Burning Questions: What's Wrong With An Instant Reboot?

Michael C here to get Spidey's back this Fourth of July.

There used to be a natural life cycle for big movie franchises. It began with audiences thrilling to the sight of Christopher Reeve soaring over Metropolis and ended a few films later with everyone looking away in embarrassment as Superman traded punches with Nuclear Man on the moon. This was followed by a period of mourning long enough for everyone to wonder if the last film was some kind of fever dream, and then and only then could a fresh creative team breathe life into the dormant franchise.

But now, no sooner does Emo Spidey cha-cha his way into an early grave, than the suits decide to shake the etch-a-sketch on the whole show and pretend the last three films never happened. In a world fast approaching franchise over-saturation, with sequels dropping with a frequency normally reserved for Tetris blocks, the idea of a hugely successful series starting over from scratch while the body of the last entry is still warm, feels like a new low in shameless cash-grabbing. 

Time for a new actor to don the mask

But take a step back for a moment, put emotions on hold and ask the logical question: What is so bad about an instant reboot?

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Mad Men @ The Movies Knocks Out the Cobwebs

Only the most surface reading of Mad Men would suggest that it's The Don Draper Show. His (forged) identity is, like most identities at some point or another, a prison. But it's also a prism and if there's a single best thing about the show it's the way in which he is reflected in his protege Peggy Olson (Elisabeth Moss) and, to varying lesser extent, in the vibrant supporting cast. So it felt like a total gift when Mad Men's writing team chose to set their final scene (season?) together in a movie theater. Just for us, surely!

Don has had a rough week and heads there for solace only to find Peggy, who has recently flown his Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce coop already there. Don suggests it's far too early in her new job to be ducking out from work. To which she responds.

Just knocking out the cobwebs. Someone told me this works."

Movies to recharge, comfort, and shake out the writer's block? No wonder we can't get enough of this show.

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Seven ways that waiting for a new James Bond is exactly like waiting for a new Woody Allen

 

1. You can expect that the locale will change. 

2. You know the title sequence will bring back memories like an old friend or comfort food. 

3. You'll see new faces mixed in with the repertory company.

4. You can place bets on how many and which younger women the protagonist will sleep with. 

Woody Allen as "Jimmy Bond" in Casino Royale (1967)

5. You're forced to admire the longevity because this all started in the 1960s!

6. You've learned to let go of qualitative expectations because it's a crap shoot...

7.          ...Otherwise you know exactly what you're going to get. 

James Bond goes To Rome With Love on June 28th and Woody Allen Skyfalls into Shanghai on November 9th. I got that right, right?

"Skyfall" and Art Direction

A new vlog from the set of the new Bond picture Skyfall has emerged (included below). The chief discovery: Dennis Gassner wears berets. Gassner, who hails from Canada not France, is someone whose work I've long admired. I first learned his name when he pulled off the semi-rare trick of a double Oscar nomination in one category competing with himself for Best Art Direction with Bugsy (1991) and Barton Fink (1991), two absurdly handsome films. Bugsy won but it's oh so satisfying that both nominations were deserved. 

The narrative of this, it's going to be groundbreaking. It's going to be a new chapter. So it's really about finding things that are different and exciting for the audience to look at."
-Gassner on designing Skyfall 

Other credits include The Golden Compass, Road to Perdition, The Man Who Wasn't There, Big Fish. In short he's up there with the best of 'em like Rick Heinrichs, David Wasco, and Dante Ferretti.

But obviously James Bond movies don't court Oscar favor. The entire franchise only has 9 nominations and 2 wins if you can believe it. There's been zero Oscar attention for 30 years! For Your Eyes Only's (1981) song nomination was the last for the franchise. Not even the major critical / audience revival that was Casino Royale (2006) won any attention from the Academy so the conversation ends there even with Gassner designing its look.

Useless Trivia of the Day: only one James Bond movie was ever nominated in the Art Direction category and that was The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) which is Oscar's favorite James Bond film (3 nominations).

Have you ever worn a beret?  

I Link You Just the Way You Are

Just a heads up. I was pleased that people passed this around twitter after I posted it but DO NOT READ The New Yorker review of A Separation before seeing the film. I recently named the movie Best of the Year but one of the greatest things about it, that I was careful not to spoil in my review or any of my subsequent writeups or awards postings is how it keeps defying expectations and throwing more and more complications your way. That New Yorker review, which is meant to be an enticement to see it and is otherwise beautifully written, will significantly damage your viewing pleasure as it gives away several twists and nearly the entire plot. You're welcome. And for shame Anthony Lane! Why do that to readers and potential ticket buyers? 

Boy Culture Congratulations to actress Kristy McNichol, who is now out of the closet. That'll mean something to anyone over the age of like, um, 35 (?). Otherwise y'all might be like "who?". But she was a big deal in the late 70s/early 80s. Think "Family" or "Empty Nest" on television and summer camp classic Little Darlings (1980) wherein she was deflowered by Matt Dillon! 
Thompson on Hollywood Christopher Tellefsen on the rhythms of editing. He did such great work on Moneyball I think.
Hello Giggles has 100 Things You Should Know About Downton Abbey 
Deadline which films are popular in their home countries?
In Contention has the Central Ohio Critics film winners. But I can't deal with typing up ANOTHER list. No offense, Ohio!
Hey Deanie is not convinced by Bérénice Bejo in The Artist

NYT "Seeking the next red carpet knockout" interesting piece about young actresses trying to find the dress and what happens when they do. (Though it makes you appreciate actresses who never bother, too)
Rope of Silicon The biggest flops of 2011, budget to gross.
Flavorwire Audrey Hepburn's screen test for Roman Holiday. One of those first time's the charm Oscar smashes. Ah, I love that movie.
Electronic Cerebrectomy I love when people post super random extensive personal lists of their favorite things of a year. It's like a scrapbook of everything -- not just movies. I'd do that if I didn't have 100 other lists to make.
Serious Film 2011 Superlatives: Best use of profanity.
Google celebrates the centennial of Charles Samuel Addams best known as the creator of The Addams Family. 
City Arts Armond White releases his annually inane "better than" list. I shouldn't like. It's such obvious trolling link bait. But I can't help myself. I do find his distaste for Lars von Trier highly amusing since you'd think the provocations just for the sake of provocations (Jack & Jill > The Descendants et. all) would mark them as soulmates.

Ugh, I used to love blog-a-thons so much. And then there were too many of them and I gave up. But then every once in a while you find one that looks so fun and you didn't know about it and you just want to die a little inside. Have you seen the BlogalongaBond?

It's hosted by The Incredible Suit which I've been reading for a month (and love). But I didn't know about it. It's been going on for a year already! One Bond film a month counting down to the 50th anniversary of Bond with the release of SkyFall (2012)! They're up to Octopussy (1983) now which is the very first Bond film I ever saw so if I weren't a crazy OCD completist type person it would be a great time to join in but I already missed 12 movies and all the Connery ones. Boo! 

That said, how invested are you in James Bond movies, Bond Girls and the like? We might do something.