View from the Queue #5: HIMYM Naked, Bible Stories, and 1984 Retold - with Laughs this Time

It is Tuesday, do you know what you have in your Netflix (or Qwikster) queue for the coming weekend?

Last weekend was pretty busy. I took a few field trips out into the city to view the creative class in their native environment, but I had time to squeeze in a few movies before the weekend proper.


The first was Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008) which was an unimaginative little comedy starring and written by the charming Jason Segel (of How I Met Your Mother fame). Maybe I was suffering a bit from too many comedies in a row, but I thought this movie was a bit lightweight. The plot line was recycled from so many other romantic comedies that I felt as though I had already seen it - 100 times before. There was obviously a script of sorts, but really it seemed as if a bunch of guys were sitting around getting stoned and came up with an idea that would allow them to hang out together at a Hawaiian resort with some hot girls, get paid a lot of money, and sort of work on a movie. With that said, Russell Brand pretty much stole the show with his over the top British rocker character. There was nothing new here, except Segel's penis which makes a couple of cameo appearances. Fingers crossed that Segel's new Muppet movie script will redeem this mildly entertaining, but amateurish effort.
Rating: 1.5 Dracula Rock Operas out of 5


I was very excited about the movie, East of Eden (1955) starring James Dean loosely based on the book by John Steinbeck. A little trivia, this movie was Dean's first starring role in a film, but it was released following his death. He subsequently received a posthumous Academy Award nomination for the performance. So, after a few brews at the pub, I settled in for some Cain and Abel style teen angst. Steinbeck often chooses a biblical story as the starting point for his more famous novels, and with this one he did not force the reader to make too much effort in identifying the source material. The father's name is Adam and the two sons are Cal and Aaron. Not too imaginative, but with the biblical reference in mind, the viewer is expecting something that the film does not actually deliver. It is obvious from the first scene who the bad son is in this ensemble, but the film questions whether the bad son is really bad, or just perceived to be that way. I did find my attention wandering a bit while watching this film. I think the story could have been a bit tighter and the characters' motives better developed. But the cinematography and direction (Elia Kazan - Streetcar Named Desire, On the Waterfront) were outstanding.  If you have some time to kill and like Hollywood gossip, I recommend rewatching the movie with the commentary turned on. Due to the commentary, I am now interested in learning more about James Dean who died at age 24 and only completed three movies in which he played a leading role. Yet his estate continues to earn approximately $5 million a year.  That is some star power.
Rating: 3 heads of wilted lettuce out of 5


To finish up the week's viewing, I dipped back into one of my youthful favorites Brazil (1985). Imagine if Monty Python had actually written George Orwell's 1984 and you sort of get the idea ("Suspicion Breeds Confidence!").   There is a whimsical, dreamlike appearance to all the sets, and yet there is an underlying menace mixed in with the sight gags. The cinematography is often stunning and indicative of other Terry Gilliam offerings such as the Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988) and Time Bandits (1981). Unfortunately, I selected the "Love Conquers All" cut of the movie thinking it was an extended director's cut. In actuality, this is the Hollywood cut that the director fought against releasing - and incedently won. It is a bit more disjointed than the original and virtually eliminates Katherine Helmond's character, who exemplifies the youth obsessed, consumption driven, aristocratic disregard for the poor in this story. Additionally, the underlying theme of terrorism having become so common that it becomes more of an annoyance than a societal issue is also lost in this cut. Oddly, or prophetically, this theme was replaced with one in which the government's attempts to prevent terrorism are more oppressive and terror-inspiring than any possible terrorist attacks. That being said, I still prefer the original - the re-editing to provide a happy ending felt as if it had been slapped onto the end of this version and simply seemed out of place with the rest of the movie. It is easy to see why Terry Gillian resisted the release of this cut.
Rating for this version: 2 Central Services Heating Ducts out of 5

Coming up in the queue - a film festival favorite and Season 5 of Raleigh's own most loveable serial killer.  Stay tuned....