A Film Snob’s Double Standard or How I Learned to Hate Michael Bay Less and Hate Tarantino More

I go through phases of excitement and boredom when it comes to movies. There are times when I see so many good movies that I simply go into a creative fit and my brain is swimming in the endless possibilities. Then there are those other times when I just feel bored and frustrated by the fact that it’s all been said and done, and probably by someone much more capable and talented than myself. And then there’s Michael Bay and Quentin Tarantino…

Seemingly opposite ends of the spectrum, right? Sadly, no. Mr. Special effects and the “indie” cred man have much more in common than you might think. I don’t want my weekly columns to turn into the traditional, “bash on everyone who is famous” tirade of fanboys, so I am going to do my best and balance the negative and the positive. However, I make daily visits to IWatchStuff.com and after reading articles on both Transformers 2 and Inglorious Basterds, I began to notice some similarities Bays announced that the sequel to the Shia Le Bouf, robot carnage that was Transformers, would be “darker” and include three scenes shot in IMAX. It doesn’t take any Batman style detective skills to get the gist of what Bay is at here.

The Dark Knight was the most beloved film of 2008 and is the second highest grossing film of all time. It connected with audiences and Hollywood executives are dying to recreate the success of that film. It’s as if Bay and pals pulled out a check list and assumed that large franchise, dark mood, and IMAX equaled money bags that would make Scrooge McDuck envious. Their eyes probably lit up even more when they realized that they had Meagan Fo and not Maggie Gyllenhaal on their cast list.

Rather than introduce something new or original into the franchise, or even looking at the Transformers catalogue and drawing from the actual source material, he is copying another film hoping to that his equates to the same success.

Where does Tarantino fit in this? He does the exact same thing. However, he gets away with it only because he copies movies that a lot of younger people haven’t seen. The trailer for his latest film, Inglorious Basterds, uses the same graphics as the opening of Sergio Leone’s western classic, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. The first text that appears is “Once upon a time in Nazi-occupied France.” It may be over-kill in this instance, but two of Leone’s other films are Once Upon a Time in the West and Once Upon a Time in America.

In interviews, Tarantino even describes his latest film as a Spaghetti Western set in World War II. With Kill Bill, critics cited the Spaghetti Western as one of Tarantino’s obvious style influences, although the continued use of Ennio Morricone’s score throughout made it hard to ignore. Tarantino, like Bay, is capitalizing on the success of other films with the hope of replicating the same acclaim. They just cater to two different types of audiences.

What I am pointing out here can be seen in two different ways actually. The first is that both directors are unoriginal hacks who have never had a creative idea of their own. The other is that Bay gets a lot of flak for his ostentatious and unoriginal films when Tarantino earns critical and fan acclaim for merely copying shots and referencing his own personal DVD collection. Why the double standard? Is it because Tarantino rips off films that not as many people have seen? Why does that make it O.K.?

It’s frustrating to hear Tarantino acclaimed as “the best director of his generation” and “a unique voice in modern American cinema.” After reading interviews with both filmmakers, at least Tarantino openly acknowledges he’s ripping other people off. Bay operates under the delusion that he’s creating original modern day masterpieces.

I came to this article after noticing the similarities between these two filmmakers and finding that I will probably see Inglorious Basterds and not Transformers 2. My own hypocrisy at the situation surprises me. After watching Pearl Harbor, I made a vow to never watch another Michael Bay production. I guess at least there’s the possibility of good performances and some snappy dialogue in a Tarantino film.

The 10 Best Films of 2008 – One College Student Sounds Off

Last week I set my crosshairs on the out of touch Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences and I decided (arrogantly) that I truly had the best picks for the top films of 2008. Celebrating my last summer and winter breaks as a college student, I spent as much time as possible in movie theaters gorging on popcorn and hoping the latest from Hollywood could entertain me, enlighten me or, hopefully, do both.

Up until recently, I found the majority of 2008 to be largely a boring year for movies. Last year, No Country For Old Men, Michael Clayton, and especially There Will Be Blood, blew me away, inspiring me to create films with complex moralities and well-developed characters. It was not until my last ditch efforts these last couple weeks that I found films that I truly felt were worthy of the word “inspiring.”

Therefore, I present to you, for the approval of The Midnight Society (and those old people of the Academy who resemble Statler and Waldorf of Muppets fame) the truly best films of 2008.

10. Forgetting Sarah Marshall

While I generally find the Apatow Productions a tad overrated, I thought this one was their best since The 40-Year Old Virgin. This film spoke to its audience honestly about break-ups and didn’t sugarcoat the truth: you can’t be happy in a relationship until you are happy by yourself. It also managed to make me laugh a lot: a worthy entry in the “Romantic Comedy for Guys” genre. I love Jason Segel’s admiration of the Muppets. I really hope he writes the next Muppet film.

9. Hellboy II – The Golden Army

This film is visually stimulating, fun to watch, and displays top-notch fantasy storytelling. I am so glad Guillermo Del Toro is directing The Hobbit. I also loved the fact that Hellboy and Abe Sapien get trashed on Tecate of all beers.

8. Slumdog Millionaire

While I think this movie is, as a rule, generally overrated, it is a very good film. I just don’t think it’s the second coming. I will say that this film displays a traditional Hollywood story-arc, applied to a new setting for American audiences. It features incredible cinematography and an amazing score. I also think that the children who play the protagonists deserve Academy Awards. Go see it, but don’t go in expecting a masterpiece that people are hyping it up to be. It is just good, classic, storytelling.

7. Frost/Nixon

While I think that Ron Howard should exclusively focus his time on the Arrested Development film, I enjoyed Frost/Nixon. Frank Langella’s delivers a great performance as the 37th President of the United States of America. The most interesting part of this film was the way it explored our desire as a society to view our leaders with unrealistic expectations. They are neither super heroes nor super villains, they are just humans. This means that they are capable of the same temptations and flaws as the rest of us. That is something I think we all need to keep in mind as we think about our last and current president.

6. Wall-E

Pixar does it again. Is anyone surprised? While this movie does not surpass Toy Story, The Incredibles, or Ratatouille as my favorite film by the studio, it is definitely an achievement in animation and storytelling. Plus, Wall-E is just so damn cute.

5. Gran Torino

While Sles cites my interpretation of the films ultimate message as, “interesting.”I really feel Eastwood is communicating some very direct and different ways of looking at race relations in our country, especially the way they effect social mobility. Maybe I’ve just been in college too long…either way, I love seeing Eastwood back in the role of a badass, even if it is for the last time.

4. Revolutionary Road

Let me preface by saying that I have not read the book that the film was based on. My impressions of the material are based solely on the film. Now that we have that bit of bureaucracy out of the way, I have to say that this film spoke to me in a very personal way. The film questions the way in which our country’s history has almost mandated that we all pair up and retire to a life in suburbia with children. Whether or not this actually leads to the happiness of fulfillment we all are promised doesn’t seem to dawn on most of us until it feels too late.

Dicaprio and Winslet are spot in their performances. Both give you moments in which you empathize and despise each of them. You can view the film differently each time you see it by watching it through either his or her eyes. Then of course there is Michael Shannon, who manages to put normal, everyday situations in such a cold and calculated. His character cuts through everyone’s delusions and rationality for shortchanging their ambitions.

I can’t forget to mention Thomas Newman’s incredible score. This movie has definitely stuck with me in ways I did not expect it to. It is worth your time if you’ve ever been in a difficult relationship or questioned your current station in life.

3. Speed Racer

Fuck you. If you haven’t seen it, don’t say a damn word. If you’ve seen it and don’t understand how it could have possibly made this list, it is because you don’t get it. You are either too old or too stubborn.

I don’t mean to sound so incredibly hostile or confrontational about this, but I assumed this film would be meaningless and mindless trash. I was wrong and found it to be so much more. This movie is ahead of its time and someday it will be appreciated for its incredible achievements in visual effects, as well as its fusion of video games, movies, new media and Japanese anime. Give it a chance. I will defend it to the death.

2. The Dark Knight

It happens so rarely that I go into a film with incredibly high expectations and find them not only met, but also surpassed. Christopher Nolan is one of my favorite directors and he, along with his cast and crew, constructed one of cinema’s greatest crime thrillers. The film would be great even if it did not include the Batman and Joker characters.

Heath Ledger has already been praised for his terrific contribution to the film, so I really don’t think I can say anything new that hasn’t been said before. I can however talk about Aaron Eckhart’s stellar and overlooked performance. Playing the only character that undergoes any real change in the script, Eckhart’s character Harvey Dent is able to perform a complete 180-degree turn in character and is yet still able to garner empathy from the audience for his decisions. Watching Dent’s fall from Gotham’s White Knight DA to the horribly disfigured and emotionally cold Two-Face is the equivalent of reading the best Greek or Shakespearean tragedy. While Ledger’s Joker may initially bring audiences to the Dark Knight, Eckhart brought me back to the film for multiple viewings.

The film pleases on both the intellectual and visual levels. While the characters were well developed, let’s not forget the semi truck being flipped by the Bat-Pod in IMAX. Awesome.

1. The Wrestler

If you read my article from last week, it is no surprise that is my pick for the best film of 2008. Everyone who was apart of this film brings his or her best. I love character pieces and Mickey Rourke drives this one home. I kept trying to think of a better way to put this than I did in my last article, but I really can’t so I am just going to repeat myself. Watching this film is like watching the most beautiful car wreck you have ever seen: incredibly tragic, but you cannot take your eyes away from it.

The Wrestler is a definite must-see. It reminded me of why I want to make films in the first place. Truly worthy of the word “inspiring.”

Honorable Mentions:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – “Sunrise on Lake Pontchartrain” Google it, this song made the movie for me

Milk – Well made Biopic featuring a great performance from Sean Penn, an actor I generally dislike

The Incredible Hulk – Just fun.

Don’t Even Talk To Me About:

Hancock, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Punisher: War Zone

Someone Needs to Put the Academy Out to Pasture

Well, it looks like they completely missed the mark again. By “they,” I mean the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science, the Oscars. When looking at the Hollywood elite’s picks for the best picture, director, actor, actress, etc., I wanted to punch something. While I openly acknowledge that films’ likability are strictly a matter of opinion, it is not just their selections in each category I take issue with. This is not to say that I do not have issue with their selection, because I most certainly do. The most talked about and most obvious one being the snub of The Dark Knight.

I am as angered as the next fanboy over this one. Christopher Nolan constructed a powerful and compelling crime thriller using one of our nation’s biggest cultural icons. He also did it in way that no one really thought was possible by creating a serious film free of “camp”. Nolan consistently directs great films that do not garner any real attention from the Academy, for whatever reason. The Dark Knight continues Nolan’s near flawless track record and his latest featured top performances from every cast member. While Heath Ledger delivers a performance that will be remembered as one of the greatest movie villains of all time, where was Aaron Eckhart’s nomination for his role as Harvey Dent? Eckhart provided the film’s only real character arc as Gotham’s tragic district attorney.

Aside from its cast, the film offered daring cinematography (the IMAX action sequences), a powerful score, and a storyline that was not only engaging, but also intellectually provocative. I did not see another film in 2008 that I can say did all of these things. The Dark Knight will remain a classic of American cinema with or without the Academy’s acknowledgement, it is just a rather somber thought that they cannot bestow honors upon a film that ceased to be just a film, and transformed into a cultural event. This film proved widely successful and popular with BOTH critics and the movie going public. How often does a film connect with such a wide audience? In twenty years, or even five, I wonder if anyone will even remember The Reader. One thing is for sure, I have no doubt that audiences, critics, and scholars will continue discussing The Dark Knight.

The next complaint is a little bit more of a personal one: where the hell is The Wrestler? While I admit that this is my personal pick for the best film of the year, I definitely think it deserved the nomination more so than The Reader or Benjamin Button. The Wrestler was an exploration into the world of one compelling character and Mickey Rourke delivered a powerhouse of a performance. He evoked empathy, pity, and a growing sense within each audience member that they were watching the slowest, most beautiful car wreck they had ever seen. The pacing, performances, and nuances in each scene were consistently on-point. Even if some critics argue that they saw the ending coming from a mile away, The Wrestler gave people a view into a world that is often misunderstood and quickly dismissed. The film displayed the intense level of athleticism that professional wrestling demands. It also revealed that when someone is hit in the face with a chair or bashed with barbwire, it is not fake. I appreciated that Darren Aronofsky’s film offered people the chance to look into the world that is overly glamorized. He revealed its gritty and often tragic reality.

Aside from the Academy’s snub of The Dark Knight, The Wrestler, Christopher Nolan, and Darren Aronofsky, the biggest problem lies with the nominations for Slumdog Millionaire. I definitely agree that Slumdog Millionaire is a good film (not great, good), and that it does deserve the majority of the nominations it received. My problem lies with the fact that, excluding Allah Rakkha Rahman for his musical score, that no Indians received nominations for awards. The Indian actors, producers, and most importantly, the co-director, Loveleen Tandan were oddly absent from all categories. While the film is set in India, stars Indians, and photographs the extreme poverty and caste system within India, the Academy chose to simply ignore them when it came to nominations. I find that the children actors in Slumdog were far superior to Robert Downey Jr. or even Josh Brolin. Then again, these children actually live in the slums of India and, are thus, not members of SAG. The nomination of only the British filmmakers is just further example of Hollywood patting itself on the back for being “progressive” without actually doing anything worthy of the word.

Then of course there is Wall-E, an incredible achievement in animation and storytelling that finds itself stuck in the second-tier category like, “Best Animated Film.” This category fails to recognize when films like Waltz with Bashir are pushing the medium to new heights. Instead, the Academy rewards two other films that offer the same things we have always seen in Hollywood animation: talking animals. I guess points aren’t given for originality.

Rounding out the snubs were Gran Torino and Revolutionary Road. Gran Torino made some bold statements about racism and social mobility, featuring a performance from American Cinema legend, Clint Eastwood. Revolutionary Road featured three of the year’s best performances. While Michael Shannon received a nod for his, Leonardo Dicaprio and Kate Winslet did not. While perhaps the Academy felt it necessary to choose Winslet’s role in the The Reader, they do not seem to understand Dicaprio’s evolution as an actor since his days in Titanic.

Finally, I am stupefied that Marley and Me was not considered for best picture. I mean c’mon Academy! Jennifer Anniston and puppies put together equals a shitbag of cuteness. I want to cry when I think about all of the hard work that went into this film and the lack of recognition is has received. Marley is easily the best puppy film of the 21st century-Damn Sles get out of my article, I will give no attention to this updated version of Old Yeller.

All joking aside, I hope that following Oscar night the press doesn’t run story after story about how terrible the show’s ratings were. It won’t be a surprise or newsworthy. The Academy has clearly defined what it thinks is a “great film”, and is not interested in altering that. I just don’t want to hear any more complaints coming out of Hollywood as they fail to evolve at the same rate as their audience. It has become no secret that Hollywood seems to create films that are designed to win awards, and other just to appease “the common” masses . Now, who wants to go download Paul Blart: Mall Cop