Behind the Screen

Hollywood and Indie Offerings

Washington Post film critic Desson Thomson was online Friday, Nov. 3, at 12:30 p.m. ET to discuss the latest movies, both Hollywood and indie, and the art of film.

Thomson, a movie critic at The Washington Post for 15 years, was raised in England where he was entranced, like most, by Hollywood movies. And it was a visit to see David Lean's "Lawrence of Arabia," that made him realize movies had to be a part of his life.

A transcript follows.

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Desson Thomson: Hello people. Testing, testing. Are we all here? Yes we are. Shall we chat? Oh let's. Fire away, fellow net surfers.

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Enough of Borat: Desson: I don't know who's in charge of promotions for "Borat" but they have burned me out on the movie, and it hasn't even come out yet. Now I hate the guy! I think they over-promoted this movie and it's going to hurt it at the box office. Your thoughts, please?

Desson Thomson: Well, I can understand your frustration over this. But as to whether over promotion affects box office, I have no easy crystal ball on that one! I watched it last night with a sneak preview audience of early twentysomethings--el primo demographic for movie success and they were laughing riotously.

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Washington, D.C.: Desson -- Have you seen "Borat" yet? If so please tell all. And also (and this is not a trick question) Could this be an Oscar contender? Do you think this movie is as good or as groundbreaking as "Pulp Fiction" was?

Desson Thomson: Yes, as mentioned. I have seen it. I found it funny and often squirm-inducing--but that was the movie's intentions. For what it is--for what it aims to be--it's just about right. Of course it's not for everyone. Very high grossout factor.

Oscar contender? I can't see anyone nominating this for anything -- since it's so edgy and challenging. And I would never mention this movie in the same breath as Pulp Fiction. Puh leez. No comparison. This is so different anyway. I think of Borat as guerilla comedy that's very smart. And I think of Pulp Fiction as a lasting pop culture classic.

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Washington, D.C.: Any truth to the rumors that the AMC on Wisconsin will be closing shortly?

Desson Thomson: I have been hearing rumors that it's to be sold for--oh, maybe 10 years? It's the worst kept secret of the decade--or so it seems. One problem holding back a sale for all these years seems to be -- at least, according to one insider I talked to --that no potential buyer can see how to turn it into somthing profitable so no one's buying. Going there on a week night, even weekends, can be a depressing affair in terms of attendance. I went to see the Marine on a Monday night recently -- and I was all by myself. Perhaps not unusual for a Monday but it seemed to be no anomaly acc to someone who worked there.

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Babel: Hey Desson,

Thanks for the chat. Have you seen "Babel"? I was really psyched for this movie but many of the reviewers are giving only lukewarm reviews.

BTW, going to see "Jesus Camp" and "Infamous" this weekend. Hopefully I won't overdose on popcorn and cola.

Desson Thomson: Yes I saw it. And I agree with my colleague Stephen Hunter that it covers a global story with enormous narrative possibilities very superficially. Nonetheless, it's very watchable and engrossing. I enjoyed sitting through it. But upon reflection, well, I didn't feel that I had learned profound insights about humankind or even the mystical connections that link us all. I'd still recommend it rather than diss it, for sure.

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DC 20015:"Old Joy," a lovely film in which nothing happens, but it is really worth seeing. Trust me. I saw it a couple weeks ago at AFI and it has stayed with me. It's now at the Avalon. Go see it!

Desson Thomson: Thanks 20015. I'm always happy when someone --without compunction--simply wants to pass their Joy along.

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Rockville, Md.: Hey Desson: what's the buzz on 'Casino Royale'? It looks great and certainly more serious than the last few Bond flix, with their tiresome plots of megalomaniacs plotting world domination, as well as tiresome puns and ridiculous gimmicks like invisible cars. Please give say the movie will deliver!

Desson Thomson: There is huge hope for the movie being interesting for the individuality of the new Bond. Daniel Craig is a very watchable and fine actor. He's like a young, buff Ed Harris with hair. But let's face it: the new film is directed by Martin Campbell and scripted by Neal Purvis, who have been behind Goldeneye and Die Another Day--respectively. The formula, I fear, will continue. The producers of Bond films -- Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson-- have shown no intention over the years of rocking their steady boat and getting innovative.

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Laurel, Md.: RE: Watching "The Marine" alone on a Monday night.

Blame this on "The Marine," not on AMC!

Desson Thomson: Yes, that was a strong factor. One of the worst movies of the year, for sure.

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Arlington, Va.: I read in a blog on washingtonpost.com that 4000 Wisconsin is closing sometime this month. Do you know of any new multiplexes opening in the area (as if we don't have enough as it is)?

Desson Thomson: This question was raised and already answered on this chat.

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LaVale, Md.: Is Helem Mirren a lock for an Oscar nomination for "The Queen"? She did more acting with her eyes than many actresses can do with their entire bodies.

Desson Thomson: Of course she'll be nominated. (The English always impress the Oscar voters--their technique, their culture, their perfect diction, their class.) But she'll be nomm'ed deservedly. She's amazing in the movie. She's got to be the front runner already, in my opinion.

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Gettysburg, Pa.: For the money we pay for concessions, I think all theaters should provide real butter for popcorn instead of whatever that other stuff is.

Desson Thomson: I wish they would also offer goat curry, vodka and cigars.

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Baltimore, Md.: Desson,

Have you seen Borat? I have my concerns that the joke will get old after two hours but I was laughing out loud at Ann H's review in today's paper, so that's a good sign, right?

Desson Thomson: Well, it's a good sign, and not surprising, that Ann made you laugh. She's a terrific reviewer. I happened to find the movie very funny too. It's not art. But it's funny.

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Re: Casino: I had sort of hoped that this was going to be a "Batman Begins" version of Agent 007. A little darker and more serious, with less camp. Not so much?

Desson Thomson: We'll see, won't we? After all, there has been no change in creative personnel behind the camera. Just in front of it.

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Houston, Tex.: Which fellow critics do you enjoy reading? Who are the better -- unappreciated -- writers out there in your line of work that we should know about?

Desson Thomson: J. Hoberman of the Village Voice is a master of the form--but only for people who take movies on a very serious level. In terms of frilliness--i.e. let's just have fun watching me show off my writing talent---then Anthony Lane is a great read. A.O. Scott is a terrific and honorable person whom I have the privilege of knowing. he's a very thorough and sensitive reviewer. That enough for ya?

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Bethesda, Md.: Desson, I sorta gave up on you after you endorsed "Sideways," which I and many other women consider the biggest male fantasy movie of all time. But you were right on in your review of "Sweet Land." I thought it sounded lovely, but other than beautiful scenery -- you're right, nothing happened. Although it was interesting to see that John Heard is not aging well.

Desson Thomson: I guess, as a reviewer, you can please some of the people all of the time. You can please all of the people some of the time. And so on. So I fully expect you to give up on me again in the future and then perhaps get back on the wagon. But that's the nature of reviews--they're subjective responses to movies. More power to you for having your own independent opinion and the same for me.

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So many movies, so little time: Is it me, or has the movie lineup for this fall been IMMEASURABLY better than it was over the summer? Some films I want to see before the Xmas holiday rolls around: "Babel," "Catch a Fire," "The Fountain," "The Prestige," "Hollywoodland," "The Departed," "Inland Empire" ... What did the summer have to offer us again? "Lady in the Water"?

Desson Thomson: I agree that movies seems to have become better, as soon as the summer ended. A rather familiar pattern.

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Washington, D.C.: My problem with Borat is he is gratuitiously mean to innocent people who don't deserve it. One of the things about biting satire and comedy is that they should speak truth to power (see, e.g., Lenny Bruce, Richard Pryor) but Borat is often just mean for the sake of it to people whose shaming proves no point. I don't find it funny to see people humiliated anyway and when they are just trying to help this guy or whatever, and he makes fools of them, that is just nastiness. It strikes me that he is just a bully in many ways. I think it takes more talent to be witty, satirical, and not take advantage of people at the same time.

Desson Thomson: I completely understand where you are coming from, but I will mention this: in many cases in this Borat movie, if you see it, you'll see that he DOES speak truth to the power, in the sense that he comes up against people's jingoism, racism and ignorance; and his own character's antisemitism is satirical and aimed at antisemites around the world. I agree that it can feel mean when he ambushes people--but when they turn out to have dark sides to them, suddenly I feel like it's -- at the very least -- even Steven.

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Goat Curry: No way am I going to that movie house.

Desson Thomson: Hahaha!

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Dunn Loring, Va.: Tonight at the Arabic film festival (AMC 6 on Wisconsin Ave.) they're supposed to show the first ever movie from Yemen. Have you seen it and is it worth making a hike in from the 'burbs?

Desson Thomson: I haven't seen it, I'm afraid. But it seems to me you should come in and see it. How often does a cultural opportunity like that come up?

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Edgewood, Md.: There's no way I would have gone to see "Marie Antoinette" had it not been for Ann Hornaday's glowing review. Ms. Hornaday owes me $9.

washingtonpost.com: Crown Jewel ( Post, Oct. 20)

Desson Thomson: Well, I think it's great that Ann--and you---went out on a limb-- she to offer a thumbs up review in the face of all the flak the movie got at Cannes; and you to take her at her word and give the movie a shot. I don't think she owes you money, morally speaking. But your comment sure gave me a giggle.

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Columbia Heights, Washington, D.C.: Desson,

Have you heard anything about William Friedkin's upcoming movie "Bug"? Saw a preview for it two weeks ago. Over Halloween I saw "The Exorcist" again for the first time in a while, and from the preview, "Bug" looks like it may be a similar type of psycohologial horror film. Any thoughts? Also would appreciate hearing your thoughts on Friedkin's films generally.

Cheers

Desson Thomson: Friedkin blows hot and cold, far as I'm concerned. But I generally admire him. For goodness sake, he made The Exorcist, the French Connection, and To Live and Die in LA--all superbly directed. But he also made clunkers like Jade. I am very interested in Bug, which seems to tie in with such movies as Naked Lunch and A Scanner Darkly for its buggy themes. No buzz -- so to speak -- that I'm aware of.

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Fairfax County, Va.: So many movies, especially multiplex studio films, are formulaic. They have exactly the same structures, even the same dialogue beats. How do you find new ways to talk about the same old stuff?

Desson Thomson: Vodka, cigars, goat curry.

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Prestige and Illusionist: Of the two, I vastly preferred the "Illusionist." While "The Prestige" had some very good acting, it was overly long and quite frankly, boring.

But my complaint about both movies is the same: some unlikely gimic/revelation (no I won't say what they are!) that pulls the pieces of the puzzle together. Eh. Very "I see dead people" of them both and rather disappointing. Thoughts?

Desson Thomson: I saw Prestige but I must catch up with the Illusionist. Your comments -- and others' in previous chats--- encourage me even more to do that. I did think Prestige was overly long and slow. But there were things I enjoyed in it. Christopher Nolan, who made Memento, is such a brilliant artist; he always makes his films fascinating and thought provoking.

The trick of making those plot devices -- that you mentioned --- work is making them not seem like plot devices. Clearly they didn't work for you. But such devices are vital for the audience. As William Goldman once said--and I am paraphrasing badly--an audience goes to see a movie thinking it wants to see the expected but it really expects the unexpected. Those devices are part of the artist's mandate: to surprise the audience.

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ArtMovieLover, Va.: Desson, I see that your colleague Ann Hornaday completely flipped out for "Flushed Away." Did you feel similarly?

I thought the film was amusing. I laughed many times. That's a good thing. But oy, the story just didn't amount to 'anything.'

Singing slugs were a big plus, but overall, the movie was scattershot and kind of weak. I forgot about it as soon as the credits rolled.

Anytime a movie credits four writers for the "story," and another five for the screenplay, it's trouble. Why Hornaday was so over the moon is beyond me. I can see why some might enjoy the film on a certain level; I did. But in the end, this ain't no master work. It isn't even particularly good.

Desson Thomson: I'm afraid I haven't seen that one. But I did see that we recommended it. But your comments are worth posting for everyone. I agree with your perception that a lot of screenwriters usually spell trouble. But it's not always true. Tootsie had many writers and is a classic. And many movies seem to have been written by one or two people but they often have a ton of writers who worked on the script who aren't credited.

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ArtMovieLover, Va.: I submitted earlier on "Flushed Away," but you didn't take the question. Maybe I need to boil it down:

What did you think of the movie?

Desson Thomson: SO there's my answer.

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Los Angeles, Calif.: They had me with the new Bond until they changed baccarat to ... poker?! Bond does not play poker. Ever.

Desson Thomson: Ha! Interesting. I don't remember him playing Poker before. Maybe you're right.

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Football Fan: So, Desson, who do you like for Sunday's game -- DC United or NE Revolution? Also, do you follow college soccer? Great games out at the soccerplex with the ACC championship. Univ. Md. takes on Duke tonight and those games are always a lot of fun. Seriously, the Maryland "Crew" of student hecklers seem to take their cue from the European style of soccer-watching.

Desson Thomson: Both those games are going to be great to watch. I'd love to attend both of them. As a DC United fan, I can tell you who I want to win. I believe they have both beaten each other in recent games, so it's time for the ultimate tie breaker. I don't know about U of Md fans but -- in general -- heckling is a by-product of soccer that I wish would go away.

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Gaithersburg, Md.: Love your chats. I've been lurking for a long time, but this is my first question. We have a Thanksgiving movie tradition with another family, but it seems that nothing appropriate will be playing this year. There are four children ages 11-18. Usually we can find a comic hero or action film, but nothing this year. Any sugggestions?

Desson Thomson: Thanks for being a supporter, and congrats on breaking through from lurker to the big time. Do you mean movies currently in the theater? Or dvds for home viewing? Either way, think comedy. That's always a safe bet. But definitely not Borat--way too raunchy. Ann Hornaday liked Flushed Away. Flicka, the horse movie, has been getting great reviews. And you could always watch The Nightmare Before Christmas in 3D.

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For what it's worth.: The scenes of James Bond playing cards in the trailer make me think of Paul's Grandfather playing cards in "A Hard Day's Night."

Desson Thomson: Thanks for that memory. Love that movie.

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Washington, D.C.: Do you have any favorite books about cinema? I always feel like I want to read about the movies, but when I look at the bookstore shelves, nothing ever seems to inspire me.

Desson Thomson: Read anything by Pauline Kael. She's a great essayist. Or was.

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Re: the AMC Wisconsin: Well, if the management tried to show interesting movies instead of the usual Hollywood spew, then they would probably get a lot more attendence -- there's plenty of parking and it's close enough to Metro.

Desson Thomson: Good point.

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Desson Thomson: Sorry lads and lasses. Have to call a close to this. Sorry I didn't get to questions about Last King of Scotland, Shortbus and others (haven't seen either of those 2 yet--don't shoot me.) We'll pick this up again in 2 weeks. Keep on visiting with me. It's always a privilege to hear from y'all. Have a great fortnight!

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