The Needle and the Damage Done

In my last post, I promised to get back to writing happier, more irreverent posts like I had been on this blog. However, as it sometimes goes, life got in the way. Actor Philip Seymour Hoffman was found dead today at the age of 46. I’m going to try to not make a habit out of writing eulogies, but today I have so many thoughts and so many feelings that I need to get them out somehow.

I was 15 years old when I first watched Capote. I’m a pretty easy-going, good-humoured guy on a day to day basis, even more so when I was 15. If I am remembering correctly, Capote was the first ‘grown-up’ movie I’d ever really understood. I was just starting to get into acting, and to see a performance of the sheer transcendent quality of Hoffman’s Truman Capote really solidified the idea that being someone else professionally might be something I’d like to do. To see someone completely disappear into a character was so hugely formative on burgeoning sensibilities as an actor, that I’m not really sure what I’d be doing if I hadn’t seen the film.

In subsequent films I’d watch him in, I was so surprised at how much he could change between characters, and how easily the change seemed to come to him. Charlie Wilson’s War, for example, he played a schlubby CIA agent; nowhere near Truman Capote’s effete superiority. I hadn’t been lucky enough to see some of his most acclaimed performances like The Master or Doubt, but from what I have seen in those trailers, he kept up an amazing quality without even batting an eye. Before The Dark Knight Rises started filming, there was a rumour that he would be playing the Penguin, and it saddens me greatly that as slim as the odds were of that ever happening, they are now completely impossible.

John Donne wrote, “do not ask for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee.” this quotation can be taken to mean that when one person dies, humanity as a whole suffers. Anyone who dies in the prime of their lives is a huge loss and a tragedy, but there is something inside of me that believes the loss that the world has suffered today from a creative standpoint is hugely tragic. In the era of popular culture where there is nothing new under the sun, Philip Seymour Hoffman gave us all something original to aspire to. The fact that his death was preventable and so sad is just more insult to the injury of losing such a bright, engaging talent. Rest in Peace, Philip Seymour Hoffman. You will be missed.

 

 

The Thread Has Snapped

Too appropriate.

“It is my belief that the best things happen right before the thread snaps.” – Geoffrey Tennant in “Oliver’s Dream,” Slings and Arrows Season 1

I’ve always tried to lead my life by the above quotation, in some way or another, since I heard it. In its original context, it more or less means that people can do incredible things when they are hanging on by a thread; in other words, when they’re facing adversity. In every way, my life experience has taught me that this is true. However over the last week, these words have shown me another meaning that is just as powerful and has just as much influence over my life.

If you’ve read this blog much (or at all), then you and I are probably friends. If we are friends, then you know what’s happened in my life over the past five days. Usually this blog is a place of whimsy, whether it’s Wrestling Fanfiction, lists about animated characters, or musings on Buffy‘s weirdest episode. And it will continue to offer that periodically (probably more now that I’m not doing much), but for right now all I want to do is say goodbye to an institution and a group of people who meant the world to me.

On January 8th 2014, the Ottawa Theatre School (OTS) shut down its Conservatory program – the very program I was attending – due to financial difficulties. I have not reacted to this news in any fashion other than immediately packing up my entire life (DVDs and books mostly) and calling my parents to make arrangements to come back to the East Coast. Hopefully this post helps me come to terms with what’s happened, because so far it’s been such a big, unapproachable subject.

Like the quotation says, the best things happen before the thread snaps. If the school’s closure is the snapping of the thread, then what came before it is definitely the best thing that’s ever happened to me.  I came from a small school in a small town, so the setting of a large city and the theatre community within it were a major positive influence on my development as an actor and as a human being. The friends I have made aren’t even really friends, they are family. That sounds cliche and tired, but its the truth. In practical terms, I spent AT LEAST 28 hours per week with these people (it always ended up to be more because we would hang out all the time outside of class, given the chance) and the thought that I won’t see any of them again in that setting is absolutely breaking my heart. I’m going to miss everyone terribly.

Luckily, when a door closes, windows open. The theatre community in Ottawa has proven to be absolutely, thrillingly supportive. I feel terrible that I’m leaving and won’t be able to take advantage of their amazing hospitality and goodwill, but I know that with their help, everyone is going to land on their feet as best they can. Because when you’re a family, a community, that’s what you do for each other, you pick each other up when they fall down.

The teachers we had at OTS were some of the best, most talented people I have ever met. I learned how to be tall (I actually GREW, how crazy is that?), I learned how to warm up my voice, I learned how to sing like a champ, and most important of all, I learned how to wave goodbye.

Keep your heads up guys, we’re gonna be fine.

RIP OTS 2003-2013

“Will Riker’s Adorkable Beard” or “How I have spent my time since graduating University”

It’s been a while since we last spoke, and since that time I’ve done a bit of what the man calls “growing up.” Basically, I graduated (convocated?) from University. Since that dull, cloudy day in mid-May, I haven’t really been up to much different from what I usually do: I ate too much, slept too little and watch enough TV to make a lesser (see also: more socially well-adjusted) man’s eyes bleed. Society’s loss, however, is our gain.

I sometimes describe my relationships to television shows as though I’m describing relationships with actual people (ladies, stay back, I’m taken). With this in mind, I fell hard for Fox’s Zooey Deschanel vehicle New Girl, watching both available seasons in the span of a week. My review is simple: the show is fantastic, and shame on all of you out there  –  you know who you are – that hate Zooey just for being adorkable.

Speaking of, here’s Zooey Deschanel being adorkable:

After I binged myself on all that twee-ness, it was time to rekindle an old love affair that I had not thought of in… quite some time…

Sir Alec is the King of “Smell the Fart Acting”

Now, I apologize if the Ben Kenobi picture was misleading, because Star Wars is a love affair that is constant in my life, as it should be with everyone’s. No, I’m talking of course about the excellent Beard-delivery system that is Star Trek The Next Generation. I was a trekkie long before I was a Star Wars fan, but something happened to me as a got older that made me forget all about Trek in favour of George Lucas’ magnum opus.

“File Footage”

But over the last few weeks, my forgotten love of Star Trek has been reignited (much like a WWE pressboard table) thanks to Netflix. Soon, memories came flooding back: Picard’s baldness, Troi’s refusal to wear a uniform, Gates McFadden’s ridiculous name, and most importantly, The Beard. The Beard displays itself heroically on Johnathan Frakes’ chin, and is singlehandedly responsible for the upturn in series quality between season 1 and season 2.

I don’t really know what else to say other than Star Trek The Next Generation rules, but it might not have if Riker didn’t have a beard.

This is getting out of hand. NOW THERE ARE TWO OF THEM (More SW/ST cross-pollination, I know)

Five Reasons Tina Belcher is the best thing to happen to Animated Televsion in Years

Let’s face facts: Animated Television for grownups is a bit of a barren landscape. Sure, Archer is still going strong into its fourth season and Adventure Time, while not strictly a grownup show, has real emotional moments underneath its absurd hilarity, but The Simpsons is a fraction of the shadow of its former self it used to be, and I still believe Family Guy to be the laziest trick turned on good-intentioned television fans the world over. Luckily, just over two years ago, Bob’s Burgers premiered on FOX, and with it came Tina Belcher. I love the character of Tina Belcher, and hopefully over the course of this post, we’ll all be on the same page.

5. She’s a Rebel.

Seriously Guys, just try to contain her.

4. Audiences can relate to her emotional moments

Who hasn’t felt terrible enough to lie down on the floor of your family’s restaraunt? BE HONEST!

3. She’s cool under pressure

Who’s that? Ms. Casual? No, it’s just Tina!

2. She’s charming

Hoo baby.

1. She’s not afraid to lose a fight to a lamp.

How Courageous!

They’re Back! Awww Yeah (Yeah Yeah)

It’s been too long, but the Yeah Yeah Yeahs are back! Their new single “Sacrilege” is pretty boffo, and so is the video. There is nothing quite as boring as watching a video that is just the band playing the song for the cameras. Luckily Karen O and company aren’t standing for that! Why make a video that moves chronologically backwards? BECAUSE MEMENTO WAS LIKE TEN YEARS AGO SO WHY THE HELL NOT NOBODY REMEMBERS IT ANYWAY! WOO! Anyway, take a look:

Also as a sidenote, whenever Karen O sings “Sacrilege, you say?”, WrathOfShaw thinks of this…

Woah, it’s dusty in here.

Hey folks, here we are again! It’s about the summertime again, so I’ll be getting back on the blog again hopefully pretty regularly now that I have some free time. I’m sure WrathOfShaw would like to be here too, but he’s having some minor technical difficulties.

File Photo

Anyway, I’ve taken in a lot of pop culture and whatnot in the months since we’ve last spoke, so I hope that we can get back to the way things were. Hopefully I’ll have more random thoughts about individual episodes of things I love (That Buffy review thing I did was pretty fun to write) and hope that you’ll come along for the ride with me. Now, a propos of nothing, here is Glyph from Mass Effect 3 wearing a bow tie.

Some Thoughts on Buffy The Vampire Slayer’s Fourth Season Finale

While I’m not entirely sure if this counts as a review, there is definitely spoilers going on down below. Be Advised.

 

I wear the cheese. It does not wear me.

 

As some of you may know, I’ve been spending most of this school year filling my free time by making my first foray into the world of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I believe I have firmly established on this blog that I am deeply indebted to Joss Whedon for shaping my taste in television and films in a way not too many other creators have been able to. Last week I finished the fourth season of Buffy and encountered what I believe to be my favourite episode of the show’s run up to that point (I’m sorry “Hush” lovers): “Restless.”

I am not entirely sure how to start this…what? Review? Revue? Rambling? It’s difficult for me to shape my thoughts into coherence, because this episode seems to pride itself on incoherence. In fact, I found it incredibly problematic. But that’s just part of the charm of this crazy episode. As I said to one of my friends as I was watching this episode, I had no idea what was happening, and I was loving  every second of it.

Let’s get the first issue out of the way: for all intents and purposes, the season was over. Adam is dead, and the scooby gang got out of a jam with little or no damage done (until season 5 says otherwise, anyway). So it’s odd that they have this weird little coda of an episode to end of the season when the climactic moments literally all happened the week before. It set me off on a very uncomfortable, alienated footing. Which turned out to be exactly what I needed to enjoy “Restless” to its full potential.

It must be incredibly hard to do a good dream episode. And that’s not just because I’ve seen terrible ones either: there’s a delicate balance to it where you have to be weird enough (it is a dream after all, not reality) but not too weird (that would be a real alienator). If you think about dream episodes (“Who Shot JR?” comes to mind) a lot of times writers will veer too close to the “it’s reality” end of the spectrum before they rip the rug out from under you by revealing it was all a dream. In short, it feels like a cheat.

We definitely don’t have to worry about this here, though. Each core member of the Scooby Gang gets their own part of the episode. Each dream is unique while being instantly relatable, and the laughs are in abundance at every turn. I had just recently finished a production of “The Actor’s Nightmare” so Willow’s dream about being in a play where she didn’t know the lines hit close to home for me. I also liked the return of High School Willow, and the IT classroom from season 1.

Who doesn’t love Apocalypse Now? Seriously? I loved Xander’s dream because – hey look – Snyder is back! And he’s playing Kurtz! What could be better? Xander’s latent feelings of sexual inadequacy, as well as more Giles and Spike shenanigans, that’s what. Speaking of Giles, I thought his dream was a bit lacking, and it seemed like the writers might have been rushing through his dream a bit to get to Buffy’s dream, and from there, the resolution.

The resolution does eventually come, of course, but it doesn’t really matter to what this episode does. The character development, not to mention the humour and sheer surreality of the whole thing just makes it a solid 10 out of 10 for me.

Remember, you can go if you want, but be back before Dawn.

“Where have you been all my life?”: When Movie Stars Transcend Their Own Image

I have often found myself lying in bed at night pondering the difference between an actor and a movie star (I know, let’s all try to move on from how cool I am). I’ve heard it said that an actor is able to completely disappear into a role (see Phillip Seymour Hoffman in Capote) while a movie star is never able to completely shed their celebrity image (see George Clooney in anything other than O Brother, Where Art Thou?).

I’m robbing this casino as handsomely as I can, goddammit!

Now this isn’t a comment on which one is better, it’s just a fact of the business. These categories are, as most things tend to be, fluid: actors can become movie stars fairly easily. However, with a few notable exceptions, it’s odd to see a fully-fledged movie star go back to disappear into a role so completely you forget who you’re watching.

You might have noticed that I mentioned a few notable exceptions. The first one that comes to mind is Jim Carrey. Now let me be the first to tell you that I think Jim Carrey’s career is immensely disappointing.

Hi, would Oscar be there please? No? Nevermind, I’ll go do Mr. Popper’s Penguins. THEN YOU’LL NOTICE ME

Movies like Ace Ventura and Liar Liar are just so broad and stupid that I was ready to write off his entire professional body of work. I was, of course completely wrong. I had no idea what kind of performance the man could give. Then, I just happened upon Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Yeah, I know: this isn’t a film one just “happens” on. I’d had it recommended to me countless times, but I always put it off because Jim Carrey was in it. For some reason, I decided to give it a chance, and boy was I glad I did.

I was completely floored by how raw and emotional the future Mr. Popper could be. It actually made my opinion of him worse though: why was he debasing his talent with such tripe all the time? Of course the answer is the paycheck, but it still didn’t sit right with me. As long as I could keep thinking of Eternal Sunshine, I would know that there was good in the world.

My Top 9 Movies of 2012

Well, this is embarrassing. I was, like wrathofshaw going to rate the top ten movies I’d seen this year, but it would appear that I have only seen nine new movies this year (this will change, as I’m definitely seeing The Hobbit, Django Unchained and Les Miserables when they are released). In ascending order of preference, here they are:

9. Les Intouchables

Look at them. Emoting and distracting me!

This is a film that I wrestled with putting on this list. Plotwise, there is lots to be desired. The story is so sweet it verges on saccharine, and there are so many happy coincidences and the beats are rather obvious throughout the plot. But what makes this movie so special is the performances. Both Omar Sy and Francois Cluzet turn the soapy and over-inspirational dialogue into believable, powerful moments. I found myself not caring about the questionable plot once the  actual events of the story got underway. I was along for a ride, and boy what a ride it was: from the opening moments of “September” by Earth Wind & Fire, I could tell I was in for a really interesting ride.

8. Coriolanius

Hey Voldemort, nice nose.

I am such a Shakespeare nerd, not to mention a Harry Potter fan. One of Shakespeare’s lesser-known tragedies, Coriolanius is the story of a military hero who is incapable of doing anything other than fighting. In true Shakespearean fashion, the body count is high by the end, and few characters are left standing . It’s a tour-de-force performance by Lord Voldemort himself, Ralph Fiennes and the sets and costumes are immaculately constructed. A thoroughly enjoyable film in a year that was full of them.

7. Ted

Rub a dub dub, thanks for the surprise!

I was admittedly not expecting much going into this movie. I saw it with a few friends on cheap night and was expecting, well, cheap laughs. Add onto it the fact that Seth Macfarlane’s work is at about the same level for me at that of E.L. James, I wasn’t really going in with high hopes. I was pleasantly surprised, if not awestruck, by the quality of this movie. The storytelling was fantastic, the characters were amazingly well developed and the performaces were quite strong. I’m a huge Mila Kunis fan, and Mark Wahlberg is rising on my good list as well, and this movie only cemented those opinions.

6. The Cabin in the Woods

The twist wasn’t really a twist….man…..

This is another weird movie for me. I was so excited to see this movie because I’m a huge fan of Joss Whedon’s work (more on that later and elsewhere) and the entire Whedonverse holds much intrigue and excitement for me. I love this movie on its own. I think it’s well acted, well written and just generally well crafted. I say “on its own” because there was so much hype around the release of this movie, and I feel as though a good chunk of it was undeserved. Especially the hype around “the twist.” While you’ll get no spoilers from me here, suffice it to say that I didn’t really see it as much of a twist at all. The disappointment really took me out of parts of the movie and I think that my overall enjoyment suffered because of it. I’ll have to give it a second shot at some point in the future because I really want to like this film.

5. The Hunger Games

And Lenny Kravitz is in it too! For some reason…

This is an awesome example of expectations not even factoring into how I’m going to enjoy a movie. I decided to not read the books before I saw this movie, because this was the first huge movie (Twilight notwithstanding cause, come on) that I hadn’t read the source material for before I saw it. I just wanted the film to speak for itself, and it sure did. Having no idea what the world of the film would be on my way in, I was incredibly impressed with the grasp I had on it as I left the theatre. The incredible way this film builds a universe is enough for me to give it a solid thumbs up.

4. The Dark Knight Rises

My Legal Name? Oh Right, “Fanboy Pandering…”

What can I say? Tom Hardy is the man. And, if we’re being real, so is Michael Caine. The Dark Knight Rises is far from perfect: its storytelling is suspect, it’s about half an hour too long, Robin is in it…shall I go on? What’s remarkable about the movie is that it makes the flaws not matter. This is basically the 21st Century equivalent of The Godfather III: it is a great way to wrap up a trilogy that is quite possibly THE trilogy of our time. The way it ties up all the loose ends of the previous two (admittedly better) films in the trilogy is almost perfect, and it leaves itself open for what could be a very intriguing sequel. Good film, if not as good as it could be.

3. Skyfall

Now that Bond is back, maybe he’ll lay off the SNL.

James Bond needed saving. Big time. There were rumblings of a complete overhaul a few years ago with Casino Royale, but I think we’re all pretty sure that those rumblings were silenced with Quantum of Solace. This is the best Bond movie I have seen since Goldfinger, and that’s really saying something coming from me. Daniel Craig continues to humanize Bond (which after Pierce Brosnan’s portrayal is something he desperately needs), but let’s just be honest. This is not a movie about James Bond. It’s not even a movie about M. This is a movie about Dame Judi Dench, plain and simple. In what could be her last movie ever due to macular degeneration , she certainly goes out with a bang. You have to see this.

2. Moonrise Kingdom

You wish you were as pimp as this kid. I know I do.

I am not a Wes Anderson fan. Or, I mean, I hadn’t seen any of his work before this fantastic film. I am definitely a fan now. This is a fantastic story about…well… I’m still not really sure. Love? Sure. Ambition and Competence in the workplace? It’s there too. Anderson tackles this vast range of topics with ease, and has very powerful dramatic moments mixed in with hilarious comedic beats, all place in a deliciously fictitious setting and set to offbeat score. I can’t really explain much more than I already have, you need to see it to understand it.

1. The Avengers

Look what you’ve done, you’ve gone and upset the boy.

If you haven’t seen this yet, I don’t know what there is that I can tell you that will make you, so I’m not going to try.

It’s Just a Cigarette

While we think up things to post about, here’s something I’ve become completely obsessed with. I hope you enjoy it as much and are as disturbed by it as I was.