Invention of Lying, Bright Star, Where the Wild Things Are, and This is It

Reading Variety this morning with a steaming cup of Joe, I was reminded of 1) the marathon movie season about to land like holiday calories, 2) my own negligence with the blog. Figured it was time for a few tardy reports.

Invention of Lying -- the little that could have and didn't starring Ricky Gervais as a hapless documentary screen writer stuck in a Truman Show utopia paralyzed by persistent honesty. What could have had tremendous comedic possibilities (esp given Gervais' gifts, the premise, the cast of some of the funniest and/or most charismatic actors) is very much a dull and formulaic wash. Bummer. Not an Oscar contender for sure.

Bright Star -- a fictionalized account of the relationship between Romantic poet John Keats and his muse. While I quite literally did write home about this film (by way of a Facebook message to my high school Brit lit teacher), I am not going to put it in the running for anything more serious than a Saturday afternoon outing with your book club. It's a lovely Jane Campion film with good intentions, period costumes, and about as much titillation as Twilight.

Where the Wild Things Are -- this may be the biggest disappointment of recent history. I don't think I have been as excited for a movie since Sex and the City for pretty much the same reasons -- cherished childhood lore turned cinematic adaptation. Granted I encountered the book and the tv show at different phases in my life, but the attachments are equally potent. I couldn't wait to see them imagined on the big screen -- an extension of worlds which I loved exploring at a younger age. In both cases, I felt gyped and depressed. Rather than uplifting visits to my old fictional stomping grounds, these films were tainted by the filmmakers' agendas. In the case of Sex and the City, the goal of "what's next?" for these women, imagining a cruel follow-up in the big city -- the travails of the sagging single lady. For Wild Things, the world of childhood empowerment and gleeful playtime is a commentary on domestic strife, totalitarianism, the effects of divorce on children. Certainly director Spike Jonze is gifted with the lens, the visuals are incredible, the music by Karen O and the Kids is perfect hipster longing, but the story just isn't being told with the right motive. Spike's defense, "this is a story about childhood, not for children" doesn't hold for me. There is a way of speaking to children about adult issues in a smart way, without boring or disenfranchising them. Instead of fanciful whimsy, Wild Things conjured a bit of hipster tedium. The moral of both of these endeavors: it's impossible to wrestle the sacred cows without leaving your mark. Be gentle and do what they tell you do.

This Is It -- The Michael Jackson concert documentary was fascinating and my top pick of this set. Mostly because the dancing and singing was captivating and unlike anything I can ever imagine actually being staged. This concert, MJ's last, was going to be the end all be all, not only of his illustrious King of Pop career, but also of pop music period. I left the theatre thinking, there is no way a concert could ever match what MJ was intending to do in this impossible four month tour of this pyrotechnic superbowl halftime show except two hours long feat. Then the following two evenings I attended the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame 25th anniversary benefit at Madison Square Garden. Just to name a few names present on stage: Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, Jeff Beck, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Simon and Garfunkel, Ozzy Osbourne, U2, Metallica, Sting, Patti Smith, Bonnie Raitt, Crosby Still Nash, Black Eyed Peas, Lou Reed, John Legend, Lenny Kravitz, Mick Jagger. Momentous.