Word of the day
xenophobia : fear and hatred of foreigners or strangers or anything that is foreign and strange
Julia and I saw a frightening, alarming eco-thriller last night, Barry Levinson's The Bay, a found-footage, faux-documentary about some very scary organisms coming out of Chesapeake Bay. The Maryland-native Levinson - Rain Man, Diner, Sleepers - gets back to his indie roots and combines real-life problems (the fact that 40% of the Bay is lifeless, isopods - the film's spooky, insidious monsters - have found their way from the Pacific to the Atlantic, etc.) with an inventive narrative technique: the film is told solely from Podcasts, computerized images, security cameras, home footage, I-Phones, etc. Using a no-name cast, Levinson is able to summon up quite a horrific scenario: A July 4th weekend festival in small-town Maryland is ruined as its citizens, all of whom have been exposed to the Bay's waters (and the steroid-aided parasitic organisms infesting them), begin to bleed and vomit and lose body parts. A movie with a conscious, it's a smart throwback to the sci-fi/ creature-films films of the 50s. Check it out.
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Playing For Keeps (2012) is a decent if demeaning rom-com starring nobody's favorite hunk Gerard Butler. Cast here as a once-famous soccer star now living in suburban Virginia, trying to have a relationship with his young son, Butler is his usual sloppy, slobby, messily-"charming," slurry-brogued self. If, like me, the appeal of Butler eludes you, don't worry, because this is a good role for him. Butler's poorly-groomed George has never been much of father, but his son and ex-wife (Jessica Biel, who gives the movie's one grounded, likable performance) still believe in him. Where the movie takes a brief foray into the disastrous and puzzling is when George starts coaching his son's soccer team and the mothers of the kids start desperately throwing themselves at him. I wasn't sure why, for George doesn't particularly seem to incite or welcome such attention. Filling in some of these caricatures are actresses who should know better: Catherine Zeta-Jones, Uma Thurman, Judy Greer. Dennis Quaid plays the pushy, obnoxiously "friendly" husband to Thurman's bored housewife. The last half-hour of the film (shot in Shreveport) is the best, when all these crazy women are left behind (or just written out of the picture) and Butler-Biel get back down to the reuniting business. Directed by Gabriel Muccino (The Pursuit of Happyness).
*
The NBA playoffs start today: a two-month long affair bound to be full of excitement, trash talk, hyperbole, and few upsets. Here are my picks for the first round:
New York Knicks over Boston Celtics (7 gms.)
Denver Nuggets over Golden State Warriors (6 gms.)
Chicago Bulls over Brooklyn Nets (6 gms.)
Memphis Grizzlies over L.A. Clippers (7 gms.)
Indiana Pacers over Atlanta Hawks (5 gms.)
San Antonio Spurs over L.A. Lakers (6 gms.)
Miami Heat over Milwaukee Bucks (4 gms.)
Oklahoma City Thunder over Houston Rockets (5 gms.)
Images courtesy of:
http://blogs.bet.com/celebrities/what-the-flick/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/110112-celebs-the-bay-movie.jpg
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