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November 30
Assessing Mendes' Road
An AICN poster named Dave Feldman has posted a very positive reaction to an early screening of Sam Mendes' Revolutionary Road in White Plains, New York, and that's fine. But the guy doesn't know how to spell "bawling" -- in his mind it's "balling" -- and this, I feel, opens up a whole universe of caution and interpretation about the world of Mr. Feldman. If you don't know how to spell "bawling," what else don't you know? What other aspects of the human condition have you misread or missed out on?
"The movie's a killer," he begins. "Clear the decks -- this is a great ride." Well and good, but then Feldman feels obliged to describe costar Kate Winslet as Mendes' "beautiful wife" and again you go "what?" I don't trust anyone who introduces any artist as someone's beautiful wife or handsome husband. Artists stand on their own or they're nothing, and information about who they're married to or living with is a waste of breath in a review, so obviously one needs to say "watch it!" when reading anyone who brings this up.
Winslet plays "an idealistic wife in 1950s Connecticut who realizes that her dreams and freedom have withered away," he writes, "[so] she persuades her husband, the debonair Leonardo DiCaprio, to rediscover the thing that made their marriage vital." Winslet, he believes, has "never been better." Okay, fine.
"I won't give away too much, but let's just say that DiCaprio goes along for the ride for a bit, but soon reality sets in and they've got to make some life-altering changes. Let's just say not only was DiCaprio's character balling [sic] by the end, but most of the audience was too."
"The performances are absolutely stunning, he explains, "true powerhouse roles like we haven't since in a lonnng time. I bet comparisons to Cat on a Hot Tin Roof are inevitable, and dare I say that DiCaprio and Winslet outshine Taylor and Newman." Elizabeth Taylor and Paul Newman's performance, he means, in a not-very-good adaptation of a so-so play. The guy is referencing a 50 year-old movie that feels classic to some because of the current Broadway stage revival? Puzzling.
This, I say, is the third and final nail in the coffin. "Balling" plus "Mendes' beautiful wife' plus Cat on a Hot Tin Roof...over and out.
Another AICN guy who called himself "Jay Diggler" (meaning...what, that he fancies himself a ladies' man because his member is almost as large as Dirk Diggler's?) liked it also -- a little bit less than Feldman, but he's a more explicit writer and seems more thoughtful and circumspect.
The film "clocked in at about 2 and 1/2 hours but it never felt that long," he writes. "It starts off with the end of a play that April is starring in and shows Frank's disappointing face. Turns out this play is in a local high school and April [we learn] never became the actress she really wanted to be. This scene culminates in an intense screaming match between the two and Frank punching the car followed by the credits or Revolutionary Road.
"This sets the mood for how this movie is going to be. April is a failed actress/depressed housewife and Frank is a failure working at a crappy job he hates [because he feels he's] becoming his dad.
"DiCaprio and Winslet give Oscar worthy perfomances throughout the film. Their fights are intense; one in particular gave me the chills. You can see the anguish behind April's eyes as she goes on each day, hiding the fact that she's miserable. When April comes up with the idea to move to France and start over, you can see happiness reenter both of their lives and you really hope that everything works out for them. Those who've read the book know that this is only wishful thinking . For those that haven',I don't want to spoil the results." You don't?
Diggler believes that Mendes "really blew" the ending, though. "They could've had a perfect ending that left you feeling for the characters but they tacked on some scenes at the end that were unnecessary and they failed to give you any time to process what happened to the characters. [This is] a missed opportunity that I hope is corrected in the final cut. I made sure to detail my problems with the ending in the sheet that they passed around to everyone.
"Overall though I really enjoyed the film, the acting kept the movie afloat and I'm sure we'll see a couple names from this movie [among] the Oscar nominations. For Sam Mendes [this is] not as good as American Beauty but still a great job."
Posted by Jeffrey Wells on August 25, 2008 at 10:08 AM
comment #1
Howlingman says ...
On the eve of a friend's wedding, the groom promies it would be one to remember, writing in an email that his mom, sisters, bride, bride's sister, bride's cousins would all be "balling." And I was thinking "wow. this is gonna be one hell of a wedding." Sadly there was no such "balling" on display, at least not the type I was hoping for.
Posted by Howlingman at August 25, 2008 10:58 AM
comment #2
Howlingman says ...
And in the poor spelling category: "promies" should be "promised."
Posted by Howlingman at August 25, 2008 11:00 AM
comment #3
Rosebudsthesled says ...
OK Jeff, I'm going to say it loud and clear: STOP ATTACKING ONE BIG FALL RELEASE EACH YEAR FOR NO REASON. It's so unbelievably tedious after a while to deal with so many articles on why THE AVIATOR, MUNICH or Eddie Murphy in DREAMGIRLS. What come from this? Is there some sense of personal satisfaction? I guess there is, since about two years ago you gloated that you had helped stall MUNICH'S Oscar chances. What it tells me is that you're on some kind of power trip, and I certainly don't want that impression since I'm a very devoted reader.
I can only say that if this REVOLUTIONARY ROAD bashing continues on a weekly or bi-weekly basis by December or January, I'm going to get horribly bored.
Posted by Rosebudsthesled at August 25, 2008 11:00 AM
comment #4
C-PhreekII says ...
Just a tad OT/spolier from a trailer - in front of a screening of the justly praised Tell No One, there was a trailer for Towelhead. So apparently, Aaron Eckhart has a thing for his underaged, next door neighbor Arab teen. Which begs the question:
Does Alan Ball not have any straight, unfucked-up male buddies? Or, does he pretty much think every middle aged guy is a pedophile waiting to happen, some sort of unconscious payback for all those years when gay men were falsely thought to be pedophiles themselves?
Posted by C-PhreekII at August 25, 2008 11:15 AM
comment #5
nemo says ...
My 9-year-old niece recently explained to me that "spelling doesn't matter."
I said it's true, as long as you're OK with the whole world thinking you're a dumbass.
She was all ready to send off an e-mail in which she misspelled her friend's name. That's a good way to make people think you're not only a dumbass, but a rude insensitive dumbass as well.
The hardest lesson to learn in writing and speaking is an exercise in imagination -- putting yourself in the audience's position. What is this going to look and sound like to other people?
Posted by nemo at August 25, 2008 11:16 AM
comment #6
Devin Faraci says ...
While I'm not saying that this review is a plant, studio plants intentionally misspell homonyms all the time in an effort to appear more credible.
Posted by Devin Faraci at August 25, 2008 11:18 AM
comment #7
Mgmax says ...
Unfortunately, homophonic spelling mistakes (that spellcheck can't catch) seem to be our lot in life now. If you can spell, like me, you are doomed to watch others "tow" the line and so on.
I'm a lot more bothered by someone calling a serious drama "a great ride." That's a sign of mental midgetry and complete lack of experience of culture prior to 1996.
Posted by Mgmax at August 25, 2008 11:21 AM
comment #8
Howlingman says ...
^^ Which is one sad, sad indictment of "the norm" these days, isn't it?
Posted by Howlingman at August 25, 2008 11:21 AM
comment #9
Michael says ...
If it's not as American Beauty, it must be a real piece of shit. Will you get hit over the head with a brick walking into the theatre, or walking out?
Posted by Michael at August 25, 2008 11:31 AM
comment #10
Michael says ...
*as good*
Posted by Michael at August 25, 2008 11:32 AM
comment #11
gruver1 says ...
Wells to rosebudthesled: I obviously examined the reactions to Revolutionary Road, not the film itself. I dismissed Feldman because he gave me reason not to trust his perceptions; I didn't dismiss Diggler because he seems like a reasonably observant sort. What's your effin' problem? I don't have any substantive feelings at all about Revolutionary Road.
Posted by gruver1 at August 25, 2008 11:34 AM
comment #12
Richardson says ...
Jeff - you are certainly a better blogger than the AICN reviewers, but you aren't a better enough writer to go after them this harshly.
Posted by Richardson at August 25, 2008 11:36 AM
comment #13
Richardson says ...
"Unfortunately, homophonic spelling mistakes (that spellcheck can't catch) seem to be our lot in life now. "
I long for the days when that's the worst of it. I find that people nowadays don't even bother to use the spell check. A rule I believe is true: the worse a speller a person is, the less they will rely on spellcheck.
Being fair, though, I have noticed that spellcheck is pretty crappy sometimes. I've noticed that compound words tend to be left out of a lot of spellchecks. Imagine writing a script with a long, prominent sequence set in a "treehouse" and being told that "treehouse" is not a word.
Posted by Richardson at August 25, 2008 11:40 AM
comment #14
gruver1 says ...
Wells to Richardson: I'm not a "better enough" writer, you say, than the AICN bloggers? And you would be a good judge of this?
Posted by gruver1 at August 25, 2008 11:42 AM
comment #15
Richardson says ...
That's not an opinion -- I have definitive proof of it. If you were that much better than them, then you would have a more productive way to spend your writing time than making unsolicited copy-edits for Ain't It Cool News.
Posted by Richardson at August 25, 2008 11:59 AM
comment #16
DarthCorleone says ...
I'm something of a spelling snob myself, but over the years in my old age I've found more and more that I make homophone mistakes that are purely a result of my being able to type too damn fast. I never would have thought that I would replace "your" with "you're" (or vice versa), but it's happened before. It's not a case of my not knowing the difference; my brain just processes the thought wrong in transmitting it to my fingers. Hence, I'm willing to give a little leeway in this category, although if someone is going to send a piece to be published, he or she should always at least read it over for mistakes.
Posted by DarthCorleone at August 25, 2008 12:02 PM
comment #17
tophertilson says ...
Wait. CAT ON A HIT TIN ROOF isn't a classic of the American theatre and is only remembered because of the recent revival? Huh? This is where *your* argument falls apart for me.
Posted by tophertilson at August 25, 2008 12:06 PM
comment #18
BurmaShave says ...
This guy should try and learn how to spell good. He should of paid more attention in school! Now and days spelling is all that matters, noone cares about grammer.
Posted by BurmaShave at August 25, 2008 12:06 PM
comment #19
Richardson says ...
"I'm something of a spelling snob myself, but over the years in my old age I've found more and more that I make homophone mistakes that are purely a result of my being able to type too damn fast."
Darth - I can't tell if I type too fast or I'm just getting old, but I've been catching myself doing "to"/"too" more and more lately. Sometimes I don't even catch it until it's too late.
That's not even the worst, though; I've definitely started spelling more and more by sound. I have not yet reached the level of "could of", but I have done things of which I am no more proud.
Posted by Richardson at August 25, 2008 12:07 PM
comment #20
p.Vice says ...
If it's "not as good as American Beauty" then it's probably a contender for worst film of the year. As is pretty much everything Mendes lays his idiot paws on.
Next.
Posted by p.Vice at August 25, 2008 12:11 PM
comment #21
Richardson says ...
In a world where everybody goes too easy on various entertainment, it's nice to have P.vice around; it's a guarantee that every movie he sees, along with a lot of movies he doesn't see, will be tied for "worst movie of all time".
Posted by Richardson at August 25, 2008 12:16 PM
comment #22
gnosis says ...
This discussion of spelling errors in the blogosphere would be funny it if was not so tragic. Spelling, grammar, and (most regrettably)proper usage sail out the window in the new world. Everytime Poland hails some other writer entering the blog world, I wail at the slow bleed from thoughtful well-written, double-checked and triple-checked, proofread, EDITED analysis to knee-jerk, barely readable, maximize your hits reactions.
The blog form has considerable merit. I just hope we don't lose sight of the many wonderful traits of traditional journalistic practice. You know, professionalism in writing.
It's not the fault of spell-checker software but the lack of editors or at least, a second opinion. In fact, I wish I had one or the other right now because the real problem is that it is damn difficult to catch all of your own errors because your brain corrects the typed screen to read as it should.
Of course, having written a message like this, I probably have a record number of errors somewhere in here...
Rant over. Is there no way to edit your comments in case I DO see something after I post. Sigh.
Posted by gnosis at August 25, 2008 12:34 PM
comment #23
gnosis says ...
Missed a space... I knew it!
Posted by gnosis at August 25, 2008 12:37 PM
comment #24
Richardson says ...
"that he fancies himself a ladies' man because his member is almost as large as Dirk Diggler's?"
If you don't know the expression "ladies man" requires no possessive apostrophe, what else don't you know? What other aspects of the human condition have you misspelled or missed out on?
Posted by Richardson at August 25, 2008 12:38 PM
comment #25
Howlingman says ...
We all make mistakes, gnosis. The difference lies in recognizing it's a mistake. For my part I've found my longhand writing has become quite atrocious and barely legible to anyone but me; and even then there are times...
Posted by Howlingman at August 25, 2008 12:40 PM
comment #26
C-PhreekII says ...
If you don't know the expression "ladies man" requires no possessive apostrophe, what else don't you know? What other aspects of the human condition have you misspelled or missed out on?
Game, set & match: Richardson.
Posted by C-PhreekII at August 25, 2008 12:44 PM
comment #27
dre says ...
Sam Mendes is an idiot huh? Okie dokie
Posted by dre at August 25, 2008 12:55 PM
comment #28
p.Vice says ...
Worst movie of all time? Where'd you get that one from, Rich?
Posted by p.Vice at August 25, 2008 1:07 PM
comment #29
dre says ...
Wow. Richardson might've just burned Jeff. And I say "might've" knowing I may be missing out on other aspects of the human condition.
Posted by dre at August 25, 2008 1:08 PM
comment #30
Richardson says ...
"Worst movie of all time? Where'd you get that one from, Rich?"
It was intentionally exaggerated to make your absurdity more obvious.
Posted by Richardson at August 25, 2008 1:30 PM
comment #31
Joel says ...
I haven't seen Revolutionary Road, but I've read it. I can in no way imagine a film coming from that book that would prompt me to exclaim "Clear the decks -- this is a great ride!" It's easily one of the most depressing books I have ever read.
Posted by Joel at August 25, 2008 2:16 PM
comment #32
gruver1 says ...
Wells to the irritatingly belligerent Richardson and C-PhreekII: There's nothing illogical about putting an apostrophe after ladies in "ladies' man." The man who shows lots and lots of attention to the ladies -- beholden, devoted -- would naturally be seen in the eyes of the ladies as belonging to them, in a sense. Their boy and hence the apostrophe. I will refrain from using an apostrophe henceforth but dammit, it should be there! In the meantime, eff you both and your nitpicky nyah-nyah weenie-prick attitudes.
Posted by gruver1 at August 25, 2008 2:18 PM
comment #33
Richardson says ...
I should say that it was just a joke, and I didn't realize it would make you so overly defensive. But that would be a lie; I know that even the softest joke at your expense will always make the spittle fly.
Fact is, though, the joke is based in truth. Part of the human condition of being a ladies man is to realize that (unfortunately phrased as this must be to make the point) the ladies belong to the ladies man. If the man belonged to one of the ladies, he wouldn't be the ladies' man, he would be a lady's man. And if more than one of them feels that he belongs to them, the fact that there is more than one precludes him from belonging to any of them.
"In the meantime, eff you both and your nitpicky nyah-nyah weenie-prick attitudes. "
Again I would like to point out that it would take only the faintest sense of pathos -- all you need is the ironic intent -- for you to be extremely funny, Jeff.
Posted by Richardson at August 25, 2008 2:23 PM
comment #34
Krazy Eyes says ...
It's all a mute point though, because the review appeared on AICN, and for all intensive purposes, they suck.
Posted by Krazy Eyes at August 25, 2008 2:55 PM
comment #35
Richardson says ...
"It's all a mute point"
If you did that on purpose, you're brilliant.
Otherwise, you're a TOTAL IDIOT.
"for all intensive purposes"
Okay, good. Kudos.
"because the review appeared on AICN"
Yeah, really, I just wanted to make a joke about Jeff copy-editing an AICN review.
Posted by Richardson at August 25, 2008 3:03 PM
comment #36
C-PhreekII says ...
Richardson - until Wells inevitably pulls his "nyah-nyah weenie-prick" move of having your posts get sent to a bullshit folder for "evaluation" (call it "back door banning"), you certainly have become my hero poster here. Bravo and good cheer, Sir.
Posted by C-PhreekII at August 25, 2008 3:14 PM
comment #37
NC Gary says ...
For me the big question is: Will this be the film that finally nabs Kate Winslet an Oscar. Something tells me she might lose again. Probably to Anne Hathaway or Angelina Jolie.
Posted by NC Gary at August 25, 2008 4:10 PM
comment #38
arturobandini says ...
I back up Wells. It SHOULD be ladies' man, and in fact, I've seen it spelled that way more often than not. You don't usually say someone is a (noun) (noun), you say they're a (noun) or an (adjective) (noun). But since both the Jerry Lewis movie and the Tim Meadows movie dropped the apostrophe, I'll drop the argument.
I've been a spelling Nazi since I taught myself to type at 6. I only misspell now when I've been reading the internet, because bad grammar is rampant and it rubs off. Recently I notified the NY Times because they misspelled Hungary ("Hungry") in a headline on their front page. The worst violation is apostrophe abuse. Every day I see it (mis)used 10-100 times for plural nouns instead of possessive ("A dozen egg's" or "70's cinema" or "Happy Hour at Hooter's").
In the early days of PCs (not PC's), the WordStar spellcheck was really awful. On one of my college papers, it changed "timpani" (which I'd spelled correctly) to "tampon." I got dinked a whole letter grade just for that.
Finally, I totally agree that AMERICAN BEAUTY was a turd. What an excruciating, smug piece of self-satisfied excru-tainment that was. I wanted to wrap that goddamn plastic bag around every character's head until they stopped speaking Alan Ball's awful dialogue.
Posted by arturobandini at August 25, 2008 5:15 PM
comment #39
T. S. Idiot says ...
My favorite apostrophe error appeared on the sign of a culinary establishment in Syracuse: Athen's Pizza.
Posted by T. S. Idiot at August 26, 2008 10:45 AM
comment #40
K. Bowen says ...
I think I described The Fountain as a love letter from Aronofsky to his fiancee (Rachel Weisz). I don't think that was inappropriate. I think it was accurate.
Posted by K. Bowen at August 27, 2008 1:37 AM
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