I saw the film New Years Night at the Angelika Mosaic before a nearly empty auditorium, late.
Thursday, January 02, 2014
"The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" and of Ben Stiller: great looking volcanic scenery, at least
“The Secret Life of Walter Mitty”, the second adaptation of
James Thurber’s 1939 story, is rather distant, and gives Ben Stiller a chance
for some rather cute, manipulative but still entertaining comedy. Visually, the film is quite striking.
Mitty (Stiller) is the photographic negatives manager at
Life Magazine. Leading a humdrum life,
he’s trying Internet dating sites (like “eHarmony”). When he tries to send a wink (computer eye
contact) to a prospective girlfriend, the website balks, because he hasn’t done
enough in "real life". While waiting on the outdoor
platform if the 125th St. station in Harlem on the IRT line (where
the tunnel starts, shown quite well) he converses with the site's support
(Patton Oswalt) who advises him that he needs the profile of an American
Military University professor who has “been there, done that”.
At work, Mitty learns that Life is being bought out by a
company that will make it all online, and that the next issue is the last. A new manager (Adam Scott) regards Mitty as a
bit slow and is determined to humiliate him.
(In a more serious film, we could get into discrimination and hostile
workplace legal issues.) Mitty has a bit
of a crush on Cheryl (Kristen Wiig), but gets nowhere. He is given to daydreaming (although not
bookishness), and the film shows many imaginary rescues and adventures. He would really like to become a hero.
He has promised a famous negative from explorer Sean
O’Connell (Sean Penn) and decides to go on a real trip to find him. In Greenland, Iceland, and then the Himalaya
in Nepal he goes on some real misadventures, barely escaping a pyroclastic
volcanic eruption in Iceland, which is quite spectacular (looking like a small
Mount St. Helens, which I did visit in 1990).
The Greenland segment reminded me of “Smila’s Sense of Snow” (1997), a
captivating mystery from Fox with some sci-fi and one of my favorite films from
the 90s. He finally finds O’Connell
after walking on a “knife edge” which looked like Mt. Katahdin (Maine). The credits say this portion was filmed in
British Columbia. Mitty seems quite proficient physically, in bicycling and skateboarding in the Iceland sequence, and seems strong enough to hike and camp at high altitude.
The film was produced by the Samuel Goldwyn Company, which
usually distributes family-oriented independent films. New Line and Fox joined in and 20th
century Fox is the first distributor of record (but not Fox Searchlight). Goldwyn’s production participation is
interesting. Did the Weinstein brothers
take a look at this project, too?
The film posts many of its opening credits on New York City
buildings in the opening sequence.
I saw the film New Years Night at the Angelika Mosaic before a nearly empty auditorium, late.
I saw the film New Years Night at the Angelika Mosaic before a nearly empty auditorium, late.
Wikipedia link for picture of Takakkaw Falls, near site of
filming, BC.
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