Forrest Gump and the SNL 40th anniversary special
Last night, I needed to detox from a really emotionally stressful week, so I stayed home and watched TV with the cats. I watched "Forrest Gump" and the SNL 40th anniversary special, switching back and forth between channels. Here are some of the random thoughts that occurred.
Thoughts on Forrest Gump, its actors and its historical context
Forrest Gump really is a sweet character, and one of Tom Hanks's best performances.
I had forgotten that Robert Zemeckis directed. That explains some of the film's qualities. Commentary on IMDB says that the film is very different from the book. Based on all the comments (never having read the book myself), it looks to me like Zemeckis brought real compassion to a character that the author didn't seem to intend.
I ought to watch Robin Wright in "House of Cards." The last thing I saw her in was The Congress, which I found visually interesting but conceptually muddled, and thought that she was sort of constrained by the script and by what may have been directing as muddled as the script was. But watching "Gump," I saw some real chops and would like to see more of that actress.
Interesting to watch "Gump" at this historical remove. In some ways, it really is a period piece intended for a single generation or maybe two. All those historic scenes assume a certain Baby Boomer literacy--you should know what's being referenced and why it's important. They create a resonance for particular experiences. I sat there remembering my experience with Vietnam from a child's perspective, with Watergate, with the 1970s party scene, with the coming of AIDS when I was in college. Another thirty years from now, and some of those choices--like the protest on the national mall or the ping pong tournaments with China--will likely dwindle even further in comparison to the Kennedy assassinations or the bombshell that was Elvis Presley (who has dwindled even now). And Watergate? Many--not all but many--people 15 years younger than me have little idea of what it was or why it was so important. I barely had an idea about the mall protest, and as I sat watching the film, I knew its leader was Abbie Hoffman but beyond that, I knew--or remembered--nothing. Thanks goodness for Wikipedia. The film is a great history lesson for those who are of a mind to use it that way. And it's great art. It will, in another 20 years or so, require footnotes.
That scene of Forrest standing over Jenny's grave just kills me every time.
Forrest's son is played by a supernaturally poised 6-year-old Haley Joel Osment--he was 11 when he made "The Sixth Sense."
Thoughts on the SNL 40th anniversary show
I'm glad that they started things off with a joke about how white the show was when it debuted and for many years after. Good to just say it and be honest about it.
I should watch more of Jimmy Fallon. I think his greatest gift is just having fun at whatever he's doing and bringing everyone along with him.
Martin Short is such a pro. Why don't we see more of this guy? He's a freaking genius and sooo talented.
All the original SNL players look old. Of course, that's because they are. The show debuted when I was 12 and these people were already grown adults. Of all of them, I thought that Eddie Murphy, Jane Curtain and Steve Martin all looked terrific. And was Chevy Chase really that good-looking when he was young? I remember thinking that he was pretty darn dorky at the time.
I loved the Weekend Update bit. Love-love-loved it. Land shark! Melissa McCarthy as Chris Farley! Tina Fey, Amy Pohler, and Jane Curtain all at one table!
The new Bass-o-matic sketch didn't work because we hardly ever see those kinds of commercials on TV anymore. And it was wildly distracting seeing Dan Akroyd looking so, well, old compared to the memories in my head.
Paul McCartney can still play piano like nobody's business, but his age is showing in his vocal control. Was that Dani Harrison playing guitar with him?
The whole evening I kept thinking--and this was the phrase in my head--"Wow, look who they're carting out now." What a nasty, uncharitable thing to think. I disappoint myself. And I immediately stopped, the last time I thought it, and found myself thinking--and look how you've fared 40 years on. Ah perspective.
And in the midst of all this rumination and observation, I found myself noticing that SNL premiered somewhere in the 1970s and that Forrest Gump probably never watched it. His Jenny almost certainly did.
Thoughts on Forrest Gump, its actors and its historical context
Forrest Gump really is a sweet character, and one of Tom Hanks's best performances.
I had forgotten that Robert Zemeckis directed. That explains some of the film's qualities. Commentary on IMDB says that the film is very different from the book. Based on all the comments (never having read the book myself), it looks to me like Zemeckis brought real compassion to a character that the author didn't seem to intend.
I ought to watch Robin Wright in "House of Cards." The last thing I saw her in was The Congress, which I found visually interesting but conceptually muddled, and thought that she was sort of constrained by the script and by what may have been directing as muddled as the script was. But watching "Gump," I saw some real chops and would like to see more of that actress.
Interesting to watch "Gump" at this historical remove. In some ways, it really is a period piece intended for a single generation or maybe two. All those historic scenes assume a certain Baby Boomer literacy--you should know what's being referenced and why it's important. They create a resonance for particular experiences. I sat there remembering my experience with Vietnam from a child's perspective, with Watergate, with the 1970s party scene, with the coming of AIDS when I was in college. Another thirty years from now, and some of those choices--like the protest on the national mall or the ping pong tournaments with China--will likely dwindle even further in comparison to the Kennedy assassinations or the bombshell that was Elvis Presley (who has dwindled even now). And Watergate? Many--not all but many--people 15 years younger than me have little idea of what it was or why it was so important. I barely had an idea about the mall protest, and as I sat watching the film, I knew its leader was Abbie Hoffman but beyond that, I knew--or remembered--nothing. Thanks goodness for Wikipedia. The film is a great history lesson for those who are of a mind to use it that way. And it's great art. It will, in another 20 years or so, require footnotes.
That scene of Forrest standing over Jenny's grave just kills me every time.
Forrest's son is played by a supernaturally poised 6-year-old Haley Joel Osment--he was 11 when he made "The Sixth Sense."
Thoughts on the SNL 40th anniversary show
I'm glad that they started things off with a joke about how white the show was when it debuted and for many years after. Good to just say it and be honest about it.
I should watch more of Jimmy Fallon. I think his greatest gift is just having fun at whatever he's doing and bringing everyone along with him.
Martin Short is such a pro. Why don't we see more of this guy? He's a freaking genius and sooo talented.
All the original SNL players look old. Of course, that's because they are. The show debuted when I was 12 and these people were already grown adults. Of all of them, I thought that Eddie Murphy, Jane Curtain and Steve Martin all looked terrific. And was Chevy Chase really that good-looking when he was young? I remember thinking that he was pretty darn dorky at the time.
I loved the Weekend Update bit. Love-love-loved it. Land shark! Melissa McCarthy as Chris Farley! Tina Fey, Amy Pohler, and Jane Curtain all at one table!
The new Bass-o-matic sketch didn't work because we hardly ever see those kinds of commercials on TV anymore. And it was wildly distracting seeing Dan Akroyd looking so, well, old compared to the memories in my head.
Paul McCartney can still play piano like nobody's business, but his age is showing in his vocal control. Was that Dani Harrison playing guitar with him?
The whole evening I kept thinking--and this was the phrase in my head--"Wow, look who they're carting out now." What a nasty, uncharitable thing to think. I disappoint myself. And I immediately stopped, the last time I thought it, and found myself thinking--and look how you've fared 40 years on. Ah perspective.
And in the midst of all this rumination and observation, I found myself noticing that SNL premiered somewhere in the 1970s and that Forrest Gump probably never watched it. His Jenny almost certainly did.