CulturePulp.

Pope, Garfield

Oh, and Ryan also asked me to imagine how Paul Pope would draw Garfield. This was the best I could manage on short notice.

(For all your Paul Pope Tumblr needs, by all means visit destroycomics )

MOVIE REVIEW: 'Cycling with Molière'

 

In his book True and False: Heresy and Common Sense for the Actor, David Mamet writes about how he's seen actors adopt the neuroses of the characters they play -- because, as Mamet puts it, "our suggestibility knows no limits."

Director/co-writer Philippe Le Guay's comedy "Cycling with Molière" has some low-key fun with this observation.

The film introduces us to an actor named Gauthier (Lambert Wilson). Gauthier is the wealthy star of a "House"-like TV series, but he's looking to recapture some of his early theater cred. So he travels to Brittany's Île de Ré to try and lure an actor pal named Serge (Fabrice Luchini) out of retirement to perform with him in a stage version of Molière's "The Misanthrope."

The challenge is that Serge -- in a real-life "Misanthrope" move -- quit showbiz in disgust, and is now holed up in a crumbling house, having sworn off acting and most human contact. But soon they're rehearsing Molière in Serge's house in a sort of trial run. They also tangle with a free-spirited porn star (Laurie Bordesoules) and a blunt Italian divorcé (Maya Sansa).

In a not-terribly-shocking development, the visit starts to echo "The Misanthrope"'s comedy of manners. Luchini (Le Guay's frequent star, who also co-wrote and apparently inspired the idea for the film) imbues Serge with shades of Molière's misanthropic character Alceste. Meanwhile, Gauthier, the crowdpleasing company man, vaguely resembles Alceste's more politic pal Philinte. This adds an extra spark to Wilson and Luchini's dramatic readings -- particularly when they furiously rehearse arguments between Alceste and Philinte, then switch roles and continue the argument with a reversed dynamic. The rehearsal scenes are easily the best part of the film, a pas de deux between two seasoned performers, one slick, one surly, neither stupid.

The rest of the film is pleasant, but far less substantial. A few forays into slapstick are fairly lame -- this movie seems to think it's hilarious when people fall off their bicycles -- but the overcast off-season island setting has a melancholy loveliness, and a romantic subplot pads out the narrative well enough while underscoring the loose "Misanthrope" riff.
________

(104 min., not rated, opens Friday, May 23 at Living Room Theaters) Grade: B

'Cycling with Molière' (The Oregonian, Friday, May 23, 2014)

An interview on 'Karl Show! (Starring Jason),' with music

So last September, "Karl Show! (starring Jason)" invited me into their studio for an interview, some beer, and also to spin a few songs I like. They’ve finally posted the discussion as a podcast.

We talked for an hour and a half about "The Sabertooth Vampire," being adopted, finding your birthparents, "CulturePulp," "Mr. Do & Mr. Don’t," the single toughest night of cartooning I ever pulled off, my working relationship with Bill Mudron, the changing state of film writing, tips for interviewing filmmakers, the brand-driven cineplex, why “Eyes Wide Shut” is underrated, and a bunch of other stuff.

Also we played a lot of funk. After the jump: the playlist I put together for the show, at their request, if you’re curious.

10 Movies I'm Sort Of Looking Forward to Seeing This Summer, w/ Alternates.

The Oregonian asked me to send them a list of "summer movies" I'm excited to see. They added a few of them to their May 9 "Summer Movie Preview." Here's the full list I e-mailed them.

"Boyhood" -- From 2002-13, Richard Linklater would periodically re-assemble the same cast (including Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette) to film the story of a boy (Ellar Coltrane) coming of age from first grade through high school. Linklater put his chips on a child actor aging gracefully, and it worked: Early festival reviews are over-the-moon for the film, which checks in on Coltrane on various days of his life between ages 7 and 18.

"Guardians of the Galaxy" -- Marvel Studios' latest looks like "Mos Eisley Spaceport meets 'Firefly': The Movie." It co-stars a talking gun-toting raccoon whose best pal is a giant walking tree. And it's helmed by indie-geek director James Gunn, of "Slither" and "Super" fame. It looks utterly bananas and I can't wait to find out if it connects.

"The Double" -- I really enjoyed "Submarine," director (and British comedy treasure) Richard Ayoade's deadpan-comic 2010 feature debut. Now he's adapting Dostoyevsky's tale of an office milquetoast who meets and competes with his exact lookalike. Jesse Eisenberg plays both characters, backed by a cast that includes Mia Wasikowska, Wallace Shawn and a murderer's row of smart British comic actors.

"Godzilla" -- Director Gareth Edwards had a $500,000 budget and a crew of five when he made his first film, the art-house creature flick "Monsters." His second film resurrects cinema's most famous giant firebreathing lizard with a $160 million budget, a crew of hundreds, an all-star international cast, and of course the ugly memory of the last time Hollywood tried to make its own big-budget "Godzilla" movie. No pressure! Early buzz suggests Edwards rose to the challenge.

"Jupiter Ascending" -- The Wachowskis refuse to stop making heady, loony, expensive sci-fi flicks, damn the box office. Their latest cinematic cliff-jump features Channing Tatum as a genetically modified assassin with wolf-ears who tells a janitor (Mila Kunis) that (a) Earth is actually just one piece of real estate in a larger interstellar land war and (b) she's actually the Queen of the Universe.

"The Trip to Italy" -- A sequel to "The Trip," with Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon once again embarking on an all-expenses-paid odyssey of eating, arguing and comparing their Michael Caine impressions.

"Lucy" -- A Luc Besson Euro-action flick in which Scarlett Johansson accidentally ingests a drug that boosts her intelligence tenfold, essentially giving her psychic superpowers. It's the trashy fun version of "Transcendence," I hope, and I also hope Morgan Freeman is playing the same character in both movies.

"They Came Together" -- If you're part of the "Wet Hot American Summer" cult fanbase, you'll be happy to hear that co-writer/director David Wain is back -- and this time he's applying his gift for bizarre genre deconstruction to the Hollywood romantic comedy, with help from stars Paul Rudd and Amy Poehler.

"22 Jump Street" -- If you had told me before the release of "21 Jump Street" that Channing Tatum was a gifted comic actor, or that directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller could mine as much comedy as they did from this particular TV remake (and, later, from Legos), I wouldn't have believed you. So this particular sequel gets every benefit of the doubt.

"The Rover" -- "Animal Kingdom" writer/director David Michôd returns with an action drama about a desolate Australian near-future that's been described as "Mad Max" as it would actually play out (i.e., without the cool cars and stylish punks). Guy Pearce and Robert Pattinson star.

ALTERNATES: "Edge of Tomorrow," "Life Itself," "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes," "Hercules" (but only because I'll watch The Rock in anything, and frankly "excited" isn't really the word here, let's be honest, because it’s directed by Brett Ratner, but on the other hand it features The Rock wearing a lion's head as a hat), "Sin City: A Dame to Kill For" (FWIW, I wrote an explanatory breakdown of the book series for The O way back in 2005), "The Green Inferno," "The Boxtrolls," "Snowpiercer," "X-Men: Days of Future Past," and "How to Train Your Dragon 2"
________

'18 movies our critics can't wait to see: Summer Movie Preview 2014' (The Oregonian, Friday, May 9, 2004)

BOY HOWDY PODCAST: 'The Star Wars Episode VII Spectacular'

Bill and Annie invited me back on the "Boy Howdy Podcast" (along with the delightful Conley Smith and Jimmy Presler) for a riotous multi-generational discussion of all things "Star Wars." From the show description:

This week we’re switching up formats a little bit as we ditch the "Geek Week In Review" for a 90-minute chat about "Episode VII," "The Clone Wars" and all things "Star Wars" with Mike Russell, Conley Smith and Jimmy Presler. Specifically, we talk about May the Fourth silliness, try to gush about "The Clone Wars" without spoiling Anne or Mike, the gender politics of marketing "Star Wars: Rebels," what we’d like to see happen in "Episode VII," and our favorite characters & elements of that galaxy far, far away.

But before that, we talk about seeing John Williams live and in concert, "Captain America," "The Amazing Spider-Man 2," the terrible writing in "Child of Light" (also: Anne’s pickiness regarding how limericks should be composed) and Bryan Fuller’s plans for "Hannibal."

Boy Howdy Podcast, Episode 124 – Star Wars Episode VII Spectacular (May 4, 2014) [ iTunes ]

Grampá, Garfield

So my pal Ryan asked me to imagine how Rafael Grampá would draw Garfield and yeah sorry I made this