"New Jersey Goes to the Movies"

Ivan said:
As a fan of New Jersey movies, I get a kick out of NJ being immortalized in movies like "Night of the Living Dead" or "War of the Worlds". Aside from all the usual derogatory jokes about NJ, one would think it's a scary place to live (I guess that's true of some cities). But we had a good time growing up in New Jersey, didn't we, Syl?

Funny though, whenever I'm watching movies that take place in NJ, I always get distracted by the geography. I just watched "Guess Who" the other night (Bernie Mac/Ashton Kutcher in the Spencer Tracey/Sidney Poitier roles). It takes place in Cranford and there are a couple of great aerial shots of the Cranford Train Station, a place I've been to many times, having lived in Linden for many years.

During "Clerks", I kept looking for the bridge on Route 36 that takes you from The Highlands into Sandy Hook. One thing is for sure, "Clerks" certainly captured the dreary, gray days of fall and winter in NJ.

And "Running on Empty", when River Phoenix is dropped off on Route 80 (if I recall correctly) ... it showed a beautiful sunny day in NJ, which is not uncommon. I remember lots of beautiful, sunny days in NJ.

Remember the movie "Matewan"? I got so excited ... then I realized it was about Matewan, WV (not Matawan, NJ). Although we did have some famous local feuds!

But during "Garden State", the Zach Braff movie, I didn't see any familiar NJ locales. However, that could be the case because it took place in Northern NJ, which is not close to our beloved Central NJ (home to Bruce Sprinsteen and John BonJovi).

Wasn't there a movie that was filmed in Asbury Park? I have a vague recollection.

"Harold And Kumar Go To White Castle"

IVAN SAID...
I had a conversation with my counterpart at work today ... also a gay man (he lives in San Francisco, I live in Miami). He has seen all of the Oscar nominated films and he is convinced "Brokeback Mountain" should have won for Best Picture. But I'm standing firm with "Crash". You just can't overlook the fact that gay men were never forced into indentured servitude (even so, Hank Azaria was adorable in "The Birdcage").

But today, another movie caught my attention -- simply because it brought back a special time for me and many shared experiences with my long time friend, Sylvia. "Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle", if produced 35 years ago could rightly have been titled "Sylvia and Ivan Go to White Castle".

Amazingly, both take place in NJ and both involve two friends embarking on a road trip to find White Castle. Although, "Sylvia and Ivan Go to White Castle"
would've been filmed in a 1969 Chevy station wagon, the very silly adventures of two young people, and their very colorful friends, were captured perfectly. The New Jersey geography is a little off, but anyone who's ever gone on a "road trip" to satisfy their munchies will find something to like in this film (for us, the closest White Castle was 17 miles away, indeed a "road trip" for New Jersey).

SYLVIA SAID...

Being a big "Jerseyana' fan (i.e. the Kevin Smith films "Clerks," "Mallrats," Chasing Amy," and my fav.:"Dogma") I did enjoy "Harold And Kumar Go To White Castle." I think it was a veritable "hoot." And Yes-It does bring back memories of our late night excursions to White Castle for those little culinary treats all those years ago-Ivan. And yes...Hank Azaria was A_DOR_A_BLE in "The Birdcage." Nathan Lane did not take a back seat either-he was amazing.
***SYLVIA***

Movie Reviews By Ivan And Sylvia

Ivan said...

I am VERY RELIGIOUS! The Academy is like a God to me -- even though I do not always agree with their opinions.

Yes, believe it or not, I disagree with many of their choices -- such as Phillip Seymour Hoffman. I saw "Walk the Line" last night and I have to say I believe Joaquin Phoenix's performance was the better of the two. Of course, we have to allow for personal taste and subjectivity -- in the final analysis, isn't that what really drives most of what we consider good, better and best.

I thought Phillip Seymour Howard did a good job, yes. Perhaps I'm being influenced by the fact that I disliked the movie. As I said to some one at work today, "It was Truman Capote's 15 minutes of fame dragged out into two and a half never ending hours!" Then again, I didn't like Capote when he was alive and I care for him even less now. His entire status was built on two books ... good ones, no doubt, but wasn't Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird" superior to his two books?

I have not seen "Good Night and Good Luck" but I agree with you about it's message and our loss of freedoms.

I really want to see "Good Night and Good Luck", I'm a very big David Strathairn fan. Remember him as the father in "Dolores Claiborne"? He was also in "L.A. Confidential" and "Lost in Yonkers" as the "retarded" boyfriend to Mercedes Ruehl.

Movie Reviews By Ivan And Sylvia
Movie Reviews("Crash" vs "Brokeback Mountain")
Ivan Said:

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Actually, I think both "Crash" and "Brokeback" were "message" movies -- and both were very important messages, indeed. So, here's the Gospel according to Ivan : I think the "Crash" message was more compelling -- because when you're black, you can't "pass". If you're gay, unless you're a screaming queen or a Nellie Boy, you can generally "pass". I think "Crash" had a lot more to say about our society than any of the gay-themed films this year.

In the final analysis, "Brokeback" was simply a magnificent love story and "Transamerica" was about an INFINITESIMAL segment of the population -and is no more compelling than a movie about a paraplegic or someone with Downs Syndrome. As you know, men and gays are the only two social groups that can still be discriminated against without fear of retribution -- and a movie about two "he-man women haters" (LOL!) is really just the tip of the iceberg. You know the demographics of gay men -- generally better educated, generally have better paying jobs, more disposable income than their straight counterparts -- gay men are not downtrodden. I think the issues are much more complicated and the "gay" agenda isn't really going to be advanced by a movie about two cowboys in love. Think about it -- wasn't "Philadelphia" really a more important movie with a message that was much broader in scope?

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Sylvia Said:
Oh I don't know- lets ask Matthew Shepard ( what, were it possible) which movie message was more compelling. You are right though- both movies have VERY important messages. It's true that, while racism and homophobia still prevail today, most gay people can fly under radar while most black people cannot. And,while a single gay cowboy movie may not be enough to advance "the gay agenda" for the well-heeled gay male, maybe more movies like this could benefit gay youth ( a very high risk group for suicide) by showing them the dangers of internalizing the negative feelings of shame and self-loathing perpetuated by the bigotry and hatred of past generations of homophobes. Also, while I am very sympathetic to both the black and the gay plight, I think that the best message movie is "Good Night And Good Luck." We must remember McCarthy who would destroy our freedoms in the name of defending them and we must recognize the very same cancer that is spreading in this country today.