Mad Bad and Dangerous To Know

At least there's the soundtrack...
courtesy www.nonesuch.com

I have definitely been getting a crash course in film studies lately. Sarah and I have been watching a ton of TV and movies and, more often that not, there seems to be a common thread that we are drawn to.

Yesterday we made it out to see Inside Llewyn Davis, the new film by the Coen Brothers. A longtime fan of the brothers' quirky tales of lovable losers, I have to admit that I was disappointed by this near-humorless movie. Don't get me wrong, the music and cinematography definitely paint the picture of the early '60s New York folk scene, but that was about all I found attractive. Oscar Isaac seems a talented singer, but there is nothing sympathetic about the title character that he portrays. Miserable Llewyn Davis, walking trough the Village in his thin coat, insulting people, chasing after lost cats... the film is about struggling and the artistic life, but very early on I didn't find much about this selfish character to root for... isn't that the idea of the anti-hero?

bad-ass gift! The complete "Breaking Bad" series on DVD.
Courtesy www.breakingbadstore.com.

There was an interesting NPR story that came out this past fall about how in the very first episode of Breaking Bad, show creator Vince Gilligan utilized several story and filmmaking tricks to get us to sympathize with Walter White (played by the brilliant Bryan Cranston). A down on his luck chemistry teacher who learns that he has inoperable lung cancer, NPR points out that the filmmakers establish a world full of sad obstacles for the character and then bring us a point-of-view sequence where we can connect with the character's emotions even further. It seemed to do the trick: after five seasons of increasingly evil behavior, I still find myself somewhat rooting for the nerdy teacher turned meth-cooking drug kingpin. 

I have said it before, but I was so impressed with Breaking Bad. The great thing is that the production of the show has been so well-documented, and I have enjoyed listening to the series podcasts on the way to work and watching behind-the-scenes footage on the show's DVDs. Gilligan and his crew have been extremely generous in letting us see what expertise each member of their crew brought to the table (the writer's room comes to mind), making one of the most compelling series of all time. 

Mad about it... how many weeks until April 13?
courtesy: www.amc.com

After bingeing on Breaking Bad, I was eager to immerse myself in another show of equal quality. People had been talking about the 1960s advertising drama, Mad Men for some time, but I hadn't really taken the time to look into it (apart from an unsuccessful attempt by Sarah and I to watch the first episode of season three, and being repulsed by the characters). Late last year I decided to give it a proper try, starting at season one... and many weeks later Sarah and I had a new favorite show. 

I had a feeling I would enjoy the show's attempts to recreate an authentic "look" of the era, but was surprised how I also began to appreciate and care for the characters as they travel through the changing culture of the 1960s. Don Draper (Jon Hamm), Roger Sterling (John Slattery), Pete Campbell (Vincent Kartheiser)... these are all fairly repulsive men who operate in a selfish, cutthroat and sexist world but again, through great writing, performances, and the unfolding nature of episodic TV, you really get to learn the background and different aspects of each character's personality (almost like a psychological study).

When asked about the appeal of Mad Men during a Paley Center talk with the show's creator and cast, actor Jon Hamm made an excellent point: "It takes it's time... it's not dependent on a certain formula or a certain show that has succeeded in the past... it's sort of this cool little one-off." Show creator Matthew Weiner continued that "you don't know what's going to happen, which takes a tremendous amount of effort from the both the audience and the writing, because the audience is really used to getting into the formula of like Agatha Christie or Law & Order or one of those things... and I think it also helps that the show is kind of honest in an almost embarrassing kind of way."

Mad Men and Breaking Bad have kept me on my toes as a viewer—I appreciate that. Like a good novel, these works are not presented merely as "black and white," and I find myself less patient of TV and films that would present otherwise. 

Do the hustle! Amy Adams continues
to shine. Courtesy www.thewrap.com

In the last couple weeks we have also seen the movies Her and American Hustle—both films are expertly made, but not entirely successful for me. The acting is the best part of American Hustle, loosely based on Abscam, the FBI's sting operation of the late 1970s. Actor Christian Bale plays Irving Rosenfeld, a cheating con man with a ridiculous toupee (hard to believe that before this he starred as Christopher Nolan's Batman) who eventually ends up working with an FBI agent to entrap corrupt politicians. Last seen in the Schenectady-based Place Beyond the Pines, Bradley Cooper plays agent Richie DiMaso, who has his own bad hair issues (I realize now this is what he must have been shooting when he showed up for the Pines premiere here in town). There is great dialogue between all the characters, including the always-entertaining Amy Adams, playing Irving's fellow con-artist/mistress Sydney Prosser. It's the kind of work that might be even better as an ongoing TV series, as the plot seems to get a bit unfocused... but again, I loved the period recreation and characters.

Her certainly has an interesting premise: in a not too distant future, a lonely man starts a "relationship" with his computer operating system—with the way technology is heading (simultaneously bringing us together and further isolating) it's a rather sobering thought. 

Photo of filmmakers Spike Jonze and David Fincher
talking movies at the NYC premiere of "The Curious Case of
Benjamin Buttons, December 2008. Photo by Jeremy Clowe.
All rights reserved.

I admire filmmaker Spike Jonze's work, even though I was pretty disappointed with his adaptation of Maurice Sendak's Where The Wild Things Are (maybe that was largely due to Dave Eggers' neurotic screenplay and the whiny voices of the monsters). In a recent interview, Jonze described learning something about vocal performances from that movie, which helped in the production of Her; I can see the benefit, as Scarlett Johansson was certainly captivating as the voice of Samantha The OS. A dressed-down Amy Adams was also fun as a "real-life" friend to Joaquin Phoenix's Theodore Trombley character (including a ridiculous exchange about people cheating on each other's operating systems). Otherwise, the movie felt a little too claustrophobic and depressing for me. I continue to appreciate what Jonze is trying to do, but prefer his more playful music videos and early films. 

So yes, I'm typically drawn to quirky movies and television, with flawed, realistic characters. Furthermore, I certainly enjoy a great looking film, but am beginning to wonder if the majority of critics are being deluded by style over substance... 

www.facebook.com/downtonabbey

TV seems to be winning out at the moment, and hey... it's cozier on the couch with your girl and a bowl of popcorn. Downton Abbey returns tonight, and I too have succumbed to the allure of this period piece looking at the British upstairs/downstairs social hierarchy of the Crawley Family Estate. This season has brought the cast outside of the Abbey a bit more, opening them up to the changing culture of the 1920s Jazz Age—not a bad thing. Again, the production values and performances are superb; I also find it interesting how they are dealing with the departure of actors, and maintaining strong storytelling. 

In a creative sense there's plenty to watch and learn from in the movies, but perhaps more so from the new "Golden Age of TV." Who would have thought?