If you liked Robert Downey Jr. as SHERLOCK HOLMES (2009)--here's more of the same. If you did not like the earlier version, then stay away from SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHADOWS because, you guessed it, it is more of the same. This new one I liked slightly better if only because the explosions and noise levels were (a bit) less, and there was actually some clever plotting this time around. I still prefer a more traditional Holmes, and even the modern Holmes mini-series on PBS is quite interesting without going so ballistic. Still, this one is diverting and lively, and sometimes that, with a bag of salty, buttery popcorn, it enough. GRADE---------B-
I wanted to admire what director Cameron Crowe was trying to do in the new film WE BOUGHT A ZOO which features the dependable Matt Damon and the adorable (my opinion) Scarlett Johannson, but he does it with soooooo many cliches and obvious songs on the nearly continuous soundtrack that I got quite annoyed by the end. Based on a true story, but transplanted from France to southern California (!), widowed Matt Damon uproots his two kids and moves them from city life to the distant country side where the closest store is a (big BIG obvious plug) Walmart. Oh yes, and did you figure out the house sits on the property of a large nearly neglected zoo! So the plot asks, rather dully, will the kids adapt to their new surroundings, will Matt fall in love with the zoo keeper, will the motley crew of zoo workers be able to open the zoo by summer to ward off impending bankruptcy, and will people come to see the zoo if it opens. The answer to all these probing questions is------SPOILER ALERT--------yes. GRADE-------C+
_______________
DVD CHOICES
I hadn't seen DERSU UZALA (1975) since it first came out, and surprisingly I didn't remember a single scene from it. It is a subtle and engrossing tale of Uzala, a hunter of the Goldi tribe who meets and befriends a small group of Russian surveyors, and acts as their guide through the wilds of Siberia. The film creates an intimate portrayal of the friendship between two very diverse lifestyles, and in spite of a DVD which had large black borders on all sides reducing the image to half the size of my TV screen, I was enthralled.
DERSU UZALA (1975)------GRADE-------A-
While watching some extras on the DVD for MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET (1947), I learned that the FOX executives had no faith in the success of MIRACLE, they had no idea how to promote it, and they opened it in June!!!! It became a big hit and played in theatres through Christmas that year. It is interesting that this "family" film deals with issues of drunkenness, cynicism, insanity, broken families, and other serious themes, which is similar to the grimness on displayed in IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, also 1947, but LIFE didn't find any favor or popularity until it was revived several times in the 1970's. Oscar winner Edmund Gwenn plays a Macy's Santa who is put on trail to defend his sanity, because he claims to be the real Santa, and in spite of the serious themes, there a lot of memorable holiday scenes, including the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, which was filmed live, the amusing scenario which has competing retail store sending their clients to other stores if they don't carry what the customer wants, and the wonderful young Natalie Wood as the cynical girl who doesn't believe in Christmas. WONDERFUL LIFE and MIRACLE on 34TH ST provide a potent one two punch for holiday themed films.
MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET (1947)-----GRADE-----B+(IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE-----A)
Another film released the following year called TENTH AVENUE ANGEL (1948), hoping to cash in on the cynical little girl theme, features Margaret O'Brien as an 8 year old girl living in the slums of NYC, who tries to keep her aunt (Angela Lansbury) and her ex-con boyfriend from drifting apart. The film lacks the gravitas of WONDERFUL LIFE and MIRACLE/34TH ST, but it has some charm and sweetness. There is a scene near the end featuring a cow.......that started my tear ducts to overflow. Sometimes all it takes is one special scene to really elevate a film.
10TH AVE ANGEL (1948)---------GRADE-------B-
It covers many seasons, but director Busby Berkeley's (rather restrained, for him) film FOR ME AND MY GAL (1942) is best known for the leading-man debut of Gene Kelly, and his lovely teaming with the terrific Judy Garland. This story of two young burlesque players trying to make the big time is an old chestnut, but it is watchable for the many duets between the two. There is a remarkable scene about two thirds through which features a young soldier leaving a nightclub and going off to war. It is the most moving moment in the film, in spite of the cliche---another scene that keeps this film from getting lost in a sea of modest musicals.
FOR ME AND MY GAL (1942)---------GRADE-----B-
There are at least five film versions of Victor Hugo's novel LES MISERABLES (1935) but this one struck me as being quite strong and faithful, if a bit rushed, in telling the story of petty thief Fredrick March who tries to put his life back together, but is hounded by the moralistic police inspector Charles Laughton for years. It made me want to see the musical LES MIZ again.
LES MISERABLES (1935)---------GRADE------B-
Wishing all my readers a happy CINEMATIC HOLIDAY. I hope to be writing again soon with reviews of WAR HORSE, MISSION IMPOSSIBLE, GIRL/DRAGON TATTOO, TINTIN, SOLDIER TAILOR etc, THE ARTIST, and more.
Friday, December 23, 2011
Friday, December 9, 2011
THREE A- FILMS!!!!!!! MY WEEK WITH MARILYN, HIPSTERS, SLEEPING BEAUTY, plus THE REIVERS w/ Steve McQueen
Other distractions the past two weeks have limited my movie watching, but the three newest arrivals have all been tops.
At first I was a bit disappointed that the true life characters in MY WEEK WITH MARILYN (Laurence Olivier, Marilyn Monroe, Sybil Thorndyke, and Arthur Miller) did not really look so much like the iconic images we see of them. In other words, these are not impersonations, per se. But as the film progressed, I cared less and less that they were not look-a-likes, but became more impressed that the characterzations were actually quite sharp and seemed very real. Especially impressive is Michelle Williams as Monroe, who seems vulnerable one moment and then switches gears impressively to almost "vamp" it up as the public Marilyn the next moment. The film is based on a true story by a young "gofer" who is assigned to keep an eye on Monroe during the British shooting of THE PRINCE AND THE SHOWGIRL (1958) and to report back if she had trouble with drugs or alcohol. The film becomes an interesting document on the pressures of film-making and noterioty, and inspite of the limited focus of the story, becomes another BBC triumph of quality productions that have the power to move an audience as well as entertain. GRADE--------A-
A new Australian film produced by director Jane Campion and directed by Julia Leigh
called SLEEPING BEAUTY is one of the strongest films dealing with sexuality that I've seen in quite a while. Emily Browning, who's short list of credits include LEMONY SNICKET'S A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS (2004) and SUCKER PUNCH (2011), is featured as a young college student who becomes a high class call girl. Nothing she's done before can prepare you for this one. She is put to sleep while a learing older man does with her what he wants, and becomes quite popluar in this "niche." The tone is implicitly explicit (without going to the X-rated) but the atmosphere becomes very insidious. At the Vancouver Intl Film Fest where I saw this in October, some of the audience was extremely uncomfortable with the film to the point of much nervous and inappropriate laughter and comments, and a few people walked out. But the film is deadly serious and dreamily photographed and so compelling to behold, that it dares you to keep watching. This is a director to watch out for.
GRADE--------A-
Last screened at SIFF in 2010, and one of the most popular films then, comes a surprising film from Russia called HIPSTERS, and it is like nothing you've ever seen from Russia before. It still has that heavy seriousness to the actors and some of the dialogue, but the film has more in common with an MGM musical, by way of MTV. Set in the 1960's, the HIPSTERS are rebels, kids who would rather wear their hair in pompodours and loud colorful dresses and shirts, than be conformists. They are experimenting with music (jazz), sex, drugs and rock and roll, and they are very Russian, still. But as with any group of experimentors (think US hippies) once real life sets in like mortgage/rents, marriage, babies, etc, the story changes focus again. But the music is fun, the costumes are outrageous, the energy is electric and the cliches are minimal. GRADE-------A-
________________
On DVD, I saw a modestly entertaining Steve McQueen film based on a novel by William Faulkner called THE REIVERS (1969). It tries hard to be a lighthearted, homey comedy during the first half, with luke warm conflicts between black and white folks in a small Southern town, and I wasn't so impressed. But as it progresses, the conflicts become more pointed and the drama picks up, and by the end I enjoyed the story, set through the eyes of a 12 year old boy who has misadventures with his grandfather's hired hand (McQueen) and McQueen's distant black relative (Oscar nominee Rupert Crosse) including a stay at a whorehouse, dealings with a corrupt racist sheriff and illegall horseracing. The charm and easy going personality of McQueen is undeniable. GRADE-------B-
At first I was a bit disappointed that the true life characters in MY WEEK WITH MARILYN (Laurence Olivier, Marilyn Monroe, Sybil Thorndyke, and Arthur Miller) did not really look so much like the iconic images we see of them. In other words, these are not impersonations, per se. But as the film progressed, I cared less and less that they were not look-a-likes, but became more impressed that the characterzations were actually quite sharp and seemed very real. Especially impressive is Michelle Williams as Monroe, who seems vulnerable one moment and then switches gears impressively to almost "vamp" it up as the public Marilyn the next moment. The film is based on a true story by a young "gofer" who is assigned to keep an eye on Monroe during the British shooting of THE PRINCE AND THE SHOWGIRL (1958) and to report back if she had trouble with drugs or alcohol. The film becomes an interesting document on the pressures of film-making and noterioty, and inspite of the limited focus of the story, becomes another BBC triumph of quality productions that have the power to move an audience as well as entertain. GRADE--------A-
A new Australian film produced by director Jane Campion and directed by Julia Leigh
called SLEEPING BEAUTY is one of the strongest films dealing with sexuality that I've seen in quite a while. Emily Browning, who's short list of credits include LEMONY SNICKET'S A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS (2004) and SUCKER PUNCH (2011), is featured as a young college student who becomes a high class call girl. Nothing she's done before can prepare you for this one. She is put to sleep while a learing older man does with her what he wants, and becomes quite popluar in this "niche." The tone is implicitly explicit (without going to the X-rated) but the atmosphere becomes very insidious. At the Vancouver Intl Film Fest where I saw this in October, some of the audience was extremely uncomfortable with the film to the point of much nervous and inappropriate laughter and comments, and a few people walked out. But the film is deadly serious and dreamily photographed and so compelling to behold, that it dares you to keep watching. This is a director to watch out for.
GRADE--------A-
Last screened at SIFF in 2010, and one of the most popular films then, comes a surprising film from Russia called HIPSTERS, and it is like nothing you've ever seen from Russia before. It still has that heavy seriousness to the actors and some of the dialogue, but the film has more in common with an MGM musical, by way of MTV. Set in the 1960's, the HIPSTERS are rebels, kids who would rather wear their hair in pompodours and loud colorful dresses and shirts, than be conformists. They are experimenting with music (jazz), sex, drugs and rock and roll, and they are very Russian, still. But as with any group of experimentors (think US hippies) once real life sets in like mortgage/rents, marriage, babies, etc, the story changes focus again. But the music is fun, the costumes are outrageous, the energy is electric and the cliches are minimal. GRADE-------A-
________________
On DVD, I saw a modestly entertaining Steve McQueen film based on a novel by William Faulkner called THE REIVERS (1969). It tries hard to be a lighthearted, homey comedy during the first half, with luke warm conflicts between black and white folks in a small Southern town, and I wasn't so impressed. But as it progresses, the conflicts become more pointed and the drama picks up, and by the end I enjoyed the story, set through the eyes of a 12 year old boy who has misadventures with his grandfather's hired hand (McQueen) and McQueen's distant black relative (Oscar nominee Rupert Crosse) including a stay at a whorehouse, dealings with a corrupt racist sheriff and illegall horseracing. The charm and easy going personality of McQueen is undeniable. GRADE-------B-
Saturday, November 26, 2011
3 Strong Male Actors--THE DECENDENTS, Eastwood's J.EDGAR, MONEYBALL, plus Scorsese's HUGO,and NETWORK, MAD X4 WORLD
There's starting to be a deluge of movie openings, and already I'm behind, but I'll do my best to get caught up on the end of the year. Here's whats been seen this past week.
Alexander Payne's last film was the superb SIDEWAYS (2005), and his new film, although quite different, does not disappoint. George Clooney stars in THE DESCENDANTS, and he really has a full plate of emotional issues to deal with, including being the executor of the family estate--a huge chunk of prime undeveloped land in Kauai must be sold or developed or something with in the next 7 years, and he must steer the large family descendants through decisions and legal choices. Also on his plate are two surly, angry daughters that he doesn't quite know how to deal with, and a wife who now lies comatose in a hospital bed due to a boating injury. Plus he has just found out that she was cheating on him. Well, his life is a mess, and it is fair to say that Clooney plays it subtly straight. In fact, the only bits of humor come from well meaning people saying something ghoulish about his dying wife, and the presence of his older daughter's stoner boy friend. Thank God for that, because otherwise we'd be leaving the theatre in an overwhelming state of depression. But the film is very smart in combining the tragedy with the humor, and there are many excellent scenes that get to the truth of each situation. GRADE-------A-
A film about baseball doesn't normally make my heart skip a beat, and a film about the finances of baseball was not high on my list of things to see, so maybe it was with low expectations that I saw MONEYBALL and found myself quite fascinated by the politics and maneuverings that make up the Oakland A's (true story) team in the 1990's. Brad Pitt gives an excellent understated performance as the general manager who succeeds in turning around the team with perhaps the smallest about of money to work with in the whole American and National leagues combined. This David vs Goliath story may not have the emotional punch as some sports stories--indeed, players were traded so casually and inconsequentially in some cases that the viewer grows quite numb to the notion--but the film is skillfully directed by Bennett Miller and acted by Pitt, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Jonah Hill (who provides a lot of deadpan humor) that it is a pleasure to watch. GRADE------------------B+
The always dependable Clint Eastwood has directed an engaging biographical picture that has a lot of engrossing details about that old rascal J. EDGAR Hoover, head of the FBI since it's inception (as the Bureau of Investigation) in the 1920's until his death in 1972. The film covers the controversies about his secret files on famous people he didn't like, his obsessions against communism and anti-patriotism, and his struggles to form a data base for fingerprints, and to reform the science of criminology. It also shows his efforts to find the kidnapper of the Lindbergh baby, and his crusade to stop infamous criminals during prohibition and later. It also dispels some events that Hoover built up about himself. Some well known actors have portrayed Hoover in the past, including Broderick Crawford, Ernest Borgnine, Jack Warden, Treat Williams, Bob Hoskins, and Kelsey Grammer, but I think perhaps the most effective is the excellent turn by Leonardo DiCaprio in J. EDGAR. Unfortunately the film jumps back and forth between 3-4 time periods with what I feel was unnecessary energy, sometimes destroying whatever emotional truths that were being developed. The film also insinuates strongly that Hoover had--if not an explicit physical relationship--a strong emotional relationship/dependency on his assistant Clyde Tolson. In fact, the emotional center of the film rests solely on this homosexual relationship that seemed to last for nearly 50 years. In some ways, it is the strongest cinematic portrayal of gay love since BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN(2005). GRADE--------------B+
With amazing art and set designs, beautiful musical score, strong fluid cinematography and direction, and charmingly memorable characters (and actors, especially Sacha Baron Cohen), the new film HUGO by Martin Scorsese is always a pleasure to watch. But what bothered me about this one was the script, which at times seemed cloying and inconsistently paced. At later times I also felt like I was being lectured to about the greatness and importance of Georges Melies, one of the early great directors of fantasy (and special effects) films who filmed over 500 movies--most are lost today. Centering the point of view and story on a child, 10 year old HUGO, brings the expectation of a family film full of lyrical fantasy. This is really a charming, leisurely adult film, and I doubt most children except for older and more mature kids, will find much to please them. GRADE----------B
DVD Choices below......
I haven't seen it since 1977, but the film NETWORK (1976) has stuck so strongly in my mind that I anticipated every scene (and much of the dialogue) on this fairly new Blu-Ray dvd. The script by Paddy Chayefsky still crackles with wit, shock, sarcasm and truth, and unfortunately, nothing has changed much in network television. The actors have never been better---Oscar wins for Faye Dunaway, Peter Finch, Beatrice Straight and Chayefsky were well deserved, and William Holden, Robert Duvall, Ned Beatty and director Sidney Lumet were all working at their prime. This is a contender for one of the best films of all time. (Oddly, it lost best picture that year to...........ROCKY!?!) GRADE--------A
Say what you will about the silly slapstick comedy IT'S A MAD MAD MAD MAD WORLD (1963) but it is nonetheless a funny film if you are in the mood, and I think I watch it once every 5 years or so. This time I was especially impressed with Jonathon Winters as the bear of a man who can only handle conflict by knocking down a building or person.....the brassiness of Ethel Merman, who managed to keep a straight face while being insulted by nearly every other actor on the set.....the toothy Britishness of Terry-Thomas, who I used to think was boring......the absent mindedness of Paul Ford (see the cut scenes for even more laughs) who managed to get tangled in the microphone wires while trying to talk down a civilian in a pilot less airplane.....Jim Backus as the sleepy, drunk rich man.....and Jimmy Durante who kicks the bucket like nobody's business. GRADE---------B
I had recently seen Howard Hawk's classic western RED RIVER (1948) in the last couple years, and my reaction this time was---why is it so honored? The plot seemed to be a hoary collection of cliches-----John Wayne and his group leave the wagon train just hours before the rest are attacked by Indians, leaving behind his true love to be slaughtered. Later they come across a wandering (?) wagon train of what--circus performance, women, misfits---just as they are being attached by Indians. Wayne's mother's bracelet gets passed around a lot. Wayne acts cranky and severe, and the film echos MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY as his "adopted son" Montgomery Clift seizes control to prevent total mutiny. Then Wayne declares that he will kill Clift when he catches up to him. Who is he kidding, since they have declared their love for one another several times, and this has been noted by most of the other characters in the wagon train. And crusty Walter Brennan is Wayne's right hand man and cook, who gets to toss off the best lines through-out the film. I guess it's great because it is so damned entertaining in spite of the cliches. GRADE-----B
Preston Sturges THE LADY EVE (1941) has one of the best first halves of any comedy. Straight laced Henry Fonda falls for card-shark Barbara Stanwyck on a cruise from South America back to New York, and after a witty couple of days they fall deeply in love, but holding back her secret shady past (as a gambler) causes a misunderstanding, and they fight and separate. This is handled so very well with clever lines and humor, that when they do separate, it hurts us just as deeply. The second half has Stanwyck pretending to be British royalty to seduce and abandon Fonda in an illogical revenge scheme. It is all very entertaining and the leads are effortlessly charming. GRADE----------B
The year 1939 was a great year for films (WIZARD OF OZ, GWTW, GOODBYE MR CHIPS etc) but MADE FOR EACH OTHER is a bit disappointing, mainly for the plotting. Jimmy Stewart is a struggling lawyer and Carole Lombard is his just married spouse. They live in a small New York apartment with mother-in-law and new baby and pay cuts, etc., and the first half is comic and sensible. Then, on New Year's Eve the baby comes down with pneumonia and the only serum available is in Salt Lake City--which is being hit by a severe blizzard. Can the plane make it? Things really fall apart here with forced drama and hokey suspense. GRADE-------B-
I was hoping that the film THE BETSY (1978) based on the trashy novel by Harold Robbins would be good smutty fun. Instead it is laborious soap opera with a lurid sub-plot involving patriarch Lawrence Olivier (hamming it up in a fun way) sleeping with several women including his daughter-in-law (Katharine Ross) over the course of several years, all the while trying to build a new eco-logical car named after his granddaughter, Betsy, who likes to get naked with the young racer (Tommy Lee Jones) who also gets it on with the company boss'(Robert Duvall) mistress Lesley-Anne Down. Yes, it is all rather sordid and not terribly interesting, except for the fact that back in the 1970's the idea of a good car using very little gas was just as threatening to the big car makers as it still is today. GRADE-------C
Alexander Payne's last film was the superb SIDEWAYS (2005), and his new film, although quite different, does not disappoint. George Clooney stars in THE DESCENDANTS, and he really has a full plate of emotional issues to deal with, including being the executor of the family estate--a huge chunk of prime undeveloped land in Kauai must be sold or developed or something with in the next 7 years, and he must steer the large family descendants through decisions and legal choices. Also on his plate are two surly, angry daughters that he doesn't quite know how to deal with, and a wife who now lies comatose in a hospital bed due to a boating injury. Plus he has just found out that she was cheating on him. Well, his life is a mess, and it is fair to say that Clooney plays it subtly straight. In fact, the only bits of humor come from well meaning people saying something ghoulish about his dying wife, and the presence of his older daughter's stoner boy friend. Thank God for that, because otherwise we'd be leaving the theatre in an overwhelming state of depression. But the film is very smart in combining the tragedy with the humor, and there are many excellent scenes that get to the truth of each situation. GRADE-------A-
A film about baseball doesn't normally make my heart skip a beat, and a film about the finances of baseball was not high on my list of things to see, so maybe it was with low expectations that I saw MONEYBALL and found myself quite fascinated by the politics and maneuverings that make up the Oakland A's (true story) team in the 1990's. Brad Pitt gives an excellent understated performance as the general manager who succeeds in turning around the team with perhaps the smallest about of money to work with in the whole American and National leagues combined. This David vs Goliath story may not have the emotional punch as some sports stories--indeed, players were traded so casually and inconsequentially in some cases that the viewer grows quite numb to the notion--but the film is skillfully directed by Bennett Miller and acted by Pitt, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Jonah Hill (who provides a lot of deadpan humor) that it is a pleasure to watch. GRADE------------------B+
The always dependable Clint Eastwood has directed an engaging biographical picture that has a lot of engrossing details about that old rascal J. EDGAR Hoover, head of the FBI since it's inception (as the Bureau of Investigation) in the 1920's until his death in 1972. The film covers the controversies about his secret files on famous people he didn't like, his obsessions against communism and anti-patriotism, and his struggles to form a data base for fingerprints, and to reform the science of criminology. It also shows his efforts to find the kidnapper of the Lindbergh baby, and his crusade to stop infamous criminals during prohibition and later. It also dispels some events that Hoover built up about himself. Some well known actors have portrayed Hoover in the past, including Broderick Crawford, Ernest Borgnine, Jack Warden, Treat Williams, Bob Hoskins, and Kelsey Grammer, but I think perhaps the most effective is the excellent turn by Leonardo DiCaprio in J. EDGAR. Unfortunately the film jumps back and forth between 3-4 time periods with what I feel was unnecessary energy, sometimes destroying whatever emotional truths that were being developed. The film also insinuates strongly that Hoover had--if not an explicit physical relationship--a strong emotional relationship/dependency on his assistant Clyde Tolson. In fact, the emotional center of the film rests solely on this homosexual relationship that seemed to last for nearly 50 years. In some ways, it is the strongest cinematic portrayal of gay love since BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN(2005). GRADE--------------B+
With amazing art and set designs, beautiful musical score, strong fluid cinematography and direction, and charmingly memorable characters (and actors, especially Sacha Baron Cohen), the new film HUGO by Martin Scorsese is always a pleasure to watch. But what bothered me about this one was the script, which at times seemed cloying and inconsistently paced. At later times I also felt like I was being lectured to about the greatness and importance of Georges Melies, one of the early great directors of fantasy (and special effects) films who filmed over 500 movies--most are lost today. Centering the point of view and story on a child, 10 year old HUGO, brings the expectation of a family film full of lyrical fantasy. This is really a charming, leisurely adult film, and I doubt most children except for older and more mature kids, will find much to please them. GRADE----------B
DVD Choices below......
I haven't seen it since 1977, but the film NETWORK (1976) has stuck so strongly in my mind that I anticipated every scene (and much of the dialogue) on this fairly new Blu-Ray dvd. The script by Paddy Chayefsky still crackles with wit, shock, sarcasm and truth, and unfortunately, nothing has changed much in network television. The actors have never been better---Oscar wins for Faye Dunaway, Peter Finch, Beatrice Straight and Chayefsky were well deserved, and William Holden, Robert Duvall, Ned Beatty and director Sidney Lumet were all working at their prime. This is a contender for one of the best films of all time. (Oddly, it lost best picture that year to...........ROCKY!?!) GRADE--------A
Say what you will about the silly slapstick comedy IT'S A MAD MAD MAD MAD WORLD (1963) but it is nonetheless a funny film if you are in the mood, and I think I watch it once every 5 years or so. This time I was especially impressed with Jonathon Winters as the bear of a man who can only handle conflict by knocking down a building or person.....the brassiness of Ethel Merman, who managed to keep a straight face while being insulted by nearly every other actor on the set.....the toothy Britishness of Terry-Thomas, who I used to think was boring......the absent mindedness of Paul Ford (see the cut scenes for even more laughs) who managed to get tangled in the microphone wires while trying to talk down a civilian in a pilot less airplane.....Jim Backus as the sleepy, drunk rich man.....and Jimmy Durante who kicks the bucket like nobody's business. GRADE---------B
I had recently seen Howard Hawk's classic western RED RIVER (1948) in the last couple years, and my reaction this time was---why is it so honored? The plot seemed to be a hoary collection of cliches-----John Wayne and his group leave the wagon train just hours before the rest are attacked by Indians, leaving behind his true love to be slaughtered. Later they come across a wandering (?) wagon train of what--circus performance, women, misfits---just as they are being attached by Indians. Wayne's mother's bracelet gets passed around a lot. Wayne acts cranky and severe, and the film echos MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY as his "adopted son" Montgomery Clift seizes control to prevent total mutiny. Then Wayne declares that he will kill Clift when he catches up to him. Who is he kidding, since they have declared their love for one another several times, and this has been noted by most of the other characters in the wagon train. And crusty Walter Brennan is Wayne's right hand man and cook, who gets to toss off the best lines through-out the film. I guess it's great because it is so damned entertaining in spite of the cliches. GRADE-----B
Preston Sturges THE LADY EVE (1941) has one of the best first halves of any comedy. Straight laced Henry Fonda falls for card-shark Barbara Stanwyck on a cruise from South America back to New York, and after a witty couple of days they fall deeply in love, but holding back her secret shady past (as a gambler) causes a misunderstanding, and they fight and separate. This is handled so very well with clever lines and humor, that when they do separate, it hurts us just as deeply. The second half has Stanwyck pretending to be British royalty to seduce and abandon Fonda in an illogical revenge scheme. It is all very entertaining and the leads are effortlessly charming. GRADE----------B
The year 1939 was a great year for films (WIZARD OF OZ, GWTW, GOODBYE MR CHIPS etc) but MADE FOR EACH OTHER is a bit disappointing, mainly for the plotting. Jimmy Stewart is a struggling lawyer and Carole Lombard is his just married spouse. They live in a small New York apartment with mother-in-law and new baby and pay cuts, etc., and the first half is comic and sensible. Then, on New Year's Eve the baby comes down with pneumonia and the only serum available is in Salt Lake City--which is being hit by a severe blizzard. Can the plane make it? Things really fall apart here with forced drama and hokey suspense. GRADE-------B-
I was hoping that the film THE BETSY (1978) based on the trashy novel by Harold Robbins would be good smutty fun. Instead it is laborious soap opera with a lurid sub-plot involving patriarch Lawrence Olivier (hamming it up in a fun way) sleeping with several women including his daughter-in-law (Katharine Ross) over the course of several years, all the while trying to build a new eco-logical car named after his granddaughter, Betsy, who likes to get naked with the young racer (Tommy Lee Jones) who also gets it on with the company boss'(Robert Duvall) mistress Lesley-Anne Down. Yes, it is all rather sordid and not terribly interesting, except for the fact that back in the 1970's the idea of a good car using very little gas was just as threatening to the big car makers as it still is today. GRADE-------C
Friday, November 11, 2011
Surprisingly Sweet THE BIG YEAR, a Likeable but flawed LIKE CRAZY, REVENGE OF ELECTRIC CAR, plus THE MESSENGER, I'LL SLEEP WHEN I'M DEAD, etc
Perhaps my expectations were low, but I was really impressed by a little comedy called THE BIG YEAR, which has trailers that make it out to be a silly, minor, slap-stick comedy. It is rather low key, but there is an appealing sweetness to the film that pits several very likable characters against each other as they each try to have a BIG YEAR--in terms of bird-watching that is a calender year where each participant tries to spot as many different species of birds as they can, and it is all on the honor system. Either they record what they've seen on paper or on film (camera) and then report it to the bird society at the end of the year. This is based on a true story, starting with a previous winner Owen Wilson, who sets out to break his own record, and slowly introduces a wealthy executive (Steve Martin) and a struggling working-stiff (Jack Black) and how their efforts keep them in contact with each other. It's an intriguing, charming, off-beat film, and especially for bird watchers, indispensable. GRADE---------B+
The small independent, intimate film LIKE CRAZY is one of those miracles, where everything really jells to a lovable, charming effort, with fine actors, especially the two (relatively unknown) leads. It tells a simple story of a long distance romance--he's from Los Angeles, she's studying there from London. There were 4 important lessons I took from this film. Number 1.) is NEVER EVER mess with your traveling VISA--if you do it will come back to bite you in the butt for many years. 2.) NEVER EVER get involved in a long distance romance--it nearly always turns into a miserable experience for both parties. 3.) Having and using a cell phone/text during a relationship is NEVER a good idea, especially if you are involved with someone else and have the carelessness to leave it lying around. 4.) And no matter how good your movie is, directors, if you insist on using aggressive, unnecessary hand-held camera work, many people, like myself, will be thrown right out of the drama by the distracting, swirling action of the camera. I want very much to give this film a much higher grade. Instead, it gets a minimal thumbs up. GRADE------B-
I loved the film from several years ago called WHO KILLED THE ELECTRIC CAR? (2006), which documented how in the previous 10 years electric cars had intrigued and dazzled the environmentally concerned consumers, who gobbled them up as fast as they were (slowly) manufactured, but then big oil and big car companies literally picked them up and physically destroyed them--it was an outrageous situation. Now, 5 years later they are making a comeback, but of course with the approval of the big car companies, because of even greater demand and because of the damning environmental issues that are forcing that. The sequel film REVENGE OF THE ELECTRIC CAR is interesting in showing why this is happening, and it follows several companies in their efforts to produce these new energy saving vehicles--some independents as well as big companies. Unfortunately, the outrage is gone and the film is merely informative rather than incitive--rather like a giant commercial for electric cars. GRADE--------B-
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DVD Choices for this week include:
I missed THE MESSENGER (2009) when it first came out, mainly due to what I thought would be depressing subject matter. The film follows two Army men who work for the Casualty Notification service--they must quickly notify the next-of-kin that their son/daughter/husband/wife/etc soldier has been killed in service in Iraq or Afghanistan, and the reactions to such news are indeed heartbreaking. Woody Harrelson plays the older officer who is trying to train the younger newcomer (Ben Foster) the ropes, and the film does branch off as the younger one forms an ill advised relationship with one widow. It is a very powerful film, and the two flawed men who must preform this task slowly become humanized and unglued during their service. Very memorable. GRADE--------B+
I'LL SLEEP WHEN I'M DEAD (2004) is a curious, moody gangster film starring Clive Owen, Charlotte Rampling, Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Malcolm McDowell. The film follows Owen (an ex-gangster) as he searches for the reasons his younger brother seemingly committed suicide. It is engrossing and watchable, although I had some trouble with the (unusual) reasoning for the suicide, and also with the May/December ex-romance between Owens and Rampling (18 years age difference)--at first I thought she was his mother. I know, I know, that is an ageist thing to say, since older men date and wed much younger women all the time. Given the milieu, however, those two issues just didn't ring true for me. GRADE------B
Several months ago I read several biographies of Katherine Hepburn, and I remembered that late in her career she toured the country with a play by Ernest (ON GOLDEN POND) Thompson called THE WEST SIDE WALTZ (1995) which I believe was filmed for TV. This version stars Shirley Maclaine, Liza Minnelli, Kathy Bates, Jennifer Grey, Robert Pastorelli, and several other stalwarts of stage and screen. It is a sentimental story, for sure, but the actors give it their best shot, and I was fitfully amused at how fine these actors all were. GRADE-------B
I vaguely remember the film from 1984 with Bill Murray as the nearly catatonic hero which was a remake of THE RAZOR'S EDGE (1946)--this is tough material for anyone to make cinematically, since it concerns moral and philosophical growth and changes in the mind and heart of the main character, here played sternly by Tyrone Power. This earlier version is more effective, I think, because the characters and actors who portray them seemed more vivid, especially the stunning, eye-opening Oscar winning supporting turn by a young Anne Baxter, and the snootiness of Gene Tierney and the affected fey-ness of Clifton Webb. It is oddly engrossing, but you feel that it doesn't really capture what made the novel so "classic." GRADE---------B-
The small independent, intimate film LIKE CRAZY is one of those miracles, where everything really jells to a lovable, charming effort, with fine actors, especially the two (relatively unknown) leads. It tells a simple story of a long distance romance--he's from Los Angeles, she's studying there from London. There were 4 important lessons I took from this film. Number 1.) is NEVER EVER mess with your traveling VISA--if you do it will come back to bite you in the butt for many years. 2.) NEVER EVER get involved in a long distance romance--it nearly always turns into a miserable experience for both parties. 3.) Having and using a cell phone/text during a relationship is NEVER a good idea, especially if you are involved with someone else and have the carelessness to leave it lying around. 4.) And no matter how good your movie is, directors, if you insist on using aggressive, unnecessary hand-held camera work, many people, like myself, will be thrown right out of the drama by the distracting, swirling action of the camera. I want very much to give this film a much higher grade. Instead, it gets a minimal thumbs up. GRADE------B-
I loved the film from several years ago called WHO KILLED THE ELECTRIC CAR? (2006), which documented how in the previous 10 years electric cars had intrigued and dazzled the environmentally concerned consumers, who gobbled them up as fast as they were (slowly) manufactured, but then big oil and big car companies literally picked them up and physically destroyed them--it was an outrageous situation. Now, 5 years later they are making a comeback, but of course with the approval of the big car companies, because of even greater demand and because of the damning environmental issues that are forcing that. The sequel film REVENGE OF THE ELECTRIC CAR is interesting in showing why this is happening, and it follows several companies in their efforts to produce these new energy saving vehicles--some independents as well as big companies. Unfortunately, the outrage is gone and the film is merely informative rather than incitive--rather like a giant commercial for electric cars. GRADE--------B-
________________
DVD Choices for this week include:
I missed THE MESSENGER (2009) when it first came out, mainly due to what I thought would be depressing subject matter. The film follows two Army men who work for the Casualty Notification service--they must quickly notify the next-of-kin that their son/daughter/husband/wife/etc soldier has been killed in service in Iraq or Afghanistan, and the reactions to such news are indeed heartbreaking. Woody Harrelson plays the older officer who is trying to train the younger newcomer (Ben Foster) the ropes, and the film does branch off as the younger one forms an ill advised relationship with one widow. It is a very powerful film, and the two flawed men who must preform this task slowly become humanized and unglued during their service. Very memorable. GRADE--------B+
I'LL SLEEP WHEN I'M DEAD (2004) is a curious, moody gangster film starring Clive Owen, Charlotte Rampling, Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Malcolm McDowell. The film follows Owen (an ex-gangster) as he searches for the reasons his younger brother seemingly committed suicide. It is engrossing and watchable, although I had some trouble with the (unusual) reasoning for the suicide, and also with the May/December ex-romance between Owens and Rampling (18 years age difference)--at first I thought she was his mother. I know, I know, that is an ageist thing to say, since older men date and wed much younger women all the time. Given the milieu, however, those two issues just didn't ring true for me. GRADE------B
Several months ago I read several biographies of Katherine Hepburn, and I remembered that late in her career she toured the country with a play by Ernest (ON GOLDEN POND) Thompson called THE WEST SIDE WALTZ (1995) which I believe was filmed for TV. This version stars Shirley Maclaine, Liza Minnelli, Kathy Bates, Jennifer Grey, Robert Pastorelli, and several other stalwarts of stage and screen. It is a sentimental story, for sure, but the actors give it their best shot, and I was fitfully amused at how fine these actors all were. GRADE-------B
I vaguely remember the film from 1984 with Bill Murray as the nearly catatonic hero which was a remake of THE RAZOR'S EDGE (1946)--this is tough material for anyone to make cinematically, since it concerns moral and philosophical growth and changes in the mind and heart of the main character, here played sternly by Tyrone Power. This earlier version is more effective, I think, because the characters and actors who portray them seemed more vivid, especially the stunning, eye-opening Oscar winning supporting turn by a young Anne Baxter, and the snootiness of Gene Tierney and the affected fey-ness of Clifton Webb. It is oddly engrossing, but you feel that it doesn't really capture what made the novel so "classic." GRADE---------B-
Friday, November 4, 2011
TOWER HEIST, 3 (THREE), BEING ELMO:PUPPETEER'S JOURNEY...
New this week is TOWER HEIST--a populist type comedy that fits right in with our 99% VS 1% angst during this economic depression era. The simple premise occurs when a rich, arrogant "money-manager" who lives in a high rise mansion is accused of stealing the pension plan of the workers there who's job it is to pamper him and other rich condo owners. With nothing to lose, many of them band together to plan an elaborate robbery of his hidden $20 million in cash that the FBI can't seem to find. The players are all in fine form, especially Eddie Murphy as the one "professional" thief (but don't call him that to his face!) amongst the bunch, and Tea Leoni as the growling FBI agent on the case, and Gabourey Sidibe (from PRECIOUS) who nails her Caribbean accent and the best lines as the maid with a higher skill set than most would imagine. Unfortunately, by the end, the logic and plot holes bring us down to earth in a hurry, but it is a funny, clever, entertaining ride getting there. GRADE--------B
Germany's strongest writer director Tom Tykwer has had a very creative if bumpy career, but I've enjoyed watching his progression which started so brilliantly with WINTER SLEEPERS in 1997, and includes the international hit RUN LOLA RUN (1998), PRINCESS and the WARRIOR (2000), HEAVEN (2002), PERFUME: STORY OF A MURDERER (2006) and THE INTERNATIONAL (2009). Most of his films have a grand, exotic visual style, sometimes complete with camera tricks, special effects and swooping camera angles. His newest film opens today in Seattle, and titled "3"--it's an intriguing, more personal love story, of sorts, between a married couple, and how they manage to each become involved with a worldly scientific man, unbeknownst to each other. The themes of love, bisexuality, infidelity, intellectualism, and death seem to be juggled with almost a light-hearted approach--it keeps this drama as surprising as Tykwer's career has been to date. GRADE-----------B+
The formally titled BEING ELMO: A PUPPETEER'S JOURNEY is a documentary chronicling the discovery and rise to power of Kevin Clash who created Elmo for Jim Hensen in the early 1980's when he came to work as a young puppeteer from Baltimore. Elmo quickly became one of the most beloved puppets on the show, and Clash is now a major player for the company. Narrated by Whoppi Goldberg, the film, geared more for adults and mature older children, shows the behind the scenes politics, creative forces and puts a human face on all aspects of the Muppets and Sesame Street. GRADE-------B
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DVD CHOICES for the week included a couple of classics.
I hadn't watched THE HOURS (2002) since it first came out, but I felt like every scene has been seared into my mind the first time---I remembered so much of it watching it the second time. It is a demanding, smart story of three different women from different time periods, whose life's seem to be intertwined. The film starts with the suicide of writer Virginia Woolf played by Oscar winner Nichole Kidman(so you know it's going to be heavy going), then backtracks to show how she got there. The second woman is a 1950's housewife (the luminous Julianne Moore)who seems to be on the verge of a mental breakdown--she can't bake a simple cake for her husband's birthday and seems to terrify her young son with her intense and odd behavior. She is reading Woolf's novel "Mrs. Dalloway." The third woman (Meryl Streep) is from a contemporary time and is throwing a party for a dying friend, much like Mrs. Dalloway in the book, and the film takes place all in one day, but cuts back and forth between the characters as they deal with spouses, friends, relatives, death, sanity and choices. The biggest theme is the relentless and memorable piano score from the great Philip Glass. It was interesting to me this time to realize that each woman kisses with great passion a character that is not their spouse/loved one, as if to find something meaningful in a secondary relationship. In two cases it is another woman, in one case a gay man dying of AIDS. All three kisses seemed inappropriate, yet struck me as quite movingly profound. An intense, memorable experience even 10 years later. GRADE---------A
Based on the novel by Herman Melville, the intelligent and thoughtful film BILLY BUDD (1962) was directed and co-written by Peter Ustinov who also subtly plays a key role in the film which has a theme of good VS evil. Robert Ryan is the evil quarter-master who is hated by all the crew men except the innocent Billy Budd, played by newcomer Terrance Stamp--his first film. An engrossing and fascinating tragedy played out on the high seas. GRADE----------B+
Recently rediscovered and released by Criterion, NIGHT TRAIN TO MUNICH (1940) shares some similar themes as the earlier (and superior) Alfred Hitchcock thriller THE LADY VANISHES (1939)--but has many pleasures to recommend it. VANISHES writer Frank Launder and Sidney Gilliat also wrote MUNICH, and it is set in Europe during World War II, as Hitler is sweeping through. A Czech scientist and his daughter are caught by the Nazi's and are being forced to cooperate with Germany, and a debonair British undercover agent (Rex Harrison) comes after them to try to smuggle them out of Germany. It has the same type of miniature set pieces that don't look very realistic (especially the ski-lodge and the factory) and it features the same two veddy British men for comic relief that feature in VANISHES (the traveling underwear salesmen, but in MUNICH they are naive tourist in Germany). It all mounts to a smooth, clever, funny, exciting story. GRADE-------B
I recently read an unflattering book called BETTE DAVIS: A BIOGRAPHY by Barbara Leaming--not that I blame Leaming for the unpleasantness described. From all reports, Bette was a piece of work, demanding, argumentative, disruptive, willful and manipulative. She was also verbally and physically abused by several husbands, although it sounds like she could dish it right back. Still, I've always admired her work. She comes across as a strong, smart, no nonsense character in many of her films, and DECEPTION (1946) is no exception. She is perhaps slightly miscast as the love object of two handsome powerful men (she was nearly 40 when she played this role and was herself insecure about the part) but the melodrama works well. When she drops her famous composer lover (Claude Rains) to suddenly marry her love from before the war (Paul Henreid, who plays the evil Nazi in the above NIGHT TRAIN TO MUNICH)--she tries to deceive both to placate her jealous husband and the spurned Rains, who steals all of his scenes, a difficult task when Bette Davis is in her prime. It's an engrossing film noir, with a terrific, iconic townhouse apartment that is itself fascinating, with soaring ceilings, floor to ceiling windows, shadows that cut diagonally, and odd shaped rooms and crannies. If DECEPTION is not one of her best, it is still very fascinating. GRADE-----B
In her last film, Lucille Ball plays the title character MAME (1974) and there are moments when it looks like she may die before the end of the scene. She's looks awfully tired throughout. Bea Arthur has a couple of moments, but seems wasted in an underdeveloped role. There were actually a couple of songs that I recognized and slightly enjoyed--"We Need a Little Christmas" and the title song "Mame" and one other which I've forgotten. Unfortunately this is not an undiscovered gem and it was torturous to watch all 131 minutes. GRADE-------D+
Germany's strongest writer director Tom Tykwer has had a very creative if bumpy career, but I've enjoyed watching his progression which started so brilliantly with WINTER SLEEPERS in 1997, and includes the international hit RUN LOLA RUN (1998), PRINCESS and the WARRIOR (2000), HEAVEN (2002), PERFUME: STORY OF A MURDERER (2006) and THE INTERNATIONAL (2009). Most of his films have a grand, exotic visual style, sometimes complete with camera tricks, special effects and swooping camera angles. His newest film opens today in Seattle, and titled "3"--it's an intriguing, more personal love story, of sorts, between a married couple, and how they manage to each become involved with a worldly scientific man, unbeknownst to each other. The themes of love, bisexuality, infidelity, intellectualism, and death seem to be juggled with almost a light-hearted approach--it keeps this drama as surprising as Tykwer's career has been to date. GRADE-----------B+
The formally titled BEING ELMO: A PUPPETEER'S JOURNEY is a documentary chronicling the discovery and rise to power of Kevin Clash who created Elmo for Jim Hensen in the early 1980's when he came to work as a young puppeteer from Baltimore. Elmo quickly became one of the most beloved puppets on the show, and Clash is now a major player for the company. Narrated by Whoppi Goldberg, the film, geared more for adults and mature older children, shows the behind the scenes politics, creative forces and puts a human face on all aspects of the Muppets and Sesame Street. GRADE-------B
_______________________________________________________
DVD CHOICES for the week included a couple of classics.
I hadn't watched THE HOURS (2002) since it first came out, but I felt like every scene has been seared into my mind the first time---I remembered so much of it watching it the second time. It is a demanding, smart story of three different women from different time periods, whose life's seem to be intertwined. The film starts with the suicide of writer Virginia Woolf played by Oscar winner Nichole Kidman(so you know it's going to be heavy going), then backtracks to show how she got there. The second woman is a 1950's housewife (the luminous Julianne Moore)who seems to be on the verge of a mental breakdown--she can't bake a simple cake for her husband's birthday and seems to terrify her young son with her intense and odd behavior. She is reading Woolf's novel "Mrs. Dalloway." The third woman (Meryl Streep) is from a contemporary time and is throwing a party for a dying friend, much like Mrs. Dalloway in the book, and the film takes place all in one day, but cuts back and forth between the characters as they deal with spouses, friends, relatives, death, sanity and choices. The biggest theme is the relentless and memorable piano score from the great Philip Glass. It was interesting to me this time to realize that each woman kisses with great passion a character that is not their spouse/loved one, as if to find something meaningful in a secondary relationship. In two cases it is another woman, in one case a gay man dying of AIDS. All three kisses seemed inappropriate, yet struck me as quite movingly profound. An intense, memorable experience even 10 years later. GRADE---------A
Based on the novel by Herman Melville, the intelligent and thoughtful film BILLY BUDD (1962) was directed and co-written by Peter Ustinov who also subtly plays a key role in the film which has a theme of good VS evil. Robert Ryan is the evil quarter-master who is hated by all the crew men except the innocent Billy Budd, played by newcomer Terrance Stamp--his first film. An engrossing and fascinating tragedy played out on the high seas. GRADE----------B+
Recently rediscovered and released by Criterion, NIGHT TRAIN TO MUNICH (1940) shares some similar themes as the earlier (and superior) Alfred Hitchcock thriller THE LADY VANISHES (1939)--but has many pleasures to recommend it. VANISHES writer Frank Launder and Sidney Gilliat also wrote MUNICH, and it is set in Europe during World War II, as Hitler is sweeping through. A Czech scientist and his daughter are caught by the Nazi's and are being forced to cooperate with Germany, and a debonair British undercover agent (Rex Harrison) comes after them to try to smuggle them out of Germany. It has the same type of miniature set pieces that don't look very realistic (especially the ski-lodge and the factory) and it features the same two veddy British men for comic relief that feature in VANISHES (the traveling underwear salesmen, but in MUNICH they are naive tourist in Germany). It all mounts to a smooth, clever, funny, exciting story. GRADE-------B
I recently read an unflattering book called BETTE DAVIS: A BIOGRAPHY by Barbara Leaming--not that I blame Leaming for the unpleasantness described. From all reports, Bette was a piece of work, demanding, argumentative, disruptive, willful and manipulative. She was also verbally and physically abused by several husbands, although it sounds like she could dish it right back. Still, I've always admired her work. She comes across as a strong, smart, no nonsense character in many of her films, and DECEPTION (1946) is no exception. She is perhaps slightly miscast as the love object of two handsome powerful men (she was nearly 40 when she played this role and was herself insecure about the part) but the melodrama works well. When she drops her famous composer lover (Claude Rains) to suddenly marry her love from before the war (Paul Henreid, who plays the evil Nazi in the above NIGHT TRAIN TO MUNICH)--she tries to deceive both to placate her jealous husband and the spurned Rains, who steals all of his scenes, a difficult task when Bette Davis is in her prime. It's an engrossing film noir, with a terrific, iconic townhouse apartment that is itself fascinating, with soaring ceilings, floor to ceiling windows, shadows that cut diagonally, and odd shaped rooms and crannies. If DECEPTION is not one of her best, it is still very fascinating. GRADE-----B
In her last film, Lucille Ball plays the title character MAME (1974) and there are moments when it looks like she may die before the end of the scene. She's looks awfully tired throughout. Bea Arthur has a couple of moments, but seems wasted in an underdeveloped role. There were actually a couple of songs that I recognized and slightly enjoyed--"We Need a Little Christmas" and the title song "Mame" and one other which I've forgotten. Unfortunately this is not an undiscovered gem and it was torturous to watch all 131 minutes. GRADE-------D+
Friday, October 28, 2011
ANONYMOUS, WEEKEND, MARTHA MARCY MAY etc, Rum Diary, Toast, In Time and BEN-HUR!
Lots of openings this week, and I saw some interesting film festival and oldie/goodie stuff, too.
At the screening for ANONYMOUS, a fictionalized story claiming that perhaps Shakespeare really didn't write all those great plays and poems, but was merely a ghost writer, there was energetic applause at the end, but walking out I heard a lot of disgusted people loudly complaining that this whole movie was a total fake because this version of the story is just not true......Well, I really don't care either way, but I have to say that ANONYMOUS the movie makes for a compelling argument for the Oxfordians, who think that the real writer was Edward de Vere, the Earl of Oxford. Here Shakespeare is portrayed as a rather carefree hair brained actor, just a pawn to keep the public and royal courts from realizing that Edward was the brilliant writer--since his station in life disapproved of life in the arts. In fact, artist themselves (even the brilliant Ben Johnson)come off as rather lowly creatures in this production. The cast is quite compelling, especially Queen Elizabeth, played at different ages by mother/daughter actors Vanessa Redgrave and Joelly Richardson. (I kept wondering at how much alike they appeared to be and it wasn't until the end credits that I realized who the younger actress was.) Rhys Ifans shines as the older Edward, and Rafe Spall as Shakespeare, David Thewlis and Derek Jacobi all shine in supporting roles. The film, directed by disaster film specialist Roland Emmerich, who made such popular entertainments as STARGATE, INDEPENDENCE DAY, GODZILLA, DAY AFTER TOMORROW, 10000 BC, and 2012, is slickly and entertainingly presented, with terrific costumes, set designs and special effects, music and cinematography. I enjoyed this intelligent film immensely. GRADE--------- A-
You can call it a poor man's BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN (2007), mainly due to the simple production values, and a few "party/barroom" scenes where the poor sound system and strong Scottish accents made it difficult to understand, but there is a lot of truth and honesty in the central relationship between two lower class men who meet for a sexual tryst on a Friday night, and end up spending the WEEKEND together in spite of themselves. The actors are very good, and they create an intimate and compelling reason to make you want these two to be together. One is leaving town soon for several years, the other is afraid of commitment. The complexity of their situation with family and co-workers is intriguingly portrayed, and it is encouraging to see a film about gay romance built on reality and promise rather than on prejudice and tragedy. GRADE--------B+
The awkward title aside, MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE creates a dreamy, intense, fascinating world where Martha is trying to break from her several years spent in a restrictive cult where women are subservient to men, always sexually available to the leaders, and taught to steal for a likelihood. When she runs away, she stays with her estranged sister who doesn't understand what has happened to her. The film effectively cuts between life in the cult, compared to the freedom of living in relative wealth. The film is anchored by a very strong performance by newcomer Elizabeth Olsen, younger sister to the Olsen twins of notorious fame (Mary-Kate and Ashley) but she is very good--one of those career break-out moments. Quite haunting. GRADE---------B+
TOAST is a light weight quirky British comedy/drama about the true life childhood of celebrity cook Nigel Slater and his competitive (cooking) nature towards his new step-mother played by Helena Bonham-Carter. It is an entertaining, odd, at times mean-spirited affair, but I enjoyed watching it. GRADE--------B
The new science fiction film IN TIME starts off with intriguing ideas--a society where time to live is the only currency---everything is charged against your time on earth, which is limited to 25 years, unless you earn or steal or inherit more time. Transportation, food, clothes, sex--all are paid for out of your time allotment, which looks like a giant digital clock under the skin of your forearm. Time can be added or subtracted with just the touch of your hands, or an electric device. When the hero (Justin Timberlake), who lives day to day in the slums, is given 100 years from a stranger, he becomes hunted by the Timekeeper, and escapes to the rich part of town where things cost a large amount of time. He attracts the attention of a young rich girl (Amanda Seyfried), but then they start living like time stealing criminals on the run, with the girl's father, the Timekeepers, and a group of British (?) hooligans who steal time, all after them. There is a lot (and I mean A LOT) of running by most of the characters, and after the first hour the film really loses steam and becomes a standard chase thriller. Large holes in the plot, logic and the continuity nearly destroy the cleverness of the situation. GRADE-------C+
On the shelf for quite a while, the film inspired by Hunter S. Thompson's last published novel finally hits the screens, starring Johnny Depp, who also appeared as Thompson in FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS (1998). Unfortunately, the trailer for the film contains the only scenes of interest and humor. If your idea of watching a drunken man (or in many cases, men) stumble around Puerto Rico doing stupid things, then THE RUM DIARY is for you. Depp is dull, and the film is tedious and with nauseatingly hand held camera work becomes annoying to watch. GRADE-------D+
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I saw several entries at the Lesbian and Gay Film Festival last week.
The best was a BBC production which possibly will show up on Masterpiece Theatre this year. It is based on a Sarah Waters novel called NIGHT WATCH and is set mostly during WWII, but it does flashback in time from 1947 to 1943 to 1941 and then back. If there is a fault it would be that the film really plunges forth with a lot of plot, so that if you close your eyes for a minute you will miss a lot of composition. You really need to stay alert, but it is engrossing as you slowly discover what each of these characters (about 8 or 9 major characters) mean to each other. There are several lesbian characters, and also a gay male character, whose lives have all been affected by love, loss and the war. It is a classy drama (with some nudity) and strong BBC production values. GRADE------B+
I've really appreciated the films of Israeli director Etyan Fox, whose earlier films have included the love story between two Jewish men while serving in the military forces called YOSSI & JAGGER (2002), WALK ON WATER (2004) a thriller about a young Mossad agent searching for an old Nazi through his relationship with the Nazi's adult grandchildren, and THE BUBBLE (2006) about contemporary life of three young best friends in Tel Viv, the gay man falls for a Palestinian with dangerous political results. His newest film is actually a television mini-series in four parts which has been edited together to make a lenghty (nearly 3 hour) film, about a 10 year old boy whose mother disappears and he spends the next 15 years searching for her. She loved the music of 1970's pop star Tzvika Pick, so his music is sung (and sung and sung and sung) in nearly every scene, much like GLEE but without much variety, and the boy grows up to be a popular drag performer named after a song called MARY LOU--which is the name of this film. Well done and very slick. GRADE----------B
Filmed in Seattle, mostly in and around the U of W, comes this ambitious fantasy/drama called JUDAS KISS. The 35 year old protagonist goes back to his Alma mater to judge a film contest, only to discover an alternative reality that has one contestant with his name and film called JUDAS KISS, which he made as a senior. It turns out that that is his younger self, and now he has the ability to correct the unfair outcome 15 years ago that affected (and nearly ruined) his life. There's also a running joke that "he really fucked himself" (both literally and figuratively)which isn't given the attention it deserves. The heart is on the sleeve of these filmmakers, and the production values are not bad, but the script just doesn't have the sharpness it needs. GRADE-------C
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The wonderful, updated CINERAMA THEATRE in Seattle followed up a 70MM festival with a week showing of the newly digitalized version of BEN-HUR (1959) and it looked and sounded great on that giant screen. Most people just remember the amazing 20 minute chariot race that comes about three quarters way into this epic 4 hour film (with intermission) but this classy William Wyler production features a great movie star and Oscar winning performance by Charlton Heston (and supporting actor Hugh Griffith) and won all its Oscars (a still record 11 wins now shared with TITANIC) except for script which that year went to ROOM AT THE TOP. Curious. (Only other multiple winner that year was 3 wins for DIARY OF ANNE FRANK--best supp. actress Shelly Winters, best B/W art and set direction, and best B/W cinematography. AND this was the year that had nominations for SOME LIKE IT HOT, NORTH BY NORTHWEST, NUN'S STORY, PORGY AND BESS, ANATOMY OF A MURDER, PILLOW TALK and a personal favorite IMITATION OF LIFE.) The film remains for me a spiritual, moving experience, where cinematically, EVERYTHING works very well. Even the pokey beginning where all the characters are introduced seem especially important. It remains firmly entrenched as one of my favorite TOP FIVE FILMS of all time. GRADE-----A
A DVD viewing of A SERIOUS MAN (2007) confirms that this carefully constructed, personal film by the Coen brothers deserves every laugh, chuckle and epiphany that comes from repeated viewings. GRADE--------A
Finally caught up with the interesting and thoughtful documentary on cinematography which features lots of scenes from classic movies called VISIONS OF LIGHT (1992). Produced by the AMERICAN FILM INSTITUTE, this is a pleasure for any film buff. GRADE------B
Featuring John Garfield and Claude Rains, THEY MADE ME A CRIMINAL (1939) was directed in a rather restrained fashion by Busby Berkeley. Garfield plays a struggling boxer who gets drunk and thinks he's killed a reporter. He flees out west and hooks up with May Robson and the Dead End Kids. Minor but watchable, and a bit predictable. GRADE-------C+
At the screening for ANONYMOUS, a fictionalized story claiming that perhaps Shakespeare really didn't write all those great plays and poems, but was merely a ghost writer, there was energetic applause at the end, but walking out I heard a lot of disgusted people loudly complaining that this whole movie was a total fake because this version of the story is just not true......Well, I really don't care either way, but I have to say that ANONYMOUS the movie makes for a compelling argument for the Oxfordians, who think that the real writer was Edward de Vere, the Earl of Oxford. Here Shakespeare is portrayed as a rather carefree hair brained actor, just a pawn to keep the public and royal courts from realizing that Edward was the brilliant writer--since his station in life disapproved of life in the arts. In fact, artist themselves (even the brilliant Ben Johnson)come off as rather lowly creatures in this production. The cast is quite compelling, especially Queen Elizabeth, played at different ages by mother/daughter actors Vanessa Redgrave and Joelly Richardson. (I kept wondering at how much alike they appeared to be and it wasn't until the end credits that I realized who the younger actress was.) Rhys Ifans shines as the older Edward, and Rafe Spall as Shakespeare, David Thewlis and Derek Jacobi all shine in supporting roles. The film, directed by disaster film specialist Roland Emmerich, who made such popular entertainments as STARGATE, INDEPENDENCE DAY, GODZILLA, DAY AFTER TOMORROW, 10000 BC, and 2012, is slickly and entertainingly presented, with terrific costumes, set designs and special effects, music and cinematography. I enjoyed this intelligent film immensely. GRADE--------- A-
You can call it a poor man's BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN (2007), mainly due to the simple production values, and a few "party/barroom" scenes where the poor sound system and strong Scottish accents made it difficult to understand, but there is a lot of truth and honesty in the central relationship between two lower class men who meet for a sexual tryst on a Friday night, and end up spending the WEEKEND together in spite of themselves. The actors are very good, and they create an intimate and compelling reason to make you want these two to be together. One is leaving town soon for several years, the other is afraid of commitment. The complexity of their situation with family and co-workers is intriguingly portrayed, and it is encouraging to see a film about gay romance built on reality and promise rather than on prejudice and tragedy. GRADE--------B+
The awkward title aside, MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE creates a dreamy, intense, fascinating world where Martha is trying to break from her several years spent in a restrictive cult where women are subservient to men, always sexually available to the leaders, and taught to steal for a likelihood. When she runs away, she stays with her estranged sister who doesn't understand what has happened to her. The film effectively cuts between life in the cult, compared to the freedom of living in relative wealth. The film is anchored by a very strong performance by newcomer Elizabeth Olsen, younger sister to the Olsen twins of notorious fame (Mary-Kate and Ashley) but she is very good--one of those career break-out moments. Quite haunting. GRADE---------B+
TOAST is a light weight quirky British comedy/drama about the true life childhood of celebrity cook Nigel Slater and his competitive (cooking) nature towards his new step-mother played by Helena Bonham-Carter. It is an entertaining, odd, at times mean-spirited affair, but I enjoyed watching it. GRADE--------B
The new science fiction film IN TIME starts off with intriguing ideas--a society where time to live is the only currency---everything is charged against your time on earth, which is limited to 25 years, unless you earn or steal or inherit more time. Transportation, food, clothes, sex--all are paid for out of your time allotment, which looks like a giant digital clock under the skin of your forearm. Time can be added or subtracted with just the touch of your hands, or an electric device. When the hero (Justin Timberlake), who lives day to day in the slums, is given 100 years from a stranger, he becomes hunted by the Timekeeper, and escapes to the rich part of town where things cost a large amount of time. He attracts the attention of a young rich girl (Amanda Seyfried), but then they start living like time stealing criminals on the run, with the girl's father, the Timekeepers, and a group of British (?) hooligans who steal time, all after them. There is a lot (and I mean A LOT) of running by most of the characters, and after the first hour the film really loses steam and becomes a standard chase thriller. Large holes in the plot, logic and the continuity nearly destroy the cleverness of the situation. GRADE-------C+
On the shelf for quite a while, the film inspired by Hunter S. Thompson's last published novel finally hits the screens, starring Johnny Depp, who also appeared as Thompson in FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS (1998). Unfortunately, the trailer for the film contains the only scenes of interest and humor. If your idea of watching a drunken man (or in many cases, men) stumble around Puerto Rico doing stupid things, then THE RUM DIARY is for you. Depp is dull, and the film is tedious and with nauseatingly hand held camera work becomes annoying to watch. GRADE-------D+
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I saw several entries at the Lesbian and Gay Film Festival last week.
The best was a BBC production which possibly will show up on Masterpiece Theatre this year. It is based on a Sarah Waters novel called NIGHT WATCH and is set mostly during WWII, but it does flashback in time from 1947 to 1943 to 1941 and then back. If there is a fault it would be that the film really plunges forth with a lot of plot, so that if you close your eyes for a minute you will miss a lot of composition. You really need to stay alert, but it is engrossing as you slowly discover what each of these characters (about 8 or 9 major characters) mean to each other. There are several lesbian characters, and also a gay male character, whose lives have all been affected by love, loss and the war. It is a classy drama (with some nudity) and strong BBC production values. GRADE------B+
I've really appreciated the films of Israeli director Etyan Fox, whose earlier films have included the love story between two Jewish men while serving in the military forces called YOSSI & JAGGER (2002), WALK ON WATER (2004) a thriller about a young Mossad agent searching for an old Nazi through his relationship with the Nazi's adult grandchildren, and THE BUBBLE (2006) about contemporary life of three young best friends in Tel Viv, the gay man falls for a Palestinian with dangerous political results. His newest film is actually a television mini-series in four parts which has been edited together to make a lenghty (nearly 3 hour) film, about a 10 year old boy whose mother disappears and he spends the next 15 years searching for her. She loved the music of 1970's pop star Tzvika Pick, so his music is sung (and sung and sung and sung) in nearly every scene, much like GLEE but without much variety, and the boy grows up to be a popular drag performer named after a song called MARY LOU--which is the name of this film. Well done and very slick. GRADE----------B
Filmed in Seattle, mostly in and around the U of W, comes this ambitious fantasy/drama called JUDAS KISS. The 35 year old protagonist goes back to his Alma mater to judge a film contest, only to discover an alternative reality that has one contestant with his name and film called JUDAS KISS, which he made as a senior. It turns out that that is his younger self, and now he has the ability to correct the unfair outcome 15 years ago that affected (and nearly ruined) his life. There's also a running joke that "he really fucked himself" (both literally and figuratively)which isn't given the attention it deserves. The heart is on the sleeve of these filmmakers, and the production values are not bad, but the script just doesn't have the sharpness it needs. GRADE-------C
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The wonderful, updated CINERAMA THEATRE in Seattle followed up a 70MM festival with a week showing of the newly digitalized version of BEN-HUR (1959) and it looked and sounded great on that giant screen. Most people just remember the amazing 20 minute chariot race that comes about three quarters way into this epic 4 hour film (with intermission) but this classy William Wyler production features a great movie star and Oscar winning performance by Charlton Heston (and supporting actor Hugh Griffith) and won all its Oscars (a still record 11 wins now shared with TITANIC) except for script which that year went to ROOM AT THE TOP. Curious. (Only other multiple winner that year was 3 wins for DIARY OF ANNE FRANK--best supp. actress Shelly Winters, best B/W art and set direction, and best B/W cinematography. AND this was the year that had nominations for SOME LIKE IT HOT, NORTH BY NORTHWEST, NUN'S STORY, PORGY AND BESS, ANATOMY OF A MURDER, PILLOW TALK and a personal favorite IMITATION OF LIFE.) The film remains for me a spiritual, moving experience, where cinematically, EVERYTHING works very well. Even the pokey beginning where all the characters are introduced seem especially important. It remains firmly entrenched as one of my favorite TOP FIVE FILMS of all time. GRADE-----A
A DVD viewing of A SERIOUS MAN (2007) confirms that this carefully constructed, personal film by the Coen brothers deserves every laugh, chuckle and epiphany that comes from repeated viewings. GRADE--------A
Finally caught up with the interesting and thoughtful documentary on cinematography which features lots of scenes from classic movies called VISIONS OF LIGHT (1992). Produced by the AMERICAN FILM INSTITUTE, this is a pleasure for any film buff. GRADE------B
Featuring John Garfield and Claude Rains, THEY MADE ME A CRIMINAL (1939) was directed in a rather restrained fashion by Busby Berkeley. Garfield plays a struggling boxer who gets drunk and thinks he's killed a reporter. He flees out west and hooks up with May Robson and the Dead End Kids. Minor but watchable, and a bit predictable. GRADE-------C+
Friday, October 14, 2011
VANCOUVER INTL FILM FEST, SILENT SOULS, LORD JIM in 70MM!
Opening this week at SIFF Cinema, SILENT SOULS is a heavy going Russian film about a man mourning for his dead wife as he and a friend take a road trip to dispose of her body. I guess that many things that happen along the way are "tradition" like decorating her pubic hair with colorful strings, sleeping with whores as a way of exercizing her memory, and burning her body on a beach. The film also show flashbacks as he bathes her with vodka, and has violent sex with her. I kept half wondering why she had died--she is much younger than he--and the possibility arises that he may have had a hand in her death. At times poetic and hypnotic, at other times tedious with nervously hand-held camera work, this is just for those who have are truly interested. GRADE----------B-
The chance to see the rarely screened LORD JIM (1965) in all it's 70MM glory was presented by the CINERAMA THEATRE last Tuesday night only, and it is an impressive visual treat with an intellectual, adventurous story line, based on the novel by Joseph Conrad. Peter O'Toole, fresh from his LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962) role, which also is being featured at the Cinerama this past week, has the most arresting vivid blue eyes that I can recall. Perhaps Paul Newman's eyes can come close to that. The supporting cast manages to steal the film, especially Curt Jurgens, Eli Wallach and an evil, droll James Mason--great bad guys all. The finale is shrouded in metaphysical intellectualism, obscuring the emotional connection you might have had for the characters, and I wasn't completely sure just who, exactly, is on that boat in the final shot, so the ending is disappointingly muted. Perhaps that's why the film rarely gets shown anymore, but physically, especially on the great big Cinerama screen, it looked and sounded terrific. GRADE----------B
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I spent a 5 day weekend in Vancouver for VIFF, the Vancouver International Film Festival, and managed to see 9 films, which I will write about in greater length later when and if they are released. Most of them seem likely candidates for some sort of art house run.
Top of the heap was an odd, intense sex drama called SLEEPING BEAUTY, an Australian film featuring Emily Browning as a college student who becomes an "escort" for older men who want to watch her sleep. The film is rather divisive, and caused some in the audience to fidget and laugh inappropriately, but it is beautifully done, with fearless actors and is bound to cause a stir when it is released. GRADE-----A-
The French-Canadian film that is a big box office hit in Canada is the comedy drama STARBUCKS, about a driftless, irresponsible 40 year old man who suddenly realizes that his girlfriend is pregnant, and at the same time is hit with a lawsuit from scores of young people who want to know who their biological father is. It seems that 20 years ago he made A LOT of donations to a sperm bank, and was quite fertile. This is such a great, smart, clever comedy that you keep wondering why filmmakers in the US can't come up with something like this. Instead they buy the rights and do a dumbed down remake. GRADE-------B+
THE BRITISH GUIDE TO SHOWING OFF is a sharp, creative documentary on artist Andrew Logan, who along with his partner, puts on an extravagant, outrageous show called THE ALTERNATIVE MISS WORLD every couple of years. (He can't afford it more than that.) Some of the participants/fans of this glam/queer/fashion/extravaganza have included Derek Jarman, David Hockney, Andy Warhol, Brian Eno and Billy Connolly, to name just a few. GRADE-----------B
The Russian film ELENA was advertised as a moral thriller, but it's more like a character study. Elena's husband is quite wealthy (their house is intriguingly Russian chic) but he refuses to pay for her slacker grandson to go to college. The film is fascinating in that you rarely see wealthy Russians portrayed in film, and there is some tension with the plotting--she makes some questionable choices to reach her goal. GRADE--------B
The Australian film HERE I AM follows a young aboriginal woman just out of prison, trying to go straight and win back custody of her child from her angry mother. It is familiar stuff, except that the film works as an ethno-centric primer into the lives of urban aboriginals in the big city. GRADE--------B
Another clever French comedy called MY PIECE of the PIE has a middle-aged divorced woman losing her job when financiers close down the plant she works at. In desperation she takes a job as a domestic, for a rich.....financier, who....well, you can figure this out quickly, but the film is smart, and doesn't go to the places you think it might. My biggest complaint---the ending is unfocused and surprising, but in the wrong way. Perhaps a US remake could improve on that! GRADE------B
From the same team that made RUMBA (2008) and ICEBERG (2005) comes the stylishly similar film THE FAIRY, a Belgium/Brench co-production. There is not a log of dialogue, but mostly uncynical physical comedy much like Jacques Tati with a bit of Charlie Chaplin thrown in. Very creative, but you need to be in the right mood. GRADE-------B-
MY LITTLE PRINCESS, a French film based on the true story that inspired Louis Malle's PRETTY BABY (1974) stars the great Isabelle Huppert as the bohemian artist and photographer who exploits her daughter's 11 year old body for the sake of money and fame by filming her in adult sexual positions. The film is written and directed by Eva Ionesco, whose story this is, and could have benefited from some edgy distance. GRADE----------B-
Set in 1943 during Nazi occupation of Poland, IN DARKNESS tells the story of Jews hiding from the Nazis' in the underground sewers of Lvov, with the help of some Poles. It is a good story to tell. Unfortunately, the director Agnieszka Holland chooses to film the story in near total darkness--this being sewers after all--with only the occasional light of some very strong and long lasting flashlights to light the way, so that we cannot see the faces very well of the actors (although we see a lot of close-ups of rats crawling over bodies), and then she decides to film with busy hand held action, so that even if one could see the faces, they are so blurred and dizzingly in motion that it makes you sick. So, along with the usual Nazi atrocities, like looting, shooting, death, gas chambers, torture, etc., this film is MISERABLE to watch. GRADE----------C
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A new film has opened at one theatre this week--TRESPASS---featuring Nicolas Cage and Nicole Kidman. I just watched the trailor and it looks exactly like the Spanish film I wrote about 3 weeks ago called KIDNAPPED. You've been warned.
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The one DVD film I saw last week was THE KILLERS (1964)--a remake of the same titled film from a couple weeks ago, this one with Lee Marvin, and also featuring Angie Dickenson and John Casavettes. Based on a Hemingway story, this version was made for TV but was deemed too violent and released in theatres instead. Marvin is quite creepy, and has a great final scene. Ronald Regan played the baddie (quite well) in his final film role, and there were quite a few different twists than the original to keep you on your toes. GRADE---------B
The chance to see the rarely screened LORD JIM (1965) in all it's 70MM glory was presented by the CINERAMA THEATRE last Tuesday night only, and it is an impressive visual treat with an intellectual, adventurous story line, based on the novel by Joseph Conrad. Peter O'Toole, fresh from his LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962) role, which also is being featured at the Cinerama this past week, has the most arresting vivid blue eyes that I can recall. Perhaps Paul Newman's eyes can come close to that. The supporting cast manages to steal the film, especially Curt Jurgens, Eli Wallach and an evil, droll James Mason--great bad guys all. The finale is shrouded in metaphysical intellectualism, obscuring the emotional connection you might have had for the characters, and I wasn't completely sure just who, exactly, is on that boat in the final shot, so the ending is disappointingly muted. Perhaps that's why the film rarely gets shown anymore, but physically, especially on the great big Cinerama screen, it looked and sounded terrific. GRADE----------B
----------------
I spent a 5 day weekend in Vancouver for VIFF, the Vancouver International Film Festival, and managed to see 9 films, which I will write about in greater length later when and if they are released. Most of them seem likely candidates for some sort of art house run.
Top of the heap was an odd, intense sex drama called SLEEPING BEAUTY, an Australian film featuring Emily Browning as a college student who becomes an "escort" for older men who want to watch her sleep. The film is rather divisive, and caused some in the audience to fidget and laugh inappropriately, but it is beautifully done, with fearless actors and is bound to cause a stir when it is released. GRADE-----A-
The French-Canadian film that is a big box office hit in Canada is the comedy drama STARBUCKS, about a driftless, irresponsible 40 year old man who suddenly realizes that his girlfriend is pregnant, and at the same time is hit with a lawsuit from scores of young people who want to know who their biological father is. It seems that 20 years ago he made A LOT of donations to a sperm bank, and was quite fertile. This is such a great, smart, clever comedy that you keep wondering why filmmakers in the US can't come up with something like this. Instead they buy the rights and do a dumbed down remake. GRADE-------B+
THE BRITISH GUIDE TO SHOWING OFF is a sharp, creative documentary on artist Andrew Logan, who along with his partner, puts on an extravagant, outrageous show called THE ALTERNATIVE MISS WORLD every couple of years. (He can't afford it more than that.) Some of the participants/fans of this glam/queer/fashion/extravaganza have included Derek Jarman, David Hockney, Andy Warhol, Brian Eno and Billy Connolly, to name just a few. GRADE-----------B
The Russian film ELENA was advertised as a moral thriller, but it's more like a character study. Elena's husband is quite wealthy (their house is intriguingly Russian chic) but he refuses to pay for her slacker grandson to go to college. The film is fascinating in that you rarely see wealthy Russians portrayed in film, and there is some tension with the plotting--she makes some questionable choices to reach her goal. GRADE--------B
The Australian film HERE I AM follows a young aboriginal woman just out of prison, trying to go straight and win back custody of her child from her angry mother. It is familiar stuff, except that the film works as an ethno-centric primer into the lives of urban aboriginals in the big city. GRADE--------B
Another clever French comedy called MY PIECE of the PIE has a middle-aged divorced woman losing her job when financiers close down the plant she works at. In desperation she takes a job as a domestic, for a rich.....financier, who....well, you can figure this out quickly, but the film is smart, and doesn't go to the places you think it might. My biggest complaint---the ending is unfocused and surprising, but in the wrong way. Perhaps a US remake could improve on that! GRADE------B
From the same team that made RUMBA (2008) and ICEBERG (2005) comes the stylishly similar film THE FAIRY, a Belgium/Brench co-production. There is not a log of dialogue, but mostly uncynical physical comedy much like Jacques Tati with a bit of Charlie Chaplin thrown in. Very creative, but you need to be in the right mood. GRADE-------B-
MY LITTLE PRINCESS, a French film based on the true story that inspired Louis Malle's PRETTY BABY (1974) stars the great Isabelle Huppert as the bohemian artist and photographer who exploits her daughter's 11 year old body for the sake of money and fame by filming her in adult sexual positions. The film is written and directed by Eva Ionesco, whose story this is, and could have benefited from some edgy distance. GRADE----------B-
Set in 1943 during Nazi occupation of Poland, IN DARKNESS tells the story of Jews hiding from the Nazis' in the underground sewers of Lvov, with the help of some Poles. It is a good story to tell. Unfortunately, the director Agnieszka Holland chooses to film the story in near total darkness--this being sewers after all--with only the occasional light of some very strong and long lasting flashlights to light the way, so that we cannot see the faces very well of the actors (although we see a lot of close-ups of rats crawling over bodies), and then she decides to film with busy hand held action, so that even if one could see the faces, they are so blurred and dizzingly in motion that it makes you sick. So, along with the usual Nazi atrocities, like looting, shooting, death, gas chambers, torture, etc., this film is MISERABLE to watch. GRADE----------C
______________
A new film has opened at one theatre this week--TRESPASS---featuring Nicolas Cage and Nicole Kidman. I just watched the trailor and it looks exactly like the Spanish film I wrote about 3 weeks ago called KIDNAPPED. You've been warned.
-------------
The one DVD film I saw last week was THE KILLERS (1964)--a remake of the same titled film from a couple weeks ago, this one with Lee Marvin, and also featuring Angie Dickenson and John Casavettes. Based on a Hemingway story, this version was made for TV but was deemed too violent and released in theatres instead. Marvin is quite creepy, and has a great final scene. Ronald Regan played the baddie (quite well) in his final film role, and there were quite a few different twists than the original to keep you on your toes. GRADE---------B
Friday, September 30, 2011
WHAT'S YOUR NUMBER, 50/50, MY AFTERNOONS w/MARGUERITTE, Tucker and Dale VS Evil, Detective Dee & Mystery of Phantom Flame, Happy Happy, Hedgehog
I didn't see much new last week, but a lot of films have opened that I saw a while back, so there is much to recommend this week.
I saw THE HEDGEHOG a second time, and still find it to be a superb, thoughtful drama on loneliness, coming of age, second chances and the dangers of judging a book by its cover. This time, the role of the concierge (the symbolic hedgehog of the title )seemed so much more important than the difficulty of the 11 year old girl's pending suicide, and it is underplayed perfectly by the French actress Josiane Balasko so that I held my breath at some of the moments that define her life, in spite of having seen this film before. GRADE-----A
Next up is a charming, but not too sentimental, French film with the incomparable Gerard DePardeau entitled MY AFTERNOONS WITH MARGAURITTE, and the title says a lot, but not all there is. He is a simpleton who lives next to his aging mother, and he has a lovely girlfriend and a plain yet satisfying life, and then he meets the lonely old woman on a park bench, who teaches him how to read (understand) classic novels. It's the perfect film to watch sipping mint tea on a dreary day. You'll be pleasantly warmed and surprised at the direction the film goes in. GRADE------A-
For lovers of CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON (2000) and the like, you won't want to miss DETECTIVE DEE and the MYSTERY OF THE PHANTOM FLAME, a lively cross between stylish kung-fu epics and Sherlock Holmes mysteries with a dab of science fiction, filmed with lush sets and visual effects and carefully paced so that even when things get a little wild and unbelievable, the film is ravishing to the eye. Extremely entertaining. GRADE---------B+
The new film 50/50 is based on a true story of a young man who feels fine but discovers he has serious spinal cancer. The comedy/drama is well intentioned, and may hit a nerve with those who have struggled with cancer. I found the film rather vague, and in the month since I saw it, it has nearly evaporated from my mind. Still, it is easy to watch, and the actors are all fine. GRADE---------B-
A rowdy, possible midnight cult movie called TUCKER AND DALE VS EVIL, is the outrageous comedy that spoofs films which take place in a cabin in the remote woods, where teens are offed by hillbilly maniacs with chain saws. In this case, the "maniacs" are merely two nice guy drinking buddies on a long weekend trip to fix up their remote woods cabin, and the teens are vapid, silly creatures who leap to the wrong conclusions, and often to their own self-inflicted, grizzly deaths. It is a clever hoot, and does not overstay its welcome. GRADE------B
The Norwegian film HAPPY HAPPY is an odd, cheerful film in spite of dealing with the unhappy marriages of two couples who live in the deserted countryside. Scenes of infidelity, sexuality, child cruelty, and loneliness are amusingly presented, and framed by a Norwegian quartet singing gospel and pop songs from the 50's and 60's as a counterpoint. Quirky, but fun. GRADE---------B
The new sex comedy WHAT'S YOUR NUMBER? suffers poorly in direct comparison to the recent BRIDES MAIDS, with which it shares several passing plot devises (upcoming wedding, the heroine has just lost her job and most recent boyfriend, etc) but the biggest disappointment is that the lengthy previews (which I thought were quite promising) not only give away EVERY SINGLE PLOT POINT AND JOKE, but the preview also contains most of the major laughs, so that every time a new scene or scenario begins, you already know the punch line/trajectory. Too bad, because there is a clever idea--Anna Faris plays a modern woman who has slept with 20 men--way too many she realises, and tries not to go over that number because a magazine article has said that more than that means a strong likelihood that she will never end up in a permanent relation, so she tries to look up her past boyfriends to see if they have changed or if maybe NOW they will connect better. Helping her is her hunky (and frequently nude) neighbor Chris Evans, and of course we all know where this plot is headed. Faris is watchable--she has an odd, imperfect oval face--not a beauty, but her perky personally carries her far. Just wish I'd seen this one sight unseen. GRADE--------C+
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October is a busy month for FILM FESTIVALS in the area. Coming up I'll be seeing films from the 70MM Films at CINERAMA, Asian FILM FEST, VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (VIFF) and LGBT Film Festival. I recently went to the SPANISH FILM FESTIVAL at SIFF Cinema and saw 2 interesting films.
The first was called 80 DAYS about childhood friends who rediscover each other nearly 60 years later, when both are in their 70's. One woman has been married to the same man for over 50 years, and her life has been predictable and filled with drudgery--her husband seems to ignore her existence. The other woman is a lesbian who is about to lose her brother. They meet as they are caring for the sick at the local hospital, and slowly, their loneliness and memories create a strong bond between them. The married woman becomes troubled by her growing sexual attraction to her friend. The film starts out leisurely, but builds considerable drama from the situation, and features a startling resolution in the final scene--just the simple expression on a face that ends the film. Watch for this Basque language treasure on Netflix. GRADE-------B+
The second feature I saw was called KIDNAPPED but a better title might be HOME INVASION or NIGHT OF TERROR. On the first night a family moves into their new home, three men (who worked for the moving company that helped them move) break into their home and terrorize the couple and teen daughter for money. The film takes place mostly in long single takes and real time (like Hitchcock's ROPE-1948), and there are many effective, brutal scenes of violence. But as the film progress, about half way through, you realize that things are only going to get worse-- the violence becomes more brutal and intense, and the film loses it's momentum. The film ends with some over the top violence, and a mean cruel cheat of an ending that curdles in your throat. GRADE--------C+
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Just a couple DVD films this week. Up first is an excellent Czech film directed by the great Oscar winner Jiri Menzel (CLOSELY WATCHED TRAINS-1966.) In the film I SERVED THE KING OF ENGLAND (2006), the young Czech hero dreams of becoming a millionaire during the years leading up to WW2. He gets his big chance when he meets a Hitler-loving fraulein who pulls him, humorously, into the Nazi world, where he works at a baby-making clinic! Despite some questionable political unpleasantness, the film manages to be raunchy, erotic, comic and profoundly dramatic in equal measures. A real treat. GRADE---------A-
The next is a dark film noir called THE KILLERS (1946) which featured Burt Lancaster, Ava Gardner, Edmond O'Brien and Albert Dekker, based on a short story by Hemingway. The excellent Lancaster, in his film debut, is killed in the early scenes, and the film flashes back to find out who he was and why he is killed. It's an intriguing set up and a worthy film noir. GRADE----------B
I saw director Derek Jarman's arty SEBASTIANE (1976) at a SIFF midnight screening 35 years ago, and mostly remembered the copious male nudity and moody lyricism provided by the lush photography and scenery and synthetic music (by Brian Eno.) Those things still impressed me this week. It's an interesting take on the martyrdom of St. Sebastiane, who was persecuted and killed mostly for being a Christian Jew, but possibly (according to this film) for ignoring the sexual advances of his lusting leiutenant. Oscar winner Tilda Swinton (MICHAEL CLAYTON-2007) started her career by starring in 5 or 6 of Jarman's later films (but not this one)--they all feature queer themes, sex, nudity, and politics, but none are more effective, possibly, than SEBASTIANE. GRADE-------------B
I saw THE HEDGEHOG a second time, and still find it to be a superb, thoughtful drama on loneliness, coming of age, second chances and the dangers of judging a book by its cover. This time, the role of the concierge (the symbolic hedgehog of the title )seemed so much more important than the difficulty of the 11 year old girl's pending suicide, and it is underplayed perfectly by the French actress Josiane Balasko so that I held my breath at some of the moments that define her life, in spite of having seen this film before. GRADE-----A
Next up is a charming, but not too sentimental, French film with the incomparable Gerard DePardeau entitled MY AFTERNOONS WITH MARGAURITTE, and the title says a lot, but not all there is. He is a simpleton who lives next to his aging mother, and he has a lovely girlfriend and a plain yet satisfying life, and then he meets the lonely old woman on a park bench, who teaches him how to read (understand) classic novels. It's the perfect film to watch sipping mint tea on a dreary day. You'll be pleasantly warmed and surprised at the direction the film goes in. GRADE------A-
For lovers of CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON (2000) and the like, you won't want to miss DETECTIVE DEE and the MYSTERY OF THE PHANTOM FLAME, a lively cross between stylish kung-fu epics and Sherlock Holmes mysteries with a dab of science fiction, filmed with lush sets and visual effects and carefully paced so that even when things get a little wild and unbelievable, the film is ravishing to the eye. Extremely entertaining. GRADE---------B+
The new film 50/50 is based on a true story of a young man who feels fine but discovers he has serious spinal cancer. The comedy/drama is well intentioned, and may hit a nerve with those who have struggled with cancer. I found the film rather vague, and in the month since I saw it, it has nearly evaporated from my mind. Still, it is easy to watch, and the actors are all fine. GRADE---------B-
A rowdy, possible midnight cult movie called TUCKER AND DALE VS EVIL, is the outrageous comedy that spoofs films which take place in a cabin in the remote woods, where teens are offed by hillbilly maniacs with chain saws. In this case, the "maniacs" are merely two nice guy drinking buddies on a long weekend trip to fix up their remote woods cabin, and the teens are vapid, silly creatures who leap to the wrong conclusions, and often to their own self-inflicted, grizzly deaths. It is a clever hoot, and does not overstay its welcome. GRADE------B
The Norwegian film HAPPY HAPPY is an odd, cheerful film in spite of dealing with the unhappy marriages of two couples who live in the deserted countryside. Scenes of infidelity, sexuality, child cruelty, and loneliness are amusingly presented, and framed by a Norwegian quartet singing gospel and pop songs from the 50's and 60's as a counterpoint. Quirky, but fun. GRADE---------B
The new sex comedy WHAT'S YOUR NUMBER? suffers poorly in direct comparison to the recent BRIDES MAIDS, with which it shares several passing plot devises (upcoming wedding, the heroine has just lost her job and most recent boyfriend, etc) but the biggest disappointment is that the lengthy previews (which I thought were quite promising) not only give away EVERY SINGLE PLOT POINT AND JOKE, but the preview also contains most of the major laughs, so that every time a new scene or scenario begins, you already know the punch line/trajectory. Too bad, because there is a clever idea--Anna Faris plays a modern woman who has slept with 20 men--way too many she realises, and tries not to go over that number because a magazine article has said that more than that means a strong likelihood that she will never end up in a permanent relation, so she tries to look up her past boyfriends to see if they have changed or if maybe NOW they will connect better. Helping her is her hunky (and frequently nude) neighbor Chris Evans, and of course we all know where this plot is headed. Faris is watchable--she has an odd, imperfect oval face--not a beauty, but her perky personally carries her far. Just wish I'd seen this one sight unseen. GRADE--------C+
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October is a busy month for FILM FESTIVALS in the area. Coming up I'll be seeing films from the 70MM Films at CINERAMA, Asian FILM FEST, VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (VIFF) and LGBT Film Festival. I recently went to the SPANISH FILM FESTIVAL at SIFF Cinema and saw 2 interesting films.
The first was called 80 DAYS about childhood friends who rediscover each other nearly 60 years later, when both are in their 70's. One woman has been married to the same man for over 50 years, and her life has been predictable and filled with drudgery--her husband seems to ignore her existence. The other woman is a lesbian who is about to lose her brother. They meet as they are caring for the sick at the local hospital, and slowly, their loneliness and memories create a strong bond between them. The married woman becomes troubled by her growing sexual attraction to her friend. The film starts out leisurely, but builds considerable drama from the situation, and features a startling resolution in the final scene--just the simple expression on a face that ends the film. Watch for this Basque language treasure on Netflix. GRADE-------B+
The second feature I saw was called KIDNAPPED but a better title might be HOME INVASION or NIGHT OF TERROR. On the first night a family moves into their new home, three men (who worked for the moving company that helped them move) break into their home and terrorize the couple and teen daughter for money. The film takes place mostly in long single takes and real time (like Hitchcock's ROPE-1948), and there are many effective, brutal scenes of violence. But as the film progress, about half way through, you realize that things are only going to get worse-- the violence becomes more brutal and intense, and the film loses it's momentum. The film ends with some over the top violence, and a mean cruel cheat of an ending that curdles in your throat. GRADE--------C+
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Just a couple DVD films this week. Up first is an excellent Czech film directed by the great Oscar winner Jiri Menzel (CLOSELY WATCHED TRAINS-1966.) In the film I SERVED THE KING OF ENGLAND (2006), the young Czech hero dreams of becoming a millionaire during the years leading up to WW2. He gets his big chance when he meets a Hitler-loving fraulein who pulls him, humorously, into the Nazi world, where he works at a baby-making clinic! Despite some questionable political unpleasantness, the film manages to be raunchy, erotic, comic and profoundly dramatic in equal measures. A real treat. GRADE---------A-
The next is a dark film noir called THE KILLERS (1946) which featured Burt Lancaster, Ava Gardner, Edmond O'Brien and Albert Dekker, based on a short story by Hemingway. The excellent Lancaster, in his film debut, is killed in the early scenes, and the film flashes back to find out who he was and why he is killed. It's an intriguing set up and a worthy film noir. GRADE----------B
I saw director Derek Jarman's arty SEBASTIANE (1976) at a SIFF midnight screening 35 years ago, and mostly remembered the copious male nudity and moody lyricism provided by the lush photography and scenery and synthetic music (by Brian Eno.) Those things still impressed me this week. It's an interesting take on the martyrdom of St. Sebastiane, who was persecuted and killed mostly for being a Christian Jew, but possibly (according to this film) for ignoring the sexual advances of his lusting leiutenant. Oscar winner Tilda Swinton (MICHAEL CLAYTON-2007) started her career by starring in 5 or 6 of Jarman's later films (but not this one)--they all feature queer themes, sex, nudity, and politics, but none are more effective, possibly, than SEBASTIANE. GRADE-------------B
Sunday, September 18, 2011
DRIVE, CIRCUMSTANCE, Straw Dogs plus Colin Firth in PRIDE & PREDJUDICE
High on visuals and mood, the would be noirish film DRIVE is interesting to watch and modestly successful as a piece of Hollywood entertainment. There are, however, a few bumps along the way, with mostly some illogical plot devices causing the viewer to think "REALLY?" and a few scenes caused audience members to laugh out loud, at the film, not with it. Ryan Gosling is pleasant to watch, if somewhat of an enigma as a Hollywood stunt driver in the movies....he also works as a mechanic in a garage....and still finds time to hire himself out as an extremely good getaway driver for criminals who preform robberies while he sits with the engine running, watching his watch that he has strapped onto the steering wheel. (?!?) Yes, he's a busy man, but he is lonely, and lusting after his single with child neighbor. After several dates he finds out that her husband is getting out of jail soon (!?!---no kidding---wouldn't the fact she's still married be something she could have told him on or before the first date?????!!!!) Things really kick into action when he tries to help (!?!) her husband rob a pawn shop (?!?) and things not only go bad, as is usually the case in such films, but a major can of worms puts his life in serious danger. Carey Mulligan (THE EDUCATION) is the girl, Bryan Cranston is his "unlucky" mechanic boss, and Albert Brooks and Ron Pearlman play the really bad baddies--telegraphed from the early scenes. GRADE---------------------B
A slick film that shows that young people in Iran know how to party, sex, drink, drug and mess it all up just like American kids, CIRCUMSTANCE is distinguished by the novelty of taking place in repressive Tehran, and it also adds tension showing the start of a forbidden romance between two young Iranian women. It is a solid film, and in spite of some familiar youthful themes, there are some scenes, especially the family betrayals, that really stick with you. GRADE----------B
I never saw the original Sam Peckinpah version of STRAW DOGS released in 1971, but from reports, I've heard this is a pretty faithful remake, with some minor changes (set in Mississippi instead of England, and the husband's profession is now screenplay writer instead of Dustin Hoffman's mathematician). I didn't enjoy watching this film--the deck, or rather decks, are so stacked that it felt like dramatic reenactments of the Jerry Springer show. James Marsden and Kate Bosworth play a Hollywood couple who relocate to her old hometown and become terrorized by some local rednecks and become involved in a local conflict involving what seems like a mentally unstable young man. It is obvious from the opening scenes as they drive through this poor, small southern town in their Jaguar (!) that Kate has had a very wild reputation with some members of the old high school foot ball team--yet she still acts like a tease to them (knowingly undressing in an open window, and jogging through the woods in a skimpy pair of short shorts and a shear braless top--wet look indeed-- and barefoot, of all things....). She can't seem to stop looking longingly at her old beau, yet has the audacity to complain to her new husband that the local boys are "licking her body with their eyes" and when he suggests, patiently, that it might help if she wore a bra while jogging, she explodes in infantile anger that he is not on her side. The film is inflammatory and rather unlikely, especially in the extremely violent confrontational sequence that ends the movie. It is technically effective, but to build such a story on such intense cliches---all the women seem to be provocative sluts, and all the men are drunken redneck losers--that the climax seems more a relief than give much dramatic satisfaction. Discussions I heard about the early version praised the themes of aggression vs patience, intellect vs fear, and justice vs hatred---all themes missing here. GRADE---------C-
DVD selections--------------------------
One of my favorite musicals is LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (1986) with Rick Moranis, Ellen Greene, Steve Martin, Vincent Gardenia and the fearless Bill Murray. Every cast member is well cast and the Supreme-like singing group adds to the wacky and campy fun. Nerdy Seymour finds love and success when he discovers Audrey II--a man-eating plant from outer-space, but finding the food supply to keep this plant alive--human blood--becomes very difficult. The film is flooded with stylish, 1950's fashion and set design, the songs are doo-whop delightful, but it is the performances that really impress me every time I see it. Moranis as the nerd, Greene as his would-be (if she wasn't "dating a semi-sadist")girlfriend, and especially Steve Martin as the sadistic dentist and Bill Murray as a masochistic patient keep me laughing every time. It is a delightful, funny, campy treat. GRADE-------------A-
The first Blu Ray DVD I purchased to play on my new Blu Ray machine was PRIDE & PREJUDICE (1995) with Colin Firth and Jennifer Elhe, which I never saw when it appeared first on A&E over 15 years ago. I had just seen (and been impressed by)Elhe in CONTAGION a few nights before, and had been wondering what had become of her. An IMDb check reveals that she must just disappear into her roles, as I've missed her this past year in such high profile movies as THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU and THE KING'S SPEECH. Of course, I've loved and watched Firth for many years, and this version of P&P is a wonderful showcase for these two fine actors. It also looked FABULOUS on Blu-ray--the colors popped, the details were clear and crisp, and the story--all 5 1/5 hours of it kept me transfixed. The recent Hollywood version (2005)with Keira Knightly was quite good, too, as is the 1940 version with Greer Garson and Lawrence Olivier, but this one had the time and patience to really fill in all the details. GRADE------------B+
When I first saw it in 1973 as the second feature to something unmemorable, I thought that THE LAST OF SHEILA was one of the most clever, witty, bitchy, entertaining murder mysteries I'd ever seen. Over 35 years later, it still is. The excellent cast includes James Coburn as the millionaire who invites 6 close friends on board his yacht for a week, for some mysterious parlour games, Richard Benjamin as a struggling script writer, James Mason as a down on his luck director, Dyan Cannon as a thinly disguised Hollywood agent based on Sue Mengers, a sympathetic Joan Hackett as Benjamin's alcholic wife, Raquel Welch as a starlet and Ian McShane as her publicist husband. This time the butler did NOT do it, but you'll have a hard time figuring out just who did it and why and how. GRADE--------B+
Last but certainly not least this week is the recent Michael Caine film HARRY BROWN (2009) which handles revenge in a much more intelligent manner than STRAW DOGS above. He is a retired military pensioner who is fed up with the drug dealing and harassing that normal folks must put up with in the English projects in which he lives. He gets drawn into some violent situations, and it is very interesting how he gets out of them. Realistic and compelling. GRADE--------B
A slick film that shows that young people in Iran know how to party, sex, drink, drug and mess it all up just like American kids, CIRCUMSTANCE is distinguished by the novelty of taking place in repressive Tehran, and it also adds tension showing the start of a forbidden romance between two young Iranian women. It is a solid film, and in spite of some familiar youthful themes, there are some scenes, especially the family betrayals, that really stick with you. GRADE----------B
I never saw the original Sam Peckinpah version of STRAW DOGS released in 1971, but from reports, I've heard this is a pretty faithful remake, with some minor changes (set in Mississippi instead of England, and the husband's profession is now screenplay writer instead of Dustin Hoffman's mathematician). I didn't enjoy watching this film--the deck, or rather decks, are so stacked that it felt like dramatic reenactments of the Jerry Springer show. James Marsden and Kate Bosworth play a Hollywood couple who relocate to her old hometown and become terrorized by some local rednecks and become involved in a local conflict involving what seems like a mentally unstable young man. It is obvious from the opening scenes as they drive through this poor, small southern town in their Jaguar (!) that Kate has had a very wild reputation with some members of the old high school foot ball team--yet she still acts like a tease to them (knowingly undressing in an open window, and jogging through the woods in a skimpy pair of short shorts and a shear braless top--wet look indeed-- and barefoot, of all things....). She can't seem to stop looking longingly at her old beau, yet has the audacity to complain to her new husband that the local boys are "licking her body with their eyes" and when he suggests, patiently, that it might help if she wore a bra while jogging, she explodes in infantile anger that he is not on her side. The film is inflammatory and rather unlikely, especially in the extremely violent confrontational sequence that ends the movie. It is technically effective, but to build such a story on such intense cliches---all the women seem to be provocative sluts, and all the men are drunken redneck losers--that the climax seems more a relief than give much dramatic satisfaction. Discussions I heard about the early version praised the themes of aggression vs patience, intellect vs fear, and justice vs hatred---all themes missing here. GRADE---------C-
DVD selections--------------------------
One of my favorite musicals is LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (1986) with Rick Moranis, Ellen Greene, Steve Martin, Vincent Gardenia and the fearless Bill Murray. Every cast member is well cast and the Supreme-like singing group adds to the wacky and campy fun. Nerdy Seymour finds love and success when he discovers Audrey II--a man-eating plant from outer-space, but finding the food supply to keep this plant alive--human blood--becomes very difficult. The film is flooded with stylish, 1950's fashion and set design, the songs are doo-whop delightful, but it is the performances that really impress me every time I see it. Moranis as the nerd, Greene as his would-be (if she wasn't "dating a semi-sadist")girlfriend, and especially Steve Martin as the sadistic dentist and Bill Murray as a masochistic patient keep me laughing every time. It is a delightful, funny, campy treat. GRADE-------------A-
The first Blu Ray DVD I purchased to play on my new Blu Ray machine was PRIDE & PREJUDICE (1995) with Colin Firth and Jennifer Elhe, which I never saw when it appeared first on A&E over 15 years ago. I had just seen (and been impressed by)Elhe in CONTAGION a few nights before, and had been wondering what had become of her. An IMDb check reveals that she must just disappear into her roles, as I've missed her this past year in such high profile movies as THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU and THE KING'S SPEECH. Of course, I've loved and watched Firth for many years, and this version of P&P is a wonderful showcase for these two fine actors. It also looked FABULOUS on Blu-ray--the colors popped, the details were clear and crisp, and the story--all 5 1/5 hours of it kept me transfixed. The recent Hollywood version (2005)with Keira Knightly was quite good, too, as is the 1940 version with Greer Garson and Lawrence Olivier, but this one had the time and patience to really fill in all the details. GRADE------------B+
When I first saw it in 1973 as the second feature to something unmemorable, I thought that THE LAST OF SHEILA was one of the most clever, witty, bitchy, entertaining murder mysteries I'd ever seen. Over 35 years later, it still is. The excellent cast includes James Coburn as the millionaire who invites 6 close friends on board his yacht for a week, for some mysterious parlour games, Richard Benjamin as a struggling script writer, James Mason as a down on his luck director, Dyan Cannon as a thinly disguised Hollywood agent based on Sue Mengers, a sympathetic Joan Hackett as Benjamin's alcholic wife, Raquel Welch as a starlet and Ian McShane as her publicist husband. This time the butler did NOT do it, but you'll have a hard time figuring out just who did it and why and how. GRADE--------B+
Last but certainly not least this week is the recent Michael Caine film HARRY BROWN (2009) which handles revenge in a much more intelligent manner than STRAW DOGS above. He is a retired military pensioner who is fed up with the drug dealing and harassing that normal folks must put up with in the English projects in which he lives. He gets drawn into some violent situations, and it is very interesting how he gets out of them. Realistic and compelling. GRADE--------B
Friday, September 9, 2011
HEDGEHOG (at last), THE DEBT, CONTAGION, and a surprising WARRIOR
After sitting on the shelf (?) for over a year, the excellent French film THE HEDGEHOG that played at SIFF 2010 and won best picture then has finally opened in Seattle. Based on the popular novel THE ELEGANCE OF THE HEDGEHOG by Muriel Barbery, this moving adaptation seemed to be well liked by fans of the novel. It tells the story of a young, would-be suicidal 11 year old girl, who is disappointed by life in her luxury Parisian apartment and is determined to end it all by the time she is 12. She discover es her father's old video camera and begins to record and discover things she's never noticed before, particularly the frumpy concierge, who loves to read, harbors a secret library, and loves dark chocolate while reading with her cat on her lap--along with other passions. When the mysterious Mr. Ozu moves in upstairs, his exotic Japanese manners and apartment design stimulate the girl and the concierge to form a fulfilling friendship. It's an intriguing and delightfully amusing film, made even more memorable by the shockingly sad but ultimately uplifting ending. GRADE---------A
A film about kickboxing brothers is not necessarily going to be on every one's radar, but WARRIOR is a very strong, bruising, emotional film and very compelling. Like the recent films THE FIGHTER (2010) and THE WRESTLER (2008), the sports aspect takes a back seat to the dysfunctional family dynamics that propel the plot. There might be some contrivances in the film, and the film is marred during the first hour by some wiggly hand held camera work, but the story and characters hook you from the start. Nick Nolte is in fine form as the recovering alcoholic father whose drunken violence drove the family--literally--apart. The younger son Tommy took off with his sick mother, who soon dies leaving him alone. He ends up in the Marines. The older brother escapes his father by marrying his young wife and starting a family in another city. There is a lot of angst and anger between them all. Both brothers learned to wrestle and box spurred on by their father when they were young, and when a big purse mixed-martial arts competition comes to the east coast, they both enter for various reasons, unbeknownst to each other. The fighting scenes are kept to a minimum until the end, and there are several climaxes that really pour on the drama. Joel Edgerton plays the married teacher brother, and Tom Hardy plays the ex-Marine, and both are effectively brooding and up to the physical challenges of the roles. The thing that surprised me most was the wracking, rousing emotional conclusion---both physically and mentally--that ends the film. I was shaking so hard (trying to stop the sobbing) that I felt my seat might break loose from the row. GRADE--------B+
A strong, subtle film that tells the story of 3 Nazi hunters in the early sixties and the effects it has on the trio in the present day remains haunting nearly two weeks after screening. THE DEBT features Helen Mirren in the present with a well cast Jessica Chastain (THE HELP) as her younger self who is key to trapping the Doctor of Death in post war Germany, and she becomes sexually attracted with the two men helping her in what seems like a Mission: Impossible situation. As the story from the past is slowly revealed, we see that not all is what it seemed in the beginning, and moral issues add to the suspense that this thriller presents to us. Thoughtful, intelligent, adult entertainment. Also featuring Sam Worthington and om Wilkinson. GRADE-----------B
The new film by Steven Soderberg called CONTAGION has a dynamic subject matter and a first rate cast. A deadly virus pops up in Macao, and before you can sneeze or cough once, the entire world is crumbling and dying in it's wake. Top scientists rush to find a cure (one played with gentle authority by Jennifer Elhe is excellent), and the Center for Disease Control doctors and workers struggle to contain the spread of the virus (including a fine Kate Winslet) while the political side of the CDC (an impressive Lawrence Fishbourne) try to keep a lid on the scare factor and the media. Gweneth Paltrow plays the patient zero (the first to die) and she is quite effective. Less effect is her husband (Matt Damon)who struggles to keep his daughter safe from infection while her horny boyfriend keeps coming around. The film has many creepy effective moments (especially the final shot which finally tells us what happened on Day 1 to start this whole sad tale) but the problem with this film is that it tries to do to much, cover to much information (make sure to cover sneezes, sanitize hands frequently, stop touching your face so much, and stock pile basics early) and rushes from player to player and scene to scene without building much sympathy or effective empathy. I also feel like this is familiar stuff, especially if you've seen or read things like THE HOT SPOT, OUTBREAK, VIRUS, etc where humanity has been threatened with this before. Coming soon is an excellent "virus/end of the world" thriller that recently screened at SIFF 2011 called PERFECT SENSE and starring Ewan McGregor. By keeping the scale small and intimate, the film takes on horrifyingly tragic consequences. It's a small masterpiece. Watch for PERFECT SENSE which just recently opened in Eastern Europe. (?!?) GRADE-------B-
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It is not one of the best James Bond films, but I recently saw on Blu-Ray disc the most recent film featuring an impressive Daniel Craig as 007 in QUANTUM OF SOLACE (2008) and I have to say that it looked GREAT---even better than when I saw it at a theatre. The sound and photography was crisp and clear (even with some muttering British accents) and it opened my eyes to what home-theatre can become if you have the right equipment. The whole finale which takes place in the middle of a desert is underwhelming, but Craig is still one of the strongest Bonds ever (except for perhaps Connery, of course)and I hope they (the producers) keep him around, although I've heard that will not happen. Well, Daniel Craig still has two very intriguing movies coming out this year---DREAM HOUSE and the first in the trilogy---GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO--and the previews for both look compelling. GRADE-----------B-
A film about kickboxing brothers is not necessarily going to be on every one's radar, but WARRIOR is a very strong, bruising, emotional film and very compelling. Like the recent films THE FIGHTER (2010) and THE WRESTLER (2008), the sports aspect takes a back seat to the dysfunctional family dynamics that propel the plot. There might be some contrivances in the film, and the film is marred during the first hour by some wiggly hand held camera work, but the story and characters hook you from the start. Nick Nolte is in fine form as the recovering alcoholic father whose drunken violence drove the family--literally--apart. The younger son Tommy took off with his sick mother, who soon dies leaving him alone. He ends up in the Marines. The older brother escapes his father by marrying his young wife and starting a family in another city. There is a lot of angst and anger between them all. Both brothers learned to wrestle and box spurred on by their father when they were young, and when a big purse mixed-martial arts competition comes to the east coast, they both enter for various reasons, unbeknownst to each other. The fighting scenes are kept to a minimum until the end, and there are several climaxes that really pour on the drama. Joel Edgerton plays the married teacher brother, and Tom Hardy plays the ex-Marine, and both are effectively brooding and up to the physical challenges of the roles. The thing that surprised me most was the wracking, rousing emotional conclusion---both physically and mentally--that ends the film. I was shaking so hard (trying to stop the sobbing) that I felt my seat might break loose from the row. GRADE--------B+
A strong, subtle film that tells the story of 3 Nazi hunters in the early sixties and the effects it has on the trio in the present day remains haunting nearly two weeks after screening. THE DEBT features Helen Mirren in the present with a well cast Jessica Chastain (THE HELP) as her younger self who is key to trapping the Doctor of Death in post war Germany, and she becomes sexually attracted with the two men helping her in what seems like a Mission: Impossible situation. As the story from the past is slowly revealed, we see that not all is what it seemed in the beginning, and moral issues add to the suspense that this thriller presents to us. Thoughtful, intelligent, adult entertainment. Also featuring Sam Worthington and om Wilkinson. GRADE-----------B
The new film by Steven Soderberg called CONTAGION has a dynamic subject matter and a first rate cast. A deadly virus pops up in Macao, and before you can sneeze or cough once, the entire world is crumbling and dying in it's wake. Top scientists rush to find a cure (one played with gentle authority by Jennifer Elhe is excellent), and the Center for Disease Control doctors and workers struggle to contain the spread of the virus (including a fine Kate Winslet) while the political side of the CDC (an impressive Lawrence Fishbourne) try to keep a lid on the scare factor and the media. Gweneth Paltrow plays the patient zero (the first to die) and she is quite effective. Less effect is her husband (Matt Damon)who struggles to keep his daughter safe from infection while her horny boyfriend keeps coming around. The film has many creepy effective moments (especially the final shot which finally tells us what happened on Day 1 to start this whole sad tale) but the problem with this film is that it tries to do to much, cover to much information (make sure to cover sneezes, sanitize hands frequently, stop touching your face so much, and stock pile basics early) and rushes from player to player and scene to scene without building much sympathy or effective empathy. I also feel like this is familiar stuff, especially if you've seen or read things like THE HOT SPOT, OUTBREAK, VIRUS, etc where humanity has been threatened with this before. Coming soon is an excellent "virus/end of the world" thriller that recently screened at SIFF 2011 called PERFECT SENSE and starring Ewan McGregor. By keeping the scale small and intimate, the film takes on horrifyingly tragic consequences. It's a small masterpiece. Watch for PERFECT SENSE which just recently opened in Eastern Europe. (?!?) GRADE-------B-
--------------------
It is not one of the best James Bond films, but I recently saw on Blu-Ray disc the most recent film featuring an impressive Daniel Craig as 007 in QUANTUM OF SOLACE (2008) and I have to say that it looked GREAT---even better than when I saw it at a theatre. The sound and photography was crisp and clear (even with some muttering British accents) and it opened my eyes to what home-theatre can become if you have the right equipment. The whole finale which takes place in the middle of a desert is underwhelming, but Craig is still one of the strongest Bonds ever (except for perhaps Connery, of course)and I hope they (the producers) keep him around, although I've heard that will not happen. Well, Daniel Craig still has two very intriguing movies coming out this year---DREAM HOUSE and the first in the trilogy---GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO--and the previews for both look compelling. GRADE-----------B-
Friday, August 26, 2011
Our Idiot Brother, The Future, Magic Trip, and THE HELP revisited
I got a second chance to view THE HELP this week, and I will confess that last week I may have been too close having listened (on book tape) to the book so recently. I remember thinking about what was there and not there during the first viewing (a lot of details and extended relationship scenes, and some minor albeit entertaining scenes like the naked drunk man in Celia's backyard, etc) so that the cinematic experience was compromised, and I was not thinking in terms of whether the film really works as a film. The film works very well on second thought, without being condescending, laborious or petty. The actors are spot on, without much obnoxious caricature or shallowness. Even the over the top evilness of Bryce Dallas Howard as Hilly seemed rather tempered on second viewing--her sneering grin seems to mask the insecurity she has as a supposed woman of stature in 1963 Jackson Mississippi. I've never been too fond of her roles (especially the horrid LADY IN THE WATER) but she does have a certain haughty presence in her last role HEREAFTER from last year, and in her next role, the upcoming 50/50. The reliable Sissy Spacek as Missus Walters is quite entertaining as Hilly's demented mother, and Octavia Spencer pulls off a potentially stereotypical role as the wise-cracking maid who becomes a life-saver to an unexpected character. I really like this movie--it has a chance to be one of the top movies of the year, and I recently upgraded THE HELP from a B to a......B+
Amazingly, 47 years after the road trip, home movies from the Ken Kesey bus tour he took with assorted friends featuring hipsters Neal Cassady, Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg and Timothy Leary and others, has been turned into an entertaining, lucid (!), fascinating documentary which really captures the times and would be potential of the drug culture, hippies, free love and the "beat" generation. If nothing else, MAGIC TRIP: KEN KESEY'S SEARCH FOR A KOOL PLACE shows how rather uneventful watching a dozen people tripping on LSD at a mountain lake can really be. GRADE--------B+
Speaking of trips, the new Miranda July film called THE FUTURE, is here to take audiences to a place they probably have never been before. Several years ago, her first film ME AND YOU AND EVERYONE WE KNOW (2005) caused a stir at the opening night of SIFF with it's depiction of adolescent sexuality. It was still considered a provocative view of loneliness and alienation in people of all ages but very accessible due to the black humor. THE FUTURE continues with the alienation themes, but adds a bit of sci-fi (the ability to stop time) and is narrated by Paw Paw the injured cat--no kidding. It is not as ambitious as ME AND YOU...--July and Hamish Linklater play look alike lovers who decide to take a break from each other, but for those who are into her creativity and deadpan humor, this is a thoughtful and sad experience. This film really DIVIDED (as in Loved it or Hated it)the audiences at the recent SIFF. GRADE----------B
For nearly 20 minutes into the new "comedy" called OUR IDIOT BROTHER, I thought this movie was going to be a (stink) bomb--so leisurely and unfunny was the set-up. But I soon got into the pacing, and the story catches on. Paul Rudd plays a simple yet idealistic "organic farmer" (read: want to be hippie) who sells pot to a cop in uniform (no kidding) because he wants to be a nice guy. After his prison term, he moves around to the sofa's of his mother and three sisters (nicely played by Shirley Knight, Elizabeth Banks-who looks a lot like Parker Posey in this role-- Emily Mortimer and Zooey Deschannel) Unfortunately, his penchant for truth telling (as opposed to lying in any circumstance) gets him into a lot of trouble with his sisters and their families. This is a likable, low-key comedy-drama, and if you don't go in with high, knee slapping expectations, you will enjoy this modest little film. GRADE-----------B-
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The only DVD I watched this week was from last year, called EASY "A" (2010) which features the charming Emma Stone, who is on a big BIG roll this year with delightful turns in top movies like THE HELP (see above) and CRAZY, STUPID, LOVE (see previous blogs). This is a (sometimes way to) clever story about a high school girl who does a gay friend a favor by pretending to have sex with him in a very public way, thereby saving him from homophobic attacks, and keeping her from being known as an inexperienced virgin. Of course, things get out of hand, and although I didn't believe but half of the premise (do high school kids really talk like that?), the cast (including funny turns by Lisa Kudrow, Patricia Clarkson, Stanley Tucci, Thomas Haden Church, Malcolm McDowell and Amanda Bynes) has a LOT OF FUN. and so will you. GRADE------B
Amazingly, 47 years after the road trip, home movies from the Ken Kesey bus tour he took with assorted friends featuring hipsters Neal Cassady, Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg and Timothy Leary and others, has been turned into an entertaining, lucid (!), fascinating documentary which really captures the times and would be potential of the drug culture, hippies, free love and the "beat" generation. If nothing else, MAGIC TRIP: KEN KESEY'S SEARCH FOR A KOOL PLACE shows how rather uneventful watching a dozen people tripping on LSD at a mountain lake can really be. GRADE--------B+
Speaking of trips, the new Miranda July film called THE FUTURE, is here to take audiences to a place they probably have never been before. Several years ago, her first film ME AND YOU AND EVERYONE WE KNOW (2005) caused a stir at the opening night of SIFF with it's depiction of adolescent sexuality. It was still considered a provocative view of loneliness and alienation in people of all ages but very accessible due to the black humor. THE FUTURE continues with the alienation themes, but adds a bit of sci-fi (the ability to stop time) and is narrated by Paw Paw the injured cat--no kidding. It is not as ambitious as ME AND YOU...--July and Hamish Linklater play look alike lovers who decide to take a break from each other, but for those who are into her creativity and deadpan humor, this is a thoughtful and sad experience. This film really DIVIDED (as in Loved it or Hated it)the audiences at the recent SIFF. GRADE----------B
For nearly 20 minutes into the new "comedy" called OUR IDIOT BROTHER, I thought this movie was going to be a (stink) bomb--so leisurely and unfunny was the set-up. But I soon got into the pacing, and the story catches on. Paul Rudd plays a simple yet idealistic "organic farmer" (read: want to be hippie) who sells pot to a cop in uniform (no kidding) because he wants to be a nice guy. After his prison term, he moves around to the sofa's of his mother and three sisters (nicely played by Shirley Knight, Elizabeth Banks-who looks a lot like Parker Posey in this role-- Emily Mortimer and Zooey Deschannel) Unfortunately, his penchant for truth telling (as opposed to lying in any circumstance) gets him into a lot of trouble with his sisters and their families. This is a likable, low-key comedy-drama, and if you don't go in with high, knee slapping expectations, you will enjoy this modest little film. GRADE-----------B-
-------------------
The only DVD I watched this week was from last year, called EASY "A" (2010) which features the charming Emma Stone, who is on a big BIG roll this year with delightful turns in top movies like THE HELP (see above) and CRAZY, STUPID, LOVE (see previous blogs). This is a (sometimes way to) clever story about a high school girl who does a gay friend a favor by pretending to have sex with him in a very public way, thereby saving him from homophobic attacks, and keeping her from being known as an inexperienced virgin. Of course, things get out of hand, and although I didn't believe but half of the premise (do high school kids really talk like that?), the cast (including funny turns by Lisa Kudrow, Patricia Clarkson, Stanley Tucci, Thomas Haden Church, Malcolm McDowell and Amanda Bynes) has a LOT OF FUN. and so will you. GRADE------B
Monday, August 22, 2011
THE HELP and WHISTLEBLOWER, plus Troy Donahue!
It may be hard to watch due to its graphic (at times) subject matter (sex-trafficking) but there are a lot of other reasons THE WHISTLE BLOWER works so well, including crackling dynamic direction by Larysa Kondracki, a sharp probing script and a terrific lead in Rachel Weisz as a Nebraska cop who takes a job as a peace keeper in post war Bosnia only to find herself in the middle of a sex-slave/human trafficking scandal that reaches into all directions, including the United Nations. Though it is based on a possibly familiar true story, the film is riveting and very fascinating as it details the frustration and paranoia that engulfs the seemingly only "honest" person to be working for this peace keeping mission. This is the type of film that will make you want to look up more information about this scandalous affair. With Vanessa Redgrave, David Straithairn and Monica Bellucci in the cast, all very fine, this thriller will keep you awake, perhaps for days. Winner of best picture and direction at SIFF 2011. GRADE--------A-
I listened to the book tape of the popular bestseller THE HELP just one week before the film recently opened nationwide, so the book was quite fresh in my mind when I watched it last week, and I'm relieved to report that the film version captures most of the main plot points of the novel and captures the spirit and characters of the book quite nicely. The major changes are mostly minor, but I missed the extended relationship with Skeeter's political boyfriend, and her mother's illness is downplayed quite a bit. Many of the plot points have been dramatically rearranged. Especially effective is the "surprise" church meeting, now a more effective "ending." The POV is also (wisely I think) focused on Aibilene (instead of the three women which included Skeeter and Minny), the African-American maid who starts relating her experiences of working for white women, which the white liberal Skeeter wants to write about, at great danger to the other maids, since the time is the early 1960's when "Jim Crow" laws rule behavior, and civil rights is just starting to boil in Mississippi and other southern states. The casting is excellent, and the actors are very impressive, especially Aibileen portrayed in an effectively subtle manner by Viola Davis (who managed to steal DOUBT from Meryl Streep several years ago with just a couple brief scenes) and Octavia Spencer who portrays Minny, best friend to Aibilene, the good cook who's so outspoken that she is fired from many jobs. I also enjoyed the naive Celia Foote portrayed by Jessica Chastain (TREE OF LIFE)and veteran Sissy Spacek, the demented mother of the stone hearted socialite Hilly, played by Bryce Dallas Howard. Emma Stone also shines as Skeeter, another fine role for her this year---see CRAZY STUPID LOVE. Is THE HELP as great as the novel? Perhaps not, but it is still a pleasure to read and to watch. GRADE----------B+
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DVD choices this week from the library included two films starring Troy Donahue and directed by the master of soap, Delmer Daves. The first film, PARRISH (1960) is based on a soap-novel and features Troy as a golden boy who accepts work on a tobacco farm (in Connecticut !?!)) which seems to have an abundance of young single woman who all flock to him, including a sympathetic Connie Stevens as the "slut", Diane McBain as the haughty rich girl of his boss, and Sharon Hugueny as the strong minded, independent woman who resists her psychotic father's power and control. The father is played with great distinction and fascination by the great Karl Malden who takes acting honors in this potboiler. In one of her last roles--as Troy's mother, the grand Claudette Colbert really captures our interest, especially when she unexpectedly teams up with the manic Karl Malden. The ending seemed a bit underwhelming, but it is a good solid watch. GRADE---------B
Entertaining for entirely different reasons--Troy Donahue plays a struggling architect (?!) student living in Rome, who hooks up with the repressed (librarian) and virginal (though not for long!!!!) Suzanne Pleshette (in her first major role) while fighting off the advances of his ex--- nasty rich girl Angie Dickinson, in the lushly photographed ROME ADVENTURE (1962). This film is great to look at, especially the travelogue like photography which makes Italy very appealing and nearly totally void of tourists!!!!! Rossano Brazzi plays the older man who temps Pleshette, but Dickinson really steals this movie with her bad-girl lines and moves.Fun most of the time, and when Dickinson is missing, it's at least pretty. GRADE-------B
I was hoping that the low budget b/w drama about a troubled boy and his dog and the kindly priest (Cesar Romero) who takes them in, would be one of those lost undiscovered classics that slips under the shadows. It is rather unsentimental and straight-forward, and it is certainly watchable, but just barely. THE RUNAWAY (1961) still deals with the hoary notions of "all it takes is a kind word/dog/discipline/love etc" to straighten out the delinquency, and the ending is predictable. GRADE----------C+
I listened to the book tape of the popular bestseller THE HELP just one week before the film recently opened nationwide, so the book was quite fresh in my mind when I watched it last week, and I'm relieved to report that the film version captures most of the main plot points of the novel and captures the spirit and characters of the book quite nicely. The major changes are mostly minor, but I missed the extended relationship with Skeeter's political boyfriend, and her mother's illness is downplayed quite a bit. Many of the plot points have been dramatically rearranged. Especially effective is the "surprise" church meeting, now a more effective "ending." The POV is also (wisely I think) focused on Aibilene (instead of the three women which included Skeeter and Minny), the African-American maid who starts relating her experiences of working for white women, which the white liberal Skeeter wants to write about, at great danger to the other maids, since the time is the early 1960's when "Jim Crow" laws rule behavior, and civil rights is just starting to boil in Mississippi and other southern states. The casting is excellent, and the actors are very impressive, especially Aibileen portrayed in an effectively subtle manner by Viola Davis (who managed to steal DOUBT from Meryl Streep several years ago with just a couple brief scenes) and Octavia Spencer who portrays Minny, best friend to Aibilene, the good cook who's so outspoken that she is fired from many jobs. I also enjoyed the naive Celia Foote portrayed by Jessica Chastain (TREE OF LIFE)and veteran Sissy Spacek, the demented mother of the stone hearted socialite Hilly, played by Bryce Dallas Howard. Emma Stone also shines as Skeeter, another fine role for her this year---see CRAZY STUPID LOVE. Is THE HELP as great as the novel? Perhaps not, but it is still a pleasure to read and to watch. GRADE----------B+
------------------------
DVD choices this week from the library included two films starring Troy Donahue and directed by the master of soap, Delmer Daves. The first film, PARRISH (1960) is based on a soap-novel and features Troy as a golden boy who accepts work on a tobacco farm (in Connecticut !?!)) which seems to have an abundance of young single woman who all flock to him, including a sympathetic Connie Stevens as the "slut", Diane McBain as the haughty rich girl of his boss, and Sharon Hugueny as the strong minded, independent woman who resists her psychotic father's power and control. The father is played with great distinction and fascination by the great Karl Malden who takes acting honors in this potboiler. In one of her last roles--as Troy's mother, the grand Claudette Colbert really captures our interest, especially when she unexpectedly teams up with the manic Karl Malden. The ending seemed a bit underwhelming, but it is a good solid watch. GRADE---------B
Entertaining for entirely different reasons--Troy Donahue plays a struggling architect (?!) student living in Rome, who hooks up with the repressed (librarian) and virginal (though not for long!!!!) Suzanne Pleshette (in her first major role) while fighting off the advances of his ex--- nasty rich girl Angie Dickinson, in the lushly photographed ROME ADVENTURE (1962). This film is great to look at, especially the travelogue like photography which makes Italy very appealing and nearly totally void of tourists!!!!! Rossano Brazzi plays the older man who temps Pleshette, but Dickinson really steals this movie with her bad-girl lines and moves.Fun most of the time, and when Dickinson is missing, it's at least pretty. GRADE-------B
I was hoping that the low budget b/w drama about a troubled boy and his dog and the kindly priest (Cesar Romero) who takes them in, would be one of those lost undiscovered classics that slips under the shadows. It is rather unsentimental and straight-forward, and it is certainly watchable, but just barely. THE RUNAWAY (1961) still deals with the hoary notions of "all it takes is a kind word/dog/discipline/love etc" to straighten out the delinquency, and the ending is predictable. GRADE----------C+
Saturday, August 13, 2011
RISE of PLANET OF APES and PROJECT NIM, also CAPTAIN AMERICA, Devil's Double, Names of Love
I'm happy to report that the new ape movie RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES is a superior blend of action thriller and science fiction. The film is unofficially a prequel to the popular films from the 1970's (which include PLANET OF THE APES 1968, BENEATH THE...1970, ESCAPE FROM...1971, CONQUEST OF...1972 and BATTLE FOR...1976) and it is far better to all but the first one which remains an intriguing icon. This new APES movie benefits from having excellent CGI effects that don't distract from the action (I was always trying to figure out which actor was behind that hairy plastic mask in the 1970's.) This is the first movie in a long while in which EVERY CONSECUTIVE SCENE builds to the next scene, and is so compelling in action and plot and suspense that you don't dare even THINK of leaving for a bathroom break. My one complaint is that the last 20 minutes progresses so quickly that you don't get to savor the action and irony that develops like you do in the first 90 minutes. James Franco and John Lithgow are terrific in low key performances as a scientist and his father suffering from Alzheimer, who both become personally involved (emotionally and chemically) with the young ape who triggers the action. See PROJECT NIM below. GRADE--------- A-
An excellent film to see if you liked the APES movies above, and even if you don't, is the fine documentary PROJECT NIM, the true story of a chimp who, in the early 1970's was raised from infancy by a family, then passed on to a university study program when he became to big for them to handle. He was taught to sign and became very domesticated, and became very close to many of the people who came in contact with him, and most of the people are interviewed here, as well as some astounding home movies and photos that document the actions. The film becomes a fascinating and heartbreaking warning about the pleasures and pain of trying to raise "wild" animals in your home. The makers of the new RISE OF PLANET OF THE APES film (see above) must have really done their research--perhaps by watching this footage of PROJECT NIM-- because they really were accurate in the portrayal of apes interacting with humans. These two films would make an EXCELLENT double bill. PROJECT NIM has been haunting me since I first saw it on May 2nd at a SIFF screening. GRADE------ A-
CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER is the first in what may be a series of films based on the Marvel Comics story of THE AVENGERS. Set during the WWII in America and later the European theatre, this science fiction tale carefully sets up the story of a patriotic but scrawny weakling who is refused entrance into the military due to a long list of ailments. His persistence at enlisting catches the eye of a doctor who is experimenting on a drug to give humans super strength, and the youth volunteers, becoming a super fast, muscled super-hero. Of course he eventually gets to battle a maniac who breaks off from Hitler (?!?) and wants to destroy the world. The plot is fairly logical for this genre, care is spent to develop the characters, and the action is well calibrated to sustain suspense and our interest. I look forward to the next installment. This is probably the best "Super-hero" movie of the summer. GRADE------ B+
Based on a true story about Saddam Hussein's sadistic son Uday and set in the early 1990's, this film called THE DEVIS'S DOUBLE is an engrossing, violent, intense, and at times lurid film of the times. When an acquaintance of Uday is forcibly recruited to act as his look-alike double, the unfortunate man becomes embroiled in the violence, drugs, sex and murder that controls the Hussein palace. Fortunately for the viewer, the actor playing BOTH Uday and the double is the amazing Dominic Cooper, and he does a cracker jack job. Nothing I've seen Cooper in before has really impressed me---he had parts in AN EDUCATION (2009), the boy-toy in MAMMA MIA (2008) and a supporting role in the current CAPTAIN AMERICA, but this part shoots him to the top of the heap for year end awards recognition. He gives TWO eye opening performances. GRADE -------- B
The breezy, glib French comedy THE NAMES OF LOVE has a lot of supporters, but I found the premise, in which a carefree, sexually liberated young liberal woman going from (conservative) man to man and seducing them to her side of the political spectrum to be too far fetched to be believable. When she finally finds the ONE only to have to deal with the ramifications of his family who lost loved ones to death camps during WWII--the mood turns rather distasteful. Perhaps if this had been re imagined as an out and out drama, it might have had a better impact. The two leads are charming at times and attractive in and out of their clothes. GRADE----------C+
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DVD choices this week include one of my all time favorite comedies, and it holds up very well. WHAT'S UP DOC? (1972) is Peter Bagdonovitch's tribute to screwball comedies of the 1930's, and he fills it with truly wacky, original characters and many splendid sight gags which work nearly 95% of the time--a great average. The snappy, clever screen play was written by Buck Henry (GRADUATE, CATCH 22) and Robert Benton (KRAMER VS KRAMER, BONNIE and CLYDE, PLACES IN THE HEART). Barbara Striesand, looking lovely, and Ryan O'Neal, studly and obtuse, are the leads that would normally be played by Katherine Hepburn and Cary Grant (much like BRING UP BABY)or perhaps Carole Lombard and William Powell. They are fine, but the movie is really stolen by some of the best character actors around at the time. Watch for scene stealers Sorrell Booke as a dim witted hotel detective, John Hillerman as the hotel manager, a young Randy Quaid, Mabel Albertson as the gaudily dressed rich lady, Liam Dunn as the hilarious judge in the final scene, Kenneth Mars with his improbable eastern European dialect, Austin Pendleton who's just plain wonderful, and especially the fabulous Madeline Kahn in her first big role. This part won her big acclaim, numerous awards and nominations, and was the beginning of a great comic career in such films as PAPER MOON (1973),BLAZNG SADDLES and YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN (both 1974), CLUE(1985), MIXED NUTS (1994) and a reoccurring character in the COSBY TV show, as well as other TV roles. Sadly she died of cancer in 1999.
GRADE---------A-
Well acted if predictable tale of a man in a severe mid-life crisis, SOLITARY MAN (2009) has Micheal Douglas's life in a tailspin when he gets some bad, inconclusive medical information. He divorces a patient wife (Susan Sarandon) and alienates his friends, family and girlfriend, played well by Danny DeVito, Jenna Fischer, Mary Louise Parker, and others. He becomes incredibly desparate, and it is to Michael Douglas's credit that in spite of his despicable actions that we still care a wit about him. GRADE------B-
An excellent film to see if you liked the APES movies above, and even if you don't, is the fine documentary PROJECT NIM, the true story of a chimp who, in the early 1970's was raised from infancy by a family, then passed on to a university study program when he became to big for them to handle. He was taught to sign and became very domesticated, and became very close to many of the people who came in contact with him, and most of the people are interviewed here, as well as some astounding home movies and photos that document the actions. The film becomes a fascinating and heartbreaking warning about the pleasures and pain of trying to raise "wild" animals in your home. The makers of the new RISE OF PLANET OF THE APES film (see above) must have really done their research--perhaps by watching this footage of PROJECT NIM-- because they really were accurate in the portrayal of apes interacting with humans. These two films would make an EXCELLENT double bill. PROJECT NIM has been haunting me since I first saw it on May 2nd at a SIFF screening. GRADE------ A-
CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER is the first in what may be a series of films based on the Marvel Comics story of THE AVENGERS. Set during the WWII in America and later the European theatre, this science fiction tale carefully sets up the story of a patriotic but scrawny weakling who is refused entrance into the military due to a long list of ailments. His persistence at enlisting catches the eye of a doctor who is experimenting on a drug to give humans super strength, and the youth volunteers, becoming a super fast, muscled super-hero. Of course he eventually gets to battle a maniac who breaks off from Hitler (?!?) and wants to destroy the world. The plot is fairly logical for this genre, care is spent to develop the characters, and the action is well calibrated to sustain suspense and our interest. I look forward to the next installment. This is probably the best "Super-hero" movie of the summer. GRADE------ B+
Based on a true story about Saddam Hussein's sadistic son Uday and set in the early 1990's, this film called THE DEVIS'S DOUBLE is an engrossing, violent, intense, and at times lurid film of the times. When an acquaintance of Uday is forcibly recruited to act as his look-alike double, the unfortunate man becomes embroiled in the violence, drugs, sex and murder that controls the Hussein palace. Fortunately for the viewer, the actor playing BOTH Uday and the double is the amazing Dominic Cooper, and he does a cracker jack job. Nothing I've seen Cooper in before has really impressed me---he had parts in AN EDUCATION (2009), the boy-toy in MAMMA MIA (2008) and a supporting role in the current CAPTAIN AMERICA, but this part shoots him to the top of the heap for year end awards recognition. He gives TWO eye opening performances. GRADE -------- B
The breezy, glib French comedy THE NAMES OF LOVE has a lot of supporters, but I found the premise, in which a carefree, sexually liberated young liberal woman going from (conservative) man to man and seducing them to her side of the political spectrum to be too far fetched to be believable. When she finally finds the ONE only to have to deal with the ramifications of his family who lost loved ones to death camps during WWII--the mood turns rather distasteful. Perhaps if this had been re imagined as an out and out drama, it might have had a better impact. The two leads are charming at times and attractive in and out of their clothes. GRADE----------C+
------------------------
DVD choices this week include one of my all time favorite comedies, and it holds up very well. WHAT'S UP DOC? (1972) is Peter Bagdonovitch's tribute to screwball comedies of the 1930's, and he fills it with truly wacky, original characters and many splendid sight gags which work nearly 95% of the time--a great average. The snappy, clever screen play was written by Buck Henry (GRADUATE, CATCH 22) and Robert Benton (KRAMER VS KRAMER, BONNIE and CLYDE, PLACES IN THE HEART). Barbara Striesand, looking lovely, and Ryan O'Neal, studly and obtuse, are the leads that would normally be played by Katherine Hepburn and Cary Grant (much like BRING UP BABY)or perhaps Carole Lombard and William Powell. They are fine, but the movie is really stolen by some of the best character actors around at the time. Watch for scene stealers Sorrell Booke as a dim witted hotel detective, John Hillerman as the hotel manager, a young Randy Quaid, Mabel Albertson as the gaudily dressed rich lady, Liam Dunn as the hilarious judge in the final scene, Kenneth Mars with his improbable eastern European dialect, Austin Pendleton who's just plain wonderful, and especially the fabulous Madeline Kahn in her first big role. This part won her big acclaim, numerous awards and nominations, and was the beginning of a great comic career in such films as PAPER MOON (1973),BLAZNG SADDLES and YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN (both 1974), CLUE(1985), MIXED NUTS (1994) and a reoccurring character in the COSBY TV show, as well as other TV roles. Sadly she died of cancer in 1999.
GRADE---------A-
Well acted if predictable tale of a man in a severe mid-life crisis, SOLITARY MAN (2009) has Micheal Douglas's life in a tailspin when he gets some bad, inconclusive medical information. He divorces a patient wife (Susan Sarandon) and alienates his friends, family and girlfriend, played well by Danny DeVito, Jenna Fischer, Mary Louise Parker, and others. He becomes incredibly desparate, and it is to Michael Douglas's credit that in spite of his despicable actions that we still care a wit about him. GRADE------B-
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Best of Summer: CRAZY STUPID LOVE, MIDNIGHT IN PARIS. Also, Tabloid, Salvation Blvd. Friends w/ Benefits, Transformers 3D
Something special happens during the summer's best comedy/drama--CRAZY STUPID LOVE. As the plot and relationships unfold and develop, with some surprising revelations, the characters change from one-dimensional to become fully rounded and rather likable. When Julianne Moore drops the "divorce" bomb on her unsuspecting husband, she soon after asks, "Am I having a mid-life crisis? I thought only men had them." When her husband Steve Carell starts vocalizing his inner rants at a fancy pick up bar, he attracts the attention of a womanizer (Ryan Gosling) who is determined to get this pathetic man back into the dating game. The irony, of course, is that the womanizer is hardly the best example for him to follow. When young new lawyer Emma Stone realizes that her dull, noncommittal boyfriend is not interested in marriage, she rather suddenly finds herself attracted to the womanizer. Carell's floppy haired young teen son finds himself in love with his much older babysitter--who herself has some secrets. And Marisa Tomei steals another movie with her three short scenes. It is quite a charming, serious comedy. GRADE------A-
You may have heard that recently MIDNIGHT IN PARIS has now become the highest grossing film directed by Woody Allen, by passing his biggest hits including MANHATTAN, SLEEPERS, BANANAS, ANNIE HALL, and the recent top spot held by HANNAH AND HER SISTERS. It's easy to see why---the FUNNY WOODY ALLEN is back! But he is still very interested in art, psychosis, intellectualism and philosophy. Fantasy plays a big part in the story. When Owen Wilson travels to Paris with his fiance and her parents, he becomes transfixed with the "old" historical Paris. One night he becomes transported to Paris of the 1920's, where he meets and interacts with a number of writers, singers and artists, including Toulouse-Lautrec, Dali, Degas, Picasso, Gertrude Stein, Gauguin and others. They inspire him like nothing in the present day. The delightful cast includes Rachel McAdams, Marion Cotillard, Kathy Bates, and Micheal Sheen and Adrian Brody, plus others. What more could you ask for in a sparkling romantic comedy?!? GRADE-------B+
Errol Morris has a new documentary called TABLOID, and it received some criticism when recently screened at SIFF for being to trivial, since his previous docs have included scandals at Abu Ghraib (STANDARD OPERATION PROCEDURES), miscarriage of legal justice (THE THIN BLUE LINE) and death penalty problems (DR DEATH) among others. This one, about a former beauty queen who is charged with kidnapping and sexually molesting her fiance (!!!???!!!) definitely belongs to the "truth is stranger than fiction" category. It is, also, incredibly, outrageously entertaining. GRADE-------B+
FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS suffers a bit by coming after the similarly themed but more manic NO STRINGS ATTACHED that featured Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman as old friends who decided to try the sex without the commitment. I laughed a dozen time during that one. FWB does have it's own charms, however, especially in the doey brown eyes of Mila Kunis (who was Ms Portmans co-star in BLACK SWAN) and the good natured, laid back presence of Justin Timberlake. The ending is the same in both films--in case you are a dolt, both couples realize THEY REALLY LOVE EACH OTHER, so it is the getting there that matters. Fortunately, the script is very smart and fast, so that the cleverness keeps things moving, and the actors, including fine support from Patricia Clarkson, Richard Jenkins and Jenna Elfman provide some depth and laughs. My main complaint, however, is that there is no way I could believe that Woody Harrelson was playing a gay character. No one, not even gay best friends in real life, vamp it like he was trying to do. GRADE------B
It had a short run and some strong reviews, but A BETTER LIFE by director Chris Weitz suffers from the sad familiar trajectory of other films about Mexican illegals trying to make it in the US, especially the superior film from last year SIN NOMBRE. Still, this story of a single man trying to keep his young teen son in school, away from drugs and gangs, and into a better standard of living has some heart wrenching moments, and the feelings between the characters are strong. An excellent DVD choice in a few months. GRADE-------- B-
A minor but completely delightful spoof of religion, mega-churches, "dead-heads" and small town morals, SALVATION BLVD. has also a cast to die for. Pierce Brosnan, Ed Harris, Greg Kinnear, Jennifer Connely, and especially scene stealer Marisa Tomei (see CRAZY STUPID LOVE above), are all firing on all cylinders. A strong DVD choice. GRADE--------B-
Is the third film necessary? TRANSFORMERS 3D promised the best use of 3D since AVATAR, so I plunked down my $14.50 and held my breath. There are a few nifty shots of exploding metal plummeting towards you, and there is a very thrilling sequence of a tall sky scrapper slowly, slowly tilting/falling over, because a giant worm like transformer has burrowed through the first half of the building (!?!)--although how the half dozen humans that were trapped on the upper floors got down 50 levels to street level in a few seconds remains a mystery. The 3D glasses still gave me a headache--they make the screen much darker so that I find myself squinting to see the action clearly. The action is chaotic, loud, redundant, and sometimes fun, in a "popcorn movie" sort of way. GRADE--------B-
A big disappointment, the plodding COWBOYS AND ALIENS is a boring dud in the first hour, which I hated. Daniel Craig tries hard to be charismatic and partially succeeds. Harrison Ford, in a smaller part, is just plain cranky. The other actors barely register. The awkward plot tries to merge realistic western with alien invasion--but listen to this. The cowboys join up with the mean and nasty bank robbers (!!!), as well as the Indians (???), to fight these evil devils--aliens from another world who are here to......wait for it.......steal all our gold out of the earth. No reason is given for this, and it is a sad statement on the film's interest that we don't really care at this point anyway. GRADE-------D
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Caught on TV this week was YOUNG DR. KILDARE (1938), the first in a series of films and later the long running popular TV series about a doctor who seems to know better than anyone else in the hospital what a patient needs to heal--in this case better than the crusty old head doctor played with his usual elan by Lionel Barrymore. Lew Ayres plays Kildare. This one was watchable but rather simplistic. GRADE-------C+
You may have heard that recently MIDNIGHT IN PARIS has now become the highest grossing film directed by Woody Allen, by passing his biggest hits including MANHATTAN, SLEEPERS, BANANAS, ANNIE HALL, and the recent top spot held by HANNAH AND HER SISTERS. It's easy to see why---the FUNNY WOODY ALLEN is back! But he is still very interested in art, psychosis, intellectualism and philosophy. Fantasy plays a big part in the story. When Owen Wilson travels to Paris with his fiance and her parents, he becomes transfixed with the "old" historical Paris. One night he becomes transported to Paris of the 1920's, where he meets and interacts with a number of writers, singers and artists, including Toulouse-Lautrec, Dali, Degas, Picasso, Gertrude Stein, Gauguin and others. They inspire him like nothing in the present day. The delightful cast includes Rachel McAdams, Marion Cotillard, Kathy Bates, and Micheal Sheen and Adrian Brody, plus others. What more could you ask for in a sparkling romantic comedy?!? GRADE-------B+
Errol Morris has a new documentary called TABLOID, and it received some criticism when recently screened at SIFF for being to trivial, since his previous docs have included scandals at Abu Ghraib (STANDARD OPERATION PROCEDURES), miscarriage of legal justice (THE THIN BLUE LINE) and death penalty problems (DR DEATH) among others. This one, about a former beauty queen who is charged with kidnapping and sexually molesting her fiance (!!!???!!!) definitely belongs to the "truth is stranger than fiction" category. It is, also, incredibly, outrageously entertaining. GRADE-------B+
FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS suffers a bit by coming after the similarly themed but more manic NO STRINGS ATTACHED that featured Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman as old friends who decided to try the sex without the commitment. I laughed a dozen time during that one. FWB does have it's own charms, however, especially in the doey brown eyes of Mila Kunis (who was Ms Portmans co-star in BLACK SWAN) and the good natured, laid back presence of Justin Timberlake. The ending is the same in both films--in case you are a dolt, both couples realize THEY REALLY LOVE EACH OTHER, so it is the getting there that matters. Fortunately, the script is very smart and fast, so that the cleverness keeps things moving, and the actors, including fine support from Patricia Clarkson, Richard Jenkins and Jenna Elfman provide some depth and laughs. My main complaint, however, is that there is no way I could believe that Woody Harrelson was playing a gay character. No one, not even gay best friends in real life, vamp it like he was trying to do. GRADE------B
It had a short run and some strong reviews, but A BETTER LIFE by director Chris Weitz suffers from the sad familiar trajectory of other films about Mexican illegals trying to make it in the US, especially the superior film from last year SIN NOMBRE. Still, this story of a single man trying to keep his young teen son in school, away from drugs and gangs, and into a better standard of living has some heart wrenching moments, and the feelings between the characters are strong. An excellent DVD choice in a few months. GRADE-------- B-
A minor but completely delightful spoof of religion, mega-churches, "dead-heads" and small town morals, SALVATION BLVD. has also a cast to die for. Pierce Brosnan, Ed Harris, Greg Kinnear, Jennifer Connely, and especially scene stealer Marisa Tomei (see CRAZY STUPID LOVE above), are all firing on all cylinders. A strong DVD choice. GRADE--------B-
Is the third film necessary? TRANSFORMERS 3D promised the best use of 3D since AVATAR, so I plunked down my $14.50 and held my breath. There are a few nifty shots of exploding metal plummeting towards you, and there is a very thrilling sequence of a tall sky scrapper slowly, slowly tilting/falling over, because a giant worm like transformer has burrowed through the first half of the building (!?!)--although how the half dozen humans that were trapped on the upper floors got down 50 levels to street level in a few seconds remains a mystery. The 3D glasses still gave me a headache--they make the screen much darker so that I find myself squinting to see the action clearly. The action is chaotic, loud, redundant, and sometimes fun, in a "popcorn movie" sort of way. GRADE--------B-
A big disappointment, the plodding COWBOYS AND ALIENS is a boring dud in the first hour, which I hated. Daniel Craig tries hard to be charismatic and partially succeeds. Harrison Ford, in a smaller part, is just plain cranky. The other actors barely register. The awkward plot tries to merge realistic western with alien invasion--but listen to this. The cowboys join up with the mean and nasty bank robbers (!!!), as well as the Indians (???), to fight these evil devils--aliens from another world who are here to......wait for it.......steal all our gold out of the earth. No reason is given for this, and it is a sad statement on the film's interest that we don't really care at this point anyway. GRADE-------D
----------------
Caught on TV this week was YOUNG DR. KILDARE (1938), the first in a series of films and later the long running popular TV series about a doctor who seems to know better than anyone else in the hospital what a patient needs to heal--in this case better than the crusty old head doctor played with his usual elan by Lionel Barrymore. Lew Ayres plays Kildare. This one was watchable but rather simplistic. GRADE-------C+
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