Chat transcript
Talk movies
Boston Globe film critic Ty Burr was online Friday, June 27, at 1 p.m. to field your questions about new and upcoming releases. Miss the chat? Catch up here.
The transcript follows.
Ty_Burr: Hello all -- anyone there? Ty Burr here on a Friday afternoon to yammer about movies, good ones, bad ones, in between ones. And "WALL-E"
Ty_Burr: Send in your thoughts and questions and I'll answer them as best I can...
kenshin__Guest_: so Wall-E: it has to be great, but is it greater than Toy Story and The Incredibles?
Ty_Burr: Yeah, I think so. It's on a whole other level of CGI storytelling; it manages to be a kids' movie while also being more than accessible to grown-ups without kids.
Ty_Burr: I really sat there in awe, especially in the first half hour. Just the scope of the film feels bigger, more serious.
Je__Guest_: !wow! that's quite the ringing endorsement for WALL-E. out of all of the pixar films, do u think this is the absolute best? please rank the pixar films in order of awesomeness.
Ty_Burr: *laugh* Yes, Je, I do think it's the best. Certainly the most ambitious, though, as I said in the review, it'll probably be less *loved* than some of the others. It asks a lot of an audience, or more than "Cars" and "Finding Nemo."
Ty_Burr: In order? Probably:
Ty_Burr: Monsters Inc
Ty_Burr: The Incredibles
Ty_Burr: Toy Story 2
Ty_Burr: Ratatouille
Ty_Burr: Bug's Life
Ty_Burr: Finding Nemo
Ty_Burr: Toy Story
Ty_Burr: Cars
Ty_Burr: What am I forgetting?
indie_chick__Guest_: hi Ty
Ty_Burr: Hi indie chick, what's shaking?
pixar__Guest_: Can you expand more on why you think Pixar got it right this time? What do you think they did in betwene "Wall-E" and the last film to make this one so great? Where do you see animated film going from here? Thanks.
Ty_Burr: The scope of the movie's vision, for one thing -- they're shooting for Kubrick territory while still keeping the story in recognizably family-friendly territory. But the movie just feels vast, both visually in in terms of the ideas it's batting around.
Ty_Burr: It's denser -- I think little kids will be able to tap into the surface storyline but a lot will go over their heads.
kenshin__Guest_: you didn't forget any, actually
Ty_Burr: ah, good.
indie_chick__Guest_: you tell me -- there's nothing I want to see anymore!!!
Ty_Burr: aw, poor IC. Go see the Fatih Akin movie that Wesley's raving about: "The Edge of Heaven." And, yeah, see "WALL-E". You don't think you want to see it but you probably do.
Je__Guest_: upto this point, i thought ratatouille got it down the best (due to brad bird =P). one thing i really dig about pixar is that they don't compete in technology (which they have plenty of as well) they compete in STORYTELLING! i don't know whether to be happy or sad that a CG company gets story whereas a director like Spielberg has lost his way.
Ty_Burr: There you have it, Je -- it's all in the storytelling and in the narrative vision. It's a lost art, I agree.
Annie617__Guest_: Hi Ty, do you think the Arrested Development movie is actually going to happen? Have read some things over the past week that seems like it will but don't want to get my hopes up!
Ty_Burr: Oh, it's definitely in the works, Annie, but it's not yet out of pre-production. They're probably still working on the script. Slated for 2009, so cross fingers.
kenshin__Guest_: Spielberg hasn't really lost his way (Munich was great, and I liked Indy 4 for what it was)
Ty_Burr: Ah, the voice of reason. Indy 4 haters, form a line to the left.
Ty_Burr: But I agree his ambitions in the last 15 years have clouded his gifts for pure storytelling to some degree. hasn't affected his moviemaking chops, though.
Ty_Burr: Indicative is his inability to end his films well -- it's been a consistent Spielberg problem since he got "serious."
summer__Guest_: hello ty. always look forward to your reviews and chats. will there by another "oceans" movie?
Ty_Burr: Nope, summer, looks like the last one was it, at least for a while. Makes sense -- when you start getting to Oceans 34, you're running out of movie stars.
indie_chick__Guest_: Ty - did you happen to catch Tarsem's The Fall? Thoughts (specifically about the kind of amateurish cinematography against all of that spectacular imagery)?
Ty_Burr: Yes, I reviewed "Fall" a few weeks back when it opened here. You thought the cinematography was amateurish? I thought it served the locations well -- to me it was the acting and storyline that were underdeveloped.
Ty_Burr: Tarsem knows how to shoot a movie, he just hasn't figured out what to put in it.
flightjkt__Guest_: Hey Ty - loved "Head On" as well, so I'll check that one out. Now, not to kick those who are down, but who do you think has a better chance of a career comeback - M.Night or Mike Myers? I would give Mike a chance if he's able to pull off a decent Keith Moon bio-pic. How about you?
Ty_Burr: I'm willing to give them both a second (or third, or fifth) chance, flightjkt. Although on some genetic level I still haven't forgiven Myers for "The Cat in the Hat." Something about his smugness -- his assumption that we'll laugh at the same dumb joke because it *is* the same dumb joke -- grates on me.
Ty_Burr: M. Night has only his pretensions to overcome. Someone whould give him a tiny budget, ride roughshod over the script, and make Night watch a ton of Val lewton movies (the original "Cat People," etc.)
Ty_Burr: Myers, by contrast, apperas to have massive delusions of grandeur to overcome.
Je__Guest_: Have you ever sighed that old sigh where u think this year's movie offerings are horrible? I'm sure this question comes up every now and then =P.
Ty_Burr: Every year around June, Je. Then something comes along to make me perk up. "Son of Rambow," for instance, or "Wall-E". But it does seem like this is a dreary year overall.
Ty_Burr: Part of the problem is that the ilm industry backloads all the "quality" fare in the fall.
kenshin__Guest_: M. Night has Avatar: The Last Airbender, which will be amazing if it's half as good as the cartoon
kenshin__Guest_: also, M. Night isn't doing the script by himself, so that should improve it
indie_chick__Guest_: maybe "cinematography" is the wrong word. i just felt like at any moment i might accidentally see the boom lower into the frame. but, yeah, it was all from the mind of a child. the little girl was awesome, i thought.
Ty_Burr: True, IC, she was the best part of "The Fall" -- so natural. What an idea: a real kid!
hhhhh__Guest_: is it just me, or was the happening one of the worst movies in a long time? Is Mark Wahlberg really that bad of an actor or was the script just that bad?
Ty_Burr: If you think Marky's a bad actor, rent "I [Heart] Huckabees." Whatever you think of the movie -- some hate it, others love it -- he turns in a fantastic performance. I think he's a lot smarter than his somewhat outdated public persona. Problem was "Happening" gave him nothing to work with. Except angry pollen.
Annie617__Guest_: How is Disney managing in the Pixar dominated animation world... I know Enchanted did well, but will they continue to produce cartoons or start making more and more computer animated films? (is Shrek a Disney movie?)
Ty_Burr: "Shrek" was DreamWorks. The deal is that Disney Animation *is* essentially Pixar, since Pixar head John Lasseter took over the mothership last year. So while Pixar still has its own imprint, I think Lasseter has ambitions for Disney animation as well.
BostonResident__Guest_: I think Mark Wahlberg is OVERRATED! Sorry Boston fans
Ty_Burr: Again I say: Watch "I [Heart] Huckabees"
Harrison_Ford__Guest_: Hi Ty--Am I done?? Should someone stick a fork in me?
Ty_Burr: Yes, Harrison, you're done. Fact is, you've been done since "Air Force One" at least.
Je__Guest_: BTW thanks for the Wanted review. u've become quite good at the tonque in cheek reviews like 10,000BC and now this =P.
Ty_Burr: Thanks, Je -- It's fun when the filmmakers give you something to work with, inadvertently or not.
Rivfromnh__Guest_: Hi Ty, Is it me or does there seem to be less quality film making these days. When we look back on the last few years in a decade, will we look at any films like we do on the Godfather, Appocalypse Now or even Forest Gump? It seems movie companies are all about big fx and huge gross profit, and pushing quality film making to the side. Or is it that the industry lacks the artistry of the film maker?
Ty_Burr: Short answer? Yes.
Ty_Burr: The studio films are becoming bigger and more sensationalistic -- wait'll 3D becomes the norm -- and the smaller indie fare is getting squeezed out. Midlevel moviues -- romances, dramas -- are becoming non-existent. It ain't a pretty picture.
kenshin__Guest_: This year doesn't look too awful: Wall-E, Hellboy 2, Dark Knight, Australia, Benjamin Button, Milk
Ty_Burr: True enough, kenshin. I'm lookwing forward to what David Gordon Green does to the Judd Apatow universe with "Pineapple Express" too.
indie_chick__Guest_: oh, and diving bell & the butterfly! (re extraordinary filmmaking)
Ty_Burr: Yes! There's a guy who should just give up the painting and make movies all day long.
Ty_Burr: I saw a very good movie in Cannes, French film called "A Christmas Tale," which had Mathieu Almaric and Anne Consigny, both from "Diving Bell," as brother and sister who hate each other. SHould be here by winter.
Annie617__Guest_: It seems like I have stopped hearing anything at all about Sex & the City...has it continued to do well? Think there will be a sequel and if that will be for better or for worse?
Ty_Burr: Well, the pop culture moves on, so it's not the hot thing at the moment. But rest assured it's still playing very well in theaters. I never would have thought it, but I bet there'll be a sequel.
Ty_Burr: When "Kit Kittredge: An American Girl" comes out next week and does huge business among girls and moms, that'll also make Hollywood sit up and think about serving the other side of the gender equation.
summer__Guest_: what do you think about hancock? personally i prefer will in pursiuit of happyness like roles. i'm over him as the big action hero! (but maybe i am in the minority on that?)
Ty_Burr: I haven't seen it yet -- Wes is reviewing it, so I missed the first press screening last week -- but I'm trying to keep an open mind. The trailer pretty much gives everything away, which is a drag.
Ty_Burr: But I do hope Smith keeps broadening his choices. He's good in drama and will be more so as he gets older.
indie_chick__Guest_: Annie617 - Carrie & Big get married...and there's no Sex after marriage!
Ty_Burr: lol
John_Q_Moviegoer__Guest_: Any legal way to bar Mathew McConnaghey from making any more movies?
Ty_Burr: I believe there are ballot initiatives in several states to that effect.
Ty_Burr: Although if he ever makes another movie like that insane dragon sci-fi flick from a few years ago, he's welcome back anytime.
Ty_Burr: Maybe it's time for a "Dazed and Confused" reunion...
Elly__Guest_: Ty - with the recently added "Best Animated Film" (or whatever it's called) category for the Oscars, can Wall-E still be nominated for Best Picture?
Ty_Burr: Very interesting question, Elly. It's possible, and it would go some way toward answering critics who charge that the Animation category ghettoizes the genre.
Ty_Burr: It depends on what comes out later in the year, during Oscar season. If there are a spate of big, Oscar-worthy dramas etc, "WALL-E" probably won't get a best picture nom. But, hey, if "Babe" can get one, why not this?
bill_clinton__Guest_: are there any comic book characters left who haven't been turned into movies?
Ty_Burr: Yes. Ant-Man. And he's on his way. Really.
kenshin__Guest_: Brad Bird will kill you for calling animation a genre. IT'S A MEDIUM THAT CAN DO LOTS OF GENRES!
Ty_Burr: Oh, okay, "form." "Format." Whatever you want to call it. Send Brad Bird over here; I've done right by him over the years.
indie_chick__Guest_: any Big Acting Talent doing voices in WALL-E?
Ty_Burr: No, not really. That's not the point, satisfyingly. Ben Burtt, the soud designer who gave voice to ET, R2D2, Chewbacca etc, does the voice for Wall-E. Fred Willard has a very funny live-action (sort of) cameo as a George W Bush-like global CEO.
Rivfromnh_2__Guest_: In your opinion, who is the best lead actor (male and female) without an Oscar? Director?
Ty_Burr: Oh, I hate these questions -- My mind goes immediately blank.
Ty_Burr: Heath Ledger shoulda won for "Brokeback" but that's a moot point. Directors? Richard Linklater, for sure, and Alfonso Cuaron.
indie_chick__Guest_: hey hey - has Wonder Woman had her movie yet?
Ty_Burr: She had a TV series, thank you. And when Abigail Breslin is old enough, she'll probably have a movie.
kenshin__Guest_: for director, Hitchcock or Kubrick if we count the dead
Ty_Burr: Well, Cary Grant, if we're trolling the cemetery.
indie_chick__Guest_: Laura Linney has never won an Oscar. Nor has Kate Winslet.
Ty_Burr: Linney will get hers someday. I just hope she doesn't have to wait until she's Jessica Tandy's age.
Jo_Jo__Guest_: TY--How many more chances does M Night get? I loved his first few movies up through Signs, but he just can't seem to get it right on his last several. Even in Signs I wish he held out showing the aliens just a little longer.
Ty_Burr: I think it'll be interesting to see where he goes from here. I do think he has to hit rock bottom (in his own mind, at least) before he can reinvent himself. I do think there's real talent there, but it's been lost behind a messianic sense of purpose.
kenshin__Guest_: Will Steven Soderberg's Che ever get a theatrical release? I'm surprised how confused people were at Cannes. Wasn't it supposed to be a Kill Bill deal where the movie is split into two parts?
Ty_Burr: I missed "Che" in Cannes -- had to leave the day it premiered, to much consternation and jeering from my colleagues. Soderbergh quickly backed off and said it was a "work in progress," it's anyone's guess what form it'll take when it finally hits theaters,.
Ty_Burr: I do think some sizable re-edits are in order, but, again, I haven't seen it. It'll be interesting to watch the cultural controversy that is sure to erupt over who the "real" Che was.
Ty_Burr: Holy cats, there's a hurricane outside.
flightjkt__Guest_: Off-topic here, Ty, but have you given AMC's "Madmen" a shot? As far as TV programs go, I find it to be as well done as anything I've seen on the big screen in years...
Ty_Burr: You know what the worst part of this job is, flightjkt? My TV viewing has gone *way* down. (Oh, and having kids gets in the way too). There are so many good shows I should be watching and can't because I have a screener to watch or a press screening to go to.
Ty_Burr: I'm catching up on my iPod, to some extent.
Jo_Jo__Guest_: As a Cinemax subscriber, thanks for the Corey Haim fix. It go me through the early 90's.
Ty_Burr: You're welcome. Thank me for the Friday After Dark programming, too.
Ty_Burr: You know what? I gotta go close my windows before the house sinks. Be right back.
Ty_Burr: OK, I'm back. Hatches are battened.
Ty_Burr: It's like a Roland Emmerich movie out there, though.
indie_chick__Guest_: Ty - I am way way late w/this question, but i've been trying to find someone, anyone, who saw The Orphanage last winter. I think it just came out on DVD. My question is (and I saw it): are there any ghosts in that movie???
Ty_Burr: Oh my yes, indie chick. What do you think the little boy is at the very end?
Ty_Burr: That was a non-spoiler spoiler, btw -- you should still rent the movie, everyone.
Robert_Altman__Guest_: Ty, have you seen screened The Dark Knight yet? Rolling Stone is out with the first review.
Ty_Burr: Hi Bob. How's life in heaven? Say hi to Orson Welles for me. No, they have't screened DK for hus lowly non-Peter Travers critics. I hate that guy; gets first dibs at everything just because his lead-time is way out there.
Je__Guest_: u do this from home? =P i thought they give u the VIP office in The Boston Globe? what is this WORLD COMING TO?
Ty_Burr: VIP office? Ha! I get an open-air cubicle at the office, just like Redford and Hoffman in "All the President's Men." I think I have the same desk,actually. Friday's a slow day, I usually work form home. You cool with that?
Jo_Jo__Guest_: How would you have reviewed John Adams?
Ty_Burr: The parts I saw? High-end mini-series but still lacking something to make it ****
Ty_Burr: As much as I love Giamatti, I though he was a bit miscast. You?
Ty_Burr: The weight of history tamped down his neuro side, which is his more interesting side, if you ask me.
summer__Guest_: speaking of the dark knight, why no katie holmes in this installment? tom wouldnt allow it?
Ty_Burr: You know, that's an interesting question. She hasn't done anything in three years except for "Mad Money."
Ty_Burr: We're going to have to wait for the tell-all memoir after the divorce, I'm afraid.
Je__Guest_: hey Ty, is this a good time to "get into the business" of film review so to speak? seems like they keep elminating critics.
Ty_Burr: Whoops. we're out of time!
Ty_Burr: No :) really it's not a great time but...
Ty_Burr: There'll always be a need for cogent, articulate voices on pop culture. Whether you'll get them in a newspaper or magazine or online remains to be seen.
Ty_Burr: Some of the best critics I read are in blogs, while some of the print critics could use some juice.
Ty_Burr: It's a period of shake-out, certainly. (He said nervously.)
Ty_Burr: And with that, I have to go bail out my basement.
Ty_Burr: Have a good dry weekend all, enjoy the movies or whatever it is you'll be doing.
indie_chick__Guest_: bye Ty!!! fun as always. I too want your job - but you're safe from me for now. ;)
Ty_Burr: I'm watching my back, IC
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