Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

1. Thomas Horn (the kid) is fantastic. What an amazing role for him! I wonder how similar he is to the character. He's perfect in it. And it's his first movie! Astonishing!

2. You may cry when you watch this film. It may happen about six times, usually when you least expect it. When I saw it today, there was one particular, gut-wrenching moment, and the whole audience went SILENT. But REALLY silent. It hit everybody the same way. 

3. Max Von Sydow, wow. That is EXPERIENCE. You sense it and feel it, just by the way he looks or walks or stands or pulls a face, he's so compelling. He grabs your attention. It's like a super-power. He's a true elder, a legendary actor. 

4. Tom Hanks. Nice to see him doing something like this. Makes up a little for 'Larry Crowne'. Still feel like we've lost him in recent years though. Something's not the same. He was always my favourite actor, but in the last ten years I haven't liked his work. Keep trying to figure out how he's changed, but maybe it's me that has. 
5. Jeffrey Wright, wow; he pretty much stole the show! He's only in it towards the end. This guy is fantastic. 

6. It felt like a big Hollywood film but at the same time, it didn't. It had maturity, it knew when to shove things in your face and when to be subtle. This is what 'War Horse' wasn't able to achieve.

7. I really loved the use of the U2 song in the trailer and was disappointed to not find it in the movie.

8. Sandra Bullock is incredible. The moments when she's on the phone to Thomas when he's in the tower, and at the end when she's on the bed with her son... wow, so powerful. She's fantastic.

9. This film, like '127 Hours' last year, just makes you want to ring up everyone you know and tell them you love them. Because they remind you how extremely and incredibly SHORT life is, and how we're all emotionally retarded muppets for not telling people how much they mean to us with every chance we get. 

10. It has a 'Best Picture Nomination'. Here's the thing: I enjoyed it more than 'The Artist' and 'The Descendants'. My favourites were 'Midnight In Paris' followed by 'Moneyball' - but I really got a lot from 'Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close' both times I saw it. So, I'd have no problem with it winning 'Best Picture', but of course, it has no chance. 

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The JUNO Soundtrack Mystery

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The Genius Of ROBERT DOWNEY JR

Robert Downey Jr is, without question, one of the finest actors of this or any other generation. His ascent to the top of the industry, currently heading up two huge franchises (IRON MAN & SHERLOCK HOLMES), is deserved and it has to be said, should have happened a long time ago.

In truth, I have  very little interest in either of those above mentioned movies. With most actors of great potential, I'd lament them focusing their talents solely on these types of blockbusters. Yet, with Robert Downey Jr, I can't help but feel he's earned it. He showed his brilliance in the 80's, showed genius in the 90's and wisdom and maturity in everything since. He put in the ground work a hundred times over. Not only this but, we get the fairytale story too -- a troubled man who overcame his personal demons and addictions to go on to be one of the greatest actors alive, complete with a lovely wife and kids. 

Yet his personal life and financial riches are not why I am writing about him. I am writing about him because of his remarkable ability and talent. He was able to not only 'portray' Charlie Chaplin but somehow channel him, to become him. His performance in "CHAPLIN" was nothing short of a masterpiece. 

Any young person who decides to become an actor can become good. With enough practice and hard work, they can even become great.  But to get to the level of RDJ, something else is at work. Whether it's God, or luck, or a neurological malfunction, who knows. What we do know is that he brings something to the screen that so few can.

His genius has often shined brightest in mostly forgotten movies and smaller roles. His character in the heartwarming "HEART AND SOULS" is one of his most memorable. His character, haunted by four disgruntled ghosts, has to deal with looking absurd in front of colleagues baffled by his behaviour; and then the ghosts actually take over his body --- meaning Downey had to become the other characters. Two particular moments stand out, and in both of these he is forced to become a woman. One is during a board meeting, when Kyra Sedgwick's character overtakes him, and the other is when Alfre Woodard's character inhabits his body, making him act like a strong black woman, arguing with a security guard. The moment was handled so beautifully and hysterically that it leaves you craving for more of the same. Little did we know that nearly two decades later he would do something similar in 'TROPIC THUNDER'.

In 'ONE NIGHT STAND' he played the role of Charlie, a gay man who is dying of AIDS. It is quite possible that this is his finest acting performance to date. Gay characters are still, for the most part, stereotypically and ignorantly portrayed on screen. Yet Downey was able to bring us a character so real and fascinating and heartbreaking, that he makes you relate to him and feel like him. It turns out that a gay man who is dying of AIDS is still exactly like you and me. Tom Hanks did it first with "PHILADELPHIA", yet somehow Downey's subtle and little known performance feels even more authentic.

When Guy Bellow's character, Billy Thomas, was killed off in "ALLY MCBEAL", it felt like the end of the show. The Ally and Billy storylines were the heart that kept everything else in place. And then Robert Downey Jr's 'Larry Paul' walked in, and gave the show such a outrageously huge lift that when he left, after only one season, the remaining episodes were uninspired and struggled to re-capture the audience. 

The thing about Larry Paul was that he was so ordinary. A good guy struggling to be a Dad and deal with his exes while falling for Ally. The show was always about delving into Ally McBeal's crazy imagination, yet Season 4 was able to delve delicately and truthfully into the relationship between Ally and Larry, focusing on their neurotic problems which made every little thing about their relationship so difficult. 

Even though we were watching a quick talking, witty lawyer in Boston, we somehow felt like we were staring directly at ourselves. When you watch Robert Downey Jr, you see a part of yourself staring back at you. Most actors may achieve this once, but Downey reaches this level time and time again.

"ALLY MCBEAL" was very much a comeback for him. He was sacked at the end of his first season on the show for drug related reasons, which was perhaps the last great downfall in his career. Somewhere in the proceeding years found the resolve and determination to finally overcome the addictions that were threatening to ruin his career and life. He cleaned up his act, met the woman he would marry, and suddenly things looked promising again, even though productions were finding him difficult to hire due to the astronomical costs of his insurance. He was initially cast in Woody Allen's "MELINDA & MELINDA", but they couldn't afford the insurance costs. Looking back at the film, which is one of Woody's more disappointing efforts, you can't help but wonder how much better it would have been. Perhaps, if Downey had got the role, we'd be referring to it now as one of the great Woody Allen masterpieces. 

"KISS KISS, BANG BANG" is filled with hilarious moments. Much credit undoubtedly belongs to the extremely talented writer/director Shane Black, along with co-star Val Kilmer, yet RDJ steals the show with a great performance where his acting and comedic skills were simply irresistible. Again, he somehow managed to elevate himself above 'good acting' to a level of expertise that is a pleasure to watch if only because it is so rare.

There are two scenes in "A GUIDE TO RECOGNIZING YOUR SAINTS" which demonstrate more than anything else in his career just how good an actor he is. It's surprising to say that, considering his role is only a supporting one. Then again, "ONE NIGHT STAND" and "NATURAL BORN KILLERS" showed how he doesn't need a lot of screen time to steal the show.

Both scenes are between him and Rosario Dawson's character. The first is a very sweet and beautiful moment where their characters meet again after twenty years apart. It's a simple, understated moment, where Downey appears on the street below Dawson's window, calling out, "wanna come out and play?" The scene is so simple and straightforward that it needn't be so interesting, but IT IS! RDJ manages to be entirely natural, yet still extremely 'Robert Downey Jr'. What I mean is that, Downey's acting is always extremely natural and truthful, yet he is always specific. He makes decisions about his characters. What we see is never incidental or luck. It exists because of how completely he understands his characters.

The second scene with Rosario is when they're on the rooftop and she's challenging him to go take care of his Father. He does something in this scene that I have hardly seen anywhere, at all. You know that deep horrible resistance that sits inside of you? It's when people force you out of your comfort zone, when they bring up your worst fears and make you lose yourself... well, in this scene, we see Downey go there. We see him pushed past the place his character is psychologically actually able to function in. The result is one of the more truthful moments I've ever witnessed on screen. I remember watching these scenes many years ago with a girlfriend, and she kept crying her eyes out and making me stop the movie. She kept being reminded of her self, her life, of problems she'd been through -- and it was all because of what RDJ was doing. The situations were different, yet the emotion was the same -- Downey had captured something universal, that takes on meaning far outweighing the story of the movie. How often can an actor achieve that?

In the years that followed "A GUIDE TO RECOGNIZING YOUR SAINTS", he appeared in some films which were not particularly great, yet his performances always shined. His consistent work in "A SCANNER DARKLY", "ZODIAC", "CHARLIE BARTLETT" and "TROPIC THUNDER", showed audiences and the industry that he had, finally, truly arrived and was here to stay. With a new stability to his life and his work; he was then ready to make the leap, to become the coolest and most sought after actor in Hollywood. 

Aside from the fun "DUE DATE" and the sadly misfiring "THE SOLOIST", his schedule has been taken up almost entirely by fronting the "IRON MAN" franchise, which has a third film shortly on the way, and "SHERLOCK HOLMES" which is also likely to yield a third movie. He undoubtedly is the perfect man to lead these popular movies -- and he has joked in many interviews that he's tired of doing independent films that nobody ever gets to see. He's a joy to watch in these big blockbusters, but the concern is that we will lose the subtle and nuanced performances that he has become such an expert at. Yet, I am wise enough to know that it would be silly for an internet blogger to question a man who is, as I stated at the beginning, one of the finest actors ever to grace the big screen. I believe that, if he continues to make bold and interesting choices, his best work is yet to come. 

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Length Matters

Films are too long! They're so boring, don't you think!? Films should be 90 minutes. If it's great, 100 minutes. Anything longer makes me SNORE! I need to eat, and pee, and drink, and make phone calls, and check my Facebook to see if Julia has liked the picture of me snorkeling. 

When did films get so long!? Those early Chaplin ones were great, they were eleven minutes! 

Then again, most short films that people send me are too long. They're 11 minutes and you're snoring after thirty seconds! 

Here are my rules. 

1. Viral videos should be 30 seconds. 
2. Short films should be 4 minutes. 
3. Feature films should be between 89 and 93 minutes. Anything longer must be GENIUS. 
4. Scorsese is exempt from length rules, I can happily watch his lengthy movies. 
5. Kevin Costner MUST adhere to these rules. 

My problem with the longer movies is that they go on for absolutely no reason! They either drag out the bit where the police hunt down the killer, or they prolong the chase where the guy gets the girl, or worse; the killer gets caught and the guy and girl kiss and then they drag it on for another thirty four minutes! Did you ever see 'Hancock'? That film finished  and then they carried it on for another forty minutes so that Will Smith could put a heart on the moon or some nonsense. 

90 minutes, is my rule. Why? Because I've got other things to do! What do I mean by that? Yes --- I've got other movies to watch! 

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Social Media Addiction

Social Media addiction is one of the biggest troubles facing modern society today, although it is rarely tweeted about. Many programs exist to rescue people from addiction, such as 'The Program To Rescue People From Social Media Addiction' (TPTRPFSMA), which has weekly meetings every Monday on the organization's Facebook Fan Page.

Max Loggon, the founder of TPTRPFSMA admitted to me in a recent interview that getting their message across can be difficult: "We want to be modern and relevant, so we reach people on Facebook and Twitter even though we are trying to help people to stay away from these sites, especially as addiction has been proven to lower brain cells lol. wot r u up 2 anyway?"

Many psychologists say that the key to getting people to stop being addicted to Social Media is to get them to go outside, although this has been challenged by many academics because the outside tends to be where "all the best WiFi is". It's been proven that Social Media is a lot more addictive than traditional cigarettes, even though it is far more difficult to smoke.

Much has been written about the similarities between Social Media Addiction and Sexual Addiction. I hired an assistant, Nancy Yespleese, to help me study this more closely. I wanted to find out what she'd be more addicted to - sex with me, or Twitter. Unexpectedly, we fell in love with each other while doing the experiment, but sadly, two months later she broke up with me. I pressed her for a reason, and she finally came clean and told me she'd been having affairs with 139 other characters.

Whether Social Media Addiction exists or not is hard to say. I asked this very question on Facebook today, and as of seven seconds ago, nobody has responded, although someone did like the picture of me next to a penguin from Greece in 2007. I think people miss the point when it comes to Social Media, it's actually a terrific way to meet people and, best of all, you don't even have to see them face to face.

If you have any opinions on this topic feel free to tweet me your Facebook details so I can get Linked In with your Skype account.

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