THE MASTER, DIANA FREELAND: the EYE HAS TO TRAVEL, HERE COMES THE BOOM, WUTHERING HEIGHTS, HOW TO SURVIVE A PLAGUE, plus VIFF & SLGFF samplings

I've seen over 20 films in the last two weeks, so it's been cinematic overload.  I'll just mention the Film Festival offerings from Vancouver and Seattle Lesbian and Gay festivals towards the end.  More thoughts will be offered when those films actually have a release--most all were strong enough to get released.  So here goes.

My favorite of the openings this past week is the fascinating, stylish documentary on the life of fashion icon DIANA VREELAND: THE EYE HAS TO TRAVEL which I saw at SIFF in June.  Her daughter Lisa Immordino Vreeland produced, directed and wrote this film, and obviously had access to an amazing array of models, actors, fashionistas, and assorted industry types, as well as a wealth of video and pictures with which to illuminate Diana's life and times.  I was engaged and transfixed and very entertained.  As PROJECT RUNWAY's Tim Gunn would say, she really "made it work" for herself, and deserves the iconic status she enjoys today.       GRADE--------A-

It's been nearly 3 weeks since I viewed THE MASTER.  It hasn't stuck with me like I thought it might.  Well acted by Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, Laura Dern, and a large cast, it tells the rather crude and simplistic story of a young shiftless Navy veteran who becomes depressed and a drunkard after WWII, and finds himself fascinated by the leader of a new religious sect/cult. (Reports that this is based on the start of Scientology are left unsubstantiated.)  Hoffman plays the leader in broad fatherly strokes--it's easy to see why the desperate Phoenix wants to follow him.  The film is leisurely told, as it follows the new group around the country on talks and road shows.  Because of his violent behavior, the Phoenix character makes it hard to assimilate into the group--he seems most resistant to the indoctrinations and philosophies that are espoused.  The film doesn't have too much else to say.  The photography is good, although why it was filmed and screened in a few theatres (including Seattle's Cinerama) in 70 MM remains a mystery.  I saw it in 35 MM and that seemed just fine for the rather intimate character study that it seems to be.  I admired the film more than liked it.  It would have been nice to like some of the characters, but the film takes a distant, cold, nihilistic stance towards it's characters and subject matter.     GRADE--------B-

Some humanistic feeling is sorely needed in the passionate and cerebral documentary film about the AIDS crisis that started in the 1980's, and how difficult it was for protesters to get the governments attention on matters about this plague.   HOW TO SURVIVE A PLAGUE suffers from too many talking heads and political posturing, when it might have benefited from more personal stories (from AIDS patients).  Still, the found documentary footage is impressive, and the film lays out a time line that shockingly shows how resistant politicians and the public were to this disease.   It's not the easiest film to watch, but certainly an important one.       GRADE---------B-

HERE COMES THE BOOM is certainly easy to watch, but the highly improbable plot keeps getting in the way.  Slightly reminiscent of the recent WON'T BACK DOWN, the story deals with a school that is losing so much money that it must cut the arts and music programs.  Kevin James (TV's KING OF QUEENS) stars as a bad teacher (always late, and downright lazy in the first few scenes) who suddenly finds himself trying to raise money to keep the arts and music programs in the curriculum.  He decides that since he was a wrestler in collage, he could become (at age 51!) a mixed martial arts player, since even the losers make big bucks.  He's conveniently single, and is desperately trying to date fellow co-worker Salma Hayek, also conveniently single.  There's just too many coincidences to make this worth more than an average film, in spite of some good laughs and some charming characters.           GRADE------C+

If you are reading this, YOU'VE BEEN WARNED.  The new version of WUTHERING HEIGHTS is a very unpleasant film to watch.  Filmed with that aggressively hand held jerky camera that had my head aching, and lit only with natural light (sometimes only candlelight or fireplace) that frequently made it impossible to see who was even in the room, the film rubbed me wrong from beginning to end.  The director Andrea Arnold made one of my favorite films in 2005, the provocative thriller RED ROAD.  I didn't object to the fact that she makes Heathcliff a black man here, even though he is treated more like a slave than hired help, but the film was so relentlessly hard to watch and to listen to (the actors mumbled their lines, and often it felt improvised to weak effect,) and the costumes were dirty, grimy, mud covered (as were the faces most of the time.)  I'm not saying that WH has to be romanticized bliss, but I really object to watching an experimental version that is nearly impossible to watch and "get into."   If I had been sitting on or near the aisle, I would have fled the theater after 15 minutes.  Instead, I suffered for 90 minutes.        GRADE------D


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Vancouver International Film Festival notes

That darn Justin Bieber and his entourage bus at the border made me 45 minutes late getting into Vancouver on Wednesday morning (I took the BoltBus--only $11!!!), but I still managed to catch     I, ANNA, a British low key thriller about an aging detective becoming romantically attracted to his prime suspect, Charlotte Rampling.  Then, from France and Japan, a film called LIKE SOMEONE IN LOVE about a young college student/prostitute who becomes involved with an elderly professor, but the film casts an eerie, almost comical spell.  I ended the night with the Polish film screened a SIFF, which I'd missed last June, called ROSE.  Set in WWII, the drama tells of the suffering, rape and injustices that fall on the title character, as she tries to recover from past horrific experiences.  I was really exhausted after that so I went to bed.  These films were rated  by me B-, B+, and B+ respectively.

On Thursday morning I was ready to go.  I started early (1015am) with a rather dull Chinese film called BEIJING FLICKERS about a group of immature 20 somethings trying to grow up.  IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER was a low budget Canadian film with a surprisingly good script and actors--the lead also wrote and directed.  She is the irresponsible sister who can't get into a good relationship--she always picks losers.  Her sister is getting married, and in spite of some cliches, the blend of comedy and drama works well.  The Czech sex comedy by Jan Hrebejk was next, and it was a cheerful sex positive  charmer called THE HOLY QUATERNITY about two families that are best friends.  When the parents go on a warm weather vacation together, well, think about a more progressive BOB AND CAROL AND TED AND ALICE........It's a big crowd pleaser, and really funny stuff.  On the opposite end was OUR CHILDREN (Belgium/France) a grim, serious, stunning film about a young wife who struggles to raise four children (in rapid progression) while struggling with depression.  The first scene lets you know the ending, but it is still a powerful experience.  Finally from Germany, HOME FOR THE WEEKEND has mother telling her family she will no longer be taking her mental health drugs, and the adult family has various reactions.  It slowly grew on me, and there are some startling disclosures by the end.  Then to bed.  These films were rated by me C, B, A-, B+ and B respectively.

Friday morning I started off with a French documentary called THE INVISIBLE ONES about older gay and lesbian couples (mostly)  who all became farmers in the south of France.  It was very well done, with lots of video, pictures, back stories and humor, showing how they made a family of their own over the years while growing up in a repressive society.  Next was a strong, if minor, character study staring Melissa Leo called FRANCINE.  She has just gotten out of prison, and must adjust to civilian life, but as the short film (75minutes) progresses, one becomes doubtful she will make it.
The gripping French film REBELLION by Mathieu Kassovitz dramatizes the 1988 attempt of some "rebels" to free New Caledonia from French rule--this occurring just weeks before the big French elections.  I made time for supper with Toni and Kathleen, then went off for the Mexican film AQUI Y ALLA, which has a man coming home from being in NYC for several years of work to find his family treating him a bit like a stranger.  He has to warm them up before heading back to the US for more work.
 Rated A-, B, B, and B-.

On Saturday several film were repeated so I got a chance to view them.  NUALA is an Irish documentary about writer Nuala O'Faolain, who came from a very impoverish, abusive household to become a brilliant and successful author.  The film was informative and engrossing, although I felt too much time (over 20 minutes) towards the end dealt with her death by cancer.  Also saw THE IRAN JOB, a documentary from Iran/USA about American basketball player Kevin Sheppard who can't get into the NBA, so takes a job playing basketball and training a struggling team for Shiraz in Iran.  The film works well as a fish out of water story, a sports come from behind thriller, and a strong human interest drama.  Rated B+ and A- respectively.   All in all, a pretty good 4 days of international film.  Watch for these films this winter and spring, and by next summer on DVD.

The SEATTLE LESBIAN AND GAY FILM FESTIVAL  had already started when I got back to town, but I managed to see a few selections.  On Monday night I saw YOSSI, a sequel of sorts to the Eytan Fox film YOSSI & JAGGER (2003) which is a well loved film about two men in service who fall in love, but must keep it a secret.  That film is a love-story-tragedy.  Even though it had been quite a while since I'd seen Y&J, it doesn't really matter, because YOSSI picks up 10 years later with the surviving man now a workaholic  heart specialist at a hospital, still deeply closeted and repressed.  When Jagger's mother comes to him for a test, it triggers unresolved feelings, and a forced vacation makes him try to open up.  It's a small but lovely film.  Several of my favorite films over the years were directed by the Isreali Eytan Fox, including WALK ON WATER (2004) and THE BUBBLE (2006).   On Saturday I saw the gripping documentary MOHAMMED TO MAYA about a conservative Islamic man who transgenders into a woman, against his/her family's values and basically alone except for a friend who films the procedings.  It was an intimately shocking and  heartbreaking experience to watch.   Then came the low budget (7,000 dollars!!!) film THE FALLS about two very serious male Mormon missionaries who discover love with each other while on their mission work.  After a slow and leisurely beginning, the film becomes more humorous and rather effective.  It is certainly a topical film and looked like a million dollars.   My favorite movie was a filmed British dance version of  SWAN LAKE (in 3D!)  I'm no fan of 3D, and I wish it had not been used for this film (it gives me eye strain and sometimes a headache), but the music was glorious, the costumes and choreography were fascinating and the entire production had the audience cheering after nearly every scene.  The film reminded me of the recent PINA--it was clear and personal.   The gender changes (the park sequences are danced by male swans, and the prince is obsessed with the lead swan, so the dance takes on --without a hint of camp--a very masculine feel.  The homoerotic theme is fascinatingly woven into this  tragic but superior production.       GRADES------A-, B-, B-, and A

KEEP THE LIGHTS ON, ARMITRAGE, LOOPER, PLUS ANNA KARENINA (1948), Single Man, The Help, Streisand's All Night Long, Hitchcock's Suspicion

It's not Classic Romantic Tragedy like BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN, nor nearly as slickly photographed and scored and directed or acted, but the new film KEEP THE LIGHTS ON about a decades long gay love affair between two New Yorkers is quite auspicious, affecting and moving in it's own way.  It certainly beats BROKEBACK for  realism and gritty truth telling, and therefore splits the audience due to some very grim and serious scenes which include drug addiction and sex.  Both men are successful in business, but one has a persistent drug problem that constantly nags at their relationship.  There is no happy, pat ending here, but the filmmaker has captured the truth of urban lovers struggling to stay together when uncontrollable forces pry them apart.  It's a clear eyed look at queer love and life, not romanticized or presented as a sit-com, and for that, I've very grateful.      GRADE------B+

At last, a futuristic science fiction action film that stays consistent to the boundaries and parameters it sets up initially.  There's also some great suspense scenes and a style that keeps you intrigued.  Bruce Willis and Joseph Gordon-Levitt play the same character, and they do that convincingly.  Gordon-Levitt is a LOOPER, a man who kills criminals who are sent back in time for him to murder and dispose of, since in the future, it is impossible to dispose of bodies. (!!!????) One day his own more mature self (Willis) is sent back to be murdered, setting into motion a plot that twists your mind at the possibilities.  It's a clever, complicated premise, but  entertaining to watch.     GRADE------B+

The definition of ARBITRAGE says "the possibility of a risk free profit at zero cost."  It's a term used in financial dealings, and the outline of the plot in this Richard Gere film has you believing that this is a financial thriller about  hedge fund bankers at their worst.  Fortunately, the film includes moral issues other than financial, and the main protagonist must deal with themes of infidelity, deception, corruption, cheating and murder.  It is a  smart, nifty dramatic thriller, and as the screws tighten around Gere, we root for him in spite of the character flaws that  would normally have us seething.  The definition begins to take on a great deal of moral irony.      GRADE-------B

Based on a true story, WON'T BACK DOWN has it's heart in the right place---an inner city school in Pittsburgh is rated F for it's ability to teach students, and a small group of teachers and parents want to take over the school to shake up the teachers and students with new and creative teaching methods, which would mean a non-union school.  Maggie Gyllenhaal and Viola Davis give it their all as a disgruntled parent and teacher, respectively, but unfortunately, the script has their characterizations and motivations very hazy and confused.  The film seems most unfocused with what point of view is being presented (the teachers? or the parents? or the administrators ? or the union ?---and what about the students, who are given short shrift?)  In trying to give everyone equal time, the film loses power and at times makes no dramatic sense.  There are actually a couple scenes that don't make any sense at all.  One scenes towards the end has Davis rushing up stairs to WAKE UP her 10 year old son and tearily confesses that when he was an infant she didn't do something about his fever like she should have, or something, and that's why he might be "slow" at school.  This scene comes out of left field, with no reference to anything that's happened before or after.  Cut it out!  A big disappointment.        GRADE------C-



DVD FILMS viewed this week.............


Watched THE HELP (2011) for the third time in a year, and fortunately, the plot and characters continue to amuse and entertain.  Jessica Chastain is quite funny as the rich white trash wife who just doesn't get why the other women in town won't associate with her, and her scenes with Oscar winner (for supporting Actress) Octavia Spencer as her stubborn maid are winning and quite moving.  Sissy Spacek makes the most of a small role, and Viola Davis, Bryce Dallas Howard and Emma Stone hit all the right notes. It's a classic in many ways.     GRADE------B+

A couple of fine performances by Colin Firth, Julianne Moore and others, and some very stylish sets, clothes and direction from director/fashion designer Tom Ford, evelate the moving day-in-the-life of A SINGLE MAN (2009) to near classic status.  Firth plays a closeted gay professor in 1962 who is overcome with grief from the death of his long time partner several months before, and sets out to end his life and pain by nightfall, but finds that small, seemingly unimportant moments in the day carry great significance that may have lasting consequences.  It's a beautifully sustained film.     GRADE------A-

Hitchcock's SUSPICION (1941) is not my favorite from the master, but as I've said before, even lessor Hitchcock is better thrills than 95% of other films out there.  This one stars Cary Grant as a cad of a husband to Joan Fontaine (Best Actress Oscar winner for this role), a rather naive maiden who jumps at the chance to marry and leave her parents---only to discover that not only is Grant NOT rich (penniless, actually), but he has many debts, and he is unemployed, and a big fat liar as well.  As if that wasn't enough, he may be trying to kill her off for her dowry money (and the insurance that he is trying to sign her up for.)  He is a hard character to like--obnoxious, conceited and a liar.  His best friend seems too simple minded to notice that he too may be the brunt of his schemes and murderous attempts.  Of course, Cary Grant is the perfect actor to play this part, but I still don't care for him much.  According to supplemental material on the DVD, the book upon with SUSPICION is based, has a decidedly different ending, where the wife is indeed killed, but not without the last word---a letter delivered to her mother explaining everything, and therefore submitting the killer to the police.  The movie ending is "happier" but I think it is not believable.        GRADE-------B

This film version of Leo Tolstoy's classic novel ANNA KARENINA (1948) features Vivian Leigh with Ralph Richardson as her husband, and the handsome Irish actor Keiron Moore as her lover Count Vronsky.  I've never read the book, but it felt that it is greatly trimmed, as many characters are introduced, but not many have much to do.  Still the production was lavish and the leads have the dramatic chops to get the work done.  There have been 4 other versions of ANNA KARENINA over the years--1935 with Greta Garbo and Fredrick March, a Russian version in 1967,  a made for TV version  in 1985 with Jacqueline Bisset and Christopher Reeve, a 1997 version with Sophie Marceau and Sean Bean (before he hit it big with LOTR series) and coming next month is the 5th version with Kiera Knightly and Jude Law, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Vronsky.  The previews look lush and arresting, and I believe much of the film is set on  (the whole world's a) theatre stage.  Looking forward to it.        GRADE-------B

A rarely seen film starring Barbara Streisand, Gene Hackman and Dennis Quaid called ALL NIGHT LONG (1981) that did very low box office business (about 4 million) and then dropped out of sight, popped up at my little, closing DVD store last month.  It is not bad, although Streisand is remarkably restrained and speaks with a little, quiet oddly accented voice.  Those wanting a typical Streisand film with be very disappointed.  However, the good news is that Gene Hackman is very very good.  It's his movie anyway.  He plays an executive who is demoted to become the night manager of a drugstore, where he meets a cousin (Streisand) who has been having an affair with his 18 year old son (Quaid).  He trys to talk her out of the relationship, but she tries to take up with him instead.  His wife (Diane Ladd) is demanding, and the cousin's husband works as a fireman and is gone much of the time.  The laughs are restrained but come on naturally, and the film feels like a French fluff comedy/drama, with it's sophisticated take on infidelity and relationships, both sexual and platonic.  It may not be a hidden gem, but  it is an interesting little project that had some fine moments.      GRADE------B-

Another little comedy that works well in a low key way is THE BAXTER (2005) with a great cast--Michael Showalter, Elizabeth Banks, Justin Theroux, Michelle Williams and Paul Rudd.  A BAXTER is defined (in the film) as a bachelor with lots of exes, who's kind of a loser, and Michael Showalter plays him perfectly.  The laughs are consistant and character driven.  A charmer.      GRADE-------B-