Tootsie

Tootsie (1982)

Directed by Sydney Pollack. Starring Dustin Hoffman, Jessica Lange, Teri Garr, Bill Murray.

Long story short: Micheal Dorsey is a struggling unemployed actor, who doesn't seem to get hired, because of his difficult nature and bad reputation. Desperate, he transforms into Dorothy Michaels. Maybe he will get lucky as she. 

tootsie - noun. Definition: woman. Synonymes: babe, dame, dish, doll, girl, honey.

It's generally recognised that men dressed as woman are very funny. Chaplin knew it (I remember seeing such short film), Billy "Some Like It Hot" Wilder knew it, Robin Williams knew it, and Finland's very own Marja Tyrni knows it. I just mentioned Charlie Chaplin and Marja Tyrni in the same sentence. Yikes. Sorry. Anyway. Dustin Hoffman certainly knows it too.

I agree - it is, nearly without exceptions, funny when a man dresses up as a female. It is kind of cheap and easy comedy, though, but Tootsie was a big hit back in the 80s, so I gave it a try. And yeah, the movie was pretty funny.

I like Dustin Hoffman. He's terrific in The Graduate and Rain Man, and wonderfully sympathetic in more recent films like Finding Neverland and Meet the Fockers. And generally, he just seems very cool. And again, he's great Micheal/Dorothy. He actually does a very good female impersonation! So it's not as ridiculous as in, for example, Some Like It Hot, when everyone totally buys that he's just a bit peculiar woman.

Bill Murray's character steals pretty much every scene he's in. He plays Michael's roommate Jeff, a straight-faced and sarcastic playwright. Jessica Lange was good - sure, she won an Oscar for the role. (It's odd that a comedy like this was nominated for about a million Oscars.) But I liked Teri Garr's neurotic Sandy much more.

The funniest scenes in the film obviously had to do with the cross-dressing. There were some very nice gags and absurd situations they'd managed to create around the scenario. It was funny how Michael began to understand the womanly problems and see the world from their point of view. At the same time the film made some pretty good points about the subject.

Um... Well. Here it's once again made clear that I should write about a movie straight after watching it, as I usually do. My mind is blank. Oh well. Tootsie didn't rouse that many thoughts in me. But it was a fine comedy (with a blah ending). And Dustin Hoffman rocks. I feel like watching Rain Man.

"What do you mean you don't have anything to wear?"
"She has seen me in all of these!"
"She hasn't seen you in that white dress."
"You cannot wear white to a casual dinner. It's too dressy."
"What about this thing?"
"No. I don't have the right shoes for it, I don't like the way the horizontal lines make me look to hippy, and it cuts me across the bust."
"... I think we're getting into a weird area here." 

PS. INCEPTION TOMORROW. TRYING NOT TO BE TOO EXCITED. (I'm telling myself it'll be the worst movie ever, so that maybe I won't be horrifically disappointed, if it's not the best one.)

W. - the man behind the scandal and hate

W. (2008)

Directed by Oliver Stone. Starring Josh Brolin, James Cromwell, Elizabeth Banks.

Long story short: The journey of George W. Bush - how a carefree collage kid grew up to be the most controversial man in the world.

Everyone has an opinion about George W. Bush, some stronger than others, some more reasoned than others. In many cases the opinion is quite negative. I personally have never had nothing much to say about the man - sure, I've never liked him, but neither was I ever very interested in mentally spitting on him. I don't care much about politics, so I only knew what the others were saying - that he's dumb and ignorant and he will personally be responsible for the third World War that supposingly would break out during his presidental term. And yeah, I was a bit chagrined when John Kerry lost, and then I watched Fahrenheit 9/11 and there were all these conspiracy theories around. So he wasn't very popular in my book, either.

Recently I've been reshaping my shaky opinion. I'm still not in love with the man, but mostly I just feel kind of sorry for him. I have no idea what he really is like, but I'm pretty sure there's more to him than what the public image have made us assume. And he probably doesn't deserve quite all of the hate and contempt. Again, I don't know much about politics, but I think the decisions, whether they are good or bad, are made by more than one person. But there's always that one person, who gets the credit or is held responsible for those decisions. It'd really suck to be the president of United States, wouldn't it? I think it would.

Hmm. I think I was supposed to be talking about the film. So. The George W. Bush of W. isn't very lovable to me. He has that Texas/redneck mentality that annoys me, especially the young Bush. He's a bit loud and harsh and just generally a bit unpleasant and unstable. But well, he has a brain he knows how to use. HOW he uses it, that's a different story... Anyway, Josh Brolin is very very good. So is James Cromwell. I've always liked the actor, whatever he does, but I never seem to remember his name. For me, he'll always be always the old farmer from Babe (I wonder if that old VHS still works...).

I think the film's purpose was to make us understand George W. Bush, to make him seem more human and easier to sympathize with. It didn't really do the trick for me, but then again, I wasn't a hater in the first place. And I have a problem with the stereotypically American hillbillys from Texas. Nothing personal, you fine people of Texas, if there are any in the whole state. ...Okay, enough now, I don't what to be too mean.

Anyway. I didn't really like the movie much. For me, rather than a bio pic, it was just a lot of talk about politics, and I happen not to like politics. I think it's calculating, dishonest and nasty business, something I don't want to be a part of, but all the same something that the modern society needs to work. Some parts of the film were interesting, but mostly I was just glancing at the clock.

And what it comes to George W. Bush, I don't feel I know or understand him any better now than I did before. I still don't know if he deserves to go down in history as the unliked, controversial, iffy president. But I suppose that's not my problem.

"I believe God wants me to be president."

Days of toys' lives: Toy Story

Toy Story 1 & 2 (1995 & 1999)

Directed by John Lasseter. Voices by Tom Hanks, Tim Allen.

Long story short: Andy's toys have a life of their own whenever the owner isn't around.

I don't know what the people at Pixar have for breakfast, but they must be some sort of super humans. I've seen no bad Pixar film. None! And most of them aren't just good, they are brilliant. Both Toy Stories belong to that category. I liked these movies growing up, but I dare say I like them even more now. The stories might be about toys, but there's no reason why adults couldn't relate to the plastic action figures and other childhood favourites.

The Toy Story movies are probably the most popular of Pixar animations. All the films are on IMDb's Top 250 list, the third one is currently #8 (and Inception is #3... Exciting, exciting... I don't know which one I'm looking forward to more, Inception or Toy Story 3...). And I can totally see why! I mean, they are just damn good movies, not only for animated/kids' movies, but generally speaking.

The concept of the movies is ingenious. There's something very appealing and fascinating about toys being alive and having a secret life behind our backs. While watching the second movie today I glanced at my dear old teddy (who still has a steady place in my room) and thought about things it might've been doing all these years. Then I thought I should dig out all of my old toys from the back of the closet and other places they've been stored away and give them all a big hug and tell them how much I loved to play with them. Well. I didn't. I should, though.

Overall the movies have very simple plots. The first one is about a new toy, Buzz, who threaths the position of Andy's favourite toy, Woody. The second one is about rescuing Woody from being shipped off to Japan. Simply, nothing fancy. And it works!

Much of the movies' charm, for me, comes from the little details - the wonderful personalities of the various toys, the little gags that the youngest viewers might not get ("How do you spell FBI?" and the Star Wars references in TS2) and all the genious, imaginative ways they've put the possibilities of the toy world to use (I love the tour guide Barbie, for example).

Buzz has to be my favourite toy. He's awesome especially in the second one. I love how he and Woody have become such a good buddies. And all the scenes with the other Buzz... "Tell me I wasn't this deluded." Haha. Slinky the dog is very sympathetic. And oh that poor Rex with those little hands... Jessie the cowgirl is a bit annoying. Otherwise everyone is very cool.

... It'd be funny to think of personalities to all of your own toys, too! What they would be like if they actually were alive... I mean, eh, they are, aren't they! I think my old teddy would be a gambler. He'd play poker and cheat just a little and win all the buttons and hair pins they'd be playing for. He'd wear my sunglasses and look super cool and all the Barbies would cheer for him.

... Anyway. Toy Story teaches a valuable lesson: hold on to your toys, be loyal to your friends, don't be prejudiced against new acquaintances, and always pack your angry eyes. And that it doesn't matter if you can't fly - falling with style is just as cool.

I can't wait till next week. It'll be awesome.

"Here's your list of things to do while I'm gone: batteries need to be changed. Toys at the bottom of the chest need to be rotated. Oh, and make sure everyone attends Mr. Spell's seminar on what to do if you or part of you is swallowed."

Chaplin - even legends have wild sides

 Chaplin (1992)

Directed by Richard Attenborough. Starring Robert Downey Jr., Paul Rhys, Moira Kelly, Dan Ankroyd, Anthony Hopkins, Geraldine Chaplin.

Long story short: It's the from-rags-to-riches story of Charlie Chaplin - how he grew up in the muddy streets of London, moved to America in a chase of a dream, created the most recognisable character in the history of cinema, became a legend, and how, after all this, he found love and peace and his very own happily-ever-after. 

Every one has a wild side. Even a legend. Especially a legend, I say.

I first watched this film earlier this year, because of a certain Robert, whose last name begins with Downey and ends with Jr. - and recently I've become a bit obsessed about everything that has to do with Charlie Chaplin. I can only thank RDJ! For he's a jolly good fellow.

On the first watch I knew hardly anything about Chaplin, but I enjoyed the film a lot, anyway. Now that I've read his autobiography (finished it earlier today) and seen some of his movies, I obviously enjoyed it even more. It's a great film, and hasn't got the attention it deserves.

Let's first get over the obvious. RDJ got his first Oscar nomination for playing Charlie Chaplin from his twenties till his eighties (the second one he got from Tropic Thunder in 2009, for a slightly, er, different role, but a brilliant one all the same). Frankly, I think it's his best performance to date, and I wouldn't be surprised if it remained his greatest for good. He's simply amazing. The role is challenging as hell! Not only does he have to play Charles Chaplin, but also the Tramp - and what do you know, he nails them both. Him not winning the Oscar is a tragedy. But oh well, he lost it for Al Pacino, so things could be worse. Still, I'm a bit bitter.

RDJ has always rocked the accents, and again my (sadly uneducated) ear doesn't have complaints about his Cockney way of speech. (I've linked this clip before and I'll link it again. Sorry, but it's brilliant.) Also, I think RDJ has that certain kind of mischievious, jaunty and charming presence, which fits very well to the mental image I've had about Chaplin. His Tramp imitation is also fantastic. I though it was good before, but after seeing the original version in action I was now able to spot the same mannerisms and gestures in RDJ's interpretation, and damn, he's more than good. Here's a clip about the creation of the Tramp. Watch and marvel.

The rest of Chaplin's broad cast is excellent, too. I especially like Paul Rhys, who plays Charlie's brother Sydney, and the women playing his various wifes and girlfriends, like Moira Kelly, who (a bit confusingly, but quite poetically) plays two different roles and Diane Lane, who I just think is one of the most traditionally beautiful women alive. There's also Milla Jovovich and Marisa Tomei... Anthony Hopkins plays a fictional character, the editor of Chaplin's autobiography.

And this is cool: Charlie Chaplin's real life daughter Geraldine Chaplin plays Charlie's mother - her own grandmother, that is.

I'm not usually very big on biographies - The Aviator, Walk the Line, Ed Wood... nah. Schindler's List is excellent, but you can't really call it a joy to watch. Chaplin IS a joy to watch. (Perhaps because it's about a man who is a joy to watch, played by a man who is also a joy to watch.) It's interesting and also funny, touching and very charming. Some scenes are very, almost surprisingly, slapstick-y, which fits in the mood of the film perfectly. It's not a perfect film, and somehow it feels like it didn't use all of its potential, but I liked it a lot, anyway.

One of my favourite scenes is the opening - the black and white images of Chaplin taking off his costume and make up. The look in RDJ's eyes tell's it all. There's a really strong feel of a depressed clown in the scene. It's just great. In the end there were some goosebumps and a few tears. The whole Honorary Oscar thing is just sincerely moving and it feels like one of those larger-than-life moments. And I love how there's some original footage in the film, too - clips from Chaplin's movies and from the Oscars, for example.

The make up team has done wonderful job in the film. Remember, it's the same 25-year-old Robert Downey Jr. playing both the 20-year-old and the 80-year-old Charlie Chaplin. And yeah, I'm buying it! sure, the oldest Chaplin looks a bit waxy at times, but it doesn't bother anyone. And of course, RDJ's amazing acting talents combined to that awesome make up equals a pretty convincing man of various ages.

Chaplin is a great film. It's about a great man, who I've seriously learned to admire during the past few weeks. He just rocks and I'd totally marry him if I could. Or at least I'd scream my lungs out at him and kiss the earth beneath his feet. Or something. Also, I want RDJ to drop the action block busters for a moment and do another epic drama. Please.

Here's the trailer of Chaplin. ("What do we do, Charlie?" "Smile.") It's seriously a very good film and I recommend it very warmly.

"If you want to understand me, watch my movies."

My favourite TV shows: Honorable mentions & future prospects

(I'm currently enjoying the last week of my summer job. So here's a timed post for you!)

To FINALLY finish My Top 5 Favourite TV shows list, I write one more post about those series that possibly almost might have made it to the list, but they didn't because it was too crowded. Just to remind you, this is what the list looked like:

1. Lost (part two)
2. Glee / Extras
3. Grey's Anatomy
4. The O.C.
5. Prison Break / Skins

Now, to the five honorable mentions.

Muumilaakson tarinoita (Moomin)

I'll keep myself in check and mention only one childhood favourite. Of course I had to choose Moomin, because it's simply the best thing that's come out of tv (before Lost came along). I don't think I need to explain myself any further, everyone must understand the charm of these white, round creatures and their friends. I still find the series highly entertaining, some remarks insanely funny and the general philosophy just pure genious. I think I'll be a Moomin fan even when I'm 70. This is one thing worth feeling patriotic about.

"Jos minä löytäisin jostakin tarpeeksi pienen poikaystävän, olisin minäkin kevytkenkäinen."

Ally McBeal (season 4 only)

Why only season 4? That's the only season I've watched entirely. Why? Well, there's a small hint above. This winter I was at the peak of my Robert Downey Jr. phase, and watched everything I could that had anything to do with him. Including season 4 of Ally McBeal. I've watched random episodes of the show over the years, and I remembered only that f*cking scary dancing uga zaga baby. Hrrr. Anyway. The season was both very enjoyable and freaking painful. I put a bit too much of my soul into it. I knew all the time the season would end in tears - RDJ was struggling with drugs at the time so he was kicked out of the show. I loved RDJ's Larry more than it's healthy and wanted to marry him or at least Ally to marry him. I often felt disturbingly melancholic after watching an episode, especially after the season was over and they didn't live happily ever after. SIGH. What a wonderful, wondeful man. Damn you and your drug issues.

"Done."

Friends

I'm not one of those people who love Friends more than life and can recite the dialogue of every episode. But everytime I happen to open the tv and Friends is on, I don't change the channel. I'm prone to forgetting how good the series actually is! Everytime I watch an episode I laugh and enjoy myself. My favourite character must be... um... Pheobe. Or Ross. Oh I don't know. Anyway, Friends is what I think when someone says the word 'sitcom'.

"Pheobe. That's, P, as in Phoebe, H, as in heobe, O as in oebe, E, as in ebe, B, as in bebe, and E as in... Ello there mate."

The Simpsons

Similarly to Friends, The Simpsons is the show to watch if you happen to open the tv at the right time and want to have fun for a half an hour. It's a genuinely funny show, with all the references and padorys of popular culture and the real world. The scale of characters is great, some of my favourites are the angry Scottish janitor, Abu with his wonderful Indian accent and of course Bart.

"Thank you, come again!"

Little Britain

For me, Little Britain was the representative of British humour until I found Extras. Little Britain mostly relies on men dressing up as women or homosexual-ish characters, catch phrases and repetive sketches. It's funny, yeah, but not in too big portions. My favourite sketches are the Prime Minister and his teenage girl-ishly jealous assistant ("Wha evaa!"), the teenage monster Vicky Pollard ("Yeah but no but yeah but...") and of course Andy and Lou ("Yeah, I know.").

"Computer says... no."

Now. The hole where Lost used to be. I'm 99 % sure it'll never be completely filled, and well, I don't think I'd even want that. But still, I'm in a quest to find new shows to get addicted on. Glee is my most recent discovery, but I need at least one more.

I have some candidates. I've watched the first few episodes of True Blood, and it was pretty good, though not OMG-FREAKING-AWESOME good. But I think I'll try it again some time. Same with Chuck, a show about a computer nerd, who accidently gets involved with goverment secrects. I've seen random episodes of Supernatural, and it's good and creepy and full of eye candy. I'm trying to get my hand on the first season.

I just recently bought the first season of Mad Men, because it was cheap and it's won six Emmys. And six Emmys can't be wrong. Right? I've now watched two episodes, and the characters seem pretty interesting and I'm really hoping I'll get involved in the story and become addicted and my search will be over. Fingers crossed...

Meanwhile... Any further recommendations?

Driving Miss Daisy feat. Chris from Skins

Okay, so I watched Driving Miss Daisy, because I found it at the library and it's a classic, but I'm not going to write about it like I usually do, for two reasons.

1) I don't really have much to say about it. It was a sweet little film, alright, but I seriously don't understand how it managed to win the Best Picture Oscar.
2) It's been the hottest day in 75 freaking years. I don't think my brain functions anymore.

So, instead I'll just give you a Youtube video (that actually DOES have something to do with the subject).

There.

It features Chris from Skins, and in addition to some Driving Miss Daisy jokes it also includes one of the best lines of Chris, "If Rome won't go to Mohammed, then Mohammed will clap till it does". Ah, gotta love Chris.

... And now I'll go and melt the rest of my brain. Cheerio.

A Streetcar Named Desire

A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)

Directed by Elia Kazan. Starring Marlon Brando, Vivien Leigh, Kim Hunter, Karl Malden.

Long story short: Blanche comes to visit her sister Stella and immidiately begins to clash with Stella's husband Stanley. (Okay, this summary sounds like a plot of a bad romantic comedy. It shouldn't.) 

A Streetcar Named Desire is based on a famous play by Tennessee Williams. I first saw the film a few years back and thought it was boring and anticlimactic and a typical classic. This spring I studied the play for a course and thought I should give the film another try - now that I'm more mature educated about the story and the characters. And well, I have to admit I still didn't love it, nor do I feel a need to see it again any time soon, but I kind of see why the film has earned its classic status and can appreciate the complexity of the story and the characters.

In many ways Streetcar resembles a play performed in a theatre. Almost every scene takes place in Stella and Stanley's shabby apartment. You can easily imagine how it would look on stage. There's a lot of talk and a little action, which is probably why it's so difficult to like.

Like I said, the characters of Streetcar are very complex. They are also very flawed, all in their own ways. Blanche, played by Vivien Leigh of Gone with the Wind, is weak, vain and phony, a true drama queen, always fishing compliments about her fading looks and struggling with her past. Marlon Brando's Stanley is a travesty of a man, very primative, brutally honest and sometimes violent, intentionally cruel and never caring much about other's feelings. Stella is kind of sweet, plain looking, the easiest character to sympathesize with, but avoiding the fact that her husbad is what he is, she always comes back to him no matter what he does, because she's just too attracted to him.

The performances are a key element in a story like this. Without the right cast it just wouldn't work. And yeah, the actors rock it, of course. Leigh is amazingly neurotic and annoying, and Brando is just so disgusting (behind that pretty face and awesome abs. I had a very brief Marlon Brando phase after I saw this the first time). It's interesting to learn how people's sympathies lie with different characters. For example I can only sympathize with Stella - in the end with Blanche, too, but never with Stanley. What a horrible man, seriously!

So. There has been some progress. Not anymore would I call Streetcar boring or anticlimactic. Still, it is a typical classic, and not a favourite movie candidate I can watch again and again. But respect to the people who made this film. And to Brando, who created one of the most despicable male characters ever, and earned his place in the history of cinema by being wet and half-naked, looking desperate and screaming "STELLA, STELLA" with all his might.

"I've always depended on the kindness of strangers."