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Jimmy Carter: Man From Plains

Once again, tis the season...

In the wake of our Democratic landslide, I thought I'd check out a recent rescue from the Blockbuster bargain bin. Johnathan Demme's 2007 documentary about "Jimmy Carter: Man From Plains", is a fly-on-the-wall perspective into the daily activities of Carter - while he completed a book tour.

At two hours and change, this one could have done with a little editing, but overall - it's a great everyday window into the life of this former president. Demme had excellent access, so you see a bounty of detail....personal phone calls, book signings, dinner at home and more. While the message that Carter is delivering in his book about Israel/Palestine is front and center - it's the little things that make this enjoyable.

An intellegent look at an approachable, no-frills leader - and the active life of service that continues to drive him forward.

The Howling and Pet Semetary

Tis the season for horror and such.

When I was younger, I had a deep fascination with horror films - specifically the ones with great makeup special effects. The 1980s bristled with some of the greats. The Thing, The Howling, Dawn of the Dead and American Werewolf in London were the most memorable. Rick Baker, Rob Bottin, Tom Savini and Dick Smith were my idols. Halloween was like Christmas to me. Under the cold, October sky of suburban Keizer, my old buddy Don and I would transform into makeup fiends - and would fashion my house (amazingly with parental consent) into an apocalyptic bloodbath.

Over(or under)stuffed fake bodies and gallons of blood red Karo syrup made up for our inability to work with latex molds and prosthetics. The neighborhood parents had there reservations, but the kids seemed to like it.

Getting back to two specific film influences on all of this....The Howling and Pet Semetary.
I recently purchased both on DVD. A nod to the season and the need to be scared.

The Howling was one of those movies that really made your eyes pop. It's still is one of my all-time favorite werewolf films. Joe Dante (who I remember harassing at the Portland Creative Conference in 1991) put together a fantastic and effective shocker for a relatively small budget and employed a young makeup artist - Rob Bottin - who brought the transforming werewolf out of the antiquated dissolve process and into terrifying in-frame reality. Outside of bubbling face bladders and full eye contacts; the acting is uniformly great and the writing is solid. What really made it work was the comedic element. Comedy and horror are often well paired. American Werewolf in London is another great example in the genre.

Blah. Blah. Blah. I could go on, but I won't.

Much is the same for Pet Semetary, only much, much darker. It wasn't an effects driven film, but a very dark and frightening version of Stephen King's book. It's one of his best adaptations, and scares me all most as much as The Shining and Salem's Lot. It's "Monkey's Paw" story structure takes you right down a hole, and into a unique brand of horror; one that penetrates taboo and the security of family. The death of the little boy - Gage Creed - effects me a lot more than it did when I first saw it. Something about that fear of ultimate loss makes the horror - and the deeds of the father figure - somehow a doomed risk worth taking. The comedy within is found within the ghoul of Victor Paskow, who does his best to guide the family out of the impending horrors, but ultimately fails.

Happy Halloween, everyone....

The Express

I am a sucker for feel-good sports films. Whether it's "Hoosiers", "Rudy" or "Glory Road" - there are many "true life" stories that are ready-made for inspirational exploitation - and therefore enjoyed by sentimental saps like yours truly.

"The Express" is one of them.

Directed by Gary Fleder of "Things to Do in Denver While You're Dead" fame, this chestnut of sports history follows the amazing and ultimately tragic story of Ernie Davis, the first black football player to win the Heisman.

While no adaptation stays entirely true to the story - often leaning on sentimentality - I'd didn't mind it in this film. The trademark rising music, historical montages and soft lighting didn't detract from the fact that this was a well-paced and solid story.

No Oscars here (although Dennis Quaid plays a good coach), but good fun nonetheless.

It's alive....ALIVE!

So...I've decided to branch off and start babbling about something else...specifically, my favorite subject - movies and moviemaking.

Yeah, like we need another one of those blogs.

At this point, it will probably be me mouthing off about every new film or DVD I watch. I may talk about other things...like my brushes with the industry - and the usual detritus that comes with independent film and Hollywood movies.

I don't think I'm really adding much to the conversation, but I hope this serves as a revolving document of preferences and movie memories. Some good, some bad.

GH

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Latest Film in Theater: The Express
Latest DVD: Mystery Men
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