You are currently browsing the daily archive for April 17, 2009.
Casey Affleck, brother of the (arguably) more famous Ben, got the majority of the acting chops in the family. That’s okay, because I’m thinking Ben’s talents might lie more in directing and writing, so now that I’ve complimented him, I can say things like, “He’s not the best actor.” That’s how it works. Anywho… Casey’s acting talents first became obvious (to me) in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, in which he plays Robert Ford. Now, he’s working on a documentary of Joaquin Phoenix’s “rapping” career, which may or may not be an elaborate ruse dreamed up by Phoenix and Affleck (who, fun fact, is married to Joaquin’s sister).
Why He’s More Than Just Eye Candy: Robert Ford is anything but a simple character. Thinking back on that film, I’m in awe of how many layers Casey Affleck gave his character. Just like Jesse James (played by Brad Pitt), the audience is left confused as to how we are to perceive Robert Ford. Is he good or bad? Friend or foe? Of course, as the title would suggest, he ends up killing Jesse James, but the viewer is still not sure whether we should hate him or not. It was a truly Oscar-worthy performance. Like I’ve said with many of my Hottie McDottie’s of the day, I look forward to his future performances.
Looks amazing. It was one of my favorite books in the series, and it looks like it might be the best movie since “Prisoner of Azkaban.”
What a wonderful episode of The Office this evening. It started with perhaps the funniest cold open I’ve seen in a while. It seems that the employees of the Michael Scott Paper Company have had to amuse themselves in some interesting ways in their down time. This has resulted in them being very adept at throwing and catching cheese puffs in their mouths. I wonder how many takes they did of that. They caught every cheese puff thrown at them. Amazing.
Back in the Dunder Mifflin office, Andy is trying to get Jim and Pam to hire his a cappella group, Here Comes Treble, for their wedding, while simultaneously trying to talk Jim out of the wedding. Jim teaches him a lesson, but honestly that storyline was a bit dull.
Much more interesting was the tension between Dwight and Michael. At the beginning, Michael and Dwight were having secret meetings near the dumpsters, where Dwight would give Michael leads on potential clients. Of course, this was strictly against the rules, which is why Dwight decides to pull the plug when he connects with Charles. It was amazing how quickly Dwight abandoned Michael for Charles, but then again, he never really got the respect he deserved from MIchael, and Charles complimented him on his work right off the bat. Plus, Dwight seems to relish competition (remember when he schooled the Dunder Mifflin website on selling paper?).
So, Michael and Dwight meet up when Charles, of all people, pops out to “discuss” some things with the ex-boss. Later, an upset Michael calls Dwight, and the following ensues:
Michael: ”Hello, traitor.”
Dwight: ”I think you have the wrong number, Michael.”
I cracked up. The ridiculous antics that fill the rest of the episode (a fake lunch date, a fish in the ceiling, and a stolen Rolodex), culminating in Dwight and Michael showing up at the office of Dwight’s biggest client. They fight for his allegiance for a while, until Dwight whips out one of Michael’s Rolodex cards and asks the client, “How’s your gay son?” Not a good idea. Apparently Michael has a complex color-coding system for his Rolodex clues (which give details about the client’s family so he can ask about them), and that was one of the things he was NOT to ask about. Dwight doesn’t know this, so he keeps hounding the very upset client. ”How’s Tom, the homosexual sophomore?” he asks. Michael steals the client.
Overall, a great episode. We got to see Dwight in a long-sleeved dress shirt, at Charles’ request. Ultimately, the best part is that it would seem the Michael Scott Paper Company is safe and in business for now. Which is great, because I’m loving that plot. Here’s hoping that they do their official cheer every episode: ”U-G-L-Y, you ain’t got no alibi, you ugly! Yeah, yeah, you ugly! Michael Scott Paper Company!”
