Vintage Cage

"The Weather Man"
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Michael Caine, Hope Davis

I have seen 3 movies this weekend, that is a personal best for me, only of one them depicts the world that the characters live in perfectly and realistically. "Weather Man" is a simple story of a basic man, that wants to touch base with life. David Spritzer (Cage) divorced, maybe depressed, making an honest $200,000 a year as a Chicago weatherman seeks more in life. Michael Caine plays his father Robert, a genuine, pleasent, and succesful man that is quiet nowadays, it's not that he looks down upon his son, he just wants more for him.

David owns the goofy haircut that drags down his persona in social Chicago life, he is locally often noticed as "that weather man." David is tired of getting food thrown at him, not just food, but fast food, he explains "it is useful, but not nourishable." Cage's narration as his pathetic character adds miles of depth to his character, it yields all hope of progress of hope, personal success and family security. That is all David cares about, he wants to mend past difference with his wife Noreen (Davis) by making the kids happy, and by going to classes with her, things turn out bad when a group activity goes wrong and causes much held back tension by Noreen. The good thing is that David gets along with his kids, one son Mike who is looked upon sexually by an adult, I didn't understand this subplot, but not that big of a problem for me. His overweight 12 year old daughter Shelly is called "cameltoe" at school, but she think's it a compliment. Shelly smokes and is in-decisive, David just wants to buy her clothes, bring her to archery classes, which becomes more of a hobby for him than her.

The movie is about lost family, with a chance to get it back, just that one shot to do something about it, making it right at all costs. This isn't a tearjerker, it takes an odd approach to the theme of family redemption, mainly because it's a comedy. I actually laughed out loud 5 or 6 times,Cage is so good at playing these types of characters, there is an outside chance of a nomination for him. Michael Caine is also very good as the overseer and glue to the family, he informs everyone of whats going on with everyone in the family.

"Weather Man" directed by Gore Verbinski was such a pleasent surprise, I will recommend it to anyone who liked "About Schmidt" and films along those lines. There were some very deep scenes, some very funny scenes, and an emotional sense of realism. Cage's David knows what he wants, but is so good at messing it up, it's not his fault, he actually believes his divorces was caused by his lack to remember an order of tartar sauce for the weekly family dinner when he was still married. That is the kind of humor this is, Cage isn't shooting for greatness, he is being himself with a great script. I cannot even give this a rating, because I do not want to give it 3 1/2 stars, I think it defines itself as existing as between 3 1/2 stars and 4.

The other two movies that I saw this weekend were....

"Saw II"-3 stars
"In Her Shoes"-3 stars

November-January = a critics heaven

It is only October 30th..... There have only been a handful of worthy films that will be up for Oscars, and a handful and a half may be to much to give credit for right now... You may have Crash... Cinderella Man... North Country.. Capote... Goodnight and Goodluck....that's all I can really think of right now....

Now right now I will go ahead, and predict my 5 best picture nominations for the Academy Awards..... here they are... and reasons why... My goal is to predict 3/5 correct... here I go....

"Jarhead"-(mirror of our war right now, focuses on Desert Storm, a war that gave every soldier blue balls, WILL be directed with poignancy by Sam Mendes(A.Beauty, Road to Perdition) he's familiar with the Oscar scene, has a GREAT cast on his side with two of the most underrated actors going right now.(Jake Gyllenhaal, and Peter Sarsgaard) Has Chris Cooper and Jamie Foxx on board, both having prior Oscar success.

"Munich"- I absolutely know nothing of this story other then it is being driected by S.Spielberg, it's a true story, and it's a drama. If you throw those 3 elements into a hat, you basicaly have a best picture nomination. This will be there in the end.

"Walk the Line"- Although Ray was a decent film, I didn't realy care for it, it didn't deserve a Best Picture nomination lastyear, Ray along with Finding Neverland robbed Closer of a nomination. But Walk the Line starring Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon chronicling the life of Johnny Cash and his wife, I think will be more powerful then Ray, a better love story with more depth and less jumping around of the story. Phoenix is one of those guys who is STILL under the radar, there is something about him, and he will break out of his supporting character label here, and maybe win a best actor trophy. I like it's chances to get a best pic. nod.

My next prediction is stricly boom or bust, it will either shoot through the roof or be a major dud. the next one is....

"The New World"- Terrence Malick's depiction of the romance between John Smith and Pocahontas with a side dish of violence COULD be great. Although the last plate of epic movies have mostly been duds i.e "Alexander" "Troy" and "Kingdom of Heaven." The scary thing is, the 3 directors of those previous duds are all fantastic directors, truly great ones. Now, Terrence Malick doesn't make too many movies, I haven't even see the ones that he does make, all I know is that he made "The Thin Red Line," about Vietnam and it was up for best picture. I also know that it was very poetic and hard to digest. With Colin Farrell, Christian Bale on board, you GOTTA believe that this could be good stuff, I think it will be "The Last Samurai" meets "Last of the Mohicans." The set design i trust will be spectacular, the acting will be there, I think there will be some brutal violence, that gives it some realism around those times, but I just hope I end up appreciating more of Farrell's work by the time the movie ends.

"Syriana" - I don't know much about this also, but the trailer was spell-binding, it includes Clooney and Matt Daman, the screenwriter of Traffic wrote and directed it.

If I had to pick my next five in order of it's chances, I would pick.....
1.Memoirs of a Geisha
2.North Country
3.Capote
4.Goodnight and Goodluck
5.Crash

Exceptional work by this cast

“North Country”
Starring: Charlize Theron, Frances McDormand, Sissy Spacek, Sean Bean, Woody Harrelson, Richard Jenkins
4 stars out of 4


Very few movies have moved me this year; “North Country” is one of those few. There are so many positives for this production under Niki Caro to dish out. Niki Caro isn’t new to the Oscar scene; her teenage lead in 2003’s “Whale Rider” was the youngest girl to ever earn an Oscar nomination. With “North Country”, Charlize Theron has an unbelievable chance to garner her second nomination in three years; her first nomination was taken to the bank as she won for her vicious portrayal of female serial killer Aileen Wournos in “Monster.”

It’s very odd, I hardly want to take credit away from Niki Caro for her earnest depiction of female miners in the late 80’s, but I feel like this was Theron’s show from start to finish, in other words Theron made this film possible with her extensive screen dominance.

You may also not find a better ensemble cast the rest of this year, I can’t decide which cast was better between this and “Crash” but they’re both excellent achievements. Even though I liked “Crash” better, this should have much more going for it come Oscar time, Theron and McDormand should both grab nominations, the fact that this is similar to “Erin Brockovich,” definitely helps it’s chances to snag a best picture nomination, and maybe directing.

Now to the fascinating story, Theron plays Josey Aimes, single mom who can’t even tell her kids who there father is, now that may be because she doesn’t know, or because she’s afraid to tell them, the answer to that question is important in the latter part of the thick running time. Aimes seeks work after leaving her home from her abusive husband, she straps her two kids along who are wiser then they look. Josey unfortunately lives a life where she can come to her parents’ house with bruises, and her father insists that it was her fault for getting beaten. Her past has been filled with negative moments; one most remembered was her pregnancy at the age of 16 which is the reason for her father (Richard Jenkins) to shun her. Josey just wants to get rid of her past and start over with her two kids, first she needs money to buy a house of her own, and pay for it on her own, and take care of her kids…. on her own, we like her so much in this.



Josey’s friend Glory (McDormand) who is currently working at the mines in North Country suggests Josey get a job there and actually earn the money that her dad makes. The mines are no place for a woman to be, everyone in the town knows this, even Josey’s dad, who is embarrassed and ashamed that his only child will be working among him, along with the dozens of ignorant men who destroy the decency of the women daily. One of the men is Bobby Sharp, someone who ignored Josey in high school when she needs him the most, he has no respect for her, but why should he, that is what the mines are made of.

Day by day, each of the 5 or 6 women that are employed are harassed, embarrassed, and the worst thing is working daily in the claustrophobic world of mining in Minnesota. They are even looked down upon by the big wigs of the there company, who give them the chance of resigning immediately instead of filing a sufficient report.

A world is turned upside down for the lonely Josey, whose oldest child has totally turned his back on his mother, she is constantly humiliated in public, for basically anything by anyone, how could a child not hate his mother. The extremely underrated Sean Bean who plays Glory’s husband, has an important scene with her son (Sammy) about how he can hate his mom all he wants, Bean says everything with reason and commitment in this scene and he arranges Sammy to come back home to Josey, with love not hate.

My word counting is nearing 700 and I’m not done yet, I haven’t mentioned Woody Harrelson, no one has mentioned him for years, and he does justice with his fitting role as Josey’s lawyer who guides her through this ferocious landmark case. He tells her straight to her face that he is taking the case just because it’s the first sexual harassment case in history; they both know there is no hope. My writing is reaching such sloppiness at this point, but I was totally blindsided by this emotional ode to brave women who fought for there cause of safety, comfort, and justice.

An irrelevant dud

"Elizabethtown"
Starring: Orlando Bloom, Kirsten Dunst, Susan Sarandon, Alec Baldwin
2 1/2 stars out of 4


When someone is talking about cinema miscalculations, they’re mentioning failures, fiascos, and total disappointments. “Elizabethtown” is one of those miscalculations; it misfires on so many levels it turns agonizing to keep watching. Director Cameron Crowe, who is responsible for such titles as “Jerry Maguire, “Almost Famous, and “Vanilla Sky,” has created a collage of all different movies with “Elizabethtown.”

Orlando Bloom who can finally step out of his routine role as an elf, or swashbuckling hero, had the chance to turn a corner with this role. Bloom plays Drew Baylor, the kind of person whose cell phone is there life. Drew works for a shoe-making company in Oregon, he has created a new model called Spasmodica, and Drew’s boss quickly informs him that his model will cost the company 972 million dollars, along with Drew being fired. Drew looks to suicide in a comical way as he attaches a knife to a workout bike by controling how fast the knife will go once the machine is moving, kinda funny. A mild interruption arises when Drew’s sister calls him with bad news, “Dad died,” she emotionally exclaims.

A trip to Elizabethtown, Kentucky is now in the cards for Drew, he must go there for the first time to visit his Dad’s side of the family, and convince them into cremating his Dad.
After hopping on a Redeye, Drew remains weak, tired, frustrated and the last thing he wants is interaction. On the flight he meets a quirky stewardess named Claire Colburn, (Kirsten Dunst) she asks way to many questions for the emotionally ailing Drew to even fathom. Claire speaks in an eager language, full of advice, sayings, and perky ballyhoo. After the flight, they part ways and she gives him directions to Elizabethtown as if it’s the center of the world and it’ll be easy to find, but it’s not.

Drew finally arrives and breathes in the world that his father loved. Elizabethtown isn’t just a city; it’s full of simple pleasures, where a man can enjoy his family, a city full of proximity, tradition, and probably not many 4 star hotels. During his stay, Drew makes discoveries about his father and his family that are mostly positive. He goes through all night conversations with Claire, who gives him insight, and they form a relationship that is too confusing to define.

“Elizabethtown” is Cameron Crowe’s experience, something like this supposedly happened to him, and that’s why we trust him so much with the story. There isn’t much emotional activity going on here, Bloom isn’t bad in the role, but he’s plain, you would think a better chemistry would form between him and Claire, their relationship doesn’t extend beyond the word “cute.” Although there are some positives, the dry humor, the exceptional soundtrack and the acting, the plot doesn’t turn out challenging enough. Drew is sent on a mission to his father’s hometown to decide whether to bury him or cremate him, he meets the other side of the family along with Claire, and he somehow finds emotional stability by acting cute, friendly, and confusing. All of that wasn’t enough for me, I wanted personal victories for Drew, I wanted more then what the end had to offer, these characters deserved more.

Instead we are brought along for this supposed emotional journey, which left me unsatisfied, semi-interested, and disappointed. Crowe is so good with simple stories of love, families, hope and loss. He falls flat on his face here and hopefully he will learn from the shortcomings of this and move on. The small town USA theme isn’t captured too well, along with Crowe’s views on emotional security saved by a young woman; we saw that in the fabulous “Garden State.”

The cast didn’t gel well at all; Crowe usually gives his performing cast wealthy screen time and moments but ceases to capture the talent that he had on his side. From here I don’t know where Crowe stands, he had 2 gems with “Jerry Maguire” and “Almost Famous”, and before “Elizabethtown”, “Vanilla Sky” wasn’t received well by critics, even though I liked it. Films are definitely not made for the critics, Crowe for one definitely know this, but when he pitches two donuts to the critics in 4 years he must be worried no matter what anyone says about him. Even though it’s only October, I am worried that the outcome for the whole 2005 movie season will not even equal the parts of last December. CAN’T WAIT FOR JARHEAD!


NOTE- 2 1/2 stars is bad for a Cameron Crowe movie.

Flawed, but slick and entertaining

"Two for the Money"
Starring: Al Pacino,Matthew McConaughey, Rene Russo, Jeremy Piven, and Armand Assante'
3 stars out of 4


Al Pacino is so great at playing the boss, the manipulative mentor that sees all the moves before they are played out. In "Two for the Money" Pacino stars as Walter Abraham a tycoon in the gambling world of football. McConaughey plays Brandon Lang a new hot shot who had his chance to play pro-ball until he underwent a career changing injury during a bowl game.

6 years later Brandon is working with a 900 -number company, he gets lucky one day when asked to fill in for the companies sports handicapper. Just asked to put the bets on a recorder , Brandon ends up soaring at making his own recordings, he is so quick at having 9 winners a week out of 11 that he eventually gets recognized by Abraham and is asked to fly to New York for an interview.

McConaughey is such a bright and talented face, it's impossible to resist his charm and charisma as an actor, he doesn't come across as cocky, but he isn't boring by any means. "All he does is work out and pick winners," Walter mentions to Tony (Russo) as if Brandon is the newest, most undiscovered treasure in the world. As you can guess, Brandon is recruited by Walter and will be the hottest new voice on the telephones over at Walter's gambling headquarters. We see the first floor of the building as a starting point, new beginnings for Brandon, just as long as he picks 75% winners a week, he'll be fine.


Walter and Brandon are transformed into best friends, but Tony can see that both are on a collision course. Tony isn't a trophy wife, she seems more like a good friend to Walter than a wife. Thier relationship is confusing, but it's still believeable as a marriage. The stakes get bigger when Walter turns Brandon Lang into John Anthony, the only difference is a haircut, a few new suits, and gallons of hair goop. John Anthony is Walter's version of what a true sports handicapper should look like, talk like, and live like.

The story at times is predictable, but fresh and alive with altercating personalities and a look into sports gambling that is flawed. We are showed the world that revolves around it, how big of a business it is, but there is no substance, just miles and miles of style. It's fun watching Pacino, McConaughey, and Russo not conive, but clash together in turmoil as though they are auditioning for parts of greedy people in a world of gambling on eachother.

Jeremy Piven and Armand Assante round out the cast, Piven as a cocky wingman under Walter's eye at the company, and Assante as a Euro' who bets millions on games, and counts on Brandon's bets. "Two for the Money" could have been better, it feels like "The Recruit" mixed with "The Devil's Advocate," and that isn't the best of combos. Pacino is loud, McConaughey is good enough, and Russo is just there. If you can't catch "A History of Violence" check this out.

Cowboys gain respect by thrashing Philly

It has to be one of the best feelings as a sports fan to know that your favorite team can still surprise you. The Dallas Cowboys (3-2) defeated the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday 33-10. I knew we had a chance but not this good of a chance. Now granted, the Eagles rallied last week with a HUGE comeback on the road in maybe the toughest arena to play (Arrowhead, home of the Kansas City Chiefs) Even the fact that we were at home this Sunday, and the fact that we were due to beat them still doesn't change the glory of surprise. A total rout it was Sunday in Big D, Drew Bledsoe proves that he is for real this year, Terry Glenn proves that when he isnt injured he is a big time WR, and the Eagles prove that they aren't invincible in the NFC.

This was a MUST WIN for the Cowboys who lost a hard fought battle to the Raiders last week on the road. Parcells knew this, every Dallas fan knew this, every sports anchor covering NFL knew this. Holding the best offense in the NFL to under 200 total yds was a huge statement made by our Dr.Jekyll, Mr.Hide defense. Our offense feasted immensly on the Philly secondary who are usually solid every week, they had no answer for Bledsoe and Glenn early on. The defense without leader Dat Nguyen, made a gigantic statement holding Philly to 10 pts, and without an offensive TD, and also holding Terrell Owens to 50 yds.

Even though I respect the Eagles, FUCK them! I believe they were outcoached and outplayed. Andy Reid thinks he can pass every down and win ball games. I only wish more frustration came from Owens who points the finger too often.

Looking ahead for both teams, an even bigger game next week for the Cowboys vs the NYG at home will be a huge challenge for us, especially with G-Men coming off a bye week. The Chargers will travel to Philly after getting done with there Monday nighter tomorrow against the Steelers.

What a sweet, sweet moment, 33-10, out-tL

Violence is used as Cronenberg's favorite toy.

"A History of Violence"
3 stars out of 4
Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Mario Bello, Ed Harris, William Hurt


David Cronenberg's "A History of Violence" is a tricky film, the director plays the audience like a piano to see what makes them tick, and to see how they react to his risky character piece starring Viggo Mortensen as Tom Stahl, a small town nobody turned hero after he defends his diner from two criminals looking for some cash.

Tom becomes an instant hero around the town, he can't stop appearing on the news, and it seems as though his family of three has never seemed safer then now. His family including faithful wife Edie (Bello), and his children Sarah and Jack. Reporters come to Tom's house after he has returned from the hospital, it's safe to say he wants to keep a low profile and move along with his family toaward lighter days.

Now to the moment that intrigues us early, while the robbers are getting dealt with in Tom's diner, it's made awfully clear to the audience how trained it seems that he is in killing, no mistakes made, it just seems to easy to defeat a threat thrusted towards him. We suddenly get the feeling that Tom has done this before, and that is the basis for the rest of the film.

Old faces from the past start to appear in Tom's life, faces that pose a threat to his family. Ed Harris plays Carl Fogarty, a high level mobster of sorts from Philly who knows Tom only as Joey Cusack. During there first conversation that we see in the film, Carl and Tom talk back and forth with opposing views on who Tom is. Tom doesn't know a Joey Cusack, but Fogarty knows a man by that name all to well, Joey Cusack is the man who ripped Carl's left eye out with barb wire.

Things get difficult for the Stahl's when Edie comes closer and closer to believing Fogarty about her husband's real identity. She witnesses his real identity when Fogarty and his goons bring there business to Tom's house, things get quite messy. " A History of Violence" is Cronenberg's to win or lose, his many risks pay off along with the tight story, we never know what will come next, maybe nothing will come next, but we are suprised either way.

Other notables are awarded to William Hurt, playing Tom's brother who plays a specific role to a precise stature. Mortenson and Bello are believeable and thier roles, along with Harris who supports Mortenson and Bello good enough. "A History of Violence" could grow more on me with a 2nd viewing that requires more attention paid to Cronenberg's style and storytelling.