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Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Monday, June 23, 2008
Movie Review: Get Smart
Get Smart
2008
Rated PG-13
One of the best memories of my childhood was staying up late at night with my little sister and watching syndicated episodes of Get Smart on Channel 41. I was really excited to hear that they were making a movie out of it, but a little anxious, too—because what beloved TV show hasn’t had its memory desecrated by being adapted into a bad movie? Think Dukes of Hazzard and Beverly Hillbillies, just for starters.
I was reassured, though, when I learned that Steve Carell would be playing Agent 86, Maxwell Smart. Pre-release interviews were even more reassuring. When Carell talked about his interpretation of the Smart character, he payed proper respect to Don Adams, the comedic actor of the 60’s who originated the role for television, which told me that Carell honored the history of the show and the talents that first brought it to life. On the other hand, Carell also said that he would not be doing an imitation of Adams’ performance, that as an actor, he had to come up with his own interpretation of the character. Incidentally, all of the negative reviews of this film that I have seen centered around the fact that Carell did have his own interpretation, and didn’t just mimic Adams.
The movie begins with the premise that Maxwell Smart is a CONTROL analyst, and not yet an agent. He passes through the series of doors so well-known from the opening sequence of the show, into the same red phone booth, and into CONTROL headquarters. He analyzes information minutely and makes agents sit through interminable meetings while he reads through his tome-sized reports that nobody pays attention to. Yet, Smart is paying attention to his own data, and when events transpire to let him fulfill his dream of becoming an agent—Agent 86—most of those data are still in his head, ready for action.
He is paired with a reluctant Agent 99, played by Anne Hathaway, who objects to him as her partner because he has no field experience. In the 2008 rendition of the Get Smart world, 99 is tough and does not take a back seat to 86, as she too often does in the 60’s version. He respects her abilities, but eventually proves himself to her enough that she comes to respect him, too. The attraction and romance flow from there…quite believably, in my opinion, but I like the romantic subplots in any movie.
In the old TV show, Max was an idiot who thought he was all that, and 99, played by Barbara Feldon, was a competent, strong woman who always pulled him out of the fire (lit by his own ineptitude), and always let him take the credit for the win. If Max ever got anything right in the show, it was an accident. It was a one-joke show, enough to sustain a 22-minute sitcom and not much more. But in the new-millennium version, everyone thinks Max is less than competent—and he is terribly accident prone, providing many of the cringes and laughs of the film, such as falling out of the secret escape hatch of an airplane without a parachute—and nobody wants to make him an agent. And he sometimes does get things right by sheer good luck. But he is honest and intelligent and willing to learn, while also knowing that he knows what he knows…which is an important quality for the plot.
The plot, such as it is, is light enough for kids to follow, centering of course on the evil spy organization KAOS—who have now become international nuclear terrorists. So, yeah, it’s not a complex plot…but first movie plots never are. We don’t go to these films for the plot, we go to see 86 and 99 do their secret agent thing. (I did wonder why everyone at a Russian mobster’s party spoke English—and with an American accent…but whatever…) And they do the secret agent thing really well, because as Steve Carell put it, this isn’t supposed to be a spoof of spy movies, it’s supposed to be a spy movie that makes us laugh. There’s a big difference, and they seem to nail it. Anyway, director Peter Segal keeps the action moving, and keeps the plot going where it’s supposed to go.
Dwayne Johnson as the legendary hotshot Agent 23 is the perfect foil for Carell, in part because Johnson looks like he’s twice as tall as Carell. The differences between the two men are summed up when Max learns that 99 once had a relationship with 23, and says matter-of-factly, “I’m feeling very sexually threatened right now.” And Alan Arkin, too, gives the role of Chief more personality and substance than it ever got in the show.
Speaking as a fan of the old show, I think this film was even better. It kept true to the spirit of the show, while updating it to our time in all the good ways. And it was really, really funny. I can’t count how many times I laughed out loud, or clapped, or cheered. I would see it again, and I would take the kids to see it, too (despite a few butt jokes—because they were really good ones). I highly recommend it.
2008
Rated PG-13
One of the best memories of my childhood was staying up late at night with my little sister and watching syndicated episodes of Get Smart on Channel 41. I was really excited to hear that they were making a movie out of it, but a little anxious, too—because what beloved TV show hasn’t had its memory desecrated by being adapted into a bad movie? Think Dukes of Hazzard and Beverly Hillbillies, just for starters.
I was reassured, though, when I learned that Steve Carell would be playing Agent 86, Maxwell Smart. Pre-release interviews were even more reassuring. When Carell talked about his interpretation of the Smart character, he payed proper respect to Don Adams, the comedic actor of the 60’s who originated the role for television, which told me that Carell honored the history of the show and the talents that first brought it to life. On the other hand, Carell also said that he would not be doing an imitation of Adams’ performance, that as an actor, he had to come up with his own interpretation of the character. Incidentally, all of the negative reviews of this film that I have seen centered around the fact that Carell did have his own interpretation, and didn’t just mimic Adams.
The movie begins with the premise that Maxwell Smart is a CONTROL analyst, and not yet an agent. He passes through the series of doors so well-known from the opening sequence of the show, into the same red phone booth, and into CONTROL headquarters. He analyzes information minutely and makes agents sit through interminable meetings while he reads through his tome-sized reports that nobody pays attention to. Yet, Smart is paying attention to his own data, and when events transpire to let him fulfill his dream of becoming an agent—Agent 86—most of those data are still in his head, ready for action.
He is paired with a reluctant Agent 99, played by Anne Hathaway, who objects to him as her partner because he has no field experience. In the 2008 rendition of the Get Smart world, 99 is tough and does not take a back seat to 86, as she too often does in the 60’s version. He respects her abilities, but eventually proves himself to her enough that she comes to respect him, too. The attraction and romance flow from there…quite believably, in my opinion, but I like the romantic subplots in any movie.
In the old TV show, Max was an idiot who thought he was all that, and 99, played by Barbara Feldon, was a competent, strong woman who always pulled him out of the fire (lit by his own ineptitude), and always let him take the credit for the win. If Max ever got anything right in the show, it was an accident. It was a one-joke show, enough to sustain a 22-minute sitcom and not much more. But in the new-millennium version, everyone thinks Max is less than competent—and he is terribly accident prone, providing many of the cringes and laughs of the film, such as falling out of the secret escape hatch of an airplane without a parachute—and nobody wants to make him an agent. And he sometimes does get things right by sheer good luck. But he is honest and intelligent and willing to learn, while also knowing that he knows what he knows…which is an important quality for the plot.
The plot, such as it is, is light enough for kids to follow, centering of course on the evil spy organization KAOS—who have now become international nuclear terrorists. So, yeah, it’s not a complex plot…but first movie plots never are. We don’t go to these films for the plot, we go to see 86 and 99 do their secret agent thing. (I did wonder why everyone at a Russian mobster’s party spoke English—and with an American accent…but whatever…) And they do the secret agent thing really well, because as Steve Carell put it, this isn’t supposed to be a spoof of spy movies, it’s supposed to be a spy movie that makes us laugh. There’s a big difference, and they seem to nail it. Anyway, director Peter Segal keeps the action moving, and keeps the plot going where it’s supposed to go.
Dwayne Johnson as the legendary hotshot Agent 23 is the perfect foil for Carell, in part because Johnson looks like he’s twice as tall as Carell. The differences between the two men are summed up when Max learns that 99 once had a relationship with 23, and says matter-of-factly, “I’m feeling very sexually threatened right now.” And Alan Arkin, too, gives the role of Chief more personality and substance than it ever got in the show.
Speaking as a fan of the old show, I think this film was even better. It kept true to the spirit of the show, while updating it to our time in all the good ways. And it was really, really funny. I can’t count how many times I laughed out loud, or clapped, or cheered. I would see it again, and I would take the kids to see it, too (despite a few butt jokes—because they were really good ones). I highly recommend it.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
David's Turn
What a day. After a whole bunch of working, I took Sabra to a cheerleading meeting at the library (they are getting new uniforms, so we had to try them on). I brought David with me, since there's plenty for him to do at the library, and he doesn't usually require close supervision there, since it's like his second home.
About halfway through the meeting, David comes into the meeting room with blood all over his hands and running down his neck. He was running and fell and hit his chin on a chair--right underneath, so you can't see it if you're looking at his face unless he tips his head back. He wasn't really crying, so we went into the restroom to clean him up a little, and then he saw the blood and started to get a little bit upset. That's when I noticed that the cut looked pretty deep, so I gathered Sabra and we got in the car and drove over to our friend and nurse-practitioner, Nancy.
I'm sure the last thing Nancy needed was another patient waiting at home for her when she got home from the office, but she's always so good to us, so she looked at his chin, and called the ER in Aurora to see if they were crowded. I then traded some theological knowledge for the medical knowledge (who knew you could barter theological knowledge?), and took both kids out to Aurora, thankful that the storms were not that close to use yet.
It was a surprisingly easy ER visit, as far as those things go. We saw Dr. Williams, the doctor Nancy works with, and it turned out that instead of getting his little chin glued, like Nancy thought he would have to, he actually had to have two stitches put in. The absolute worst part of the whole experience for David was the needle they stuck in his chin to numb it--he really hates shots. That was really the only time he cried.
We were only there for about two hours total--not too bad for an ER visist. We didn't beat the rain home, but now David joins his accident-prone sisters in the annals of family medical history. I think we're really lucky that he made it more than 5 years with no injuries before this!
Kathy
About halfway through the meeting, David comes into the meeting room with blood all over his hands and running down his neck. He was running and fell and hit his chin on a chair--right underneath, so you can't see it if you're looking at his face unless he tips his head back. He wasn't really crying, so we went into the restroom to clean him up a little, and then he saw the blood and started to get a little bit upset. That's when I noticed that the cut looked pretty deep, so I gathered Sabra and we got in the car and drove over to our friend and nurse-practitioner, Nancy.
I'm sure the last thing Nancy needed was another patient waiting at home for her when she got home from the office, but she's always so good to us, so she looked at his chin, and called the ER in Aurora to see if they were crowded. I then traded some theological knowledge for the medical knowledge (who knew you could barter theological knowledge?), and took both kids out to Aurora, thankful that the storms were not that close to use yet.
It was a surprisingly easy ER visit, as far as those things go. We saw Dr. Williams, the doctor Nancy works with, and it turned out that instead of getting his little chin glued, like Nancy thought he would have to, he actually had to have two stitches put in. The absolute worst part of the whole experience for David was the needle they stuck in his chin to numb it--he really hates shots. That was really the only time he cried.
We were only there for about two hours total--not too bad for an ER visist. We didn't beat the rain home, but now David joins his accident-prone sisters in the annals of family medical history. I think we're really lucky that he made it more than 5 years with no injuries before this!
Kathy
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Help Bring Jonas and Ellie Home
My friend Kristina and her husband Todd are trying to adopt two beautiful 3-year-olds from Haiti. It has been a long, hard process for them--why is it that the world works so hard against us when we just want to do a good and loving thing? Check out their blog here
The blog does include a pitch for donations...they need about $3500 for each child to get them home. They aren't asking much, just $1 a person. Go to the blog and look at those faces, and $1 won't seem like enough. Don't worry, you don't have to limit it to $1, you can give more.
Adoption is so hard sometimes; Kristina says in her blog that if they can just get these babies home, they can provide for them just fine. Why in the world are there so many roadblocks for a family who wants to love and provide for kids that have no other home? Why aren't people, agencies, charities, governments rushing to hand these families money? Every adopting family goes through something like this--it's not a smooth or easy process for anyone. The world is so stupidly upside down sometimes.
Kristina and Todd are good, loving, Christian people. Jonas and Ellie are doing okay so far, but their mom, dad, and sisters want them home so badly. If a dollar really is too much for you (and believe me, I've been there), please pray for them, and pass their blog link on to others.
Love y'all,
Kathy
The blog does include a pitch for donations...they need about $3500 for each child to get them home. They aren't asking much, just $1 a person. Go to the blog and look at those faces, and $1 won't seem like enough. Don't worry, you don't have to limit it to $1, you can give more.
Adoption is so hard sometimes; Kristina says in her blog that if they can just get these babies home, they can provide for them just fine. Why in the world are there so many roadblocks for a family who wants to love and provide for kids that have no other home? Why aren't people, agencies, charities, governments rushing to hand these families money? Every adopting family goes through something like this--it's not a smooth or easy process for anyone. The world is so stupidly upside down sometimes.
Kristina and Todd are good, loving, Christian people. Jonas and Ellie are doing okay so far, but their mom, dad, and sisters want them home so badly. If a dollar really is too much for you (and believe me, I've been there), please pray for them, and pass their blog link on to others.
Love y'all,
Kathy
Happy Birthday, Daddy and Grandma!
I've missed some important happenings in June; I mean, I've missed blogging about them. SOMEONE was supposed to send me a link or a DVD to her performance at Royals' Stadium, but hasn't yet done so.
However, today and yesterday are important days and shouldn't be skipped. Yesterday was my Daddy's 61st birthday! Yay! I saw Daddy at the Royals' game on the 1st, and we had a great time. My Daddy taught me everything I believe so strongly about honor and honesty and responsibility; thank you, Daddy. I love you so much.
And today is Grandma Hood's 89th birthday! I realized today that Betty is our oldest living relative--way to go, Betty! (I think I have a great aunt in Scranton who is about the same age, but I'm not sure how old she is...) It is such a gift that my kids get to spend time with her and ask her about her life and listen to her stories. She has some great stories; my favorites are the ones about her childhood in Kansas City, my hometown. It's changed a lot, but I wouldn't know much about that if I hadn't gotten to hear Grandma talk about it. Love you, Grandma! Happy Birthday!
For those of you who are praying people, send up a prayer for my Daddy and for Grandma Hood.
Kathy
However, today and yesterday are important days and shouldn't be skipped. Yesterday was my Daddy's 61st birthday! Yay! I saw Daddy at the Royals' game on the 1st, and we had a great time. My Daddy taught me everything I believe so strongly about honor and honesty and responsibility; thank you, Daddy. I love you so much.
And today is Grandma Hood's 89th birthday! I realized today that Betty is our oldest living relative--way to go, Betty! (I think I have a great aunt in Scranton who is about the same age, but I'm not sure how old she is...) It is such a gift that my kids get to spend time with her and ask her about her life and listen to her stories. She has some great stories; my favorites are the ones about her childhood in Kansas City, my hometown. It's changed a lot, but I wouldn't know much about that if I hadn't gotten to hear Grandma talk about it. Love you, Grandma! Happy Birthday!
For those of you who are praying people, send up a prayer for my Daddy and for Grandma Hood.
Kathy
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