"What I'm saying is, when the president does it, it's not illegal."

Well, I feel like a huge idiot tonight. At the same time, I also feel somewhat enriched.

All the way back in December, I had passed on checking out Frost/Nixon. Part of the reason was the fact that I didn’t have a huge amount of money on me (and still don’t), but another part of it was my dismissal of the film as blatant Oscar bait. I was ultimately right when I thought about The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Slumdog Millionaire in this way.

But I was so, so very wrong about this film.

As you can guess, I just saw this film on DVD today. I was treated to it by my professor, Dr. Jonathan Silverman, as a reward for getting all the way through his Feature Writing class. While it does have some moments that, at first glance, seem to say, “I’ll have 10 Oscars please,” there really aren’t enough to slap this film with that label. This is probably the best film I’ve seen about the 1970s American media grilling Nixon like a juicy tenderloin since All The President’s Men.

Expressive hand gestures can't save you this time, Nixon. Photo courtesy of Universal Studios.

Directed by Ron Howard and written by Peter Morgan, this film is a re-telling of the story behind the television interviews that British TV host David Frost (Michael Sheen) held with former president Richard Nixon (Frank Langella). As you can guess, these were the interviews where Nixon pretty much admitted what he did, after just about everyone in America at the time had called him out on it. It is kind of weird how the movie is shot. It’s sort of a faux-documentary, so instead of the actual people involved speaking on the subject, we get actors playing the people involved reading off what they wrote.

Things start to get heated between the interviewer and the interviewee. Still courtesy of Film School Rejects.

There was probably a lot of guess-work done by the writers, I can’t really comment on how accurate everything is. The pacing, however, was pitch-perfect. It seems that the movie gets tired of Nixon stonewalling Frost around the same time we do, and it immediately cuts to the good stuff. It’s great, it really is. This screenplay was patched together so well that it’s almost seamless. The fantastic cast just makes it even better. The banter between James Reston Jr. (Sam Rockwell) and Bob Zelnick (Oliver Platt) makes for some engaging comic relief, and Caroline Cushing (Rebecca Hall), while not really having too many lines, shines pretty brightly, at least for the first and second acts. Jack Brennan (Kevin Bacon) was played off as one of the scariest hard-asses I’ve ever seen in a film like this. I also love how Langella and Sheen played both their characters. They set it up like a debate club version of Rocky. Frost is just getting devastated for the first three rounds, but of course we all know he comes back around to win it in the last round, and he does it with a new-found sense of dignity. In a way, Nixon was really asking for it. Speaking of him, this has to be one of the most human visions of Nixon I’ve seen in recent years. When watching this film, one really gets a good idea of just how much he was robbed at last year’s Oscars.

Seen here is David Frost mackin-er, I mean, working on his interviewing skills with a Ms. Caroline Cushing. Photo courtesy of Universal Studios.

So thank you, Dr. J. This just may be the last time I dismiss a movie because of over-hyping alone.

Did you like No Country for Old Men?

I ask this, of course, because I just got the news that yet another Cormac McCarthy novel is being translated to film.

This time around, it's The Road, the story of a post apocalyptic world and the journey of a father and son across a barren landscape in search of, well, anything. Written back in 2006, the story apparently was a best seller with a ton of good reviews, which doesn't surprise me considering the influence this guy must have now.

The movie is apparently slated to come out in November. It's being directed by John Hillcoat, a relative unknown who so far has only done a bunch of music videos. It'll be interesting how this turns out.

Hey, at least the cinematography so far looks promisingly gritty. I apologize if that makes no sense, it's 3 AM and I can barely form coherent sentences right now.

Honestly, I've never read the book, but I'm a sucker for post-apocalyptic fiction, so this might be at least a rental for me. Also, it has Viggo Mortensen, and it's good to see he's still getting some big roles. What can I say, the guy doesn't get nearly enough credit.

In this update, Ellen Wong is adorable

Remember that Scott Pilgrim movie I talked about a while back?

Well now, not only do you get the privilege of seeing the production unfold on Edgar Wright's photoblog, but now that the movie is officially in production, he's set up a video blog as well. You can see it here.

While we're at it, here's his most recent entry:

This is Blog Five - From Comic Book Panel to Screen - Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World from Scott Pilgrim The Movie on Vimeo. Footage courtesy of Universal Studios.

I really, really adore Ellen Wong and her strong enthusiasm about the project. So far, all she's had to say about this movie is just how much she loves the fact that she's doing it, and unlike some big name feigning excitement about being in the latest superhero flick, it actually sounds honest. Cera's been rather tongue in cheek when addressing the movie in these videos, but come on, it doesn't take rocket science to see that he is just loving this right now.

For your viewing pleasure, here is a gratuitous production shot of Mary Elizabeth Winstead in character as Ramona Flowers. That is one big hammer. Photo courtesy of Edgar Wright and Universal Studios.

In any case, I'm happy to see that Wright is making a conscientious effort to stay true to the source material, but I understand the nature of adaptation. You cut out what doesn't work, shorten and streamline. That's the way it is, that's how you make an adaptation that sells tickets, and sicne I love the comics to death I'm still hoping that this is A. good and B. sells as many tickets as possible. Like I said before, O' Malley (the creator of Scott Pilgrim) only has one shot at this whole movie thing after all.

Disney's Return to 2D: The Princess and the Frog

This has been news for quite some time now, but in this case it is worth bringing up again because guess what?

Apple now has the trailer up on their website.

You can view it in HD here.

Here's the old teaser for it too, just in case you've forgotten about it.

This movie seems very, very promising, like it will get people really thinking about Disney again. The trailer in particular seems to be very good at rousing people's interest. It isn't really clear what exactly is going on. Is she a princess, or just wearing a costume for a party? Did she just turn into a frog herself? How much of the movie is going to be like that?

It looks as if it will be an interesting take on the original fairy tale, for sure. For Disney's sake, though, I hope it is as entertaining as all of the Pixar movies they've distributed in recent years.

Read more about this movie at Disney's official website, here.

Trekking from Star to Star

Capt. Kirk, Spock and Dr. McCoy show us just how this movie will make audiences feel. Cartoon courtesy of Kate Beaton.

People who generally shy away from overly convoluted science fiction might think this film is simply not for them. In addition, hardcore Trekkies seem all the more ready to dismiss this film as not being “real” Star Trek.

I’m going to say this as clearly as I can. You are both wrong, and both of you should see this movie as soon as possible.

Directed by rising sci-fi star J.J. Abrams, this movie is, in short, the chronicle of James T. Kirk’s (Christopher Pine) beginnings as the captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise. It also tells the story of how the rest of the crew came to be as well. On the side, we have the story of Nero, a Romulan miner who takes it upon himself to exact revenge against a race of aliens known as the Vulcans, whom Nero holds responsible for the destruction of his home planet Romulus, specifically a very intelligent Vulcan known as Spock (Zachary Quinto). It soon becomes the Enterprise’s mission to stop Nero from doing any further damage to the rest of their galaxy, especially Earth. It’s worth noting that this film is set in an alternate universe from the main one.

OK, first off, the special effects? Absolutely amazing. The fact that the cinematography is so good to begin with pretty much enhances this. That may sound a little redundant when discussing a movie written by the guys who handled Transformers, but still, they were incredible. Everything, from the space dive to the U.S.S. Kelvin charging towards Nero’s ship to Sulu using his “combat skills” to kick some Romulan ass, looks streamlined. Even the bridge of the Enterprise (and no, I don’t care that it has the “Apple Store” look. Actually, I think it kind of suits it). It helps a whole bunch that the special effects really shine during the action scenes, which are quite plentiful in this re-imagining.

Speaking of Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, honestly, the script isn’t the best it could be. To put it frankly, if it weren’t for Abrams’ skills as a director, this film probably wouldn’t be making as much money at the box office as it has been. The decisions they made while writing some scenes aren’t too bad though. Some of the time travel stuff opens up a plothole or two, but that’s forgivable since we’re dealing with Star Trek science here. Actually, most moviegoers should be thanking them for doing that, because it helped shed this franchise of the long, boring, low-budget continuity that had dragged down previous recent Trek movies. The relationship between Uhura and Spock doesn’t really go anywhere, although it does serve to develop their characters a bit more. My main issue, however, was with some of the lines. Hearing Uhura say “captain” in a stern tone every time Kirk gave an order grated on me a bit, and it wouldn’t have hurt for Sulu and Scotty to get a few more lines. Luckily, the few lines that they have make up for that by working so well in their given scenes.

Captain Kirk (Christopher Pine) and Spock (Zachary Quinto) get in a bit of a scrap here. Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures.

The performances in this film are great as well. What’s very admirable about all of them is that each of the main cast’s performances manages to stay true to their respective characters, without being imitations of their predecessors. For example, Quinto definitely channels Leonard Nimoy in his performance as Spock, but he puts a much more serious spin on the character. While it was probably tough for Pine to turn Kirk into a bad boy, he manages to do it while keeping the character so recognizably Kirk. Everyone else was pretty perfect as well. Zoe Saldana captures the spirit of Uhura, Simon Pegg adds a welcome comedic twist to the character of Scotty, and John Cho does a great job of re-inventing the character of Sulu entirely. The best performances are definitely Karl Urban, who captures the essence of Bones oh so perfectly, Bruce Greenwood, who made an excellent Pike, and Anton Yelchin, who plays a funny and lovable take on Chekov. Meanwhile, the weakest performance was certainly Eric Bana, for his performance of the Romulan miner and known whack-job Nero. His character just seemed so much like generic action movie bad guy, although the screenwriters might be more to blame for that than he is.

After all is said and done, this is the question of the day: does this movie appeal to people who have never seen anything Star Trek before, while keeping the older Trekkies about the hypothetical Enterprise?

I’d say, yes. I’m not sure about commercials calling it “this summer’s Iron Man” or “the next Star Wars.” It does, however, have all the makings of a great early summer blockbuster, and the events that separate it from previous Trek continuity ought to keep the old-fashioned fans satisfied that this film doesn’t mess with what they’ve known about the series for decades now.

It is logical to recommend this film for geeks and non-geeks alike, Captain (image courtesy of Paramount Pictures).

The Sights and Sounds of Spring Carnival

Up on this hill I get a bird's eve view of everything just before things start to really kick off.

The sun beamed down on everyone's heads on that warm, almost summer-like April afternoon at the South Campus Field, where students, faculty, and kids alike witnessed the fun unfolded around them.

Some students enjoy shooting some hoops at the carnival.

Tables crowded the landscape, filled with people in costume or summer wear, giving out pamphlets or setting up some crazy exhibits. The hickory smoke of barbeque existed as the predominant scent in the air, no matter where you were, and the sounds that echoed throughout the field were an uplifting mix of kids squealing with delight, students engaged in friendly chatter, and rock music. Off in the distance, several large, colorful inflatable structures towered over everyone, with kids bouncing around in and out of them, seemingly brimming with joy. It was a semi-surreal, yet entirely fun scene to bear witness to.

It was also an optimistic signal that the long, busy school year will soon be at an end yet again, at least for students.

Pictured here is Zander Judge, a member of CAPA, holding a delicious pixie stick.

Spring Carnival, the annual event held by CAPA and Student Activities, is a day full of opportunity for everyone. For students passing by, it is an opportunity to blow off some steam before the really hard work sets in, a chance to distract oneself with games and prizes for a few hours. Every year, the carnival has a theme to it, usually focusing on something like pirates, vikings, mermaids or something else along those lines. This year's theme took its inspiration from the polytheistic society of ancient Greece.

...

For the many student clubs on campus, it is an opportunity to raise some more money, and more support.


Some student engineers goof of for a bit, along with a gorilla in a toga.

Melissa Dorval, a member of the WiseGuys club here at UMass Lowell, is among many other booth runners taking advantage of this year's them. Today, she is dressed as the Greek god of death Hades and offering free photo ops in front of a picture of Mount Olympus at the Wise Guys booth.

Here is Dorval, pictured here summoning the demons of Hades using the very might of the Gods. Or, you know, not.

"We are here today trying to get donations for the club and recruit people too," she said. "Any donations will fund the operations for the club, including our spring break trip to New Orleans next year."

This fairy-tale style castle is kind of an odd fit for a festival with an ancient Greece theme, but the kids bouncing around inside don't seem to mind.

Wise Guys has been heading to New Orleans for a couple of years now, helping the city clean up the damage and rebuild after the mess caused by Hurricane Katrina back in 2005. Dorval thinks the theme CAPA picked for this year is fun and easy, although the experience is a little humbling for her.

"Eh, it's alright," she said. "I'm in public wearing a bedsheet, but hey, you know, you gotta make the most of it."

...

John and Alex, in business with a balloon popping dart board booth set up for both the Biology Club and Unite for Sight, use the spirit of Spring Carnival to strut about their macho-ness. At their twin booths, they don the traditional armor of Greek spartan soldiers, or at least something closely resembling it made with stuff you could buy at the craft store.

"This is nothing but fun," said John. "You get to dress up like a spartan. There aren't many times of year where you get to do that."

John and Alex are pictured here, shields up and spears ready, prepared to defend their booth from the oncoming Persian army. Hail Leonidas!

The balloon popping fun, just like many of the other booths here, also had a good cause driving it. In this case, they stressed that you don't need to be an oracle to have excellent eyesight.

In this picture, it looks like a lucky young woman is about to win a prize.

"We're raising awareness about eye health," said Alex. "In addition to the balloon popping dart board, we're also offering free eye test screenings and a coin-catch game at the board across from it."

...

Betty, Kristen, and Kate (who didn't disclose thier last names) are not normally keen on wearing crowns. On this day, though, each one of them donned a crown of fake olive branches, possibly symbolizing the extensive knowledge they have of computer science.

Here are, in no particular order: Betty, Kristen and Kate at their Women in Computer Science table, complete with olive branch crowns of felt.

Their table contains an interesting and thought-provoking theme, helping to raise money and membership for the Women in Computer Science club.

"Our theme for this year's carnival is puzzles," said Betty. "A lot of the ancient Greeks knew a lot about math, and many Greek thinkers used their knowledge to make puzzles to help figure out things, so we decided to let the carnival-goers solve some puzzles in an attempt to win some small prizes."

The student engineers are also hoping to stimulate people's minds as well as provide quality entertainment. Their table, surprisingly, does not take advantage of the carnival's theme, but the activity they provide today makes up for that by being fascinating.

"What we have here is a wading pool of a substance called 'non-neutronian fluid,'" said Amy Musgrave, one of the Student Engineering Council members running the table. "What you have to do here is keep it from sticking to you, so you have to keep running in it, or keep it solid enough so that it doesn't. It is really sensitive to pressure."

This sandbox was right next to the E-Council's table, but wasn't getting nearly as much love as the "non-neutronian fluid" was.

The messy yet harmless substance seems to provide endless amusement for a group of students and some small children, as they take pleasure in stomping around in the stuff. Kevin Beauregard, another student engineer on the field helping out today, can vouch for how enjoyable something so simple can be.

"It's good that people are hearing about the club, but mostly, we're just doing this for fun," said Beauregard. "If no one were here right now, we'd probably be playing in the stuff ourselves."

...

Among the many booths are an inflatable wrecking ball tetherball station, a bouncy castle, and a rock climbing wall. This provides hours of fun not just for the students and faculty, but for the little children who are fortunate enough to have parents who know about the carnival.

A mother and her child out and about at the carnival stop to pose for a picture.

"We really like the tye-dying booth, and who ever was doing the free caricatures," said Britney Melanson, a student who was enjoying the event with some friends.

One of the more popular set-ups there was the Wrecking Ball Tetherball inflatable game, seen here being enjoyed by some more students.

The whole field was alive with the sound of rock music as well. CAPA uses the carnival every year as an opportunity to host the annual Battle of the Bands.

This year's contest had some added significance, however, as it was being simulcast live by the campus radio station WUML 91.5. Bands not only had the opportunity to win prize money but to have their voices heard. Among the entrants were the harmonic post rock band Life on Hold, the punk pop indie band Beneath the Sheets, and many others. Their sounds provided just the right mood for this carnival.

Here's a shot of Ali, the PSA Director, and intern Tyler manning the booth on the morning of the carnival.

In what is possibly one of the only low points of the carnival, the broadcast didn't quite go as smoothly at first as one would hope.

Will Carey, WUML.org's webmaster and the person running the booth at Spring Carnival, had mentioned that the vector used to transmit the signal from the mobile broadcasting unit on the field to the main station had taken a while to start up during the night before, when WUML had set up its tent and held their all night broadcast, the event that they hold every year before the actual carnival takes place. Since then, it had been reportedly cutting out every so often.

"The broadcast had its bumps, mainly technological glitches," said Carey, "but we seemed to have that worked out now." Here is some video of the concert that was broadcast:

Here's some footage of the competing bands, which includes the Advocates, Boston punk band the Burning Streets, and UML darlings Bearstronaut and Life on Hold. Beneath the Sheets, unfortunately the only band not in this video, ended up walking away with the prize money, with Life on Hold coming in 3rd and the Burning Streets finishing in second. This video is kind of long, so you might want ot get a sandwich or something while it loads.

This does nothing to dampen his spirits, or the spirits of anyone else at the booth. DJs and interns alike continued to monitor the unit as well as give out CDs and t-shirts. Many students interested in the radio's programming stopped by to say hi, and collect free stuff. Despite this year's technical errors, Carey says that WUML will continue to be a presence here every year.

"As long as CAPA keeps doing this not only will we be here," he said, "But we will be here the night before, too."

Fortunately for them, students will never stop coming out either.

The Wild Things trailer is amazing

"Didn't want to wake you...but I really want to show you something." Poster courtesy of Warner Bros.

After having been in development hell for many, many years, the trailer seems to have come out for the adaptation of Maurice Sendak's classic children's picture book, and it is amazing.

Click here to see it.

Despite the amazingness of the trailer, people seem to be approaching this film with cautious optimism. Aside from the difficulty of stretching out the picture book to a full 90 minutes or more, the film is making the studio nervous, causing them to interfere with it quite a bit. Luckily, that was all worked out, and the film seems to retain its original style. Director Spike Jonze had a really interesting conversation with Ain't It Cool's Moriarty about it a while ago:

Moriarty: It makes sense. Like I’ve seen how my kid reacts if you lose control of your anger. They’re little batteries, they soak it up and then it comes back out in the craziest of ways. You don’t know how and you don’t know when, but it’s not gonna be the same coming out as it was going in. You learn real quick to be careful about what you do and express in front of them, and how. That’s something that I don’t know if I’ve ever seen someone try to talk about in film. Like I think we try and make kids into saints in movies, and we kind of smooth off the rough edges, and it’s just so much more interesting to see a real kid, and to see how kids try and process the world.

Spike Jonze: And I think that’s what freaked the studio out about the movie too. It wasn’t a studio film for kids, or it wasn’t a traditional film about kids. We didn’t have like a Movie Kid in our movie, or a Movie Performance in a Movie Kid world. We had a real kid and a real world, and I think that’s sort of where our problem was. In the end they realized the movie is what it is, and there’s no real way to... it’s sort of like they were expecting a boy and I gave birth to a girl.

From what that says, this movie seems to take an unexpected approach to realism, in both its characters and a little bit in its story, which would probably worry those who want to market the movie to children. My guess is that the film will be aimed towards slightly older kids, rather than toddlers, although that may not entirely be a bad thing for ticket sales.

Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs is composing the score, and both James Gandolfini AND Catherine Keener are starring in it, so that makes me all the more excited. Like everyone else, though, I'm hoping and praying this doesn't turn out to be another Grinch.