Zoo Station

1986 brought about the beginning of a legendary comic book limited series called Watchmen. A 12-issue run that was repackaged as a graphic novel, Watchmen is the creation of writer Alan Moore, artist Dave Gibbons, and colorist John Higgins, and it has become one of the highest regarded graphic novels of all time. Its significance is arguably unparalleled as it was a deconstruction of the comic-book hero, a comment on the increasing tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union, an artistic evolution in comic-book layout, and a deeply moving and affecting tale about humanity as a species. Although the message of the story was influenced by paranoia in the 1980's, the story stands as a timeless piece of art.
Any brief synopsis of the plot does no justice to its multifaceted nature, but one needs to be done for the sake of the film review. A masked vigilante known as the Comedian is found dead by a fall from his apartment. One of his former colleagues, Rorschach, begins a hunt for his killer, fearing that his fellow costumed heroes are next. After warning Dan Dreiberg, formerly the second Nite Owl, Dan goes to spread the word to Adrian Veidt, the superhero Ozymandias who is only one of two heroes whose identity is known to the public and could be considered a superhero. Other cohorts such as Laurie Juspeczyk, the former second Silk Spectre, and Dr. Manhattan, Laurie's boyfriend and, like Ozymandias, is technically a superhero, are brought into the spectrum, with each character's story filling in the blanks not only of the mystery behind the Comedian's death but also their motives as to why they chose to be costumed heroes and how the world has devolved regardless of their former duties.
The film adaptation of this novel has been in production hell for a couple of decades, but Zack Snyder, director of the Dawn of the Dead remake and the adaptation of Frank Miller's 300, was able to get a green light on his production, and his adaptation is a largely faithful work to the novel. The main plot never deviates from the original story, and the visual style of the film is parallel to the page. Even the costumes, with mild exceptions such as Ozymandias and the second Silk Spectre, are accurately rendered. The writings that were placed in between the chapters or issues of the series and the comic book Tales of the Black Freighter were not included in the theatrical version, but talk of their inclusion in a future rendition has been prominent.
A faithful adaptation is half of the battle, but what about the other half? Is it a cinematic success? In moments, yes, but overall, the film doesn't succeed the way it should.
The film opens with the murder of the Comedian. This is a blessing and a curse, as this is a wonderfully stylized scene that sets the tone of the rest of the film, but some aspects take away from the mystery of his murder, making it easy to solve before the mystery is even underway – just look at the physical structure and fighting style of the attacker and it is all too clear who is behind it all. The opening credits after this scene is a perfect marriage of style and substance, the history of this alternate universe's costumed heroes and the people they were supposed to protect, played to the tune of the Bob Dylan classic “The Times They Are a-Changin'.” This sequence represents when the film hits its peaks, but the overall introduction to the film sums up the struggle this film has with the mix of style and substance.
With the mystery of the murder deflated, the film's weight lies on the emotional connection to the heroes with mostly positive results. The Comedian, as done by Jeffery Dean Morgan, paints a complex character riddled with contradictions. The Comedian reveled in chaos and disorder as it gave him purpose, but when he realized what that chaos meant, his remorse came in full force. He was willing to commit rape and murder without hesitation as it was a means for self-gain, but seeing where that gain led effectively crushed his spirit, and Morgan does a wonderful job etching the facets of the Comedian, making him ironically sympathetic.
Billy Crudup is given the task of playing Dr. Manhattan, a character who is completely detatched from everyone around him and making him identifiable with the audience. He is a god on Earth, one who slowly sees life less like a miracle and more like a futile existence, one that eventually becomes worthless to defend. A freak accident created this man, and the brief moments of Dr. Manhattan as Jon Osterman before the accident connect the audience to the character. The visual design of the character is overdone – as in the comic book, the character is nude throughout a significant part of the film, but the way it uses the nudity in the film becomes unintentionally funny – detracting from the emotional connection, but the success of the character not only lies with the flashback but also Crudup's vocal work, walking the balance between a man ambivalent to being disconnected from the world and a man who truly wants that connection with grace.
Patrick Wilson has the most mild-mannered character in the film with Dan Dreiberg or the second Nite Owl. Although his back story is never explored in the film, the reasons for him being a costumed hero is all too clear – it gave him the drive and purpose in life he never had, be it sexually, mentally, or emotionally. He wanted to do something significant in his life, and this was the only way he knew how. Wilson has chemistry with everyone on-screen, and his dialogue with everyone comes off casually. He is the gateway for the audience to get into the story, and Wilson never disappoints.
Jackie Earle Haley gives an excellent performance as Rorschach. He is a character who sees the world as absolutes – there is only black and white in his eyes. His presence permeates the entire film like the graphic novel, with his voice having a menacing presence and a slight glimmer of hope. The moment his mask is taken off has the emotional weight the novel gave it, and this is all thanks to Haley's effort. His character's mask changes form constantly, and this follows how it was in the novel, but sometimes it gets distracting, as if it was done just to show the technical prowess of the special effects crew, but when the image matches the emotion Haley has, it hits sharply. Toward the end of the film, when Rorschach comes to his ultimate conclusion, Haley shows the extent of his range and elevates Rorschach to being the best aspect of the film.
However, the other two heroes don't get the acting treatment they deserve. Malin Akerman is the second Silk Spectre, and while she does do the best she can, her presence is felt largely because of her sexuality. Her moments with her character's mother work well, and her dissatisfaction with Dr. Manhattan's distance from life is honest, but more often than not she delivers lines instead of being a character. As eye candy, she is a true marvel, and it's very apparent that her casting was more on her looks than her acting, but to a certain extent that isn't a bad thing as her attractiveness is effortless. Akerman embodies the style over substance in the film, and it's a shame she couldn't be more effective as a character.
Matthew Goode is puzzling as Ozymandias, and his performance comes off more as a missed opportunity than an impacting force, which is more depressing considering the importance of his character. His character is the smartest man alive, one who has used his intellect to hone his athleticism to perfection. He can catch bullets and is more agile than a figure skater or ballerina. His fundamental flaw is that he looks down on humanity, but this never shines through in the film. His smug demeanor in the film doesn't work like his egotism does in the novel. Goode gives his Ozymandias a hidden German accent that sometimes works and sometimes doesn't, and his performance emphasizes what his role eventually is in the story before it gets to the necessary conclusions.
The minor roles work well. Carla Gugino as the first Silk Spectre and the mother of the second one is strong, her sexiness shining through the veneer of 1940's style and her complexity coming out when it should. Stephen McHattie as the first Nite Owl is a treat during the scenes of reminiscing with the second Nite Owl, carrying a nice blend of nostalgia and detachment with regard to his former life. Matt Frewer as former villain Moloch does a good job when he arrives, adding to the hero commentary that the villains weren't all that different from them, especially after being reformed. Probably the only levity in the film comes from Danny Woodburn as The Big Figure, a dwarf crime boss who was put in jail by Rorschach. Woodburn actually comes off as threatening and plays off of Haley very nicely.
The actors do the best they can to keep the film moving forward. However, the film follows the construction of the graphic novel so closely that as a film narrative, it plods more than flows. Whenever the film hits an emotionally weighty moment, something happens that pulls the audience out, never letting the audience fully connect with the film. Part of the fault is the music. One of the most glaring examples is the off-kilter use of the song “99 Luftballoons.” This song is used during the moment Laurie and Dan first see each other for dinner after a long time, but it doesn't convey anything about the scene. Another moment where the music misses the mark is the odd use of the Simon and Garfunkel classic “The Sound of Silence” at the opening of the Comedian's funeral. At first, the use is too emotionally obvious to work, making it come off as campy, but as the song continues, the images start to match the mood, and then it stops suddenly when a scene with Laurie and her mother begins before the funeral hits an emotional peak.
Probably the most unintentionally humorous moment in the film is the overdone sex scene with Dan and Laurie. Edited to the Leonard Cohen classic “Hallelujah,” this scene is when the film becomes campy by accident. The song doesn't fit with the scene for one, and whatever slight hints of sensuality in the scene is gone with this song and the way it's shot. Instead of mirroring the novel's depiction, it seems like a reheated version of the love scene from the film Top Gun, with the same lighting and plenty of nudity. One could argue that the scene is borderline soft-core and not a steamy R-rated love fest. It's a break from the plodding pace of the film, and it should be a rewarding moment, but too many parts of this scene clash.
However, two moments of source music make impressive impacts – the aforementioned use of Bob Dylan, and the Jimi Hendrix rendition of another Bob Dylan classic, “All Along The Watchtower.” Used to start the conclusion of the film, the song has that feeling of propulsion the film needs, and the lyrics match the mood of the film at that point. It's a song that's been used in many films and television shows, so it takes great skill to make it emotionally potent, and the film does so superbly.
The musical score by Tyler Bates is intriguing but never fully delivers. During some of the action scenes, the music becomes an overbearing part of the experience, muting the effect of the scenes. This is the kind of film that should have a subtle score, and it does at times. During some of the overhead shots of the city, the soundtrack dabbles into Blade Runner territory, and this is a definite positive. It was as if Bates decided to channel Vangelis for those moments, and it makes one think that if the overall score was more Vangelis and less obviously postmodern and alternative, the film would have had a better impact on the viewer.
The major problem of this film is that it is someone channeling someone else's vision. Zack Snyder does a great job translating the film to the screen, but it never feels like it was his film. It's more or less what he thinks Alan Moore would have done for a film version. When Snyder does add his touches, it's out of place. The primary culprit is his excessive use of juxtaposing slow and fast motion. A number of scenes use this, and it gets too much at those times. Part of the reason was to emphasize those moments that were in the panel on the page of the novel, and visually it emphasizes how intricate the design is, but it doesn't do much for the film itself. Also, the film's inclusion of seeing the President of the United States often doesn't have the same foreboding as just having his presence felt in the novel, making this character come off as a caricature and out of place.
Like all adaptations, aspects of the film differ from the novel, especially in the final act, and unfortunately all the changes act negatively on the film for three reasons: the cause of the conclusion and its effect doesn't logically work, the emotional cost of the conclusion is never felt because there is no connection to the victims, and the final scene of the film seems out of place. The conclusion won't be spoiled, but what can be said is that although the aftermath of the action in the conclusion is the same as the novel, the reason for the aftermath doesn't make sense with it.
For the second reason, this is felt largely because the Tales of the Black Freighter aspect of the story is cut. This diminishes the impact of the newsstand owner and the teen reading the comic that slowly connect with each other. The image of them holding each other for protection and comfort as the conclusion happens remains, but the devastation behind it just isn't felt. This is a major setback as this was such an emotional moment in the story, seeing someone sympathetic suffer such a devastating moment. All the image represents in the film is two people being affected by something, no more and no less.
For the third reason, this is felt because it introduces a new part of the story at the very end. This aspect entails an extreme-right periodical called the New Frontiersmen. The company's presence is felt throughout the entire story, yet in the film, they only appear at the very end. This group advocates the moral absolutism of Rorschach, emphasizing why his beliefs are left unchallenged. Without the presence of the group, the ending feels tacked on even though it's how the novel ended. This scene alone shows how slavish Snyder was to the source material.
This slavishness is the overall film's undoing. By being so honorific to the material, Zack Snyder left out the most important piece of the novel, the heart and soul. As a technical exercise, it shines brightly through the art direction, the cinematography, and the visual effects. As an artistic exercise, the parts don't add up to a great whole. To say this film is a failure is being harsh, but when the only thing that can be said about the overall product is that it's not bad, it's disappointing compared to the novel on which it's based. It's a film that yearns for a director's cut, but that may not make the film the classic the filmmakers and the fanatics want it to be. Watchmen the novel pushes what comic books can be, but Watchmen the film isn't anything more than a comic-book adaptation. Maybe that's the best anyone should have expected, and it isn't a bad film, but the quality of enjoyment is definitely proportional to the love of the graphic novel. As an extension to the novel, the film is successful, but on its own, it's too inconsistent to leave a significant impact.

Once in a while, a film comes along that leaves one completely befuddled with what to make of it. Darren Aronofsky has had a career confusing and/or depressing the hell out of viewers with Pi, Requiem for a Dream, and The Fountain, and he does it again with his latest effort, The Wrestler. Mickey Rourke stars as Randy “The Ram” Robinson, a professional wrestler at the winter of his career. He has a daughter, Stephanie, who loathes him, works at a grocery store as a stock boy, has bouts with finances, develops a fondness for Cassidy, a stripper, and struggles to find meaning with his life. The only constant in his life is the wrestling ring.
One day, his age catches up with him and he suffers a heart attack after a brutal match. After the doctor suggested he give up wrestling, Randy decides to start making things right and after retiring, he tries to reconnect with his daughter and form a relationship with the stripper. However, the wrestling world slowly beckons him back, possibly wrecking what he may become.
The film is a character sketch, and this time the character is a has-been wanting to find some comfort and meaning with his life. Ultimately, a character sketch's success lies in the performance of the lead actor, and this film shines with the best performance of Mickey Rourke's career. It's subtle yet powerful. Rourke brings out the character's love of the sport and his yearning to connect while allowing the viewer to peer into his vulnerabilities at the right moments. His heartfelt speech to his daughter about his status as father in absentia was beautiful, containing the perfect amount of pathos without any overbearing sentimentality. That speech makes his impending failure all the more heartbreaking, and Rourke sells it. Some have said that this is the resurrection of Mickey Rourke, and although I personally don't feel that to be the case – Sin City brought him back to the public eye with his ferocious performance – this performance could garner him the Oscar and make him a more constant fixture on the screen.
Because Rourke succeeded, the film is a success, but what about the rest? This is where things get a little more difficult to review and what makes this film a befuddling experience. The first thing is that this movie is a downer and full of despair. Although it can be interpreted that the ending is ambiguous, the end almost clearly paints this film as a tragedy. Because the film is about a wrestler past his prime, one would want something akin to Rocky in which the man overcomes the odds and re-establishes himself. This is not that film. The character finally hits rock bottom so hard that instead of choosing a possible second chance at his life, he decides to risk his life going out the way he lived – in the ring. This makes the film an elegy, a definite surprise from what one would expect, and that surprise complicates what to take away from the film.
The script is great and flawed at the same time. Cassidy is a parallel to Randy. She is an aging stripper who tries so hard to balance personal and professional lives that she's afraid to cross the line when someone needs her to. She doesn't want to be identified as a stripper, but she doesn't know what else to do. This contrasts with Randy as he doesn't know what to be identified as, but his long career as a wrestler eventually makes him comfortable being only known as that. This parallel works beyond the story line and into the characters themselves, with Cassidy being only a stage name for the stripper whose real name is Pam and Randy being a stage name for the wrestler whose real name is Robin – one is tired of the stage name, one identifies himself only with the stage name. This could be foreshadowing of how the film ends, bringing the script to greatness.
The flaw lies in the story involving Randy's relationship with his daughter Stephanie. She is present on his mind all the time, yet her presence in the film is brief and not as impacting as it should be. They only see each other three times in the film – once just after he has a heart attack, once as a peace offering to show his dedication, and once after neglecting her one more time. Her reaction to him the first time is a little harsh but understandable as he pops into her life without any reason in her mind except for her to take care of him. The second time she is a little more warm to his presence, especially after he takes her to a childhood place she barely remembers, something that surprises her. However, it's the third and final meeting that things come off a little contrite. He promised to meet her for dinner on a Saturday, but after a night of heavy partying, he sleeps all day and forgets about it. Her anger and sadness is understandable, but the direction it goes is somewhat harsh considering that he just proved to her that he does care and is willing to take steps. Banishing him from her life after a minor setback seems a little too deus ex machina for this to be natural. The fact that she is as forgiving as she during the second meeting, although inconsistent with the first, is tolerable compared to the final meeting. One thing that could have helped this story line is some mention of the mother. Neither one of them talk about her, which is surprising since someone had to have raised Stephanie, meaning that someone had to have a good impact on her life as much as Randy had a bad impact. Even his lack of a mention of the mother is odd.
The acting is the forefront of the film, not only through Rourke but also other characters. Marisa Tomei, the surprising Oscar winner for My Cousin Vinny, keeps on proving that the Oscar was no fluke with her recent roles, and her portrayal of Cassidy is no exception. She has become something of an underground character actor after My Cousin Vinny, and in a lot of films since then, including this one, she is at least topless. I'm trying to figure out why she has an affinity for roles involving nudity, but this one uses it effectively as her sexuality oozes out in the strip club scenes. That sexuality is the character's protection from her feelings, and Tomei thrives upon this. Even better is that when she tries to protect those feelings outside of the club, she becomes even more vulnerable. Tomei makes this look natural, and her chemistry with Rourke is felt strongly. She's one of the few actresses that not only can work with any actor but also can hold her own against even the best of roles. Marisa Tomei is proof that, once in a long while, the Academy Awards can predict the future and show what real talent can do.
Evan Rachel Wood plays Stephanie. She has the angsty adolescent/young adult down since the film Thirteen, but this role is more of an evolutionary step for her. Although the script never goes deeper into her detestation of her father than what is presented, Wood puts in more than the necessary emotion and heart into Stephanie. The scene involving Randy's speech to her about what he wants for her and from her is touching not only because of Rourke but also because of how Wood presents her reaction as a cross between anger and forgiveness. She plays the daughter extremely well, and if the script gave her a little more time to develop the character, she would have been tremendous. However, even with that slight in the script, Evan Rachel Wood earned her right to play opposite Rourke and could possibly take her career to a new level.
Another important aspect, one that is a double-edged sword, is the attention to detail involved in portraying professional wrestling. How each wrestler discusses how a match will play out, mapping out each maneuver and move, was a nice touch to bring authenticity. Other touches, such as one man being essentially a drug store full of painkillers and steroids and how the lacerations were created and treated, were nice as well. However, some of the authenticity came at a price, namely making moments drag out longer than they should have lingered. For a movie that was an hour and forty-five minutes, it felt longer to me. Some of it was necessary to establish Randy and his career, but showing many of the matches from beginning to end seemed extraneous to me. It was great to see the matches, but some of the details could have been left out or alluded to to get the film going. The match before Randy's heart attack was brutal and painful to watch, but only some of it was necessary to get the point across that Randy did too much damage to himself.
I walked out of the theater with a confused mind. I didn't know what to make of this film. It won the Golden Lion, or Best Film Award, at the Venice Film Festival, and critics have been heaping praise all over it. Maybe because it defies to have a conventional happy ending, maybe because of how brutal everything plays out, maybe because it portrays professional wrestling in a more honest and dignified light, or maybe because everyone thought Mickey Rourke gave the best performance ever crafted. I don't know. My only fear walking into this film was that it could be a bastard child of Raging Bull.
My fears did not come to fruition, but in place of it was an ambivalence to the film. The performance wasn't the greatest thing I've ever seen, but it was an excellent performance. The film overall made me depressed at the end largely because of the mood Aronofsky maintains throughout the running time. There is no solace. There is no second chance. There is no redemption. To me, the movie told me that the only meaning in life is the glory days, and once they are gone, the only thing to do is to go out the way you want to. It felt like a chore at times, but it is worth seeing at least once for Mickey Rourke and for saying that you saw an anti-redemption film. Maybe I don't know how to interpret the film, but in one of the few times in my life, I can honestly say that The Wrestler is a very good film that I didn't like, and that's saying something.

It's that time of year again. For some, the weather gets cold, and the rain turns to snow - or worse, ice. Decorations appear on and in a number of houses and yards. The Salvation Army sets up in stores everywhere to collect needed donations. And, of course, every radio station plays a random Christmas song, with some stations playing nothing but.

I don't mind hearing Christmas tunes ad nauseum during the holidays, but it just doesn't feel right unless I hear these specific songs. Then all is right. So here they are:

Anything off of "A Charlie Brown Christmas" - The Vince Guaraldi Trio
In my opinion, nothing sums up the innocence of the holidays like the music from "A Charlie Brown Christmas." Other than giving us the de facto Charlie Brown theme song with "Linus and Lucy," this soundtrack also provided one of the great instrumental standards for the holidays, "Christmastime Is Here." Yes, there are lyrics to the song, but nothing touches the wordless rendition. Playing it strikes up the feeling of a calm winter night - a very light breeze, snowflakes drifting to the ground, and the Christmas lights shining ever so proudly - and evokes the child in everyone. There are great renditions of Christmas songs as well, making this collection of songs one of the best, maybe the pinnacle, albums to get for this time of year.

"The Twelve Days of Christmas" - Bob and Doug McKenzie
Ah yes, this standard...well, not exactly. See, Bob and Doug McKenzie were characters created by Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas for SCTV in Canada, and their characters became so popular that they made comedy albums and a movie with these characters. Their rendition of "The Twelve Days of Christmas" is still played on radio stations today, and it isn't Christmas until I hear this song at least once. Why is this rendition different? Well, outside of the decidedly Canadian nature of the characters, their discussion of what the twelve days of Christmas are (they are wrong, but it makes complete sense, especially the "mystery days") and what objects are given on the twelve days make this song priceless. A real comedy and Christmas classic.

"Happy X-Mas (War is Over)" - John Lennon
Anyone who knows me will already be surprised by this choice. I am a Paul McCartney fan, and although I respect Lennon, and "Strawberry Fields Forever," a primarily Lennon composition, is my all-time favorite Beatles song, I will always side with Paul, no matter how commercial he went. However, this song really nails down the true meaning of Christmas - peace and goodwill to all. Yes, it's mostly an anti-war song, but the message transcends the textbook definition of war and makes it take on a universal meaning - that of an unnecessary struggle among all people - and finds the solution within all of us to end that struggle: "War is over if you want it." That alone makes this a worthwhile Christmas tune.

"Wonderful Christmastime" - Paul McCartney
I couldn't have Lennon on here if McCartney wasn't represented, and this song, a saccharine, overly melodic, and irrefutably catchy little ditty, has to be on here. The bubbling synthesizer dates this song horribly, but that adds to the charm. It's so odd to hear that synth among all other Christmas songs that it makes McCartney's song identifiable immediately. The lyrics are simple, and the music is largely minimalistic, making its melodies more prominent. No, it'll never be a standard, but it showcases how McCartney can fashion a pop tune, one that on paper is awful, and can make it sound like it's the single-most important song ever written. I love it because no matter how cynical I get, this song melts right through that and makes me a little kid. I think it's because of the synthesizers, but that's a part of this song's charm.

"The Chanukah Song" - Adam Sandler
This is not a Christmas song. I know that. But it's not the holiday season unless someone plays this (they can play any of the three versions, but I prefer the original the most). How can this stand with holiday classics? It's simple, really. Sandler had fun, and made a novelty song really come to life because he put a lot of heart and humor into it. It's still the only Chanukah song I hear on the radio, and that says a lot about what this song is really about. Other than listing famous characters and celebrities who are quarter, half, or fully Jewish (in the case of O.J., not being one), it celebrates the holidays as a time for everyone, not just Christians, to enjoy. The holidays are supposed to be fun, and Sandler makes sure everyone listening has as much of a good time as he does.

"White Christmas" - The Drifters
By far, my favorite rendition of "White Christmas," the Drifters make what is usually a somber, emotional song into a light, bumping, and lively number. It's a great song overall, but this rendition works for a couple of reasons. The doo-wop arrangement keeps the song moving, and the juxtaposition of the low melody at the beginning and the high melody from the middle onward adds a nice change of pace to the standard. When men sing this song, they tend to keep the melody at a lower register, but when the lead breaks out the high notes in this version, something in my mind clicks in another direction, automatically making me feel more cheerful and alive. It's as if the man got his white Christmas and is jumping for joy, something to which I can relate. I love a white Christmas - call me old-fashioned - and the joy of such a simple request answered resonates with this rendition.

"Blue Christmas" - sung in the style of Porky Pig
When done by Elvis Presley, this song is a masterpiece. No version tops that when done the normal way. However, someone came up with the idea of making a comedy masterpiece by singing this tune as Porky Pig. I heard this a few years ago on the radio on the way to visiting family in Nebraska, and my dad and I were couldn't stop laughing because of this song. There's nothing really different about the song overall. It's in the same style with the same melodies and rhythms, but just changing the lead to Porky Pig turns melancholy to hilarity. This song proves that, no matter how serious something is, it can be funny if shown in a different light.

"Sleigh Ride" - is there anyone who hasn't done a version of this song?
This is kind of traditional, but there's something very cute about this song. I prefer the instrumental a little more, but I'm more than happy to hear this song in any way. There's nothing really special about it - save for the slap during the verses - but I enjoy it nonetheless. I have a little self-made humor with this song because I, for some reason, feel like I can find some place in the song to start beatboxing. It screams for a remix version. The remix only needs to add some kind of beatboxing here and there, but leaving the song alone outside of that. It could work.

"Let It Snow" - Dean Martin, and no other rendition counts
Maybe it's because of the way Dino does it. Maybe it's because of how simple this song is. Maybe it's because of how snow makes me think of Christmas. Maybe it's because I think of the movie "Die Hard" when I hear it. For whatever reason, I like this song, and only this rendition of it. Dino sounds totally inviting when he sings this, and it exudes such a warm quality only Dino could have. It's an unremarkable song that Dino makes his own, and I love it.

That's pretty much it. Sure, there are other odds and ends such as George Michael singing "Last Christmas," the annoying but well-intentioned Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas?" and whatever Bruce Springsteen renditions of Christmas tunes there are, but those don't hold a candle to the previous ones I listed, at least to me. If you have personal favorites, go ahead and post them on here. I like feedback, be it from people or my guitars...

I have a confession – I didn't vote this time around. I have my reasons, and to say that I am not an American for not voting is shameful because being an American means I can exercise the right to or not to vote. However, I cannot say that the election of 2008 and Barack Obama becoming the 44th President of the United States doesn't affect me – maybe not directly, but there is some effect overall – and I can honestly say that this election is a collection of successes and failures for the country as a whole.
The United States has always had a checkered past when it comes to race relations. It's not perfect right now, but there has been progress. This election has shown that race is slowly but significantly becoming less of a significance in the larger scheme. Granted, people will still have predispositions of individuals of different races and ethnicities, especially on a local or personal scale, but we have now seen that a person's race is not an issue in leadership. That's a very powerful thing. This is a major step, but there is still more to be done. Although there may have been people who didn't let race factor into their vote, there are some who did, whether it be for or against. It may be a long time before those people come around, but consider it a future hurdle as we have overcome one more major psychological road block.
One of my major criticisms of Barack Obama is his inexperience in national and international affairs and politics. However, this may actually be his strongest point. The American political machine tends to dictate how candidates of specific parties have to act in order to keep a good standing with his or her parties' constituents. What happens is that common people, people with no political affiliation, become prizes instead of treated as equals. With someone who hasn't been in the machine for a long time, this could bring about a focus on individuals' needs and not a party-based focus. My personal feelings on the current party system is that there shouldn't be any – a stand taken by George Washington – and with a relative newcomer, the party lines could be blurred, making things a little nicer for us all.
Carrying on from the party system diatribe, what the past eight years has shown is that the Republican party is in need to figure out how to reach out to the people and how to make itself a unified front again. The Democratic party has been doing this since 2000, and starting in 2006, they began to seize the moment. It was a smart move, especially during an administration that was losing respect fast. In defense of the Bush administration, September 11th, 2001 was their catalyst; if that event hadn't occurred, some of the controversial and heavily debated policies wouldn't have happened, but it did happen, and this administration, depending on one's viewpoint, struggled to come up with reasonable answers. This Democratic push could indicate that Obama may just be a pawn in their overall political plans, but if Obama can succeed in finding ways to bring the two parties together, then politics can diminish and government can prevail. Some extreme conservatives and fundamentalists may be concerned about their causes in a Democrat-run government, but politics is a pendulum – it swings back and forth when it has to. Maybe things went a little too far right, and so it has to go left to correct the issues. If anyone has ever followed American political and governmental history, then he or she would know that the pendulum never stays in one place for long.
A good number of people were feverish about this election, with many advocating how this is a historical event. There were many people practically throwing themselves at people to sway them to vote a certain way; in Illinois, it was always to vote for Obama. This is not a good thing as this emphasizes how many people were of the uninformed masses who voted because someone, if not many people, told them that they had to vote one way or another. Howard Stern, shock jock and outspoken liberal, aired on his radio show a very informal study on how aware people were of the candidates. This study was simple – ask people if they were for Obama or McCain, and then after asking for reasons, start asking if they were understanding of or agreeing with the candidates' stances, but presenting, for example, the stances and beliefs of McCain and presenting them as Obama's. The sound bytes illustrated how some could be uninformed. What was aired showed that those who were planning to vote for Obama didn't want McCain as he wasn't the right man for the job, yet when asked if they supported “Obama's plan to keep troops in Iraq,” “Obama's pro-life or anti-stem cell research stance,” or, my favorite, “Obama's choice to have Sarah Palin, a female, as his running mate,” people immediately agreed with the stances. It's obvious that Palin wasn't Obama's running mate, but how could some people be completely oblivious to this fact?
The candidates didn't help with making Americans aware of their stances. Both McCain and Obama, when talking to people or during the debates, did nothing but say the same talking points of what they stand for and what their opponent stands for. There is a video on 236.com called “Synchronized Presidential Debating” that illustrates what the debates, and fundamentally the candidates during the entire election, were. It's a humorous video, but it also presents the current state of politics – say what people like now to get their vote, whether or not there is misrepresentation. Neither candidate ever went into detail about their plans if elected; they just said that they had some, and for many of us, myself not included, it was all that was needed to make a decision. This is not an uplifting thought.
Also, he was presented by many entertainment figures almost as if he was the second coming of Christ. He became a celebrity, a trend, and possibly a fad. He has give a speech as good as, if not better than, Bill Clinton, and he has almost as much charisma to boot. However, public figures who rallied behind him never explained why they believed that much in him. This is a guy who was in the United States Senate for four years. How can a guy whose only real test on a national level was being a Senator who hadn't even served a full term become something of a Messiah to people? What answers does he have that would make people take notice and think of him this way? I didn't see anything particularly. These public figures were trying to prove to the masses that they were reliable sources on politics, and all I saw was that they were trying to do anything to get their way. This festers into how people were uninformed, especially when Paris Hilton, a celebrity for no reason whatsoever, makes political stances and is deemed to have some sort of significance on the matter. Is American society that shallow? Television, film, and music entertainers are becoming the source for how people behave or look; are they now becoming the source for how people vote?
In the end, this election was a giant step forward psychologically, but a few steps backward socially. The good thing is that Obama's victory was the giant step forward, and in the long run, the positives will probably outweigh the negatives from this election. For Democrats, congratulations on a significant win, and for Republicans, it's not always going to be this way. Now Obama has to prove he deserved this. If he does, then we made the right choice. If he doesn't, then we've got four years to change our minds. Barack Obama, congratulations, and don't take this, or the nation, for granted.

A wedding becomes a catharsis for a troubled family in the new independent film Rachel Getting Married directed by Jonathan Demme (The Silence of the Lambs, Philadelphia).
Anne Hathaway (Brokeback Mountain, The Devil Wears Prada) is Kym, a woman who is let out of rehab to attend her sister Rachel's wedding. Kym is the black sheep of the family, and her arrival is greeted with reservations and little fanfare. Kym's father, played by Bill Irwin (The Cosby Show), welcomes her back with open arms, as does Rachel, portrayed by Rosemarie DeWitt (Cinderella Man), but the rest of the household has reservations with her drug-addiction past and her self-centered nature. During the days leading up to the wedding, emotions boil over and the relationships of each of the characters are analyzed as well as the family's long-term grief over the loss of Kym and Rachel's brother years before.
Jenny Lumet, who wrote the screenplay, stuffs the story with details that make the film a poster child for independent cinema – parents who are divorced and have separately remarried, an interracial marriage, a wedding that incorporates practically every culture, and a very brief but raw sex scene. The multicultural wedding doesn't make too much sense since it is styled mostly as an Eastern World wedding even though the wedding is between a Caucasian and an African American, with neither family actively expressing why the wedding is the way it is, and the sex scene has no major purpose except to push a minor plot point forward.
However, the strength of the script is in how the characters and their relationships are drawn. There are no caricatures or sketches of people. Everyone feels like a real person, and no one feels out of place. The story slowly reveals the pieces of the puzzle, hitting the significant moments at the right time yet never bluntly expressing reasons or motivations. It's not a perfect script, but it's flaws are few and far in-between.
What is even more remarkable is that Demme takes the weaknesses and makes them work within the fabric of the story. Part of it is the cinematography by Declan Quinn. He makes the camera appear as if it's filming a wedding or family documentary, capturing every raw emotion that is displayed. This accentuates the other reason Demme makes the weaknesses work – attention to every detail. Demme has a knack for detail, as his classic films The Silence of the Lambs and Stop Making Sense, the Talking Heads concert film, illustrate. From the wedding band's practicing during the wedding set-up and Kym's old bedroom being covered with posters of The Who and a keepsake box decorated with references to the Sex Pistols to the 12-Step Program meetings and a multicultural wedding involving a cake with a sculpted Indian elephant, women in saris, and tribal dancers, Demme makes everything feel authentic. This attention to detail can be a bit much, especially during the wedding reception, but it helps the impact of the movie be lasting.
However, the impact would have been felt with the top-notch acting. All of the actors makes the audience feel like they're watching real events unfold in front of their eyes, almost as if they are intruding on personal territory. Anne Hathaway has been making strides since she was in The Princess Diaries, and her performance as Kym is on par with her devastating role in Brokeback Mountain. She carves a character that is truly remorseful of what she's done but understands that remorse can't undo what has happened. There has been talk that Hathaway may get nominated for an Academy Award for this role, but regardless of a nomination, Hathaway has shown that she will have a long and fruitful career in Hollywood and that she has immense talent as an actress.
Rosemarie DeWitt has a slightly more difficult role as the sister. It's not easy to portray conflicting emotions without a change of heart appearing too sudden, but DeWitt maintains that balance expertly, never overacting or ringing a false note. Her frustrations have reason, and her warmth comes from the depths of her heart, allowing the audience to relate to her without struggle.
Bill Irwin also comes alive in this film as the father. He has to be nurturing to one daughter and protective of the other. Irwin became famous for his vaudevillian talents and his help in reviving the popularity of circuses in the 70's, even making an appearance on The Cosby Show that displayed his gift. He has evolved that gift into film and stage acting, and his role in this film is something unexpected and a treasure.
Rachel Getting Married is not a film for everyone. It's a dry, frank, and sometimes overwhelming film, but it's worth the time to those looking for a well-crafted art film. It's a minor but affecting and effective gem.