Kinda Obsessed: Third Week of June

THE CAST OF GET SMART

I can’t remember the last time a trailer so undersold a film. Although I liked Get Smart’s pleasant preview, I was not prepared to laugh nearly as much as I did. Get Smart is a great surprise; it’s like if every joke in Austin Powers was deadpan. And what makes it work so well is the perfect casting: Steve Carell convinced me once again just how versatile he is. His Maxwell Smart isn’t a variation on Michael Scott; he’s his own silly but more-competent-than-meets-the-eyes character and he delivers every line with a straight-faced glee. Anne Hathaway is, more or less, in an eye candy role, but she shows off her comic timing almost as much as she shows off her more tangible assets. My favorite surprise was Alan Arkin, who pulled off some of the film’s best physical comedy and turned an underwritten role into a manic, watch-me-now delight. Even James Caan, playing a variation on George W. Bush, had me cackling along with the rest of the audience (especially because it was, perhaps, the most believable portrayal of Bush we’ve seen on screen.) Get Smart put together an amazing team and I will be first in line to see them reunite for the inevitable sequel.

“MY DRIVE-THRU" BY PHARRELL, SANTOGOLD, AND JULIAN CASABLANCAS
In a world where a gorgeously shot iPod commercial can help make “Viva la Vida” the song of the summer, I guess it’s no surprise that the best work Pharell has done of late is this promotional single for Converse. The new N.E.R.D. album is certainly competent, but the Pharrell seems to hit his stride when putting projects together for other vocalists and his bells-and-whistles dance floor beat is a keeper. Tossing in verses from personal favorite Santogold and Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas, it’s enough to make the most jaded indie kid get his Chuck-Taylor-covered toes tapping. Download it for free at Converse.com.

BIGGER STRONGER FASTER
I’m still surprised at just how little buzz this Sundance hit has generated in theaters; I’m crossing my fingers in hopes that it finds an audience on DVD. Chris Bell’s investigation into American steroid use is one of the most thorough documentaries I’ve ever seen. Not only does he get footage from seemingly every single authority on the subject, but his interviews are hard-hitting without delving into Michael Moore-style sloppy “journalism.” Bell’s brothers are both steroid users and Bell himself tried steroids but couldn’t stand the guilt. He deconstructs the myth of steroids—the physical damages of the drug are often overplayed—while holding fast to his personal moral compass. What makes this doc stand out is the way that, like any doc with a intriguing thesis, he investigates his topic as a cultural cause and effect. How much is steroid use—the ingrained competitive desire to be the biggest, strongest, and fastest—a symptom and a signpost of American life?

“FOREVER” BY CHRIS BROWN
I was blow away by his performance at the VMAs* last year in which he seemed to give gravity and other laws of physics a big middle finger, but I never thought I’d actually like one of his songs. Well, here I am, the latest victim to the forces controlling Chris Brown’s mega-stardom. His latest single, available only on a special release of his album, Exclusive—anyone think he should just call the special edition Even Exclusiver?—is the kind of song that makes those second coming of MJ prophesies seem like legitimate threats. The kid’s voice is adequate, but the production is a stunner. Enough classic R&B groove to feel retro, enough Timbaland-style drum-machine fun to be current, enough “dance floor”-referencing lyrics to remind you it’s danceable. Although I have no idea what “double your pleasure, double your fun” is supposed to mean in this context (are his dancing skills slowing time down by a factor of .5?) I can’t help but enjoy the song.
*the minstrel show theme, too, was obviously a statement on race in Hollywood. I mean, obviously.

10 Best Pop Culture Love Stories of the Last 10 Years

Three weeks later and I still find myself reflecting on the Lost finale, but not necessarily because of the episode’s most intriguing moments, such as the frozen donkey wheel(!). No, it was the happy ending—for now—of the time-spanning, time-jumping love story between Desmond and Penelope whose reunion was a teary conclusion to the events in the season’s earlier, insta-classic episode “The Constant.” The perfect execution of this love story (actually, considering Ben’s promise to Widmore, execution may be the next step) got me thinking about other great love stories pop culture has given us in the past 10 years. Lo and behold, I decided to make a list of them. I did have some criteria: it had to be romantic and reciprocal love, therefore nothing between a female boxer and her father figure trainer, a Southern pimp and rap music, or a boy and an intergalactic robot (sorry, Iron Giant). Also, it had to be about falling in love, so nothing where we watch an in-progress relationship…progress. Nothing based on true stories either: Walk the Line is a somberly redemptive love story but only because the actual Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash made it that way. Same for A Beautiful Mind.

I narrowed it down to 10. (Good try, Notting Hill, but you just missed the cut. You were just a movie, standing in front of a blogger, asking him to include you.) I feel pretty good about this list, which highlights TV, film, and books. There’s great acting and fantastic star chemistry here, as well as superb writing and nuanced direction. And one of these even spawned the cutest real life couple ever.

And no, I didn’t include The Notebook.

1998
Out of Sight: Jack Foley and Karen Sisco
Played by George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez; directed by Steven Soderbergh; written by Scott Frank based on the book by Elmore Leonard
You don’t get much more “other side of the tracks” than escaped prison inmate and U.S. Marshall, but Foley and Sisco are a match made in a car trunk. As they’re stuffed together in the back of the Ving Rhames-driven getaway car, Sisco and Foley talk about movies and other minutia. But every line crackles and the heat between them remains, even as she chases him across the country waiting to “tussle.” Without giving away the (sublime) ending, I’ll say that Karen never backs down from her duties but won’t let go of Jack either. It’s also Lopez and Clooney at their best.

Shakespeare in Love: Shakespeare and Viola
Played by Joseph Fiennes and Gwyneth Paltrow; directed by Joel Madden; written by Tom Stoppard and Marc Norman
Talk about setting a high bar for itself: the bet at the heart of Shakespeare in Love’s plot is whether or not a play can convey the true nature of love. The writer prepares Romeo and Juliet (decidely not a pirate’s daughter) and his inspiration for the wrenching, elegant, profound words are his own self discovery in the presence—and bed—of Viola. A beautiful love story which illustrates the majestic power of words (as well as the awesome relief of unbinding a female thespian's breasts).

2001
Shrek: Shrek and Fiona
Voiced by Mike Myers and Cameron Diaz; directed by Andrew Adamson; written by 7 different guys based on the book by William Steig
Shrek is more of a love story than anything Kate Hudson has even been in, even if it’s seemingly a laugh-driven family film. Shrek and Fiona’s journey through the forest is really a series of developing flirtations and dashed expectations. (Who knew princesses could bicycle kick?) And with a barrel of wit, they expose the Beauty and the Beast myth—once he's beautiful, it's happily ever after—by undermining it: once they're happy together, they're beautiful.

2002
Atonement (book): Robbie Turner and Cecelia Tallis
Written by Ian McEwan
I once recommended to a friend that she should read Atonement. Several days later, I had a voice mail when I got off work. Through her sobs, I could make out the words, “I just finished Atonement.” Yeah, it’s that kind of love story. Robbie and Cecelia’s courtship isn’t strikingly original at the outset—he’s a worker at her upper crust family’s summer house—but the layers (and layers and layers) of their psyches are pulled back, for the reader and for each other, and we see how desperately these two need one another in order make sense of their lives. Cecelia knows that, to Robbie, she is home which is why her desperate plea is always, “Come back to me.”

2003
The Office (UK): Tim and Dawn
Played by Martin Freeman and Lucy Davis from 2001-2003; all episodes written and directed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant
All in all, this courtship was just inter-office flirting that culminated—in the Christmas special—with the one of the sweetest Christmas gifts ever. But what flirting it was! Tim and Dawn shared pranks, verbal cues, and stolen looks, letting the audience know that their best friendship was eating both of them alive. While we never really got to see the payoff, it’s impossible to argue that we didn’t watch these two fall in love for two seasons (and a Christmas special.) I just hope they show up together at Jim and Pam’s inevtiable wedding (as those British friends they’ve always neglected to mention.)

2004
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: Joel and Clementine
Played by Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet; directed by Michel Gondry; screenplay by Charlie Kaufman
Most romances in which the couple spends the film bitterly psychoanalyzing each other star, oh say, Katherine Hepburn and there’s always a scene were a bunch of sly bickering leads to a passionate kiss. Sunshine’s bitter psychoanalyzing, however, contains all-too-human defensive attacks and attempts at redemption which, in the end, proves that the relationship is worth saving. After they’ve erased everything they had together, they have the chance to start over and screw it up again. But you know that they’ll screw it up right this time.

The Time Traveler’s Wife: Henry and Clare
Written by Audrey Niffenegger
If you haven’t read the book, please do so now. If you’re hesitant, here’s my argument: Henry suffers from a disease in which he lives non-chronologically. In other words, he inadvertently bounces around in time. His messy life becomes an unbelievable blessing when it intertwines with that of Clare, whom he meets when she’s just a little girl in a field. (Well, he’ll meet her other times, too.) Their love story is unique, playful, tragic and it nearly redefines the word “commitment” as it post-modernizes romance. Don't eff this up, Robert Schwentke.

2005
The Constant Gardener: Justin and Tessa Quayle
Played by Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz; directed by Fernando Meirelles; written by Jeffrey Caine based on the book by John le Carre
I’ll ruin it now: she dies. The film begins, however, with him identifying the remains. Weisz and Fiennes have incredible chemistry and both of them give Oscar-worthy performances. (Oh yeah, she won.) His love for her is immediately easy to buy: she’s gorgeous, young, idealistic, and brings him out of his shell. It’s her love for him that's slow-building and surprising, but the actress and the writer reveal it with exquisite, heart-wrenching beauty. His decency and intellectualism are the potential she sees; his passion and determination to save the innocent is the gift that her love—and her death—offer.

2007
Once: Boy and Girl
Played by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova; written and directed by John Carney
You think I’m breaking my own rule because the love is supposed to be romantic. You’re kidding yourself, then, if you don’t accept that Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova’s working class Dubliners—for whom music is the only true form of communication—have found their true love in one another. While the relationship never gets intimate—despite the Boy’s efforts—you need only hear one verse of their duets to discover two souls intricately linked. His gesture at the end, too, is one of love just as hers is one of sacrifice. And in case you really hate that they don’t end up together, note this: at least they’re dating in real life.

2008
Lost: Desmond and Penelope
Played by Henry Ian Cusack and Sonya Walger; executive producers: Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof
To be honest, it didn’t seem that special at first. When we were first clued in to the Desmond/Penny love story at the end of the season 2, it seemed to be more about plot than emotion. But a funny thing happened on the way to the island: through flashbacks, videophones, and a time-shattering disease not unlike Henry’s above, we watched Desmond and Penny fall in love, fall out, and then reach back toward each other. They have become the show’s real symbol of love, not Kate and Sawyer or Kate and Jack (or Rose and Bernard.) Their reunion in the finale was an unexpected thrill as Desmond and Penny said each other’s names in single, tearful breaths.

I know I had to ignore several love stories. And there’s even more I don’t know about (I can only watch so much TV.) So fill me in and we can get this list to 15.

Trailer: "Death Race"

Sitting at work on a Sunday and felt obligated to expose you to the beauty of the trailer for Death Race. There are several elements of this trailer that make me want to see it opening weekend (with my brother, of course.) One is that the trailer starts with the badass presence of...Joan Allen. I love it. I can see the meeting she had with her manager where she stood up at the table--in a navy skirt suit--and went, "Hellz yeah I gonna do Nixon and The Crucible, spice it up with the Bourne franchise and cap it off with Death Race. Whateva, whateva, I do what I want." OK, that probably didn't happen, but it's fun to pretend.

I also love that a British guy was both a Nascar driver and in an American prison. I know it's possible, but I still laughed. I love that all the women from the women's prison are, of course, hot sassy supermodel types. Maybe they were all busted from the same prostitution ring...although I find it difficult to believe that prostitution is illegal in a future in which the country tunes in to watch inmates kill each other with cars and apparently considers it a sport*. I love that the trailer just happens to give away two seemingly major plot twists, although I'm guessing the plot is what the filmmakers called "the stuff between the car battles." I love that half the cars have devices that may very well be items and weapons Wile. E. Coyote bought from Acme at some point. I love that Ian McShane tries really hard to sell the line "I guess he didn't like the oatmeal" but knows it's futile. I love that Jason Statham is now a genre, not just an actor**. I love that even the release date is accompanied by a blood splatter.

I will be setting $14 aside now to catch this one on August {splatter} 22.

*I guess if Nascar's a sport...
**I just moved The Transporter to the top of my Netflix queue because while delivering a package to set the other day, I realized that The Transporter probably translates to Kickass Courier in some countries. FedEx really should have gotten on that instead of Cast Away. Jason Statham would have delivered all those packages from the island using only a very precise rocket launcher: his arm. (Is he the new Chuck Norris?)

Emmy, Please Don't Forget...

I planned to write this list before Popwatch encouraged me to, just for the record. After last year’s bizarre Emmys-in-the-round, with winners seemingly pulled from a hat (I’m still bitter that James Spader beat James Gandolfini), maybe they can redeem themselves this year by taking a long look at worthy performances that might be on struggling shows, un-buzzy networks, or stuck in such a dynamic ensemble, that it’s difficult to single out. There are plenty of incredible performances that the Emmys don’t neglect, so I’m not too worried about everyone on 30 Rock, Mad Men, or Lost’s Michael Emerson.

So, as Emmy votes start to get their nomination ballots in orders, I’m throwing this plea out into cyberspace: Please don’t forget about the following:

Ginnifer Goodwin (Big Love) for Best Actress in a Drama
Goodwin pulled off a helluva feat: while urging her husband to pursue a fourth wife, she came off as sensible and loving. She gracefully balanced Margene’s petulance and family-focused idealism and revealed the many layers of a character who once seemed to naïve for her own good. The third wife has pushed her way into the prime position.

Adhir Kalyan (Aliens in America) for Best Actor in a Comedy
As foreign exchange student Raja, Kalyan has, over the course of the first (and only) season, developed one of the best senses of comic timing on television. When his sweet, foreign earnestness gives way to the mania and frustration of teendom, Kalyan creates laugh-out-loud moments with his grand gestures and expressive eyes. And yet it never feels like he’s chewing the scenery.


Kerri Kenney-Silver (Reno 911!) for Best Actress in a Comedy
The fact that she’s improvised most of her best lines should be reason enough, but you could add the fact that Kenney-Silver’s portrayal of the completely hopeless—and useless—Deputy Trudy Weigel is one brave, unrelenting commitment to character, whether she’s topless and pregnant and hurtling down a crowded street stuck in a giant cake or, later, trying to sell that baby on the black market.

Vincent Kartheiser (Mad Men) for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama
Although Mad Men has been (rightfully) soaking up critical praise, I can see Jon Hamm being the only player in the cast to get any awards attention. Kartheiser, though, does the most nuanced acting on the show, letting man-boy Pete’s fractured ego steer the character’s misguided attempts at machoism. He even sips his Tom Collins as if he’s trying to impress, but with the broken spirit of a man who knows what everyone else thinks about him.

Kristen Wiig (SNL) for Outstanding Performance in a Variety or Musical Show
Maybe I’m being generous, but I feel like SNL has had a fairly strong season this year (see: Tina Fey and Ellen Page episodes.) I’m pretty sure I’d be singing a different tune, though, if it weren’t for Kristen Wiig. She turns every single skit into a showcase for her comic range. Just kidding. No, seriously though, rather than having a fallback character or style like so many SNL-ers in the past, she can take on any role—balloonist, Suze Orman, surprise party enthusiast—and make it feel like the centerpiece in a whole new franchise.



Tyler Labine (Reaper) for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy
Ray Wise may be great as the devil, but it’s Tyler Labine who has the good time as Sock, the titular Reaper’s best pal. His delivery is always sharp; he’s like a toned-down Matthew Perry in a Jack Black bodysuit. But he also manages to often be the heart of the show. He’s one of the only actors on television that can deliver packaged life lessons with believable conviction and still come off as the funniest one on screen. Hopefully, there’s some awards in his future for the reaping.

Judy Greer (Miss Guided) for Best Actress in a Comedy
Yeah, it only lasted 8 episodes and it got by on charm more than anything, but Miss Guided was (finally) the vehicle that let America (or the fraction of America that tuned in to Miss Guided) see what a fresh, goofy, relatable actress Greer is. She played well with both the students and teachers in this high school-set comedy, using her penchants for physical comedy and humiliation gags to squeeze carefree laughs out of uncomfortable situations. Just watch her sing “Don Cha” in the bushes at prom.


Jeffrey Donovan (Burn Notice) for Best Actor in a Comedy
My guess is that USA will probably push Donovan in the Drama category which would be a big mistake, since his debonair wit is usually at the front and center of his scenes. Whether resisting torture or blowing up a coke kingpin’s yacht, he always delivers with a smirk, letting his colleagues—and the audience—in on the secret that Michael Westin, ex-spy, is having a whole lot of fun. He’s already got a big role in the next Eastwood movie; I hope his career continues to explode—like a illegal arms dealer’s black market helicopter—as long as it means he won’t be leaving Burn Notice for at least 7 seasons.

Rhys Darby (Flight of the Conchords) for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy
He had me at, “G’day, mate.” Actually, I think the first thing he did was take attendance as Murray, the Flight of the Conchords’ incompetent, idealistic band manager. Darby is the bouncy ying to the Conchords’ droll yang and his (often) smiling/bewildered presence is the heart of the show. Also, he can deliver a “dimwit line” brilliantly.

Kyle Chandler, Connie Britton, and everyone having anything to do with Friday Night Lights
Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton do the best acting on television. I’m thisclose to believing that that is an inarguable fact. Subtle and lived-in, the two of them go through the emotional roller coaster of marriage and parenthood using just their eyes and body language. It’s near impossible to imagine that they’re not a couple in real life—in fact, I refuse to do so—so natural and intimate are their performances. But why stop there? Adrianne Palicki, Aimee Teegarden, Liz Mikel, Brad Leland, Gaius Charles, and even Taylor Kitsch deliver performances that are so…real, it feels like you’re watching a documentary at times. Any nomination for this show would thrill me, though, as it continues to be one of the most underappreciated shows on television.



So, who are your picks for dream Emmy noms?