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"Chicks dig it. YOU love it."
So yes, finally downloaded Battlestar Galactica. So far have seen the 2003 miniseries, and the first two episodes of the first season. LOVED the miniseries. As I've been flitting about the C6D fandom, I knew that CKR was in BSG, but I didn't realize he was in it from the beginning! So when he showed up in the miniseries/pilot/whatever it is, I DIED! Actually, what I did was abruptly throw my hands up in the air and squeee quite loudly.
As I was watching this with Judy, she gave me a look -- you know, like, a WTF-is-wrong-with-you? sort of look.
But I was too happy to have gotten an immediate fix of CKR to be brought down by her scorn! ^_~
I mean, it's not like CKR is the only thing BSG has going for it, of course -- but it helps.
So I've also gone through a couple of other CKR and HD films --
Most recently -- Lucid (2005). A therapist unable to go to sleep attempts to help his group-therapy patients, all of whom have PTSD. Interesting, if a bit slow. I actually thought that this was well done for its type of movie. The end wasn't surprising, yet wasn't completely predictable either. My only complaint: not enough CKR, and what there was of him was mostly two-dimensional, though well-acted. Sad. Still, enjoy this type of screwy movie more than the Last Night and Wilby Wonderful types. Unfortunately for me, CKR had better roles in the others.
In the last couple of weeks--
Last Night (1998). Slow, and mostly boring. Not really my kind of movie. The premise: it's the end of the world; everyone's last night. How do you spend it? It skips around between a certain number of characters, following their interactions for their last night. It was interesting to see how the unconnected characters lives end up intersecting, but I never would have seen it if not for CKR. Who, I have to admit, was really great in it. I think he won a Genie for his role, though I've never put much stock in these kinds of awards. His character is one of my favorites though. Who doesn't love a pervert? Especially an I'll-try-anything-once-type pervert? <3
Unnatural & Accidental (2006). SERIAL-KILLER-RAPIST-CKR! Not a bad film by any means. It was great to see CKR in this role, if only to a get a good grasp of his range. He tends to play bad guys a lot, even moreso in American productions, it seems -- but this is a different kind of badguy anyway. I think I appreciate the role more from having seen a clip of an interview he did where he describes a bit of his headspace while doing the film. The director says something about CKR bringing an oddly boyish/sympathetic-ness to the character, which I found to be true -- exciting and disturbing all at once.
Suspicious River (2000). Hmm. A weird movie. Molly Parker -- from what I've seen -- plays oddly vulnerable women who seem to lose and re-find their strength. Is this her type-cast role? In any case, it is weird to see CKR in this type of role. Not quite as evil as Norman from U&A, but definitely along those lines. More of a threatening element, somehow. Also -- CKR is kind of... filled out in this role? Like, he put on a little bit of weight? It's a nice look on him, and -- oddly -- helps him look less boyish. I wonder if that was on purpose or just coincidental?
Wilby Wonderful (2004). An enjoyable film. Again, not really along the lines of movies I normally like to watch. It's very small-town, here are characters that have known each other for a long time, here's how their lives and decisions intersect... Again, nice to revisit certain actors in a different sort of role than I'd previously seen them, but I wouldn't normally have chosen to see this movie if it weren't for CKR and something he said in one of his interviews -- how his character, Duck, was the moral centerpiece of the story. Going in knowing that, rather than discovering it, and observing all the other characters' reactions toward Duck, really made the difference for me in my enjoyment of this movie. It gave me a slightly different perspective than I'd normally have while watching this sort of movie. It was also really interesting seeing CKR in this role because-- jeez, how'd they get him to stop moving?! Duck is just so calm and centered, and it radiates out from him. CKR does so much in this role -- without talking. It's all body language and facial expression. This was the true value in watching the movie. And yes, I've got it bad. Stop laughing.
The Love Crimes of Gillian Guess (2004). Talk about weird movies. But then, I tend to like weird movies done in this surreal, WTF, do you even understand what you're watching, mindfuck sort of way. Even if my underlying feeling runs toward the, "Well, that was kinda dumb," I still feel the appreciation of having seen the execution of the crazy final product. (As a side note, this realization applies really well to my appreciation of abstract and pop art. And now a light bulb goes on above my head and I sigh. It all makes sense: I'm superficial and narcissistic.)
So this movie is based on the true story of a juror who had an affair with the defendant in a murder case. Hugh Dillon is not a main character, he's more the device used to pressure Gillian Guess into -- not telling her story, because she wants to tell it -- but to get to the truth of her story, reveal the lies and dreams for what they are, and to also depict the hunger of the media and mob mentality in its greed for lurid details and the chance to be both holier-than-thou and unapologetically lewd at the same time. It's amazing what hypocrites people are. Bruce McDonald, the director (of this and HCL), has an interesting vision. I haven't quite made up my mind whether I love him or think he just kind of stumbles into making things better than they should be. But I'm willing to be convinced. Hugh does a really great job with his small role, and he's oh-so-pretty and talks crude and dirty, to boot, so this pleases me immensely.
Californication. LOVE. IT. Saw this clip of CKR's character, Lew Ashby, and GUH. DIED. More prettiful perverts. <3 He isn't in the first season, so I debated skipping straight to the second season. But Liz said I should watch the first episode, and I realized that there were only 12 30-minute episodes in the first season. 6 hours? I can totally do that. And it really isn't a bad show. I like David Duchovny's character a lot. And his daughter. And Cokey Smurf. So yeah, there were definitely moments of serious *facepalm* -- and I'm glad each episode is only 1/2-hour, but I'm also glad I started watching the show.
Also, I really think CKR is even hotter now at 50 than he was 15 years ago. Mmmmmm.
And I've got more waiting for me: BSG, Twitch City (13 eps), Curtis's Charm (movie), Durham County (s2/6eps), Californication (s3/12eps).
And here I am listening to the audio track of Hard Core Logo once again. I can't imagine the day I'd ever get tired of it.
As I was watching this with Judy, she gave me a look -- you know, like, a WTF-is-wrong-with-you? sort of look.
But I was too happy to have gotten an immediate fix of CKR to be brought down by her scorn! ^_~
I mean, it's not like CKR is the only thing BSG has going for it, of course -- but it helps.
So I've also gone through a couple of other CKR and HD films --
Most recently -- Lucid (2005). A therapist unable to go to sleep attempts to help his group-therapy patients, all of whom have PTSD. Interesting, if a bit slow. I actually thought that this was well done for its type of movie. The end wasn't surprising, yet wasn't completely predictable either. My only complaint: not enough CKR, and what there was of him was mostly two-dimensional, though well-acted. Sad. Still, enjoy this type of screwy movie more than the Last Night and Wilby Wonderful types. Unfortunately for me, CKR had better roles in the others.
In the last couple of weeks--
Last Night (1998). Slow, and mostly boring. Not really my kind of movie. The premise: it's the end of the world; everyone's last night. How do you spend it? It skips around between a certain number of characters, following their interactions for their last night. It was interesting to see how the unconnected characters lives end up intersecting, but I never would have seen it if not for CKR. Who, I have to admit, was really great in it. I think he won a Genie for his role, though I've never put much stock in these kinds of awards. His character is one of my favorites though. Who doesn't love a pervert? Especially an I'll-try-anything-once-type pervert? <3
Unnatural & Accidental (2006). SERIAL-KILLER-RAPIST-CKR! Not a bad film by any means. It was great to see CKR in this role, if only to a get a good grasp of his range. He tends to play bad guys a lot, even moreso in American productions, it seems -- but this is a different kind of badguy anyway. I think I appreciate the role more from having seen a clip of an interview he did where he describes a bit of his headspace while doing the film. The director says something about CKR bringing an oddly boyish/sympathetic-ness to the character, which I found to be true -- exciting and disturbing all at once.
Suspicious River (2000). Hmm. A weird movie. Molly Parker -- from what I've seen -- plays oddly vulnerable women who seem to lose and re-find their strength. Is this her type-cast role? In any case, it is weird to see CKR in this type of role. Not quite as evil as Norman from U&A, but definitely along those lines. More of a threatening element, somehow. Also -- CKR is kind of... filled out in this role? Like, he put on a little bit of weight? It's a nice look on him, and -- oddly -- helps him look less boyish. I wonder if that was on purpose or just coincidental?
Wilby Wonderful (2004). An enjoyable film. Again, not really along the lines of movies I normally like to watch. It's very small-town, here are characters that have known each other for a long time, here's how their lives and decisions intersect... Again, nice to revisit certain actors in a different sort of role than I'd previously seen them, but I wouldn't normally have chosen to see this movie if it weren't for CKR and something he said in one of his interviews -- how his character, Duck, was the moral centerpiece of the story. Going in knowing that, rather than discovering it, and observing all the other characters' reactions toward Duck, really made the difference for me in my enjoyment of this movie. It gave me a slightly different perspective than I'd normally have while watching this sort of movie. It was also really interesting seeing CKR in this role because-- jeez, how'd they get him to stop moving?! Duck is just so calm and centered, and it radiates out from him. CKR does so much in this role -- without talking. It's all body language and facial expression. This was the true value in watching the movie. And yes, I've got it bad. Stop laughing.
The Love Crimes of Gillian Guess (2004). Talk about weird movies. But then, I tend to like weird movies done in this surreal, WTF, do you even understand what you're watching, mindfuck sort of way. Even if my underlying feeling runs toward the, "Well, that was kinda dumb," I still feel the appreciation of having seen the execution of the crazy final product. (As a side note, this realization applies really well to my appreciation of abstract and pop art. And now a light bulb goes on above my head and I sigh. It all makes sense: I'm superficial and narcissistic.)
So this movie is based on the true story of a juror who had an affair with the defendant in a murder case. Hugh Dillon is not a main character, he's more the device used to pressure Gillian Guess into -- not telling her story, because she wants to tell it -- but to get to the truth of her story, reveal the lies and dreams for what they are, and to also depict the hunger of the media and mob mentality in its greed for lurid details and the chance to be both holier-than-thou and unapologetically lewd at the same time. It's amazing what hypocrites people are. Bruce McDonald, the director (of this and HCL), has an interesting vision. I haven't quite made up my mind whether I love him or think he just kind of stumbles into making things better than they should be. But I'm willing to be convinced. Hugh does a really great job with his small role, and he's oh-so-pretty and talks crude and dirty, to boot, so this pleases me immensely.
Californication. LOVE. IT. Saw this clip of CKR's character, Lew Ashby, and GUH. DIED. More prettiful perverts. <3 He isn't in the first season, so I debated skipping straight to the second season. But Liz said I should watch the first episode, and I realized that there were only 12 30-minute episodes in the first season. 6 hours? I can totally do that. And it really isn't a bad show. I like David Duchovny's character a lot. And his daughter. And Cokey Smurf. So yeah, there were definitely moments of serious *facepalm* -- and I'm glad each episode is only 1/2-hour, but I'm also glad I started watching the show.
Also, I really think CKR is even hotter now at 50 than he was 15 years ago. Mmmmmm.
And I've got more waiting for me: BSG, Twitch City (13 eps), Curtis's Charm (movie), Durham County (s2/6eps), Californication (s3/12eps).
And here I am listening to the audio track of Hard Core Logo once again. I can't imagine the day I'd ever get tired of it.
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Loved to read your thoughts!
Also, I really think CKR is even hotter now at 50 than he was 15 years ago. Mmmmmm.
AGREED.
BSG! I'm so curious what you're going to say about the Flesh and Bone episode. Prepare for spontaneous squeeing and combustion!
I liked Lucid a lot, probably because he could show his acting range in one movie... from threatening to charming to funny (gay cologne scene!). But otherwise it was pretty much "The Sixth Sense"-ish wannabe.
His character in U&A is quite something, eh? And he STILL manages to be hot! The amount of boob-honking made me giggle though.
Yeah, he bulked pretty much up for Suspicious River. Nom. And his character in WW was so beautiful, almost angelic.
Twich City is just AWESOME. Amazing, witty show. I'm sure you're gonna love it.
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And OMG YES the boob-honking was SOOOOO weird/funny/weird/wtf.
So glad to have fellow CKR/C6D fans around to share my squeee! =D
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And this is great, because I went through the exact same thing in January. I was mainlining on CKR stuff, totally sniffing and injecting the CKR drug for about two weeks. Still haven't seen all, but almost done. God, he sure is prolific, huh?
And yay, I get to talk about the films and stuff in here!!!!!!
Last Night:
I have to say I really liked it. Quite the departure from typical end-of-the-world flicks á la Michael Bay type EXPLOSIONS! I liked that it was quiet and focused on the characters instead and how they were all connected in a way.
Craig was totally the best, though! The French teacher, bwahahahaahaa! He went out with the biggest bang, ROFL.
Unnatural and Accidental:
This one, in turn, I didn't really like. Something just didn't work for me, though I appreciate what they tried to do with the film by shining the light on horrible crimes that were swept under the carpet because the victims were prostitutes and Native Americans (First Nation in Canada, yes?). It just didn't really come together for me and the lead actress was HORRIBLE!
CKR, of course, was incredible in his performance. He's willing to go to some scary places like few other actors.
Suspicious River:
Totally agree on Molly Parker. Her character was the same on Deadwood (great show). I do really like her. There's something unusual about her.
The film, I find, is really tough to watch as it just shows stuff without any sort of judgement (which is good, but hell, this is heavy and dark stuff we're talking about). CKR's character is one of the worst he's played, but damn, is he ever good at it.
The whole mood was just sooo oppressive, don't see myself rewatching this one very often.
CKR definitely buffed up - same in the 2nd season of Twitch City and in Slap Shot 2. *licks*
Wilby Wonderful:
Again, we seem to have a diff taste when it comes to films, I really liked it. I like these quiet films looking in on a small town. Kinda like "Empire Falls" or "Nobody's Fool".
Duck was, awwww... so lovable. Quite a departure for CKR, but again, he's believeble in anything he does, huh? Totally agree with what you said about Duck.
Gillian Guess I have yet to see, but love Bruce McDonald. Pontypool is really cool as well!
Californication:
This will always have a special place in my heart. Not only do I love the show ever since I saw the pilot be announced, but it was what made me discover CKR. Lew ist just... damn, I could write essays about this man. As you say, even hotter now.
But I don't wanna spam your LJ any more, so hope you go on enjoying Cali and many more of CKR's stuff.
You have seen HCL, right? And Flower & Garnet is another one I really enjoyed, though maybe it's too quiet for you as well, but one of CKR's best performances, IMHO.
Now I wanna watch all of that again, heeeeeeee
edited, as I'm too excited to spell ;)
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Haha, like "quiet". Yeah, not that I don't like any quiet movies, but I tend to be really picky about movies as it often takes a lot for me to become emotionally invested in them. So with the more quiet kind of stuff, I'm often left feeling dissatisfied by the lack of connection. (EDITED TO CLARIFY: As opposed to some of the more mindless stuff, where I don't EXPECT to have a connection, so it's not dissatisfying, you know?)
So, while I'll LOVE the quietness of My Life (with Michael Keaton), it's a completely different sort of feel than the Wilby Wonderful and Last Night type stuff. In the most general sense, I prefer when stories are focused on just a few characters than getting snippets of a lot of characters' lives. Which is what these two are. To kind of go back to what I said above -- I LOVE angst and sad endings. LOVE LOVE LOVE. And although LN was a sad ending... there just wasn't enough for me to connect with the characters so that I actually felt bad about the end of the world.
Ugh, sorry, those paragraphs were extremely jumbled and kind of word-vomit with no structure.
Oh! The other thing you said that was like a revelation was about Suspicious River -- how it just shows stuff without judgement. YES! THIS! SO ON-TARGET! I'm so glad you said that because I couldn't figure out what it was that was just so odd about the movie. But that's it. It's just, there's no judgement. Not by the director, and certainly none by the main characters themselves. That lack of judgement even extends into the viewer's analysis -- there doesn't seem to be a whole lot to discuss about the character's motivations -- one can only go so far with inferences about Molly Parker's character's motivations, and there's even less to work with regarding anyone else. But that in itself is intriguing. Well, it's not that exciting to watch, so I doubt I'll be seeing it over soon, but I'm glad to have seen it.
I have seen HCL -- it has taken over as my new favorite movie (which hadn't changed in over 10 yrs, since Trainspotting and before that, Heathers). I wrote about a few of my reactions here. There is just SO MUCH to THINK ABOUT with this movie -- as to the characters motivations and asldfjkasldfjalskjwerlu!
I haven't seen Flower & Garnet yet, but I intend to because I was definitely getting the impression that it was a really powerful performance by CKR. I have been avoiding it a little, because I could tell that it's one of those quiet movies, and I've been worried that I wouldn't like it. I'm kind of saving it for when I'm more in the mood for that kind of movie, too, so that I'm more receptive to it. =D
I remember thinking I should dl Pontypool, and if you see Gillian Guess, I'd love to know what you think! (Are you a film major? If not, where did I get that impression? ^^)
Hope this isn't tl;dr! YOU CAN SPAM MY LJ MORE IF YOU WANT! I'm really enjoying talking about all this stuff. =D
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And first off - not a film major, though I did take some film courses (and the best prof, and by now a good friend, I ever had is a film prof). So, um, scared that this is so obvious, ROFL! The rest is an unhealthy obsession with film on my part ;)
(Also - YAY for Trainspotting, I so love that one!)
HCL quickly made it into my top 5 as well. It's just so unique and brilliant. Running to your post about it after this, as man, I wanna talk, and talk, and talk about that film until I can't talk anymore.
(And yes, watch Pontypool! I'm not a fan of horror films, but this one has such a unique take on it, like the whole War of the Worlds radio stunt from the 30s only in reverse. Bruce McDonald, have my babies!)
So, on to your great comment!
I totally get you about "quiet films". Sorry, that was the label I used. And I get what you're saying. Quite often they try to sell us empty artsy fartsy stuff as "quiet" and then when we don't like that, it quickly turns into "Oh, you only like the action and big explosions, but cannot enjoy the finer points of character-driven films." That's just not the "quiet" quality I associate with "Last Night" or "Wilby Wonderful". And I actually could connect to most of the characters in those films, not sure why. Except that maybe both films kinda make you work for it, which I like. Especially in Last Night, as Patrick isn't really a likable character throughout most of the film. Which I love (as I do not!Happy Ends as well *HUGS*)
And ya, I agree that - maybe - they threw in one too many characters into these films and it resulted in leaving most of them underdeveloped, but I found that a lot about these character was just hinted at and just not stated explicitly. Which is something I do enjoy, as it means that the director takes me as a viewer seriously and trusts me to get stuff as opposed to spelling it out directly. Like the whole point about Sandra Oh's character and her husband. I read the imdb boards of that film and so many people didn't get that part!
Same with "Suspicious River". Thank you so much for agreeing with the not-judging thing. That film really... bugged me when I watched it. Until I had that realization. Because Molly's character is SO PASSIVE. And everyone around her is so passive. And it's presented in this passive way. She just drifts along and lets all these people do these things to her, which is what CKR's character ends up using against her. (And I must say, that scene when he first hits her is... WOW! So much going on there. The way he watches her and her reaction, checking what she does and doesn't do until finally concluding that he can go ahead. That happens in like 15 seconds and you can see it in his face alone! Incredible.)
Character motivation is key, as you say. There is nothing in the film itself. And that leaves it wide open, but at the same time oddly closed off - as you say, not much to discuss. Really interesting to me. (Also, not sure if this is important, but it was directed by a woman.)
Have you seen Men With Guns? It reminds me a bit of that and how the latter tries to explore male violence (not really sucessfully, but hey) and that, too, was directed by a woman. Aaaaah, so much to talk about ;)
As you say, it's intriguing. And I just enjoy films that sort of aren't flawless and bump into my expectations because they're different.
I'm just real happy CKR opened up this world of films to me that I wouldn't have seen otherwise. Canadian cinema is pretty much non-existant here, and I've come to really appreciate it and the fact that - generalization coming - it's more character-driven as opposed to plot-driven like many US films are.
Hopefully that non-awareness is changing. They screened "Away from Her" with Gordon Pinsent (Fraser Sr.) at the Berlinale Retrospective last month and it was great to see that with fellow viewers. And as you said in your original post, it's really cool to see the, relatively small, Candian acting pool take on so many different roles in different films.
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I've only seen Don McKellar in Twitch City and Last Night -- but he does play that sort-of unsympathetic/unlikeable character well, doesn't he?
And you know, talking about Suspicious River... I think I'd like to watch certain parts over. Not sure I have the patience to watch it all the way through again so soon, but hmmm that scene when he first hits her is really impressively done. I remember thinking about their relationship, unable to decide if he's just that charismatic, or is it that she's just so passive? You're so good to talk to -- bringing up these points that are making me requestion stuff! =D
Have not seen Men with Guns, but it's also on my list! And Curtis's Charm, as well. =D I'll be sure to post my thoughts. Maybe with more depth than usual, since I know there might be a good discussion resulting! =D
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And meh, I meant Last Night re the hubby and wife. Sandra Oh and Cronenberg's characters - the film only revealed them being husband and wife through the phone message from the gas company she listens to towards the end and her mentioning she loves strawberry ice cream and him eating it before he meets his (semi-) untimely death. And on the imdb boards, so many poeple didn't get that!
Suspicious River - I feel the same. I want to rewatch certain scenes, but not sure I can sit through the whole thing again. It just makes me feel so uncomfortable, which I guess the film meant me to, so it succeeded in that. But man, CKR's character is like the poster boy for abusive boyfriends and this is the film that portrays it in a believable way without making the woman the unsuspecting victim. As it takes two to tango, but there is so much more involved that leads to an abusive relationship like that and the film shows it without really commenting on it or laying blame on anyone.
Men With Guns - I like it, but CKR's character is kept in the background while he's the most interesting one. You'll find yourself wanting to find out more about him, but the film just doesn't give you anything, which is frsustrating.
Curtis's Charm - I needed, like, three tries to watch it. Not a reflection on the film, which is great as a low-budget film though odd. Just the other character made me nervous and twitchy and was the wrong character to watch while trying to stop smoking, LOL! Looking fwd to what you think about the films! Discussion FTW, YAY!
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And thanks for the link to CKR's diary from F&G. OHMYGOD. I haven't read it yet, but will once I've seen the movie.
Good lord, I love this man more than I should.
He makes it darn difficult NOT to, the bastard.
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He makes it darn difficult NOT to, the bastard.
Oh yesssss, that he does ;)
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Do watch it when you're in the right mood. From what you've said now, I think you might enjoy it. As it does focus on a few characters as opposed to Wilby and Last Night. And in a way, it also has that no-judgement quality about it. It essentially is a collection of snippets that turn into a big picture and lets you explore the characters as it goes along. It really is quite unusual.
But CKR's performance blew me away. I mean, he was amazing as Billy Tallent, but F&G is only a few years later, yet he grew up SO MUCH as an actor.
Also do check out the short diary he kept during the shooting of that film. He really surprised me with that as well.
I'll shut up now ;)
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Please link me?
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Hope this works.
Seriously, this is gonna sound awful but he surprised me here when it comes to the depth of insight about himself and his craft and just his writing style. He truly is multi-talented: The press machine has started up and they want to talk to me. It’s always distracting to talk to people while you’re working. They interview hockey players after the game.
And, guh: I try to put myself in the mood for the funeral scene, but a wind comes up off the lake and blows my soul right out of my body. I spend the rest of the show trying to get it back.
Good lord, I love this man more than I should.
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And ya, weird it is indeed. But I didn't get the sense of "Well, that was kinda dumb,". Quite the opposite, really. Loved how it dealt with "mass media" as represented thru the crazy-ass talk show. The interview as a battle and - at the same time - always all about entertaining the viewer.
I quite liked how the film kept building the sense that the main heroine had been wronged and misunderstood, only to turn it around in the end and expose the story for what it was - not a glossy, fantasy tale of tabloid proportions but just a normal, fucked-up, delusional person suddenly finding herself in the limelight.
And dude! Glitter!Hugh rawked ;) He was brilliant as this sort-of Jerry Springer clone.