Reel Rewind: “The Tourist”

Seeing the “The Tourist” was an unexpected surprise. I had been playing games all day and since I travel by bus, Robert kindly offered to drive me home as he was hosting “The Tourist” as an event in my part of the world. However, we left the game playing too late for Robert to drop me off and then head to the movie, so he suggested that I come to the film event, he’d pay for my ticket, if I’d pay for parking. Well with the cost of parking being five dollars and the movie ticket costing $11.50, that was a definite yes on my part. Thank you Robert!

“The Tourist” fits well into my day’s theme of travel and game-playing – journeying from Paris to Venice and with a cast of players searching for an elusive thief and recovering a large amount of money as the ultimate objective. The players: Alex – robber of millions from a mobster, in hiding for two years, and Elise’s lover; Elise – two-year long surveillance subject of Scotland Yard’s Inspector John Acheson; John Acheson – frustrated policeman in search of Alex; Frank – unwitting American tourist being used in Alex’s misdirection plan; and Reginald Shaw – mobster in search of Alex and his stolen money.

The starting point of this international game is a café (where I had my first Salade Niçoise) near the Palais-Royal in Paris where Elise, along with her usual breakfast fare, unexpectedly receives a note from the elusive and plastic surgery altered Alex. Now it’s time for action and Elise takes a train for Venice from the Gare de Lyon and begins the implementation of Alex’s plan when she picks out Frank to be the decoy. British surveillance follows Elise on the train and in the meantime Reginald learns that Alex will be in Venice and makes his way there. Now in Venice all the players converge and games of running across Venetian rooftops, exchanging Frank for cash, night shooting in the canals, boat towing and bullet ducking rescue, departing player and returning player, and twisting revelations play out over several days.

I anticipated that “The Tourist” would be the typical action film with plenty of drama, but surprisingly there’s a comedic element to the film - from Elise looking directly at her not-so-subtle-surveillance and her subsequent maneuvering in the Palais-Royal/Musée du Louvre Métro station, to Frank constantly speaking Spanish to the Italians (Spanish..Italian..it’s all Romance right?) and the film ending exchange between Elise and Alex. With comedy being so obvious, especially with Frank, there can be confusion as to what the film wants to be - one of suspense and intrigue or a spoof/parody of the genre or of the source material (2005 French film “Anthony Zimmer”). It is not completely one or the other. Though I tend to view the film as more dramatic than comedic, the Hollywood Foreign Press sees it differently (it has received a Golden Globes nomination in the category of Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical). If you need the films you see to be easily categorized, then “The Tourist” is not for you. However, if you can accept the interplay of genres or if you are a fan of Johnny Depp (I am) or Angelina Jolie, you should see “The Tourist”. The film may not be either actor’s best work (Angelina’s main function appears just to be beautiful and wear wonderful clothes), it is not horrible by any means.

There may not be obvious clues to help the viewer figure out the twists before they are revealed, but there are some observations one can ponder as “The Tourist” progresses, such as the quality of the note burning. I could state others, but it would give too much away. If nothing else, “The Tourist” is a diversion from all the end of year craziness and has the beauty of Venice to please the eyes (as well as Johnny and Angelina). Game over.


Film Facts: Director/Writer: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, Writers: Christopher McQuarrie, Julian Fellowes, Jérôme Salle, Cinematographer: John Seale, Editors: Joe Hutshing, Patricia Rommel, Musician: James Newton Howard, Producers: Gary Barber, Roger Birnbaum, Jonathan Glickman, Ron Halpern, Tim Headington, Graham King, David Nichols, Denis O’Sullivan, Lloyd Phillips, Production Companies: GK Films, Spyglass Entertainment, Studio Canal

Film Type: Action, Drama, Thriller, Cast: Johnny Depp (Frank Tupelo), Angelina Jolie (Elise Clifton-Ward), Paul Bettany (Inspector John Acheson), Timothy Dalton (Chief Inspector Jones), Steven Berkoff (Reginald Shaw), Rufus Sewell (The Englishman), Christian De Sica (Colonello Lombardi), Alessio Boni (Sergente Cerato), Daniele Pecci (Tenente Narduzzi), Giovanni Guidelli (Tenente Tommassini), Raoul Bova (Conte Filippo Gaggia), Bruno Wolkowitch (Capitaine Courson), Marc Ruchmann (Brigadier Kaiser), Julien Baumgartner (Brigadier Ricuort), François Vincentelli (Brigadier Marion), Length: 103’, Language: English, Countries: United States, France, Year: 2010
Film Trailer
United States release date Friday 10 December 2010


Images:
Left: Johnny Depp as Frank Tupelo and Angelina Jolie as Elise Clifton-Ward from the website cinemablend.com
Center: Graphic interpretation of “The Tourist” created by Adrean Darce Brent
Right: “The Tourist” poster from the website filmposter-archiv.de

Traveling From The “7 Wonders” To “Tongiaki” And Finishing In The “Winner’s Circle”

My journey to Mar Vista today was unexpectedly pleasant (fewer bus stops, fewer people). There was a petty annoyance upon my arrival; I discovered that I had neglected to bring my usual instruments of writing with me and only a quick stop in a nearby 98 cents store put me back in good humor. When I reached St Bede’s, Brian was still in the process of setting things up for the final Games Day of 2010. After signing in and name tagging, I gave Brian gifts for his and Jen’s soon-to-be transferring from womb-to-world daughter (found out later that the bright shiny red shoes were the biggest hit!). Now onto my game travels of the day.

The first stop was to the ancient world and a visit to the “7 Wonders”. Brian was the tour guide for the group which, along with me, included, Andrew, John, Marc, Mary T., and Matthew. – seven wonders, seven visitors. – perfect! As this was a new experience for all of us (made its debut yesterday according to Brian), explanations on how to procedure were quite necessary. It was somewhat complicated as were staying around for three ages and in addition to gathering various resources and building towards the future, we all had to contend with the military buildup around us. Each of us had our own specific “wonder” and mine was the Statue of Zeus at Olympia with its own unique requirements for going forward. The “7 Wonders” journey is conducted like this - In each age, players receive seven cards from a particular deck, choose one of those cards, then pass the remainder to an adjacent player...Players reveal their cards simultaneously, paying resources if needed or collecting resources or interacting with other players in various ways…Each player then chooses another card from the deck they were passed, and the process repeats until players have six cards in play from that age. After three ages, the game ends. – boardgamegeek.com. I really didn’t know what I was doing for most of the trip – somehow I managed to build what I needed to in the First Age, but I think I missed an opportunity in the Second Age, and I was very happy when the trip finally ended in the Third Age. At the recap of the trip, John was declared the winner and I tied with Matthew for fourth place (at least we were not last!). Hadn’t realized until the tallying up of points, that there were seven categories in which to accumulate them and I only had points in five categories; though in one of those categories I had more points than anyone else and tied for first in another one with Andrew and Brian – minor consolations. There’s much going on with this trip and I think it is too much – the only person to have points in each category was our guide, Brian (of course!). Some of the distributed materials had information for multiple possibilities from which to choose and graphically the images were not always easy to decipher. Plus not enough coins for earning or paying. As this was my first trip to the “7 Wonders”, I was surely overwhelmed with all the activities involved in the visit. Before the next time I venture here, I will have to read up on how best to approach the “7 Wonders”.

Moving forward in time, it was off to sailing around in a “Tongiaki” and I was joined by five other sailors – Eliot, Lucy, Robert, Sari and Todd. And our reason for sailing from one Pacific Island to another - 300 AD: The Polynesians embarked on daring sailing trips and explored thousands of Pacific Islands. Driven by overpopulation and a desire for adventure, they set forth into the unknown on simple catamarans called Tongiakis. – boardgamegeek.com. This was a much simpler and straight forward visit than my first journey of the day. We just had to populate deserted islands with sailing over the open waters being the dangerous part of the adventure. Having the most presence on the islands was the ultimate objective of our journey. The winner of the most presence was Robert and for this trip I ended up in second place – a vast improvement over the results earlier in the day. Although it was a more relaxing visit than “7 Wonders” and I have figured out a strategy, I probably won’t make a return trip to “Tongiaki” – doesn’t hold my interest.

Before heading off to a contemporary time and the “Winner’s Circle”, I encountered “The Bucket King” and “Category 5”. Think “The Bucket King” should be renamed as half of us indulging in this diversion were women and this was another second place finish for me. A good ending for my first time meeting TBK and feeding the animals. Would be willing to see TBK again. Fourth place was my result in “Category 5” and I had been acquainted with this specific entity at an earlier time. It’s fun and a degree of luck is needed in the interaction.

The final destination of the day was a return to the current age and horse racing in the “Winner’s Circle”. Joining me on this jaunt to the race track were Eliot, Mike, Robert, Steve, and Todd. This was my second time here and still my one complaint is the difficulty in distinguishing five of the seven horses running. Jockey colors on the horses would be helpful. Anyway, the activities surrounding “Winner’s Circle” - A lively game of horse racing where players bet on several of seven horses to try to gain the most money by the end of the game…Players roll the die and choose which horse you want to move from those not taken their turn yet. The seven horses vary in strength, but even the weakest horses have some amazing bursts of speed. Players bet on the horses before each race and so either co-operate or compete to get their horses over the line. – boardgamegeek.com. The day began with Three Ages and ends with three races. Betting on the horses is good (if only I could remember which horse had the zero bet!), but obviously my skill in horse racing is lacking as I finished in fifth place – my worst position in the trips taken today. The win, place, and show people were Steve, Eliot, and Mike. An experience to be had again, if only with distinctive horses of any color.

Such were my game journeys today – a couple of new places and an old one. Fun was surely had. At some point in the late afternoon Jen and Finn arrived and I broke away from one of the travel groups and talked to Jen for a few minutes. Won’t see Jen again until after her daughter has made her world debut (any day now). My arrival was by bus, but my departure was by car, thanks to fellow games traveler Robert. Having pleasant comings and goings is always a treat. And until the next day of games – keep playing those boards!


Images:
Left: Box cover of “7 Wonders” from the website boardgamegeek.com
Center: Box cover of “Tongiaki” from the website boardgamegeek.com
Right: Box cover of “Winner’s Circle” from the website boardgamegeek.com

Spirit Awards 2011 Nominations

For me the film awards season has officially begun. Although I missed the actual online announcement, this morning Film Independent presented the nominees for the 2011 Spirit Awards. The reason why this is my official start of the film awards season, is that I actually get to vote for the Spirit Awards. There will be screenings and screeners to be viewed – always a pleasure. The awards ceremony will take place during the afternoon of Saturday 26 February 2011 on the beach in Santa Monica, California. On that day I most likely will be at the Official Spirit Awards Viewing Party comfortably situated in a hotel with libations, and well yeah, some food. If you would like to be eligible to vote for the 2011 Spirit Awards, you have until Friday 3 December 2010 to join Film Independent. So which of the nominated films have you seen (no comment from me)? The nominees are:

2011 SPIRIT AWARD NOMINATIONS

BEST FEATURE (Award given to the Producer, Executive Producers are not listed)

127 Hours
Black Swan
Greenberg
The Kids Are All Right
Winter’s Bone

BEST DIRECTOR

Darren Aronofsky - Black Swan
Danny Boyle - 127 Hours
Lisa Cholodenko - The Kids Are All Right
Debra Granik - Winter’s Bone
John Cameron Mitchell - Rabbit Hole

BEST SCREENPLAY

Stuart Blumberg, Lisa Cholodenko - The Kids Are All Right
Debra Granik, Anne Rosellini - Winter’s Bone
Nicole Holofcener - Please Give
David Lindsay-Abaire - Rabbit Hole
Todd Solondz - Life During Wartime

BEST FIRST FEATURE

Everything Strange and New
Get Low
Night Catches Us
The Last Exorcism
Tiny Furniture

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY

Diane Bell - Obselidia
Lena Dunham - Tiny Furniture
Nik Fackler - Lovely, Still
Bob Glaudini - Jack Goes Boating
Dana Adam Shapiro, Evan M. Wiener - Monogamy

JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD - Given to the best feature made for under $500,000. Award given to the writer, director, and producer. Executive Producers are not listed

Daddy Longlegs
Lbs.
Lovers of Hate
Obselidia
The Exploding Girl

BEST FEMALE LEAD

Annette Bening - The Kids Are All Right
Greta Gerwig - Greenberg
Nicole Kidman - Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence - Winter’s Bone
Natalie Portman - Black Swan
Michelle Williams - Blue Valentine

BEST MALE LEAD

Ronald Bronstein - Daddy Longlegs
Aaron Eckhart - Rabbit Hole
James Franco - 127 Hours
John C. Reilly - Cyrus
Ben Stiller - Greenberg

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE

Ashley Bell - The Last Exorcism
Dale Dickey - Winter’s Bone
Allison Janney - Life During Wartime
Daphne Rubin-Vega - Jack Goes Boating
Naomi Watts - Mother and Child

BEST SUPPORTING MALE

John Hawkes - Winter’s Bone
Samuel L. Jackson - Mother and Child
Bill Murray - Get Low
John Ortiz - Jack Goes Boa
Mark Ruffalo - The Kids Are All Right

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Adam Kimmel - Never Let Me Go
Matthew Libatique - Black Swan
Jody Lee Lipes - Tiny Furniture
Michael McDonough - Winter’s Bone
Harris Savides - Greenberg

BEST DOCUMENTARY (Award given to the director)

Exit Through the Gift Shop
Marwencol
Restrepo
Sweetgrass
Thunder Soul

BEST FOREIGN FILM (Award given to the director)

Kisses
(Ireland)
Mademoiselle Chambon
(France)
Of Gods and Men
(Morocco)
The King’s Speech(United Kingdom)
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives
(Thailand)

ACURA SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD – The 17th annual Acura Someone to Watch Award recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by Acura.

Hossein Keshavarz - Dog Sweat
Laurel Nakadate - The Wolf Knife
Mike Ott - Littlerock

PIAGET PRODUCERS AWARD – The 14th annual Piaget Producers Award honors emerging producers who, despite highly limited resources demonstrate the creativity, tenacity, and vision required to produce quality, independent films. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by Piaget.

In-Ah Lee - Au Revoir Taipei
Adele Romanski - The Myth of the American Sleepover
Anish Savjani - Meek’s Cutoff

AVEENO® TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD – The 16th annual AVEENO® Truer Than Fiction Award is presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by AVEENO®.

Ilisa Barbash, Lucien Castaing-Taylor - Sweetgrass
Jeff Malmberg - Marwencol
Lynn True, Nelson Walker - Summer Pasture

ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD - (Given to one film’s director, casting director, and its ensemble cast)

Please Give
Director: Nicole Holofcener
Casting Director: Jeanne McCarthy
Ensemble Cast: Ann Guilbert, Rebecca Hall, Catherine Keener, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt, Lois Smith, Sarah Steele

Image is of the Spirit Awards Nominations Announcement poster

Patriots Redown: November 2010

Game 8 – Sunday 7 November 2010 – Patriots lost - Away

New England Patriots: 0 7 0 7 - 14
Cleveland Browns: 10 7 7 10 - 34

Total game points equal 48. Patriots 29.17% of the points. Browns 70.83% of the points.


Game 9 – Sunday 14 November 2010 – Patriots won – Away

New England Patriots: 10 0 13 16 - 39
Pittsburgh Steelers: 0 3 0 23 - 26

Total game points equal 65. Patriots 60.00% of the points. Steelers 40.00% of the points


Game 10 – Sunday 21 November 2010 – Patriots won – Home

New England Patriots: 7 14 7 3 - 31
Indianapolis Colts: 0 14 0 14 - 28

Total game points equal 59. Patriots 52.54% of the points. Colts 47.46% of the points.


Game 11 – Thursday 25 November 2010 – Patriots won - Away

New England Patriots: 3 7 14 21 - 45
Detroit Lions: 7 10 7 0 - 24

Total game points equal 69. Patriots 65.22% of the points. Lions 34.78% of the points.

New England Patriots logo is from the website wikipedia.org

Patriots Versus Lions: Happy Thanksgiving Again (And More) New England!

It’s not the traditional Thanksgiving of my childhood, but being at the New England bar, Sonny McLean’s, is the closest I can come to the celebration in Southern California. Since the Pats rarely play on Thanksgiving, it’s a special treat to watching them play the Detroit Lions this early morning. The last time the New England Patriots played on Thanksgiving was Thursday 28 November 2002 also against the Lions at Detroit and the Pats were victorious by a score of 20 to 12. Looking for a repeat. A number of people go away for Thanksgiving, so Sonny’s is not really crowded for the 9:30 a.m. kickoff and over the course of the game no one asks to sit at my table and there is no one in the darts area - it’s that empty. Jenny and Lauren are working, along with some other people I don’t know. Well anyway, Rich, a fellow regular is here and I talk to him for a while. He already has Christmas in mind and is planning on buying a new television for himself. There’s certainly a temperature feel to the holiday season as we both remark on how cold it is in the bar – brrr! Later today Rich will be spending Thanksgiving with John’s (another Sonny’s regular) family. My plans are to stay for Sonny’s Thanksgiving meal (of course subject to change). However, I am enjoying the Sonny’s Breakfast (scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes, tomato, wheat toast, and fruit) as game time arrives and play begins. Happily, the Patriots score first, but the Lions come back and take the lead. This matchup will prove to be a back-and-forth affair with the lead changing several times and the score tied twice. At the end of the third quarter the score is 24 to 24, but in the fourth quarter New England completely shuts down Detroit and vaults ahead with three unanswered touchdowns! The final score is Patriots 45 and the Lions 24. It is indeed another Happy New England Thanksgiving! As a time for Sonny’s Thanksgiving meal was not yet set and it was still very cold in the bar, I decided I would return home for the rest of the day and let the victory sustain me and keep me warm (as will my apartment!). No, it’s not the Thanksgiving of my youth, but one that is never-the-less happy with great touches of New England in it.


New England Patriots logo is from wikipedia.org