Paranormal Activity: Review

From the moment that I first saw the marketing around the movie Paranormal Activity, I knew I was in for a unique experience.  A wise man once told me that you should be careful what you let into your sight, because some things you can’t erase from your mind.  It’s been the case with a few events in my life.  And it’s certainly should have been a quote that entered my mind before watching Paranormal Activity.

Before I elaborate on all the ways in which this experience etched a spot on my brain that I hope will dissolve some time soon, I need to preface this by describing the type of person who would NOT enjoy this film.  And it’s nothing personal — everything isn’t for everybody.  But I’m a bit disturbed to see in this day and age the number of people who consume media and don’t allow themselves to be entertained.  When you see Peter Pan live on Broadway, sure it’s easy to spot the wires hanging from Sandy Duncan’s waist.  But it’s a lot more fun to allow yourself the pleasure of the enjoying experience.  Folks tend to be taken aback a bit to learn that, although I barely watch it anymore, pro wrestling is something that I enjoy and have enjoyed watching since I was young.  “Uh…don’t you know it’s….um….fake??” Yes, I understand that it’s scripted.  I also understand a lot more about the art of coordinating and timing each sequence to tell the audience a story.  It’s an art.  And that doesn’t mean everyone has to appreciate it.  But you have a much better chance of appreciating it if you don’tover analyze and instead try to find something to appreciate about what you’re consuming.

Usually this is the place where I guess I’m supposed to say, “But, I digress….”  And I realize that I’m belaboring the point.  But the key to appreciating a film like Paranormal Activity is to forget the fact that the people onscreen all have profiles on iMDB.com and several have other film credits.  The key is to simply watch the experience without any expectations and with as little prior knowledge as possible.

I often hear mention of The Blair Witch Project in the same conversations about this film.  And the comparisons are to be expected.  Both were filmed in a sort of ‘mockumentary’ style and, in my opinion, this strengthens the authenticity of both films.  But what carries these films (ironically) are the strong “acting performances”.  I don’t know that you can even call them “acting performances”.  I’m sure that there are large portions of all of these folks in the people they portray.  And while these actors aren’t going to be walking away with any Golden Globes in January, from a horror film standpoint, these are some class-A performances.  To say much more would possibly ruin the experience.  Just trust me when I say that, if you’re watching this the right way, you will find yourself feeling that you’re just watching a young couple and not actors in a film.
So what’s the real hook with this film?  Well, without spoiling any of the experience, for me it comes down to three things (besides the authenticity of the acting performances.)  First, this movie works more effectively for horror film aficionados because it abandons all modern horror film conventions.  There are no musical cues.  There are no professionally done cuts.  You are trusting the very vulnerable people holding the camera – and you feel very alone.  This film has a formula allits own and it is quite impressive.

The second aspect that makes this different from any other horror film are the setting and the effects.  We spend virtually the entire time in one location.  The film was only an hour and half and I can probably map out every room in the house.  The image it left in my mind was just that strong.  The illusion also holds up because, as much as I tried, I didn’t see any evidence that there was some off-screen crew.  The scenes are so dynamic and mobile that it’s hard to imagine where a crew might have been located.  And simply put, the effects are subtle and the effect is chilling.

Technical details like effects, camera work and sound engineering along with a good script and good acting are components that any solid big budget film could posses.  But, for me, there’s something intangible that ties this experience all together.  And for me it seems to be this fact: the film plays upon every fear that you’ve ever had about that seemingly random noise you might have heard.  Or the fact that you think you remember seeing something move in that shadow near your bed.  Somehow this film taps into a place deep in my mind when I resisted sleep as a child and would lie away and let my imagination running wild.  Maybe it’s just me.  But I think there’s an intrinsic value that permeates through the screen and starts gnawing at your fears.

I cannot stress enough — if you are the least bit antsy about being alone in the dark or fear of things dealing with the occult, stay away.  However, if you DO  decide to take this challenge on, ironically the theater isn’t the best place to experience it.  At least not in a full theater.  There are subtle sounds…. that can be most fully be appreciated if you are in limited company.  This film is going to really hit it’s stride when people see it at home with a high def television and a 5.1 or 7.1 sound system.  And the sound, as is the case with most suspense/horror films, is a huge part of the experience.

Stupidly, I watched this film alone and it’s alone that I’ll take myself to bed tonight… all the while singing “Rockin Robin” and “Happy People” as I do my best to forget some of these scenes until the morning.  Yes, if you let yourself get immersed in this one, it’s that serious.

The Palm Pre and Me – Where did love go wrong?

Earlier this year in March – just five short months ago – I was about as excited as I’ve ever been for a new gadget.  After writing Palm off as a ‘has been’ for years, I found my attitude changing after watching the keynote for the Palm Pre in January at CES.  And like any lusting affair, the more I read about it the more I wanted it.  Gadgets are an obsession for me to begin with. However, my obsession with the Pre was starting to become unhealthy.  I recall thinking to myself before the final pricing was set, “I’m sure Palm will price this competitively, but I’ll go as high as, say…five…no, six hundred.  But that’s my final offer!”

But unlike many other situations of longing desire, I knew why I wanted the Pre.  And even after having left it for another phone, I still know.  The Pre promised something that my iPhone never gave and as far as I knew, never planned on giving.  At the top of the list was a physical keyboard – something that the writer in me had been missing ever since I stood on the iPhone launch line.  But it was more than the keyboard.  It was the promise of an untethered experience where I didn’t sync to a desktop but wirelessly with the cloud.  One where I didn’t have to worry about going home to plug in and sync my music and where I’d have a replica of my home digital life in my mobile device.

I didn’t sleep at all on the night before it launched.  I was too afraid of ‘falling asleep and missing the launch line’.  And so, like a love struck fool, I stood on line for four hours at the Sprint Store in Valley Stream and traded text messages with my sister (who had the Pre bug too).  And when I first held the phone in my hands, I can’t deny how happy I was… the phone felt so incredible.  Some areas were lacking, but I knew it would take some time before I got accustomed to it.

The scene now is not very different from many other breakups.  There seem to be regrets on both sides of the table.  Here I sit in one room while the Pre sits in another (probably making calls to it’s girlfriends remarking at how much of a liar I was and how full of it I am.)

What’s worse, my new girl…uh…phone… well, it’s a lot like my old phone.  The iPhone 3GS sits at my side.  Yes, that iPhone 3GS.  The one I laughed at Apple for releasing with few additional features than the previous version.  The one that was playing it safe.  Well, in the end, it turns out that ‘safe’ is probably what I need at this point.

But the question that I’ve been getting from everyone who knew how in love I appeared with the Pre remains the same… where did love go wrong?!

Well, let me explain…

Don’t Expect Much From the “New iPhone” – Apple has to ‘Play it Safe’

Now that I’m less than a week away from, excluding any unforeseen product shortages, adopting a Palm Pre as my primary mobile device, my peers keep prodding me with questions.  Many of my tech friends haven’t really been following the Pre and WebOS that closely.  Actually, it’s surprising how many haven’t been following it.  Even Leo Laporte (whom I consider to be kinda close to the cutting edge when talking about tech) is only now starting to pay attention to the Pre.  And he seems to be doing it in a very apologetic way.  (‘You know what, I think I’m gonna check out the Palm Pre…’).  The truth is that he’s probably following the Pre because he has to – as a tech correspondent, he has to stay on top of what the current focus is, and right now that’s the Pre.

Having read message boards and talked to other tech fans, what is most surprising to me are the number of people who are anxiously anticipating the announcement of the next iteration of the iPhone.  Okay, so it’s not that surprising – any Apple announcement these days (and particularly one where Steve Jobs might take the stage – and it’s about a 75% lock that it will happen in my book) will get tech journalists pens moving.  But this time around, I’m much more interested in the other stuff that Apple might talk about.  For people who know their tech, there should be almost no excitement for the iPhone this go round.  And there are a few reasons for it.

About two plus months ago, I was buzzing around my office at work.  Apple had announced that they would be previewing some of the features of the forthcoming iPhone OS 3.0.  While I thought the Pre was intriguing, innovative and sorta tempting, I have a tremendous amount of confidence in the folks at the Apple Campus at Cupertino.  I knew (or, at least, I thought I knew) that whatever they announced would make me forget about the multi-tasking, cloud synching, synergetic phone that Palm revealed two months earlier.  Upon reflection, had I been able to take a trip up to the ‘wisdom mountain’ and really clear my head, I would have seen the obvious. 

The Man in Black – Johnny Cash

Well, you wonder why I always dress in black,
Why you never see bright colors on my back,
And why does my appearance seem to have a somber tone.
Well, there’s a reason for the things that I have on.

I wear the black for the poor and the beaten down,
Livin’ in the hopeless, hungry side of town,
I wear it for the prisoner who has long paid for his crime,
But is there because he’s a victim of the times.

I wear the black for those who never read,
Or listened to the words that Jesus said,
About the road to happiness through love and charity,
Why, you’d think He’s talking straight to you and me.

Well, we’re doin’ mighty fine, I do suppose,
In our streak of lightning cars and fancy clothes,
But just so we’re reminded of the ones who are held back,
Up front there ought ‘a be a man in black.

I wear it for the sick and lonely old,
For the reckless ones whose bad trip left them cold,
I wear the black in mourning for the lives that could have been,
Each week we lose a hundred fine young men.

And, I wear it for the thousands who have died,
Believing that the Lord was on their side,
I wear it for another hundred thousand who have died,
Believing that we all were on their side.

Well, there’s things that never will be right I know,
And things need changing everywhere you go,
But ’til we start to make a move to make a few things right,
You’ll never see me wear a suit of white.

Oh, I’d love to wear a rainbow every day,
And tell the world that everything’s o.k.,
But I’ll try to carry off a little darkness on my back,
‘Till things are brighter, I’m the man in black.

Thoughts on Grey’s Finale (Season 5)

It would be easy to roll up my sleeves and pontificate about all of the reasons why I feel this season of Grey’s Anatomy was disappointing.  (And had I started writing the minute after the credits rolled, that’s precisely what I would have done).  But reflecting on the show (for all of, let’s see….two hours), my thoughts turn to T.R. Knight’s character, George O’Malley.

When people think of Grey’s, the character that they usually reflect upon is Meredith.  After all, the show bears her name and she narrates most of the episodes.  But in a strange way, I always saw the show through George’s eyes.  During the early episodes when Grey’s was just this show that came on after Desperate Housewives, I kinda looked at George and laughed.  He was every nerdy, ‘wish-i-could-hang-with-the-cool-kids’ dude I ever knew.  And while he was annoying, he was also the character that seemed to be the most humbled by the opportunity that was set before him.

As the show moved on, out of all of the characters on the show, I saw him as the character who evolved and matured the most.  One of the things that I loved about the show was the relationship that he and Isaiah Washington had as student and teacher.  It was one of mutual respect and it was wonderfully written.  (Which was part of the reason that I was so crushed to find out that in reality their relationship was less than cordial, the true reasons behind which we may never fully know.)  But even without ‘Burke’, George found a way always give us something interesting to chew on.  The guilt that he carried and emitted without words during the season where he cheated on Callie.  The pain of explaining his father’s sickness to his family, playing the ‘bad news-bringing doctor’ role in a way that he probably never figured he’d have to do.

By now it’s pretty clear to anyone that watched the finale that George was the victim of an accident and that T.R. Knight is no longer on the show.  I don’t profess to understand the complexities of running an award-winning primetime drama.  And I feel that for all of the good moments Grey’s writers have given us, we should all give them the benefit of the doubt when they make the decision that for whatever off-screen reasons that they need to somewhat abruptly end a character’s term on the program.  I just feel like there had to be a way…hell, there had to be a hundred ways… to give this character, whom you’ve invested so much time and energy and show-hours helping us to get to know… a proper good-bye.

Yes, I know by now that the theme of this entire season is that “life is precious” and that it should be cherished every minute that you breathe.  I get that.  But a tragic, quick death is one that is befitting a character who isn’t a staple of your program.  I don’t read TMZ and I don’t have a subscription to Us Weekly, but just like everyone else, I heard that both T.R. Knight and Katherine Heigl were leaving the show.  And it’s really none of my business why either the actors or the writers felt that they needed to part ways.  But if the Grey’s writers are fans of the show as much as they claim to be and are really concerned about what the fans want, then there had to have been a better way to “kill these characters off”.

I never really liked “Alex and Izzie” even though it kept being forced down our throats.  The funny thing to me about Alex and Izzie’s relationship this go ‘round was that the relationship that Izzie had with George made Alex (and thus the relationship) seem even more shallow than it did to being with.  Perhaps George and Izzie weren’t right for each other, but when they were together, for a moment you (or should I say, “I”) felt like love between two friends was possible.  Regardless of why they split (and yeah, I thought they were better as pals) it made Karev look more and more like a neanderthal.  After all, it was George – who wasn’t even with Izzie – who noticed that she wasn’t feeling well before anyone else did.

20 Reasons Why I’m Leaving My iPhone for the Palm Pre

Having been an iPhone owner since it launched in June of 2007, many who know me assumed that I would be upgrading to future releases of the iPhone.  (After all, isn’t that what an Apple Fanboy would do?).

I skipped the iPhone 3G.  And although there are some pains associated with not having some of the features, I am sure that I made the right decision.  There are few differences between the iPhone 2G and 3G.  The cases are slightly different — the 2G shedding the silver backing for a shiny plastic one with the 3G.  The only other differences are a GPS radio, connectivity to the AT&T 3G network, a 16GB version and a non-recessed headphone jack.  Everything else is practically the same.  Same processor, same architecture — same everything.  None of these additions were tantalizing enough to make me consider extending my AT&T contract another two years.

In December when Palm sent around teasers to the technology press inviting them out to experience “Palm’s Newness”, I was intrigued.  But I never even considered the thought that anything they would have to say would make me consider leaving what has been a great experience with my current iPhone.

That was until I watched the keynote.

I watched the entire hour long keynote when I got home after the presentation – twice.  At first, I was simply impressed.  I didn’t expect much from Palm and any device that pushes the envelope and gives other competitors a reason to stay on their toes and not play it safe benefits us all.  And certainly with the announcement of the Pre, Palm was doing just that.

In the weeks that would follow after watching countless hands-on videos and imagining the possibilities, I began to consider the phone more and more.  (I’m at the point now where I can probably do the demo that they have scripted for the press myself.)

Make no mistake about it — barring any monumental announcement made by Apple between now and June 29, the Palm Pre will be my next phone.  And having made that decision, I realize that potentially there’s a lot that I’m losing.  But for me, there’s so much more that I believe I’ll be gaining.

Before I get into the reasons why I’m probably going to buy the Pre, I want to state that it has nothing to do with some flaw or huge dissatisfaction in my iPhone experience.  There are areas with my iPhone where I feel that I could have been better served.  But overall, I have never had as seamless an experience as I have had with this device.  All of my data (provided I have a connection to the web) is in one central location.  My music, pictures, emails, contacts and calendar are all replicated from my PC on my phone.  The battery life could be better, but considering how much I use it as my primary media player, I really can’t complain.

Also, before reading the list, please consider the fact that I would be coming from the 2G version of the iPhone to any 3G device (Palm Pre or iPhone 3G).  There are some benefits that I’d gain by simply buying a 3G device.  But casting aside the iPhone 3G, everyone knows that the smart money says between now and June, Apple will announce the next version of the iPhone.  So this is a decision I’m making having not seen the next iPhone.  If Apple addresses many of the benefits I outline here having observed the Pre, my decision could change.  However, looking at the iPhone 3.0 press conference, I don’t think it will.  Regardless of how improved the new iPhone’s hardware is and whether it has twice or three times the existing memory or a forward-facing camera or any of the other rumors I’ve heard, my concerns are largely with the software and the overall experience.  The 3.0 press conference didn’t impress me at all.  The benefits discussed were largely targeted towards developers, with a few bones tossed out to consumers like “Cut and Paste” and “Search”.

But I need to preface this discussion by saying that I am rather pleased with my current phone.  The iPhone is still a revolutionary device when compared to other phones, and this is without any of the benefits brought in by the App Store.  The addition of applications last year has really expanded the ability of the device and I would recommend the iPhone to almost anyone looking for a great multimedia phone.

So why the switch?  (So glad you asked.)

So, am I an “Apple fanboy”?

In many of my social circles, I’m considered the infamous “Apple fanboy”.  You know, a fanboy — one who pledges an undying devotion to a product or brand, regardless of what other alternatives exist.  And if you didn’t know me and only examined my home, you’d be hard pressed to conclude differently.  The “Think Different” poster is one giveaway.  The iMac and Macbook Pro are probably two others.  It’s true — I have a deep appreciation for products made by the folks in Cupertino.

I started using OS 10 in 2001 out of sheer interest.  My intention was to buy a Powerbook, check it out for a few weeks and then return it, paying the restocking fee as the price for renting the machine.  However, the more I delved into the OS and the more I found that I liked, and the harder it was to part with.

Turn the page eight years later and my house looks like an Apple Retail Store.  I owned the 2nd iPod (in 2001 I paid <gulp> $499 for a 10 gig behemoth — and I still have it.)  Since the Powerbook, I’ve owned four other Macs and only recently have I given one to a family member (and that was a tough decision).  I’ve owned three full-sized iPods, two iPod shuffles and I was about the fiftieth person on line in Bridgewater New Jersey on June 29, 2007 waiting five hours for the chance to spend $599 to buy the first iPhone.

I guess I can’t really run from the accusations of Apple fanboy-ism.

But examining my tech life a little further reveals more than just an appreciation for all things that have an Apple logo on them.  I was running Window 3.1 in 1991 and took the day off to get Windows 95 when it released.  I bought Windows 98 the day it came out and was the first in an office of so-called techies to run beta versions of Windows 2000 and subsequently XP.  People didn’t even ask if I was running the new OS — they just knew: “Hey Dev, how’s Windows XP?  Should I be considering it??”

And then there are all of the other tech purchases and gadgets.  I’ve owned a bunch of other mp3 players — and this was pre-iPod, when most folks were walking around with portable CD players.  I was a launch-day purchaser or the PS2, Xbox, Xbox 360, Wii, PSP, PlayStation (September 9, 1995), GameBoy Advance and probably a few other gaming consoles.  I was an early purchaser of the Amazon Kindle.  I’ve owned two netbooks — one Asus eee PC (which I sold) and a Dell Mini 9.  I own a Nokia 770 Internet tablet.

When I go into a Best Buy, without being obnoxious, I’ve often assisted confused customers about buying decisions and sadly the guys in the store know me well enough not to ask me if I need any help.  (Truthfully, I listen to so many tech podcasts and read so much about tech that often times I find myself helping them.)

I drop all of this information not to bask in my technology glory, but to clarify my stance.  I am not an Apple fanboy.  I am a tech aficionado. There’s a stark difference.  I haven’t purchased and don’t own everything Apple.  I have the experience and understanding of technology to give an objective opinion on most technology offerings – and that includes the ones made by Apple.  In fact, I have been known to criticize Apple when I felt that it’s offering was sub-standard.  I didn’t buy an Apple TV and wouldn’t buy one as it currently stands.  I’ve always despised their mice and keyboards.  And although I run OS 10 as my primary operating system, I also run three other operating systems right now (Windows Vista, Windows 7 – beta 7077, and Ubuntu 8.10).  To call me an Apple fanboy would be like calling Tiger Woods ‘a pretty good putter’ – it’s a true statement, but an incredibly reductive one as well.

The Rock: Here’s to Remembering Where You Came From

When you mention ‘professional wrestling’ in most common settings, you’ll undoubtedly generate snickers and nervous laughter.  “You believe that stuff is real??”  And for those superfluous consumers (who probably can’t watch Family Guy or South Park without constantly reminding themselves that “it’s a cartoon!”) they’ll probably never understand this post.  But joke as you may, wrestlers (professional and amateur) are about as well-conditioned as any athletes in the world.  I’d argue that running around a ring and taking body slams for five nights a week with no off-season goes up against any football, basketball or even boxing schedule.  (Even boxers prepare for months before a fight.)  Regardless of whether the outcome is pre-determined, the conditioning is real.  So in that sense, it’s about as real as any other physical sport.

As the film The Wrestler revealed to many, the road to the squared circle isn’t always paved with confetti and gold shiny belts.  For every Hulk Hogan there has to be a Frank Williams and for every Andre the Giant, you’ve got to have a Domenic Denucci.  (And if you can only remember two of the four names I mentioned – exactly.)  As wrestling insiders will tell you, there’s very little difference between the huge babyface (read: Hulk Hogan) and the jobber (read: any guy whose name you can’t remember, but saw him get squashed in 3 minutes).  It’s all based on who the promoter feels is better suited for the role.  It’s all about exciting the fans.  So, if you’re blessed enough to have “the look” and to find the favor of the booker (or writer, for those not familiar with wrestling-speak) you should consider it an honor.

When people think of “The Rock” today, many who don’t follow professional wrestling may assume that this handsome, charismatic movie star would have navigated his way to the top regardless of his wrestling past.  But anyone who follows wrestling knows that this is far from the truth.

Dwayne Johnson grew up as the son of Rocky Johnson – former WWF Tag Team Champion and fan favorite.  He grew up around wrestling all his life.  His mother is daughter to WWF Hall of Fame legend Peter Maivia.  After a failed football career in the CFL, Dwayne Johnson decided to try his hand at wrestling.  I can recall the huge vignette-laiden lead-in to his WWF debut.  I was actually at his WWF debut match at Survivor Series in 1996.  For weeks before his appearance, there were montages and teasers that this 3rd generation WWF athlete was going to debut.  And to be honest, his debut was a bust.

We fans suffered through almost a year of the ‘push’ that Rocky (then called “Rocky Maivia” – to leverage both his father and grandfather’s success) got.  He was stiff.  He was boring.  He was a fake hero being forced down our throats at a time when the concept of the anti-hero was growing in popularity.  And I while I don’t know all of the backstage politics, I’m sure there had to be some thought by the writers at abandoning the journey altogether.  However, it was when the decision was made to “turn” Rocky Maivia into a rulebreaker – a so-called “heel” – that the magic started.  Clearly Rocky’s acting talent began to show it’s first signs of birth.  He was entertaining and he slowly turned from ‘the guy you waited for so you could go make a sandwich’ into the main reason to watch the product.  It was amazing to see this dramatic turnaround in what I considered a failed wrestling career.

Fast forward to the mid 2000’s.  The Rock is now the biggest attraction in all of wrestling.  He’s showing up on Mad TV and on <fill in name of popular sitcom or variety show>. 

And it’s at this point where he made the decision that almost no one who came before him has made.

Gavin & Stacey

Video, video and more video.  Everywhere I turn, it seems as if I’m queuing up some sort of moving image to watch.  Whether it’s movies from my Netflix queue, downloaded video podcasts, iTunes purchased TV shows – I always feel as if I’m behind in catching up on watching media.  My OCD kicks in immediately when I add a new piece of media to watch and it just makes me feel as if I’m losing ground.  So, you can imagine my displeasure when a good friend of mine dropped an entire season’s worth of a DVD series on my desk.  (It’s one thing to hit me with a movie – that I can knock out in a sitting or two.  But a television series??) Luckily for me, it was a BBC series.

The Brits really know how to do some things incredibly well.  Making a television series is one of those things.  With The Office, they only gave us twelve episodes and a Christmas special and it was golden.  Probably the funniest and most heartfelt media I’ve ever seen.

Something told me to pop in the Gavin and Stacey DVD.  After all, like The Office, it was only a six-episode season with each episode only a half-hour long.  I thought one night I’d watch the first one and then return it.  I ended up watching the entire six episodes and kept it to see the director’s commentary.  I proceeded to search for the Season 2 DVD and the Christmas Special (like The Office, they did a Christmas special as well, although not nearly as satisfying).  After having caught up on the entire series, I am glad that I didn’t push it to the back of my queue.  It has to be one of my favorite series of all time now.

What makes Gavin & Stacey such an incredible triumph is hard to explain in a single thought.  But if I were forced to explain the one thing that drew me in is how colorful and well defined the characters are.  Everyone is so animated and comical in their own way that it makes a half hour go by like ten minutes.  These are people that you’d enjoy getting to know.  While the plot for both seasons focuses on one main event (a birth and a wedding), these folks are so much fun to watch that you don’t really care much about how the plot is moving along.

OK, so just to give a tiny taste of the plot, two twentysomethings (Mathew Horne and Joanna Page) from very different parts of the U.K. have a chance meeting on the phone while at work and after several conversations, they decide to meet in person.  Of course, from the title of the show you might be able to figure out that they embark on a relationship.  I think one of the show’s creator/writers (and also one of the main cast members), Ruth Jones, explains it best.  During an interview she mentioned that when a relationship happens, it’s more than just those two people who get together, but this series explores the interesting happenings when the people that they bring with them (their families and friends) begin to merge.  And it’s that notion that this show explores so beautifully.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: Review

When I first saw the trailer for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, I dismissed it immediately.  It seemed hokey: a story about a man who would be born with the qualities of an older human and then regress (or perhaps I should say progress) through his life aging backwards – that is to say, getting younger?  Complete novelty.  I had no intentions of even seeing the movie until it’s DVD release.  I happened to be out with a friend and we decided we had enough time to make one of the showings.  I’m glad that I was wrong about this film – completely wrong.  And I’m a better person for having seen it.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button stars Brad Pitt in the title role, but for me, this was a Brad Pitt unlike I had ever seen before.  I myself had been guilty of dismissing Pitt as a shallow actor who imagined himself to be an “actor’s actor”.  He took me by surprise in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, and this film presented Pitt in a completely different way.  While I still feel that Heath Ledger captured my attention by transforming himself more than any other actor so far this year, Brad Pitt made a last minute run at taking that crown. 

It’s difficult to describe the plot without taking away from the enjoyment of actually seeing the film (and so I won’t do that.)  The best way to describe the film will also be one of the films biggest criticisms: “It’s kinda like Forrest Gump”.  I agree that it brings about some of the tender moments that audiences felt while watching Gump.  But for my money, Benjamin Button is much more substantive.  I’ve always taken flack for my opinion that Forrest Gump was an incredibly overrated film.  For me, the 1994 Gump release was memorable for the way that it carried the viewer across a journey spanning several decades, many of which coincide during key events in world history.  But to me Gump always seemed more like an ‘everyman’s epic film’.  The coincidental happenings set against icons that were typical of each era and decade made the film kinda campy.  Benjamin Button is truly epic, and not just because it spans several decades as well.  Where I felt that the character of “Forrest Gump” gets overshadowed by the events of the film, the events in Button act more like they should – a setting or a backdrop for the film and the focus is more more squarely on the characters.  Actually there are many more coincidences that this film has with Forrest Gump: the hometown girl who steals his heart, the charming loving qualities of the lead actor, the ‘fish out of water’ sequences.  Let’s just say that both films have their redeeming qualities.  Yet for me, Button has the soulful substance that will insure that I’ll be watching this film a few times.

OK, I guess I’m obligated to give a bit more about the plot than just to say it was kinda like another film.  As mentioned, a child is born in a state that makes his physical body incredibly old.  He has all of the qualities of an older man.  But strangely as time moves on, his body gets younger at the same rate that a normal human’s body will age.  And the rest of the film reveals the developments of his life: who he meets, who he loves, who affects his life and the lives of those that he affects.  This is a tender film and the best way to appreciate the progression of the story is by watching.

I didn’t realize that one of my favorite directors (David Fincher) directed this film.  Like Danny Boyle, Fincher is truly an incredible director in that his greatness isn’t limited to a particular genre of film.  This film can probably best be described as a family drama, yet it is every bit as engaging and incredible as Fincher’s other more action-driven dramas like Fight Club and Seven.  Another criticism that the film is sure to suffer is for it’s length.  At two hours and forty minutes, it is certainly longer than other films.  But this isn’t your average “opening, plot, conflict, resolve, close”.  This is an epic film and it needs to take it’s time – if for no other reason than to give the proper pacing to allowing the audience to appreciate the physical effects of Benjamin Button’s condition.  And speaking of the condition…