I'm an expat Californian who is obsessed with traveling to strange and exotic destinations in the former Communist Bloc. I also like tacos, beer, surfing, trapshooting, and the geopolitics of oil. I currently live in Arlington, Virginia and work in Washington, DC. Read more about me here, check out my photo album, or send me an e-mail.
I saw the new Bond movie, Quantum of Solace, on Friday night. I thought Casino Royale was better, as this plot was a little “meh”. Also, tried to paint the oil industry as evil, again. Not cool. Nevertheless, the movie is entertaining as it contained plenty of fighting, explosions, and Daniel Craig.
However, while discussing the movie over burgers at Urban Burger in Rockville (so good) the next day, I was shocked to discover that Olga does not think Daniel Craig is hot. WTF? I told her she was crazy, but I’m pretty sure she thinks the same of me. I really can’t trust her judgment, though, as I’m pretty sure she has some sort of crush on Sean Connery, who is, like, 78 years old.
There Will Be Blood becomes more loquacious as it progresses, however, culminating in a histrionic monologue in which Plainview explains the concept of “drainage”— the way oil under a given piece of land can be drawn out by the wells on surrounding lots — by likening it to two milk shakes connected by a single long straw. There are lines in that sequence so instantly quotable that I suggest to Anderson it’s not long before they start appearing on T-shirts for sale in those Hollywood Boulevard novelty shops.
“I must admit to you where that came from,” Anderson says giddily, noting that the eccentric metaphor comes straight from the congressional transcripts of the 1920s “Teapot Dome” scandal, in which New Mexico Republican Senator Albert Fall was convicted of accepting bribes for the oil-drilling rights to public lands in California and Wyoming from several oil-industry fat cats (including Edward Doheny).
“I think it was Albert Fall, who was asked to describe drainage before Congress,” Anderson continues. “And his way of describing it was, ‘If you have a milk shake and I have a milk shake, and my straw reaches across the room…’ I’m sure I embellished it and changed it around and made it more Plainview. But Fall used the word ‘milk shake,’ and I thought it was so great. It was mad to see that word among all this official testimony and terminology — a fucking milk shake. I get so happy every time I hear that word.”
Yeah, I also get really happy whenever I hear that word. And now I also think of oil reservoirs.
Jason Bateman has just confirmed to me that the creative minds behind Arrested Development (Mitch Hurwitz and Ron Howard) have put the wheels in motion toward a major motion picture of the Fox TV comedy so many of us adore. I’m told by insiders that Jason and other Bluth family members have received calls from producers (Hurwitz and Howard) asking if they would be willing to shoot a movie.
“I can confirm that a round of sniffing has started,” Bateman says. “Any talk is targeting a poststrike situation, of course. I think, as always, that it’s a question of whether the people with the money are willing to give our leader, Mitch Hurwitz, what he deserves for his participation. And I can speak for the cast when I say our fingers are crossed.”
If you’ve never seen the TV show you must run to your nearest Best Buy and purchase the DVD set IMMEDIATELY. You can thank me after you’ve watched the entire thing in one sitting.
Lucille: I bought it using the new unfrozen stock as soon as I received the memo.
Michael Bluth: You mean, the memo that specifically told you not to sell?
Lucille: Did it say that? I stopped after “unfrozen.”
“Paul Thomas Anderson becomes California’s certified cinematic poet laureate with “There Will Be Blood,” his masterful account of the state’s oil boom at the turn of the century.” – WP
There Will Be Blood opened at the E Street Theatre here in DC, and I had a chance to see it over the weekend (and no, I didn’t dress up – left the Halliburton costume at home). After watching it, my first thought was I gotta see that again. Yes, TWBB was that good. I was blown away by Daniel Day-Lewis’ portrayal of oilman Daniel Plainview. Seriously, give that man an Oscar.
My brother, a film student at CSU Northridge, saw a screening of TWBB a few months ago, followed by a Q&A with PT Anderson and Daniel Day-Lewis. (Apparently, when you study film in college, you watch movies all day and never have to write papers on the collapse of the ruble, or whatever. Not that I’m jealous or anything.) He declared it a masterpiece, and I couldn’t agree more. I don’t recall the last movie that I enjoyed this much (granted, I may be a bit biased considering this film involves two of my favorite subjects: OIL and the Great State of CALIFORNIA) but nothing I write can really do this film justice. Just go see it.
Here’s another movie to watch this holiday season (after you’ve seen There Will Be Blood, of course):
Charlie Wilson’s War is based on George Crile’s book of the same name, which details the exploits of Congressman Charlie Wilson, a man who, in between cavorting in hot tubs with strippers and doing lines of coke, occasionally dragged himself to the Capitol building to represent the Texas 2nd Congressional District. While Wilson was liberal on many social issues, he was a hawk when it came to foreign policy, and a huge supporter of the Afghan Mujahideen, who were then struggling to expel the Soviet Army from Afghanistan. Wilson used his position on the Defense Appropriations subcommittee to funnel millions of dollars to the CIA, which in turn provided the Afghan Muj with training and weapons, including, most importantly, Stinger missiles to bring down the feared Mi-24 Hind gunship.
I read Crile’s book about four years ago and really enjoyed it, although by the end I wanted to throw it against the wall, as I was so disgusted that multi-million dollar covert operations that changed the course of history (some for the better, and some for the worse) were basically spearheaded by a drunken Congressman and right-wing Houston socialite. Seriously. Read the book. Maybe then you will conclude, as I did, that we shouldn’t let Texans make any foreign policy decisions whatsoever.
Or, if you’d rather not read the 500 pages, you could just see the movie, which stars Tom Hanks as Charlie Wilson, Julia Roberts as Joanne Herring, the aforementioned wealthy Houston socialite, and Philip Seymour Hoffman as Gust Avrakotos, the profane CIA agent in charge of the Afghan operation.
When they first announced Hanks in the role of Wilson, my first reaction was “WTF?” Hanks is a solid actor, for sure, but I couldn’t really see him playing this gregarious Congressman from Texas. He seems to play the character well from what we’ve seen in the trailer, though, so whatever. I’m not really sold on Julia Roberts as Herring, but Julia Roberts annoys me anyways. And the screenplay? Written by the godly Aaron Sorkin of A Few Good Men and West Wing fame (we’ll forgive him for Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip).
Charlie Wilson’s War opens Christmas Day, and what better way to spend Christmas Day than by watching a movie with tons of gunfire and explosions?
Saw “3:10 to Yuma” last night…great movie. “There Will Be Blood”, P.T. Anderson’s upcoming film that I am reeeeeally looking forward to, was one of the trailers. It looks quite brilliant.
While the rest of America drools over the Spiderman 3 and Simpsons trailers (whatev), I’ve been tracking the progress of P.T. Anderson’s (Boogie Nights, Punch Drunk Love) latest film, “There Will Be Blood.” Slated to open in October/November 2007 (gawwdaaamn so far away), “There Will Be Blood” is loosely adapted from Upton Sinclair’s 1927 novel, “Oil!”
I had never heard of this novel until a few years ago when – randomly bored and in search of something to read that had nothing to do with Russia – I raided my brother’s bookshelf for some literature. When I came across “Oil!”, I was like, hey, a book about my two favorite topics – oil and California! The novel focuses on “Bunny” Ross, a young man who is increasingly torn between a sense of loyalty to his oil baron father and his growing sympathy with the striking workers in his father’s SoCal oil fields. Sinclair seamlessly weaves a multitude of themes within this novel: the SoCal oil boom, big business and government corruption, evangelism, and the influence of the Russian revolution on American labor unions. This was a hard book to put down, and I’d definitely place it on my top ten list.
Anderson is a great director and it seems like he is truly passionate about this project, so I’m excited to see how he adapts one of my favorite novels (and plus, is that not one of the coolest movie names ever?). Only six months to go…
Yeah, I’ll be camping outside the theatre the night before it opens (obv, there will be a huge line)…just like those Star Wars geeks, dressed up as….wait, WTF would you dress up as for this movie?
Music and Lyrics
This film was a cinematic masterpiece worthy of an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture of 2007.
OK, obviously that’s total BS. The movie’s plot is thinner than a coked out Nicole Richie. But let’s be honest, comrades…no one sees a Hugh Grant movie for the plot or groundbreaking cinematography. We go for the eye candy and that adorable British accent.
Hugh Grant still looks as adorable as ever even though he is 46. WTF!? Hugh Grant is 46!? That’s effin’ crazy! He’s soooo old. I mean, it seems like just yesterday he was cruising around Sunset Boulevard in his BMW looking for prostitutes. My, how time flies.
Anyways, Music and Lyrics follows the typical Hugh Grant movie plot: Sarcastic British Boy lives in Big City. Boy becomes attracted to slightly bizarre Girl. Girl also becomes attracted to Boy (well, it’s Hugh Grant, so obv). Boy does something stupid that pisses Girl off. After much introspection, Boy realizes he was a dumbass and begs Girl for forgiveness, employing some cute antics that usually result in public embarrassment of Boy. Surprise! Girl forgives Boy. Boy and Girl live happily ever after in Big City. Blah blah blah.
The weakness of the plot is excused, however, because this particular film is inundated with Hugh Grant dancing a la Love Actually. I, for one, could not get enough of Hugh Grant shaking his ass to the Pointer Sisters and dancing around 10 Downing Street. Yeah, the movie isn’t brain food, but it’s nevertheless entertaining.
Be forewarned, however, that an ultra-cheesy song in the movie called “Pop! Goes My Heart” will be stuck in your head for days – nay, weeks! It’s effin’ painful. I suggest blasting some Rage Against the Machine after leaving the theatre in order to rid your head of that pop nonsense.
There’s not much to say about Reno 911!: Miami other than…it’s hilarious. If you’re a fan of the Comedy Central show, then you’ll love it. If you’ve never seen the show before you will probably still enjoy it, and perhaps be motivated to rent the DVDs of the actual TV show.
The Lives of Others (Das Leben der Anderen) The Lives of Others is the Academy Award-winning (Best Foreign Language) German film exploring the role of the Stasi (Ministry for State Security) in East Germany – a country that, in many respects, did its best to “out-Soviet” its Soviet patrons. Yeah, I know, quite a change from the mindlessness of Hugh Grant and Lieutenant Dangle’s hotpants. I loved this film (I’m a huge Cold War buff, obv) and thought it did an amazing job of showing the viewer how the Stasi pervaded every facet of East German society – bugging each room of your tiny apartment, opening your mail, and turning your wives, husbands, friends, and co-workers into informants who would report on your alleged “crimes” against the state.
If you don’t get in line, we’ll lock you away
If you have any interest in the Cold War, I would highly recommend this film. Afterwards, pick up a copy of Timothy Garton Ash’s fascinating book, “The File: A Personal History“, which details his own efforts to locate his personal Stasi file and track down his “friends” who informed the Stasi about every detail of his life while he studied in East Berlin.
Not many other movies out right now that I want to see…well, except for “Breach”…I heard that one is good. But “Norbit” and “The Number 23?” Who in their effin’ mind greenlights this stuff?
