FOR FRIENDS FAR & WIDE.

News.

13 October 2004
MOVIE: THE TERMINAL (2004).

A foreign traveller is unexpectedly exiled to life inside an airport shopping mall. Everyone I know hated this movie. It was schlocky, melodramatic, and heavy-handed in the relentless moral integrity of its indefatigable main character, Victor Navorsky, played by Tom Hanks. Worse, almost all the humor was driven by its funny-ha-ha cast of stereotypically "ethnic" lovables who work behind the scenes at the airport. And worst of all, it insulted people by attempting a preposterous romance between the ever-shrugging, clown-toed Victor and a flighty stewardess (pun, har), played with a sugary, Gweneth Paltrow-esque coyness by Catherine . . . Zeta-jones!

Despite all this, I secretly, and with head ducked sheepishly, admit that I was solidly entertained by this bit of fluff, which I like to call Cast Away II: The Journey Home. Victor's ingeniuity in scrounging up the resources needed to bathe, eat, and earn money makes for a fun caper, sort of a blend between MacGyver and The Little Rascals. Like the latter, the motley cast of wacky ethnics, while tiresome on an intellectual level, are actually pretty charming. At one point, they all pitch in to throw a secret dinner party for Victor and the stewardess, entertaining the pair inbetween courses with sad little juggling routines. I couldn't help but root for them.

But before you close this browser window in disgust, let me just say that Spielberg does a perfectly competent job of keeping the story moving along at a brisk pace. Sure, the romance was of no consequence. And yes, some things just don't make sense, like why the evil, bad, bad Airport Director would get so angry over this little man's success in making airport life livable. But simple story hooks, the most obvious being Victor's mysterious and treasured can of peanuts, would keep even the most cynical viewer muttering to themselves, Sure, I'll stay just to find out what happens.

Despite the relative triviality of Victor's ultimate secret mission in coming to America, I still found the film's conclusion refreshing. Spielberg could have ended with an epic screen kiss--he didn't. He could have ended it with some hoary speech about how anyone can make it in America, if they just apply some good old-fashioned (and "universal") Yankee ingenuity--he sidesteps that path. Instead, Victor finally leaves the airport (through a deus ex machina that I easily waved off), spends exactly one day completing his personal quest, and then goes home. The simplicity of the story should be a big hint to all the jaded realists out there that The Terminal is, in the end, a stylized fairy tale, an urban legend given life and charm. Just don't watch it on a plane. Walking through a real terminal upon arrival is just too much of a letdown.

- What's in the can, Victor?
- This? This is jazz.

Back to main

PHOTO DIARY.

License plate obviously belonging to a Boston transplant.

Back to main

PHOTO DIARY.

We left stinky old LA last weekend to go to Dave & Kim's wedding.

The wedding was in beautiful Lake George, NY, five hours north of the city.

Cornell alum Sylvan and his wife Laura were there, too.

It was an incredibly windy day, and Dave's Korean-boy-fro got tossed about. Kim stayed miraculously unruffled.

They looked absolutely adorable in their hanbok.

Dave & Kim have known each other since middle school. Congrats, you guys!

The next morning, we stumbled over to a real train-car diner in search of hangover curatives.

The joint even had a table juke, albeit with craptacular new music instead of golden oldies.

It was hard leaving Lake George, whose trees were just beginning to explode with fall color. A view like this exists nowhere in dusty, brown Los Angeles.

Back to main

Archives.
17 August 2003 — 24 August 2003 — 31 August 2003 — 07 September 2003 — 14 September 2003 — 02 November 2003 — 09 November 2003 — 16 November 2003 — 23 November 2003 — 30 November 2003 — 07 December 2003 — 01 February 2004 — 08 February 2004 — 15 February 2004 — 22 February 2004 — 29 February 2004 — 07 March 2004 — 14 March 2004 — 21 March 2004 — 28 March 2004 — 04 April 2004 — 11 April 2004 — 18 April 2004 — 25 April 2004 — 02 May 2004 — 09 May 2004 — 16 May 2004 — 23 May 2004 — 30 May 2004 — 06 June 2004 — 13 June 2004 — 20 June 2004 — 27 June 2004 — 04 July 2004 — 11 July 2004 — 18 July 2004 — 25 July 2004 — 01 August 2004 — 08 August 2004 — 15 August 2004 — 22 August 2004 — 29 August 2004 — 05 September 2004 — 12 September 2004 — 19 September 2004 — 26 September 2004 — 03 October 2004 — 10 October 2004 — 17 October 2004 — 24 October 2004 — 31 October 2004 — 07 November 2004 — 14 November 2004 — 21 November 2004 — 28 November 2004 — 05 December 2004 — 12 December 2004 — 19 December 2004 — 26 December 2004 — 02 January 2005 — 09 January 2005 — 23 January 2005 — 30 January 2005 — 06 February 2005 — 13 February 2005 — 20 February 2005 — 27 February 2005 — 13 March 2005 — 20 March 2005 — 27 March 2005 — 03 April 2005 — 10 April 2005 — 17 April 2005 — 24 April 2005 — 01 May 2005 — 08 May 2005 — 22 May 2005 — 29 May 2005 — 05 June 2005 — 12 June 2005 — 19 June 2005 — 26 June 2005 — 03 July 2005 — 10 July 2005 — 17 July 2005 — 24 July 2005 — 31 July 2005 — 07 August 2005 — 14 August 2005 — 28 August 2005 — 04 September 2005 — 25 September 2005 — 02 October 2005 — 09 October 2005 — 30 October 2005 — 06 November 2005 — 13 November 2005 — 20 November 2005 — 27 November 2005 — 04 December 2005 — 18 December 2005 — 01 January 2006 — 08 January 2006 — 15 January 2006 — 22 January 2006 — 05 February 2006 — 26 February 2006 — 12 March 2006 — 19 March 2006 — 26 March 2006 — 02 April 2006 — 16 April 2006 — 23 April 2006 — 30 April 2006 — 07 May 2006 — 14 May 2006 — 21 May 2006 — 04 June 2006 — 18 June 2006 — 25 June 2006 — 16 July 2006 — 23 July 2006 — 06 August 2006 — 13 August 2006 — 03 September 2006 — 17 September 2006 — 01 October 2006 —

BACK