Media Glutton, May 8, 2008

Media Glutton, April 29th 2008

OK, let's talk Iron Man. Iron Man freaking rocked. It was, for me, a great, great super hero movie, which is saying something, since there haven't been a lot of those. Moreover, it's a great super hero movie about a character that I've always liked in theory but seldom actually enjoyed in reality. But this movie takes the coolest, most interesting parts of Tony Stark/Iron Man and then puts them in the hands of RobertDowney Jr who just knocks the ball out of the park. When he was cast I thought he was perfect, but in reality he was more than perfect - he was transcendent. I mean that almost literally. His performance lifted the character into something more interesting than he's ever been in the comics. Plus he really pulled off what I think is one of the most appealing (to me) aspects of Tony Stark - he's a super sexy nerd. He's rich and famous and a sex symbol because he's a technological genius and a funny, personable, sarcastic dude. Geek as alpha male - what more can I ask for in a hero. So go and see the movie, and don't forget to stay through the credits to the very end.

I'm going to turn now to a twenty year old novel that I read over the weekend and just loved. I'm currently working my way through a low-residency MFA program and have been reading almost exclusively more "literary" novels on assignment. Most of it is stuff I would probably never have read on my own, which is great, because almost all of it has been really great. But Ian M Banks' sci-fi novel The Player of Games is definitely something I would have picked up, school or no school. I mean come on, it's a science fiction epic with a hero whose sole heroic qualification is that he's the greatest game player in the galaxy. And since it's set so far in the future, it had aged quite well - no embarrassing technological "innovations" that seem quaint by today's standards. But most important of all, it's a great, expertly told story that drives you right through to the end. And while its prose is not overly baroque or complicated, Banks' playful use of language and thrilling descriptions of invented games we never know the rules for make the tale all the more enchanting.

The past couple weeks also offered me a double-DVD helping of one of my favorite actors, Philip Seymour Hoffman. First I watched Before The Devil Knows You're Dead, which is quite an experience. The movie is a crime drama of sorts, although the drama comes not from pulling off the crimes but from screwing them up in a tragic way and then suffering the consequences. the emphasis here is definitely on the drama, and the rapid, totally believable disintegration of both Hoffman's character and that of his brother, played expertly by EthanHawke . It's not a tough movie to watch, but it's definitely a tough movie. Not a lot of smiles and giggles going on here, but plenty of great acting, directing, and writing. The other film was Charlie WilsonCharlie Wilson's War, which stars Tom HanksTom Hanks. I really enjoyed this movie as I was watching it, moving along from moment to moment, scene to scene, it sucks me right in and I liked it all. In retrospect it feels a little scattered in focus, and the end comes rushing on too quick. The plot, about a playboy congressman wheedling and conniving to provide arms for theAfghans to fight the Soviets in the 80's, rambles around a bit, focusing on one thing and then another. But the performances and writing are top notch (but then, I'm a huge AaronSorkin fanboy), and I definitely recommend renting it. Plus, hey, true story with relevance to our current life. What more could you ask for from a political thriller/comedy/drama?

This week Speed Racer opens, and originally I'd had no intention of seeing it. But it's been getting a lot of interesting, positive reviews from sources I generally trust, plus it's apparently an incredibly novel and maybe even strange film going experience, which makes it very hard for me to turn down. Now, I've always actually kind of hated everything about Speed Racer except for the theme song, so I'm still going in with low expectations. Plus it's a kids movie, which is fine in theory, but it means the theater might be full of kids, which may or may not be fine in practice depending on howcurmudgeonly I'm feeling.

Next week I'll give you a longer review of Matt Taibbi's new book, The Great Derangement, which I'm finishing up now. It's quite a ride. Until then, see Iron Man! Read Player of Games! Rent Before the Devil Knows You're Dead! Go forth an be gluttons.