The Occasional Blog of Jonah Weiland

I saw the movie “Factotum� tonight. I vaguely recall hearing something about Matt Dillon making this film a year ago, but then didn’t hear anything about it until Dillon’s recent appearance on “The Daily Show.�

“Factotum� is based on the book by Charles Bukowski in which Charles writes through his alter-ego Henry Chinaski about a period of his life that saw him loose many jobs and live a pretty miserable experience. That’s pretty much true for most of Chuck’s (or should I call him Hank?) books, really.

I like his writing. A lot. It’s terribly honest, visceral and often times painful. There are very few writers that can use words in the same way that he does. When you read him, you don’t always like him, but you are always captivated.

Now, “Factotum� is a pretty good movie. Dillon does an able job playing Henry, without completely channeling Charles. And that’s a good thing because there is only one Bukowski. But, the problem with both this film and “Barfly� – another film based on the writing of Bukowski – is that it’s impossible to capture Bukowski’s descriptive style in film. It works uniquely well on the printed page and unless you have lots of narration, it never quite comes across on the screen. It’s not a bad movie, but it doesn’t have near the impact that his writing does.

I think my favorite member of the cast is Lili Taylor who plays Henry’s girlfriend Jan. She perfectly embodies the typical Bukowski woman – a drunk crazy who loves to fuck constantly. Lili’s a great actress and a beautiful woman and boy did they white trash her up for this film.

All told, it’s a decent movie, but I can’t really see anyone enjoying this film unless you like Chuck’s writing. If you don’t like the world he lives in, there’s no point in seeing it.

This past weekend was one filled with lots of movie watching. I figured I’d stop here for a moment and tell you what I saw and thought.

“Layer Cake� – I’ve been meaning to see this since it came out in 2004, but only got around to it recently. The film stars Daniel Craig who’s set to take over the James Bond role with the new film coming out this year, so suddenly this film is on everybody’s watch list. Does he have the chops? Can he pull of James Bond? Based on his performance in this movie, I think he can easily.

People have commented that he’s not as “good looking� as say Pierce Brosnan or the other Bond’s who came before. Whatever that’s about, the guys got looks and style and a ruggedness that previous Bond’s lacked, which will work in his favor. He’s uniquely British looking, which is another plus for the role (Brosnan looks like your typical Hollywood actor to me). But, most important, the guy can act. He plays an understated role in this movie with real moments of anger, fear and rage.

“Layer Cake� refers to the many levels of the British crime syndicates. Craig plays a member of that crime syndicate who finds himself in shit loads of trouble. For fear of spoiling it for those of you still interested in seeing it, I’ll forego a long recap of the film’s story by just saying it’s great stuff. A really intelligent action film that shows you the high-stakes game of being a British mobster. Lots of fun with some great performances by Craig, Colm Meaney as Gene and George Harris as Morty (who steals the show in a major way half-way through). If you like gangster films, you should love this one. Good action and style throughout.

“Little Miss Sunshine� – A movie that really surprised me. All I really knew about this movie going in was that Steve Carell had a supporting role in the movie, which was enough to get me to the theater. The cast is just fantastic, featuring Carell, Alan Arkin (one of my favorites), Greg Kinnear and Toni Collette (who is far more beautiful than the haggard look they give her for this film). The story follows a highly (yet believably) dysfunctional family who rally around their youngest member, little Olive played by Abigail Breslin, whose biggest dream just came true – she’s been selected to compete in the Little Miss Sunshine talent competition in Los Angeles. So, the family loads up the van and travels out to California so that Olive can realize her dream. Along the way, well, lots of drama happens. Delays, car problems, family problems, job problems, money problems and much more challenge their quest to make it to California in time for the contest. It’s a story of how this family grows and becomes honest with one another and it’s a site to behold. Equal parts touching and hilarious, this is a movie that really can be enjoyed by anyone – especially those of you who think those children talent competitions are hideous examples of what’s wrong with everything in the world! (Oh they’re so disgusting!)

“Bullitt� – I realized recently that outside of “The Towering Inferno,� I’ve not seen any Steve McQueen movies and that needed to change. “Bullitt� recently played on one of the movie channels, so I had my TiVo record it. I need McQueen education.

Wow, what a movie. The movie is almost 40 years old and definitely a product of its time, so modern audiences might not be as satisfied with the action elements of the film, but if you look at it for what it is you see just how influential McQueen and this film have been on future generations. The dramatic car chase that takes place in this film is fantastic and has clearly been copied over and over again since. It lacks some of the dramatic camera angles film makers can achieve with today’s technology, but as you watch it you realize this chase is completely real. No CGI, no bull crap.

There’s nothing I can say about McQueen that hasn’t been said before. Frankly, I find a lot of similarities between how McQueen played this role and how Craig played his role in “Layer Cake.� Both actors trust themselves to live in the moment and not fill every scene with constant movement or conversation. No doubt, this film turned me into a McQueen fan and the TiVo will be on the look out for other McQueen films.

The story itself is rather simple – a San Francisco lieutenant becomes obsessed with finding the man who murdered the witness in his charge. Pretty basic, no major twists and turns. What’s remarkable about the script is how silent it is at times. There are huge swaths of the film that lack dialogue, relying on the physical ability of the actors to pull off each scene, which they all do nicely.

With that dialogue also comes a lot of silence, which is unusual by today’s film making standards. Music doesn’t permeate this film, rather it’s used selectively and not constantly like you would find today. Honestly, it’s a bit of an adjustment for this modern film watcher, but it certain doesn’t distract from the enjoyment of the film. It’s just different and often times different is good.

Like I said, the movie is a product of its time and as a result there’s one very unintentionally humorous seen in the film. In the second act we’re back at the police station as a bunch of detectives and cops stand around waiting for a fax or I guess it must be a telex to come in with information that will help their investigation. It’s a giant machine that makes lots of noise and sound, but does absolutely nothing visually. For what feels like 45 seconds we have a bunch of cops standing around this machine, watching it make noise with absolutely no comment from anyone. At the time this was very high tech and probably an amazing scene to watch (“Wow, look at how fast that fax must have come in!�), but now it’s just hilarious. How far we’ve come.

Three very different films, all very enjoyable. I’ve got a number of other films on the TiVo to watch in the coming week. If I’ve got time, I’ll post my thoughts here.

There’s a new documentary coming out in June I’m really looking forward to. “Who Killed The Electric Car?” is a new film that looks at why GM’s EVI electric vehicle was scuttled. Here’s a description from the Web site:

It was among the fastest, most efficient production cars ever built. It ran on electricity, produced no emissions and catapulted American technology to the forefront of the automotive industry. The lucky few who drove it never wanted to give it up. So why did General Motors crush its fleet of EV1 electric vehicles in the Arizona desert?

Back when I worked in radio, arrangements were made to have my host and I test drive the car for a few days. The host lived unbelievably far away from our Korea Town studios, so he didn’t end up taking it home with him, which meant I got two spend 48 hours with the EV1 and I can honestly say I’ve never had more fun driving a car since. I’ve driven Porsches, Corvettes, even a Ferrari, and none of those cars matched the experience I had with the EV1.

The EV1 was fast. Really quite fast. It was so fast that if you hit the accelerator, the wheels would spin and your tires would screech. It was very zippy, getting you around LA traffic with ease. The dashboard was something out of “Star Trek,” running the entire width of the car. You didn’t have to use a key — you could simply punch in a code to unlock the car and start it. If you were parked at one of the many electric vehicle charging stations in Los Angeles, you could “gas” up your car for free and the neat thing was, while it was connected to the charger, you could leave the A/C on inside the car to keep it cool in the Southern California heat. This was a big deal considering the A/C used up a lot of current. This way, when you got in your car, you didn’t have to use a lot of battery power to cool the interior off.

The car got looks like you wouldn’t believe. It may not have been as flashy looking as a Ferarri, but peoples interest was piqued by the uniqueness of the car. I drove around in that thing a lot and had probably 10 people in two days ask me questions about it. They’d roll down their windows or stop me in the parking lot to ask questions. Everyone would ask, “Is it on?” It was so quiet that you actually had to install a beeping sound to signal to people you were backing up. I even had one car full of teenagers waving their arms frantically at me while driving down the 101. That was weird.

The car handled beautifully, hugging turns real tight. At the time I was driving a 1994 Ford Mustang GT and the EV1 easily outperformed my Mustang in every way, unless you wanted to drive 130 mph. The car had a governor that topped out at 85, but that’s OK. Never bothered me.

Yes, there was the drawback that you could only get about 130 miles to a charge, but if you needed to drive to San Diego or Las Vegas, simply rent a convertible for a fun drive. That being said, most people who owned an EV1 admitted they had a second gas vehicle, but mostly drove the EV1. And really, how many of you out there drive more than 130 miles a day? And if you did, no biggie – the portable charger that came with the car could be hooked up at your work and you could get yourself another 20 or 30 miles, probably. And it maybe cost $.25 cents a day to charge fully.

It was a great car. It’s a major shame GM scuttled the line. Yes, it was expensive to produce. It was years ahead of its time and really only appealed to a niche group of drivers back then. Today, this car would be radically popular.

I’m really looking forward to this film.

I’ve been looking forward to this movie for a while now. My expectations were very high. I’ve tried to see it once before tonight, only to find the showing sold out. My anticipation grew even more. I was certain that I’d end up disappointed with expectations that high, but you know what? They weren’t. “Walk the Line” is a great, great movie.

I really don’t have a lot to say about this movie other than it was thoroughly satisfying for me. The last film I saw was “Good Night, And Good Luck,” which I enjoyed, but it was one of those movies where my expectations were super high and the film didn’t meet all of them. It’s good, but it’s not Johnny Cash good. The performances are great. The writing is great. The directing is great. It’s all great. What’s really great about the film is that you don’t have to be a Johnny Cash fan to enjoy it. His is such a compelling journey that you can’t help but become engrossed in it.

I hope one thing that comes as a result of this film is more people get a little Johnny Cash in their lives. It’s a worthy addition.

Is Bill Murray one of the greatest actors in American Cinema history? Sure, for most of his career he’s not been a celebrated dramatic actor, but if you look at the movies he’s made, there’s this interesting trend where every five to ten years he makes a film that just ingrains itself into the psyche of film goers for a long, long time.

It all probably really started in 1979 with “Meatballs.” I admit, I don’t recall this movie very well– having last seen it when I was 8 years old– but I remember enjoying the hell out of it at the time. I wonder if it holds up?

The next long-lasting classic from Murray was 1980′s “Caddyshack.” I’ve never seen this movie. Will have to have the TiVo search to see if it’s on anytime soon.

His career was very hot early on, as we see in 1981 when Murray lead the cast of “Stripes,” which is a film that does hold up over time. Classic stuff. The formation drill at the end is wonderful.

In 1982, Murray took a supporting role in one of my favorite comedies of all time, “Tootsie.” He played Dustin Hoffman’s roommate and was delightfully bizarre in the role.

1984 is one of the many golden years for Murray as he stars in “Ghostbusters,” which marks the third time Murray worked with director Ivan Reitman (the first time was “Meatballs,” number two was “Stripes”). This film was so fun and had such a huge impact on pop culture that his performance in this film could have been his peak, but he eclipsed this film with a handful of performances later on in his career. But, without a doubt, this is a very high point in Murray’s career.

“Little Shop of Horrors” in 1986 saw Murray take on a supporting role once again. I haven’t seen this film in years and really don’t remember enjoying it. Some people go nuts for this film. I’m not one of them.

1988 saw Murray in “Scrooged” and 1989 saw him reprise his most famous role up until this point. Dr. Peter Venkman, in “Ghostbusters 2.” While both films are worth mentioning because they were generally well received, neither is really all that good. I’ve never been able to sit all the way through “Scrooged” and “Ghostbusters 2″ isn’t as good as its predecessor.

1991 saw Murray’s next hit, “What About Bob?” Now, the first time I saw this movie in theaters I loathed it. I thought it might have been one of the dumbest movies I ever saw. But then, once the movie starting being played constantly on basic cable, something happened. My feelings on the film changed dramatically. And each time I watch a scene from it, I end up enjoying good ol’ Bob Wiley that much more. There’s something very odd, but satisfying, about “What about Bob?”

Now, remember how I said the role of Dr. Peter Venkman in “Ghostbusters” could have been the high point in Murray’s career had it not been for a handful of other roles in his career? Well, 1993 saw Murray team-up with his long time collaborator Harold Ramis once again in the classic film “Groundhog Day.” This is definitely one of my favorite films of all time and another golden moment in Murray’s career. The performance he gives as Phil Connors is pure brilliance. While at first glance people could consider this film just silly comedy, there’s some amazing stuff explored in this film as Phil travels emotions from shock and fear, psychotic and suicidal, and then to master ninja when he finally figures out what life is all about. The movie has a deep dark side that’s absolutely the high point. This is one of the few movies I can watch over and over again from the beginning and I never get bored. Brilliant.

1993 through 2003 is a mixed bag of films for Murray. No classics, a few good ones and a few bad. 1993′s “Mad Dog & Glory” is just bad, while 1994′s “Ed Wood” is good. 1996′s “Kingpin” is a bizarre film that not everyone will enjoy (I did!), while 1998′s “Rushmore” received quite a bit of critical acclaim (I never saw it). From what I understand, “Rushmore” showed a different side of Murray’s acting career that we’d really not seen up until then and it paved the way for other, more dramatic roles down the way. 2001′s “The Royal Tennenbaum’s” is the only other film during this period of film making worth mentioning.

2003 saw Murray take on his most challenging role as Bob Harris in the Sofia Coppola written & directed film “Lost in Translation,” for which Murray received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor (ultimately loosing to Sean Penn, blech!). I loved this film. Murray plays a man desperately lost in a strange land who finds in a much younger woman a soulful connection that he can’t act upon. It’s really a very sad, but powerful story. And forever I will remember, ” For relaxing times, make it Suntory time.” This is the third golde age for Murray. This role, along with his performances in “Groundhog Day” and “Ghostbusters” will forever ensure that Murray is never forgotten as an actor.

So there you have it. I don’t know exactly what struck me to write this examination of his career, but I guess it was needed. Murray’s been hitting them out of the park for almost 30 years now. It’s worth being reminded of that.

Around the time the film “Super Size Me” was the talk of the talk show circuit/grocery magazine/every other form of media you can think of, I saw the writer/director/guinea pig Morgan Spurlock interviewed. I believe it was “The Daily Show,” but I could be wrong. Anyway the interview was less than impressive and I decided I disliked Spurlock. He bugged me for some unknown reason. As a result, I never saw “Super Size Me.”

Sunday afternoon I was looking for movies to record on my TiVo and decided to record that night’s showing of “Super Size Me.” I’m glad I did. Not only is it a very enjoyable film, but it’s a rather well made little documentary. And you end up really liking Morgan Spurlock. Maybe not so much his vegan girlfriend, but that’s OK.

My recent decision to eat healthier and maintain a more active lifestyle may have colored my favorable impression of the film, but it makes a very strong and well reasoned argument for why healthy living is something we should all embrace. The medical effects this truly awful diet had on Spurlock is proof enough. And hell, even McDonalds admits their food is shit for you. Ever their salads, although I imagine regardless eating one of their salads is better than the McNugget chicken paste you could order..

I admit I’m not quite there on the eating healthy deal yet, though. While I no longer eat fast food 10 – 15 times a week (that’s the truth), I still probably eat it 3 times a week and that’s gotta come down. I am eating more home cooked meals, more salads and better snacks (less candy, more Cliff bars and the like). It’s basically a work in progress.

“Super Size Me” does help kick that work in progress into overdrive a bit. Hopefully it has a similar effect on everyone else who sees it. I’m afriad, though, that most people who see this film are the choir and all the preaching in the world isn’t going to change the minds of people who already share your same opinion. I’m glad I watched the film, though. I really was suffering from a case of “prejudice prior to investigation” and that’s not cool.

During my recent trip to London I finally picked up a DVD copy of the BBC series “State of Play.â€? It’s a phenomenal series, possibly the best I’ve ever seen on television, but this isn’t a review of “State of Play.â€? One of the supporting members of that cast was a newspaper Editor-In-Chief played by the wonderfully talented Bill Nighy. Apparently because of his performance in “State of Playâ€? he’s suddenly found himself in far more American productions than ever before, including a part in “The Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxyâ€? as well as the next “Pirates of the Carribean film.â€?

Nighy’s most recent performance can be found in the HBO Films movie that debuted recently called “The Girl in the Cafe.â€? The film also finds one of his “State of Playâ€? co-stars, the terribly cute Kelly Macdonald, sharing the spotlight. This is definitely a film worth watching.

“The Girl in the Cafeâ€? is a romance about and the most unusual bringing together of two most unusual people. It’s the kind of romantic film that gets you to believe there really is that perfect someone out there for you and on rare occasions they do end up together. Bill Nighy plays an crucially important finance minister of sorts as he prepares for the coming G8 conference. He lives a terribly solitary existence that generally finds his nose buried deep inside finance books and government documents. One day he meets a girl, totally by chance, in a cafe, played by Kelly Macdonald. An unlikely pairing begins, but it doesn’t happen overnight.

The key to this film is the performances by Nighy and Macdonald, a most unlikely pairing that seemingly works thanks to the skill of the actors. Nighy is the true treat, here. Where in “State of Play� he was an intelligent and highly-confident Editor-In-Chief with a load of quirky mannerisms, in “The Girl in the Cafe� he plays an intelligent finance minister with a load of quirky mannerisms who completely lacks confidence in his social life. The love affair that takes place between Nighy and Macdonald can be agonizingly slow (in a good way), but watching these two actors struggle through their own insecurities is heart warmining.

Half the film takes place in Iceland, the location of the fitional G8 conference, which is where the director gets a chance to spread his wings a bit. It seems any time a film takes place in Iceland (“Batman Begins� had a good 10-20 minutes of footage from the tiny island nation) immediately benefits from the the incredible beauty the counrty affords a film maker. The scenes of the motorcade going from the airport to the hotel are just breathtaking. Gotta visit that country one day.

I’ll warn the more conservative and politically motivated readers out there that this film wears its politics proudly on its sleeve. Nighy’s a finance minister for the British government who desperately wants to see his country make some progress with African famine and poverty But while the politics are an important backdrop in the story, it’s secondary to the personalities that Nighy and Macdonald inhabit. I can’t imagine even the most conservative viewer not enjoying the masterful performance of Bill Nighy.

The film is written by Richard Curtis, who also wrote “Four Weddings & A Funeral,â€? “Notting Hillâ€? and “Love Actually,â€? a man who knows how to write a more mature, realistic romantic film than most of what you find coming out of Hollywood these days. The “State of Playâ€? reunion tri-fecta is finished off by director David Yates, who won numerous awards for his work on the previously mentioned “State of Play.â€? Yates is set direct the next “Harry Potterâ€? film and we’re all better off as a result.

If you’re looking for an unusual romantic film with top notch acting, directing and writing, then fire up your TiVo or other DVR and schedule it to record an upcoming showing of “The Girl in the Cafe.â€?