How Well Do I Know Myself? The Case of LARRY CROWNE

I remember being excited about LARRY CROWNE, a film written and directed by Tom Hanks, who also stars alongside Julia Roberts.

I saw it in the cinema, and hated it! Didn't believe the relationships, didn't believe the whole scooter bike thing. I thought Tom Hanks had totally lost his touch.

But last week I ordered it on DVD. Why?

My excuse is that I'm a Tom Hanks diehard. My passion for film began with tracking down all of his films and watching them again and again. I also ordered 'The Burbs' and 'Charlie Wilson's War' last week, two films that I don't particularly love either.

I re-watched 'Larry Crowne' and of course, I loved it.

Truth is, I still think most of it is unrealistic, but this time, that's why I liked it.

The film lives in a world where you make a new friend, and a day later they invite you to join a scooter gang. The day after that they give you a haircut and feng shui your living room.

It's a film with a lot of kindness and sweetness. A film where Tom Hanks is the Tom Hanks we love, like the 1980's Tom Hanks. The Sleepless in Seattle Tom Hanks.

'Larry Crowne' washes over you like a pleasant breeze. You need to turn your inner cynic off and go with it. It's heartwarming, but wonderfully so.

I hated this film the first time I saw it, yet for some reason I decided to buy a copy.

And now I love it.

What's at play here? Do I not know myself that well? Do I dismiss films too easily? Do I have deep buried neurons that need a Tom Hanks fix?

Who knows.

I remember at Christmas, sitting down with heaps of chocolate, laughing happily at 'Couples Retreat' on the TV, even though I disliked it in the cinema.

I guess as we watch more movies, we get more sophisticated and need more going on to satisfy us.

But deep down, maybe something simpler is at play.

For me, that something loves the broad humour of 'Couples Retreat' and the sweetness of 'Larry Crowne'. That side of me isn't always accessible, but I feel like it's an important part of me, that I hope to access more.

Have you ever experienced this? A complete turnaround on a second viewing? If so, why do you think it happened?

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DENZEL WASHINGTON In 'FLIGHT'

Wow. I have not seen this performance from Denzel before.

Struggling, out of control, in denial, desperate.

I have always been a huge fan of Denzel Washington's work yet for some reason most of this has come from watching him on DVD.

But he's an actor you have to see in the cinema.

He's often in movies with gun fights and car chases, but he doesn't need them.

Actors, forget drama school. Forget reading books. Watch this man instead.

As his plane dives towards the ground, a shaky close-up sits on Denzel Washington's calm and collected face, and he's mesmerising.

The action happens in the first quarter of the movie. By that I mean, the stuff with the plane falling towards the ground. Don't worry, I'm not spoiling it, you've seen the name of the film and you watched the trailer.

Yet for once, the trailer for 'Flight' gives nothing away. The crash incident is just the tip of the iceberg. 

This is a film about a very personal battle that is crippling the life of Whip Whitaker (Denzel's character) and the friends, family and colleagues around him.

And only Denzel could do this role, in this way. He's truly a master of acting. Loved by most, yet often criticised for doing similar roles. This one is, without doubt, a lot different. Gone are the guns, the power, the wisdom.

Instead we have a broken man, struggling for survival. Struggling to get through the day.

This is a film about a broken man who had a heroic moment that he can't live up to. 

This is the type of performance that makes me LOVE the cinema. Sure, we want a good story. More than that, we want a human being we can relate to, and root for. Someone who reminds of the struggle of being alive, of getting through the day.

There is no-one better qualified to take you on that journey. 

Denzel Washington, thank you. 

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Netflix Original Series - HOUSE OF CARDS - Review & Analysis

If you're a regular reader of this blog, you will know that I have been a constant advocate of giant changes to the way that Film & TV are distributed in the modern era -- and now it seems my prayers have been answered by none other than Netflix.

'House Of Cards' is a thirteen episode TV-series. Actually, it's more like a thirteen hour movie. Released solely on Netflix, through all of its worldwide territories, on the same day. Every single episode is available. Immediately.

That's why I'm loving Netflix right now, because they have their finger right on the pulse. Bringing back 'Arrested Development'? Yes please. The common myth in the world at the moment is that people have no attention spans -- we can't get our minds away from Twitter for more than four minutes at a time. But across the world this week people are staying glued to their screens all day, soaking up 'House Of Cards'.

And this isn't mindless junk, it's gripping drama. Expertly written in a way that's engaging yet fascinatingly mysterious. After ten episodes you know what's going on yet realise you don't actually have a clue what's going on. Exactly what is Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey) up to? And why am I suspicious of Claire Underwood? (Robin Wright).

There used to be a clear line between film and television; the glory was all in the motion pictures. Then the best screenwriters began turning their backs on the big screen, to focus on the small one. It was where they could find the creative freedom to tell their stories. The actors rapidly followed. It's no surprise that people spend weekends on TV Box-Set Marathons; because they're created by the best writing, producing, directing and acting talent in America. They look just like movies, yet they last way longer and the characters are so much more developed.

With 'House Of Cards', you realise just how blurred the lines have become. David Fincher and Kevin Spacey took this on by choice, because it was the best medium in which to do this story. When you sign up with a TV Network, you have an hour a week, and depending on who the broadcaster is, you're liable to be have your show ripped apart by distracting commercials every five minutes.

Everybody hates the way TV works, it's just there's never been another choice.

But now that Netflix is funding and distributing its own projects, the future has truly arrived, and this might just be the death of television, and it'll affect movies too. If people have the time and inclination - they can watch 'House Of Cards' in one sitting. Block out a day, order some pizza, and sink into the story for thirteen hours. That's powerful. After seeing this, nearly every Film Director in Hollywood will be wanting a similar opportunity. The chance to do something intelligent and in-depth, online. The audience potential is huge. This thing is WORLDWIDE, and IMMEDIATE!

I've written a lot about how illegal streaming is growing because it gives the people what they want in the way they want it. And by that, I don't mean free stuff; I mean easy access, and complete control of how to absorb the content. We don't want the dumb commercials anymore and we don't want to be drip-fed content. We love nothing more than settling down with four seasons of our new favourite show.

That's why the simultaneous release of all thirteen episodes is genius. We're engaged more than ever when the content is GREAT, when a show is truly worth it. That's why 'The West Wing' has gone on to such legendary status, because people are still discovering it, staying up all night binge-watching, and then recommending it to their friends. Same for 'The Wire', and 'Lost', even 'Friends'!

This is one of Kevin Spacey's finest performances. His turn as Francis Underwood is immensely gripping--- you find yourself rooting for him despite his evidently evil machinations.  Robin Wright is unerringly cold and calculating as Francis' wife, Claire Underwood. Together they make a chillingly perfect team.

Another standout performance was given by Kate Mara, who I've seen in bits and pieces over the years, most recently in the film '10 Years', which I wrote about previously.  But this is surely her best screen work to date. She begins as an atypically ambitious young journalist, but the character develops in far more fascinating directions through each episode -- until by the end, you'd hardly recognise her from the Zoe Barnes we met at the beginning. To say too much more would surely be on spoiler territory, so I'll just say that I was hugely impressed with how Mara portrayed her character, and I can't wait to see more of her work.

Same goes for Corey Stoll, who plays Congressman Peter Russo. This poor character is completely controlled and ruined by Francis Underwood. Russo, already an alcoholic, fumbles through each episode desperately struggling for even an inch of control or self-respect. He's a riveting character, and feels all-too-real which is a credit to Stoll's great acting.
 
As you'd expect when David Fincher is involved, the show is stylishly shot. When Fincher directed the Aaron Sorkin penned 'The Social Network', the screenwriter often said, "He made scenes of people talking about typing look like bank robberies". That's what you get with Fincher - he makes the boring fascinating. 'House Of Cards' is thirteen hours of Kevin Spacey walking in and out of rooms, having small conversations and then walking out again -- yet it's all so atmospheric and compelling.

This is one of those shows where, in many ways, not a lot happens. But the characters are so absorbing that you go along with it, based on faith. Because you know this is all leading somewhere. 

WARNING: The next two paragraphs are potentially mildly spoiler-ish. Maybe best to skip over them if you haven't watched the show.
 
The unfortunate thing, from my point of view, is that come the end -- you are led absolutely nowhere. The final episode, which promises so much -- ends flatly. The end result, which you may have had an inkling of near the very beginning (or something close), begins to fall into place in the final few episodes. In the last three parts, once we get a sense of what Francis' intentions are -- the show flattens, loses its zip. The final episode, which promised so much, delivers exactly what is expected, in an almost casual manner -- offering no excitement, no intrigue, no sense of denouement. 

It seems likely that the final episode is designed to leave us wanting more, begging for Season 2, but to this end, it falls short. When you're gifted a thirteen episode story at once, when you watch a character weave his way in and out of situations in search of a goal -- to not deliver on that in the end, in a satisfying way, is majorly disappointing. You don't end watching this show excited and hungry for more, you end it flatly; wondering why it didn't deliver a killer punch. You don't feel satiated.

Spoiler alert over, you're safe. 

Netflix could really be onto something. Original content, delivered immediately and cheaply to the hungry consumer: this is exactly what we want. Will it become commonplace? Perhaps; but the material has to be excellent, and it has to be expertly put together. If not, there'll be tons of thirteen hour shows where nobody gets past the thirty minute mark. 

This time, they had Fincher and Spacey, they were in safe hands. And in 'Arrested Development', it's hard to imagine they could fail. But new and original productions will be more risky. Netflix could, potentially, revolutionise the industry, bringing us wildly creative projects from the best minds in the business. 

It's a risk that I hope they continue to gamble with. 

'House Of Cards' is, I would say, a big success. Hugely compelling, with fantastic performances from some of the top actors in the industry. As a model for how things can be done in the new world; online and immediately accessible, this feels like the future. In fact, it feels like where we're at, right now.

My personal opinion is that the first series ends poorly, that the audience are not given the ending they deserve after keeping faith for thirteen long hours. It will be interesting to see if other viewers agree with me. If I'm right, then the team behind the project may have misfired; because word of mouth will undoubtedly suffer. I think 'House Of Cards' is a great experiment with so much about it that is fantastic; but do I recommend you give up thirteen hours to watch it? Not necessarily. I'm not sure the journey will take you where you want to go. 

But the journey that Netflix is just beginning; I'm along for the ride.

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Tuesday's Song

This piece of music has come to encapsulate everything I feel about World War 2. That's strange in itself because, I have absolutely no idea what I feel about it. But I do feel, to the point where I just want to cry.

Over sixty million people were killed, which was over 2.5% of the world population, can you imagine? Just think of all the wonderful people you've never met, because they were never born, because of this devastating war. 

In school we were taught in a simple way: England were victors, Nazis were bad, and Europe saw lots of fighting.

But there's so much more to it. 

Like, my Grandparents. The role they played. Heroes to me in every sense of the word. 

But there were heroes on the other side, too. That's what I realise whenever I see a war film now. I've lost the sense of "Hey, we won!" and am left thinking, holy shit, a huge chunk of humanity was wiped off the face of the Earth. 

War still rages. Genocide exists. And you realise as you get older that who you think are the good guys are very rarely the good guys. 

And I don't even know what I'm saying. 

I just know that this piece of music captures how I feel about war. Sadness, and heroism, and senselessness, and mourning. And so many other things. 

This piece makes me think of people I know. People I knew. People I never came across. The billions of humans who were effected by this giant tragedy of a war, and its repercussions that still play out in the world today. 

But there is something beautiful about this piece of music. And there's something beautiful about remembering all those who came before us. The angels who fought for good, and those who perished because of evil ideas. 

It's crucial we remember. It's crucial we feel. It's crucial we love. 

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Monday's Song

JIMMY DURANTE - MAKE SOMEONE HAPPY

We're great at making things complicated. We get into endless conversations and disagreements about our over-caffeinated modern lives.

But at the end of the day, it still comes down to this: find that one person and make them happy.

We've lost sight of that. My generation, we don't know what we're doing. We hide behind computer screens, send cryptic text messages, and get endlessly mixed up in casual dating.

But of course, no-one really wants casual dating, or being non-exclusive or any of the crazy things we've come up with to protect ourselves. We're the most privileged generation in human history, and we handle it with narcissism, we fall in love with our possessions. There's an episode of 'Boston Legal' where a character falls in love with an iPhone. Six years ago, it seemed funny, now it just seems realistic.

Make someone happy. Such an alien concept to us. How often do we do it?

Sure, we do a good deed and then say, "Didn't you notice? Didn't you see the effort I put in?" I told you, we're narcissists. We do things for the validation.

But maybe it can be a lot more simple than that.

"It's so important to make someone happy. Make just one someone happy."

The song resonates because it cuts through the bullshit. Makes you realise you've gone five years without tending to the relationships in your life.

Is there someone you could make happy? Would you want to? Maybe the risks seem too high, but what is the alternative? What do you want your life to be about?

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