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+
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I haven't seen it, but a friend of mine is a scholar of the period. Though Shakespeare is not her particular animal, she teaches his plays. She looking forward to the film for the costumes and performances. She always tells students that it's unlikely that Shakespeare wrote every word attributed to him. On the other hand, she was adamant that the possibility that he didn't write any of it is "silly." But there is a book that tells a likely-sounding, though concocted and absurd argument for someone else being Shakespeare. People love this stuff. Even when it is silly.
ReplyDeleteMore about ANONYMOUS: The NPR movie review ended - "A source, a source - my kingdom for a source!"
ReplyDeleteIf you don't get it, you don't get to have any opinion at all about Shakespeare.