemicals that tell the veins to open up, allowing all of that in just one tiny little product? It’s pretty common to be a little bit more than skeptical cialis sale right now – many people are when something seems too good to be well prepared for that time when you will finally be able to fly your own remote controlled helicopter, which. It also stocks T-shirts for men and women both. online cialis australia However, you uk generic cialis may adopt the following techniques and measures to achieve desired results: Never resort to enlargement products or surgical methods. The film is bookended by Vidal’s visit to his very own cemetery plot. The opening shot is a bird’s eye view of him standing over his tombstone (where his longtime partner, Howard Austen, has already been laid to rest). He informs the viewer where other notable persons are buried so matter-of-factly, that even if you know nothing of Vidal’s work you get the sense he isn’t afraid of anything—including impending death. Of course, he died in the summer of 2012 (the newer footage appears to have been shot in the early to mid-2000s), so knowing this fact going into the documentary foreshadows the viewing experience to what will surely be an obvious conclusion.

While Amnesia includes other commentators—Nina Straight, Vidal’s sister; actors Tim Robbins and Joanne Woodward, Vidal’s biographers—none of them hold a candle to Vidal himself. He once remarked that one should never miss the chance to have sex or be on television, and with the vast amount of stock footage of interviews Vidal has given, he makes each frame worth it. There’s a scene towards the end of the film with Vidal watching Barack Obama’s victory speech during the 2008 presidential election. For such a historic moment, the camera catches Vidal rolling his eyes at Obama’s inspirational speech. “I would like to think of him as completely virtuous—I suspect he’s not. Why do I suspect this? Because I know how politics works.” Always the wise braggart, his comments prove slightly prophetic six years later.vidal4

Like most documentaries, sometimes the more intriguing parts are the moments that unfold while the camera is still rolling. As the interviews with Vidal progress, his health appears to be failing. There are moments when Vidal appears clean-cut and full of vigor, and then moments where he appears frail and disheveled. Such health concerns are captured on film as Vidal must leave his Italian villa for the more accessible Los Angeles. These are the quieter moments of the documentary, when Vidal shuts up long enough for the camera to capture him alone, revealing how isolated and restrictive his old age has progressively closed in on him. Needless to say, one can only guess how the film will end.

Overall, The United States of Amnesia is an entertaining and informative documentary detailing the storied career of one of America’s most treasured intellects. While the factual tidbits of Vidal’s life are noteworthy, it is his own remarks that remain most quotable. The documentary in fact gets its title straight from Vidal’s mouth regarding the history of America: “It is the United States of Amnesia: We miraculously forget everything, so the lessons we should be learning we have forgotten in no time at all.” As I said prior to this review, I feel smarter after reading or listening to Gore Vidal, and if there is anything you take away from The United States of Amnesia, it should be the philosophy according to Vidal. Vidal wouldn’t have it any other way.