The Quartet

BBC has done it again. In Quartet, they've created a quiet masterpiece. They bring Ronald Harwood's story about elderly musicians putting on a gala from the stage to the big screen with an all-star cast including Billy Connolly, Maggie Smith, Tom Courtenay, Pauline Collins, and Michael Gambon. While quite a simple story on the surface (the annual gala to save the nursing home is at risk when a new resident upsets the balance), they touch on such topics as the negatives of aging (dementia, bad hips), pride, love and loss, and finding yourself, no matter what age.

Not Even Once: Meth or TV?

I know I'm super late to the bandwagon, but Breaking Bad is seriously one of the best shows ever. Coming from Montana (i.e. the source of all those anti-meth ads out there) I really didn't care to watch a show about meth production and distribution, even if it was fictional. Well, consider me converted. The writing on this show is impeccable, and they rely heavily on character development and utilize minimal action. This is so rare, a show being built upon quality story-telling, and the writers/actors/directors are so good at what they do it's impossible not to get sucked in.

Always a Good Day for Die Hard

A Good Day to Die Hard: Why? Because fuck you that's why. It's the best franchise out there and even a crappy Die Hard movie is better than any Twilight or similar bullshit. Bruce Willis is getting up there but that doesn't mean he can't still be a badass. He just might need to be a badass with a walker soon.

Bill Murray's Pants

It takes a very talented writer and director to create a film brimming with Hollywood A-listers that doesn't suck. If you look at the track record it's kind of a rarity; Valentine's Day and New Year's Eve are the two biggest offenders, but others like Burn After Reading and Men Who Stare at Goats are also terrible even though they have a cast full of great actors. Currently quantity seems to be far outstripping quality, so when a movie comes along with Bill Murray, Bruce Willis, Francis McDormand, Tilda Swinton, and Edward Norton leading a very small cast it might be cause for concern. Unless of course the writer/director happens to be Wes Anderson, then apparently all bets are off.

What's in a. . . Movie?

What defines a movie? Recently I had the insanely awesome pleasure of attending the Powder Magazine Video Awards in Park City, UT, and it made me question what a movie is. I tended to categorize ski films separately from every other type of film media (major motion pictures, television). They were in a league of their own; they show the best athletes in the best sport (don't question it, it's a fact and I will fight to the death on this) in settings that are so fantastical yet so real it makes anyone who considers him or herself a powder junkie drool with delight and green with envy all at once. A great ski film has expert skiers shaking in the knees because of the extremity of the situations these pros put themselves in, but at the same time has them wanting to get there; the drive to get to that level is what propels the sport forward and keeps bringing people to the sport year after year. The Powder Awards are the Oscars to this group of individuals, where all the hard work being put into these ski films can be honored.

Revolution in Filming?

With the holiday season in full force it's time for the final push of Hollywood blockbuster releases before the new year. For many people this means that the movie they've been waiting years for is finally about to hit theaters; The Hobbit is almost here folks. Fans have eagerly been awaiting the prequel films to Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy, based on the books of the same name from J.R.R. Tolkien. These films were slow to get going, even losing Guillermo Del Toro as a director because of roadblocks on the way to production. For better or for worse, Jackson took the director's chair once again and the product is about to begin rolling nationwide. However, this film means more than just more money in Jackson's bank account and more time spent in dark rooms for fanboys everywhere. This film marks a potential shift in how movies are filmed, which is a topic of debate among viewers.

That Old Time Deja Vu

TV shows that are just as good the second time through are both one of the best things in the world and one of the rarest things currently being broadcasted. I literally cannot count on my fingers how many times I've watched every season of Friends, but every time I pop one of those discs in my blu-ray player (a concept that hadn't even been thought of, much less created at the time the show originally aired) I find myself laughing just as hard as he first time around. Compare that to even great modern sitcoms like How I Met Your Mother and there is really no comparison. I love Ted, Lily, Marshall, Barney, and Robin, but Rachel, Monica, Phoebe, Ross, Chandler, and Joey are part of my soul now. I know that sounds melodramatic, or unnecessarily poetic, but it's the truth. The writers for that show didn't have to exaggerate any of their characters' traits; Friends was telling the story of real people. HIMYM exaggerates EVERYTHING, which makes for good television, but it doesn't make for staying power through multiple re-watchings.