For me, there are two big issues with writer/director Peter Tolan's feature-length debut: some crazy, disconcerting tonal shifts and a crazy, disconcerting casting choice. There's also a third, less important issue adding to my perplexity about Finding Amanda which is that Matthew Broderick lifelessly sleepwalks through his role.
Tonally, the movie seems to have no idea what it wants to be and vacillates between screwball comedy, dark humor, high drama, and bleak character study. Sometimes, when you toss those elements into a bag and shake them up, you get something pretty cool. But in this case, it's not cool. In fact, it reminds me of sitting in a car while someone learns how to drive a stick shift, getting jerked around uncomfortably between gears the entire ride. The gear shifts in this movie are so jarring emotionally that it made me want to get the heck out of that car.
To see why I think Brittany Snow should never, ever play another prostitute, read more
One of the more interesting entertainment-related stories I came across this past week is a Salon "Beyond the Multiplex" column about a subject near and dear to my heart: independent film. In the story, writer Andrew O'Hehir looks at the signs that indie films — so hot just a few years ago — are undergoing a pretty serious slide at the box office. Among the evidence:
- Several "independent" divisions of major studios are slashing their workforce or shutting their doors.
- Though Juno was a success last year, none of this year's indie films have broken through in a big way at the box office.
- The "digital revolution" has led to more films being produced than the market can hold, and many of them aren't great quality.
- Despite all that, more people than ever are saying they'd rather see independent films than studio fare.
It's an interesting look at a possibly outdated model for distributing smaller, quirkier films. So, go give it a read, and then come back here and tell me what you think about the state of independent film today.
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I've already given you some of my highlights from the week, but today, I wanted to check in with some of the Web's best TV bloggers to see what they were buzzing about. To see what was making headlines this week, just read more
After Kanye West took to his computer keyboard to blame the organizers of the Bonnaroo Music Festival for his extremely tardy appearance (4:25 a.m. — dang!), I got to thinking about other bad concert situations. While the folks who paid good money to see Kanye at that festival clearly were not thrilled with the major delays, diva behavior isn't the only situation that can irritate a concert-goer.
For example, I went to a festival once where the organizers refused to publish a schedule so there was no way to plan the weekend around the acts I most wanted to see. Another peeve: when really tall people have zero perception of their tendency to block the stage from vertically challenged folks (like me!). I'm also often sad when a band won't perform an encore even when the crowd cheers and chants for what seems like an eternity.
Now it's your turn to rant. What are some of your biggest pet peeves at concerts?
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- A blowout for Wipeout. ABC's Wipeout became the Summer's biggest premiere — and, in fact, the biggest Summer premiere on any network since the start of The Singing Bee last ear — with 9.8 million viewers on Tuesday. I Survived a Japanese Game Show followed it, with 8 million viewers of its own.
- Baby boom. NBC's The Baby Borrowers couldn't quite match Wipeout's numbers, but it did fine for itself on Wednesday, bringing in 7.8 million viewers and finishing just behind So You Think You Can Dance in its timeslot.
- Camp rocked. Probably not surprisingly, Disney's Camp Rock has already spawned a sequel after bringing in 8.9 million viewers for its premiere last Friday, plus several million more on ABC and ABC Family over the weekend. That beats the debut for High School Musical but is lower than the numbers for High School Musical 2.
- Time to feud! If not for Wipeout, the award for the week's best premiere would have gone to Celebrity Family Feud, which brought in 8.8 million viewers on Tuesday.
- No nighttime love for daytime. The Daytime Emmy Awards on Friday didn't draw much attention, with just 5.39 million viewers. Maybe they should have aired in a more standard soap opera timeslot?
- Poor Dave. Late Show with David Letterman got its worst ratings ever for adults 18-49 last week, allowing Jay Leno's Tonight Show to win the late-night battle by a large margin.
Photo copyright 2008 ABC, Inc.
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Catherine Malandrino
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