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Ram-Jam

Listed below are comments made by Ram-Jam between Wednesday, 7th October 2009 and Friday, 27th November 2009.

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Me and Me and Orson Welles 11:15pm on 27 Nov 2009 I second (500) Days of Summer. When I went to see that movie, I managed to land myself in the same screening as a group of nattering teenage girls who clearly didn't care about what was going on. With seriously inane things like "shut up, you're not even famous" being said at the screen for most of the running-time, you'd think it'd be a terrible movie-going experience. And yet the movie was so uplifting, so genuine and so amazing that it overpowered any displeasure I might have felt. Kook be damned; it was fan-tastic.

As for misleading taglines, anything on the advertising for In Bruges did it a disservice. "The two most entertaining and eccentric hitmen since Pulp Fiction!" It was far more affecting and engaging than the quirky comedy it was painted as.
The Best Christmas Movie Ever 00:44am on 14 Nov 2009 No joke: there is a movie by the name of Santa's Slay, starring WWE wrestler Bill Goldberg as a mass-killing Santa, featuring James Caan and Fran Drescher amongst his victims, and written-directed by David Steiman, a former assistant to Brett Ratner. So, there you go.
Twilight of the blogs 10:52am on 04 Nov 2009 D'awwwwww.

Wonderful.
Trailer Treachery 8:53pm on 27 Oct 2009 P.S.S: People, if you're going to suggest a movie, at least acknowledge it if it's been brought up already. Ctrl + F is your friend. It's just courteous not to ignore other people, is all I'm saying.
Trailer Treachery 06:51am on 27 Oct 2009 P.S: Here's an interesting little video segment on the very same topic by Australian film critic Marc Fennell:

http://bit.ly/jokQx
Trailer Treachery 06:26am on 27 Oct 2009 The Golden Compass rates a mention. I remember my brother getting himself into a frenzy over what he saw in the trailer, and infecting me with that same optimism. Having seen it twice, it's simply nothing like what the ads suggested, i.e. the next fantasy franchise to carry The Lord of the Rings' torch. It's one of those movies that are so dull that their home video release is a death sentence; it vaporises from the public consciousness never to be discussed seriously in public again, except on movie criticism blogs.
The Revisitations of Doctor Kermode 10:46am on 16 Oct 2009 I guess this amazingly-long thread of movie-talk just goes to show that the effect of a film on us as human beings is never an objective thing.

Just kidding. Michael Bay is Damien and all that.
The Revisitations of Doctor Kermode 11:30pm on 13 Oct 2009 Wow! Lotta replies this time around. Have fun sorting through them all, Doctor (when you're well, that is).

My pick - and a movie that I think deserves a second viewing by every critic that rubbished it at release - is Speed Racer. I saw it in the cinema after much anticipation and enjoyed it, despite picking up on some obvious pacing problems. I rented it out again to make sure I wasn't being delusional, and ... well, I wasn't. For all of its flaws - some pointless scenes and dialogue, an over-long running time, the way it takes itself a little too seriously - I love it. It takes a proud place in my DVD collection.

I think everyone who hated the movie should watch it again on a smaller screen, so that they're not completely thrown by the daring visuals. That way, they might be able to see that the movie comes amazingly close to being a live-action cartoon, with delightfully over-the-top acting and fighting scenes (on and off the track). In my opinion, it's the closest we've come to a modern-day Tron, i.e. a movie that dares to tread where few have before in terms of CGI-dependent filmmaking and has enough retro appeal to earn itself a cult following.

I can't tell you how pleased I was to hear you trumpet the movie on your own show. After being so let-down by the terrible Rotten Tomatoes score, it was a relief to know that someone in the movie-reviewing community was on my side.
Big Budget Catastrophes of Pure Joy 00:39am on 10 Oct 2009 Big-budget flops? Bugger! I would have suggested Speed Racer in an instant. Cost $120 million, made $90 million. I love it for all of its flaws, and I understand that you liked it as well.
From Back to the Future to the Piano... You hum it and I'll play it 12:48pm on 07 Oct 2009 Dr. Kermode,

I would like to ask you a question that might be a little vague, but it's one that I think you would be fairly accomplished at answering.

I wanted to know if you could name me movies that are about people making mistakes. Now I'm sure you could name me dozens of comedies and dramas where people screw up in spectacular ways, like Bean for the former and Fargo for the latter. What I'm after, though, is at least one movie that CELEBRATES the act of making mistakes.

I've been told many times that making mistakes and suffering for them is what pushes you along in life. Being in my late teens, it's this sort of advice that keeps me anxiously thinking late at night. As with many - if not all - of my problems, I turn to movies to illuminate these sorts of issues, which has led me to you.

Movies that CELEBRATE mistakes. I'd love to hear an answer. Thanks in advance.

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