Home > Blogs > Sir Critic on Cinema > Archives > 2008 > January > 28 > Entry
SAG Awards, Spartans, Hobbits n’ such
I’ve got a lot on my mind this morning, so this will be a miscellaneous Monday post.
First thing’s first (or maybe last):
**Meet the Spartans is the number 1 movie in America!
(whimper)
I’d pull out all my hair and scream out “Oh, the humanity!” but I already got my hair cut this weekend, so I haven’t got enough hair left. I could also scream and shout about how this spoof series’ confounding success hastens the freefall of the average young moviegoer’ s IQ - but then, this comment from “Smurf” on Hollywood Elsewhere put it in perspective.
“12-14-yr-olds have NEVER seen Airplane, Hot Shots or Naked Gun, so when they see new ads featuring goofy references to 2007 blockbusters, they are momentarily smitten like rats to a Pied Piper - they aren’t old enough to recognize a crapper from a lazy film team notorious for crappers - simply kids out for a good time with buddies, naively generous, willing to give such modern spoofs a $10 chance in hopes of a fun comedy classic their gen can call their own.”
Reasonable enough, I guess, but then that means that people will go back and see the planned next film from these geniuses, entitled Raunchy Movie.
(whimper)
I’d better get my mind on higher-quality movies before my brain implodes, so … **How about the SAG Awards?
The show itself was fairly dull - if this is the kind of material the writers are cranking out, they must be rusty - but I applaud the choices of Day-Lewis, Christie, Bardem and Dee. Dee struck some people as a surprise; most forecasters had predicted Cate Blanchett’s much flashier turn as a “Bob Dylan” in I’m Not There. However, SAG was in a career-award mood, the Academy might be too, so I wouldn’t be surprised, or displeased, to see her repeat her feat for the Oscars.
My favorite line of the night, from Josh Brolin, speaking for the winning cast of No Country for Old Men: “The Coen brothers are freaky little people, and we did a freaky little movie - whether you liked the ending or not.”
Oh, and speaking of the Coens, the brothers also picked up the Directors Guild trophy this weekend. Is this a cool picture or what?
More after the jump …
**More tributes to Heath Ledger:
I was also moved by Daniel Day-Lewis’ heartfelt dedication of his SAG award to Heath Ledger. Two of my other favorite tributes are this one, made by Warner Bros. for their Dark Knight Web site, and this one, penned by Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan for Newsweek. Key quote: “He once told me that he liked to wait between jobs until he was creatively hungry. Until he needed it again. He brought that attitude to our set every day. There aren’t many actors who can make you feel ashamed of how often you complain about doing the best job in the world. Heath was one of them.”
*And finally … Del Toro to direct The Hobbit(s)?
The Hollywood Reporter states that Guillermo Del Toro, the brilliant director of Pan’s Labyrinth and the Hellboy movies is in talks to direct the films that will be made out of The Hobbit, and that makes me feel a little better about the project. I remain dubious about the notion of padding it to make two movies, but if anyone can make it work, it’s Del Toro.
So what do you guys have to say about the SAG Awards, the Spartans, the Hobbits, or anything else?
Permalink | Comments (4) | Categories: Sir Critic muses
Comments
By SRCputt
January 29, 2008 12:28 PM | Link to this
Nice picture from the DGA awards. But why is Mickey Rooney in the picture with them?By SRCputt
January 29, 2008 12:25 PM | Link to this
I love Airplane! I’ve seen it more times than any other film, and can practically recite it when watching. Airplane! is a very funny film. You, Meet the Spartans, are no Airplane. You wouldn’t know funny if it bit you in the butt.By TJ
January 28, 2008 5:17 PM | Link to this
I think 12-14 year olds like Meet the Spartans because it doesn’t require a whole lot of thinking and they like things that are stupid-funny. They like humor that’s really stupid and doesn’t require a whole lot of work to understand.By Allie D
January 28, 2008 1:20 PM | Link to this
First off — 12-14 year olds NEED to see “Airplane!” “Hot Shots” and “Naked Gun” before they ever set eyes on these modern spoofs. That way they will know junk when they see it. The former films are still available and are EXCEEDING SUPERIOR. Second — I too was moved by Daniel’s speech and I posted about it on my blog today as well. What a stand-up guy and a phenomenal talent. Looking at him speak, I am still astonished that it’s actually him playing Daniel Planview. Third — Very good news about The Hobbit! With him directing and Peter Jackson producing, my confidence is riding quite high.