Hey, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab.
First person to yell "Plant!" gets a pop in the chops.
Hagrid's contributed before and often, and his enthusiasm here is nice to see. I like Ben Stiller... been a fan since the days of his Fox show... but this new film's ad campaign just hasn't done much for me. I've got friends in this, though, people I'm rooting for, and I think Will Farrell is pretty much the big bad tits as a character actor and comic. Sounds like for one person, this silly riff on male models proved to be the right respite at the right time. Check it out.
Yesterday, for some reason, I spent the middle of the day depressed. Doesn't happen to me often, I'm normally a very happy-go-lucky guy. But in the afternoon, I kept my brain wrapped around the fact that I wasn't happy with where I was in life. In addition, my girlfriend - who works at one of the studios in Hollywood - told me that the FBI had sent out a threat advisory to all the major studios in L.A., saying that a film studio could be the target of a bombing attack in retaliation for any attack we make on Afghanistan (see Variety or Hollywood Reporter for more details). The insanity continues...
So when my sister Fiona set up yet another sneak preview for me to attend (she's addicted to free screenings, and since my wallet is financially challenged, I should get myself hooked as well) I wasn't terribly excited. It was at the Hollywood Galaxy on Hollywood Blvd., and with traffic the way it is at rush hour, it makes for a pretty stressful trip for me. But she's my darling sister, so how could I say no?
Then she tells me - it's a sneak preview of ZOOLANDER. And I thought to myself "how perfect." The more I thought about it, the more I warmed to the idea. A comedy is just what I needed, and, what I feel, everybody needs at this time. So I left work a little early and headed out.
The screening was for the press, and the audience was more than primed. I mean, come on, of course Ben Stiller is hilarious. And Will Ferrell as the bad guy? Come on, I'm laughing already. And of course, one of the funniest men onscreen - Owen Wilson. For me, he steals every show he's been in.
This was the finished print, and from the very first opening credit, the audience was already chuckling. The nation needs to laugh, and this movie's gonna deliver.
Basic plot (and no spoilers) is about the world's most famous male model, Derek Zoolander (Ben Stiller) His regime is being threatened by a new model who's "so hot right now", Hansel (Owen Wilson). While dealing with this insecurity, major fashion designer Mugatu (played beautifully by Will Ferrell) is hired by a secret organization to brainwash Zoolander in order to have him assassinate the Prime Minister of Malaysia at a major fashion show. Yeah, you read it right. Insane.
This movie is hysterical. I don't know how to categorize it really. Farce? Satire? Broad comedy? I guess the best thing to say is if you turned Austin Powers into a model, and tried to make The Manchurian Candidate a kneeslapper, then you'd have this movie.
ZOOLANDER tears apart the fashion industry in such an obvious way you wonder why no one has done it before, and it's largely due to Stiller's extraordinary effort as a director. The script is tight, the jokes fly left and right, and the performances are spot on, but what struck me most was his direction. The Farrelly Bros. and the Weitz Bros. are great writers, and their comedies are usually shot to emphasize their written words. Sure, Dumb and Dumber and American Pie had it's share of visual gags, but their shots were hardly what you would call inventive.
The script is has a great structure, and Zoolander's world is so completely fleshed out that you never doubt it for a second. For example - it's interesting to see a world where male models are the center of attention, with no Carmen Electra or Josie Maran in sight. That very notion flips the model world on its' head, and that enables them to get away with a lot of jokes that wouldn't have worked had it been directed toward female models. It gives the jokes a fresh spin, and it's easier to buy into. And, as silly as it is, Zoolander actually has a character arc in the film. He does undergo a character change - but it never gets dramatic. It's just too funny to get into, and I don't want to ruin anything. Stiller cowrote the script, which helps, obviously, but he's also the director, and his strength is that he doesn't rely only on the script (more on that in a sec). Stiller is a director who believes in layers. He chooses instead to Many directors who write their own scripts are too focused on the page, and forget that movies are a visual medium. They just plant the camera on sticks and shoot the actors and revel in their own words (Kevin Smith is another example, and this style). He is a visual director, and the movie attains a higher polish than most comedies because of his visuals. Maybe it's because he doesn't have a brother to bounce ideas off of, but he has a confidence to his style that many other comedy directors don't have. Where Jay Roach's visuals are more of a classic-yet-subtle nature (MEET THE PARENTS), Stiller layers each scene with so much care and detail that you find yourself laughing faster just so you can catch the cool stuff. When you see this flick, remember this comment when you watch the awards ceremony at the beginning of the film, and you'll see what I mean.
(There is one scene later in the film, with Zoolander and Hansel, that is just a classic. I clapped out loud at how absurd the whole thing was, and it will be the scene everyone talks about. It's about the real world of male models, and that's all I'm going to say).
Two things of note: I firmly believe this movie will become funnier and funnier on each viewing, much like the first Austin Powers or Billy Madison was for me (I just didn't get them, but when I did, my eyes were open for good). The only difference here is that I recognized Zoolander as a great comedy from the get go. This is a movie that college campuses around the world will start drinking to. With the amount of cameos in this film (there are well over fifty), if you just had one gulp of beer for each famous face you see, you'd be drunk before the first act break.
And on a more somber note, this movie was shot in New York City. There will be shots of the New York skyline. There was some press about how they digitally removed shots of the Trade Center from the picture - which they did. The audience squirmed in their seats as they looked for the towers, and found none. I suppose that, over time, you will forget to look for them. In the many coming months ahead, I'm sure that every movie you watch that was set in New York will be scrutinized for a glimpse of the towers, but there was no need to have them in this one. This is a comedy of the highest escapism, and in order to truly escape, the digital removal was neccessary. The good thing is that the movie has such a terrific pace that even though you do find yourself looking for the towers, you don't find yourself dwelling on them.
In short, tell everyone to go see this movie. It's a perfect film to help people forget everything for a few hours, and it's gonna be huge.
Thanks for reading.
Hagrid
Thanks, man. Sounds like a treat for next weekend.
"Moriarty" out.
