Nearly three weeks since my last blog, so films are a bit backed up.
The most ambitious, moody film of the week, THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES, started out in a cliched, obnoxious manner, with a lot of hand held camera movements that I really don't enjoy or appreciate. but as the (long--2hour 20 minute) film progressed, it became much more complex and the filming became calmer, and I began to "enjoy" it more, if one can enjoy such a serious and sad theme. Basically a film about two men of opposites, one a screwed up and irresponsible motor cycle rider (a bleached blond, heavily muscled and tattooed bank robber Ryan Gosling)who tries to settle down when he discovers his casual girlfriend from a year ago had his baby, and the other a young cop who is trying to live up to the achievements of his judge father and who also has a young baby. There are a couple of surprises which I didn't expect but many times I felt about one step ahead of the dramatic progression. Still, one doesn't get a heady drama about father/son relationships very often, and the ironies created between class and race and destiny were intriguing. GRADE------B+
A feel good French Canadian comedy/drama about a 40 something slacker ( known by the code name of STARBUCK)who discovers that his two decades of visiting the sperm bank have resulted in hundreds of children, many of whom now want to know who their biological father is. The children file a lawsuit to force him out--in the meantime he gains access to their files, and hunts (stalks?) some of them down and befriends them anonymously. It's a lovely, funny film, so see it before it is remade and probably ruined by Hollywood. GRADE--------B+
Set in the low income housing projects of Paris, the multicultural drama MY BROTHER THE DEVIL is a marvelous understated character study of the older drug and gun selling brother trying to keep his younger brother out of the business, and wanting to get out himself. His opportunity comes when he befriends an older man who takes him on as an assistant (and more) but his younger brother thinks that he's become a terrorist. The film rides a delicate balance with dramatic tension, family drama, and the struggle to make it in the cold, cruel world of slums. GRADE-------B+
A low budget, experimental movie, filmed in sepia tones and evocative photography works well as a dramatized biography of the early start of a young James Dean just before he exploded in infamy. Titled JOSHUA TREE 1957: PORTRAIT OF JAMES DEAN, the film emphasizes the homosexual life that Dean probably led in his attempt to become famous, and the film is a curiousity that challenges and shocks and satisfies on many crudely artistic levels. GRADE-----B+
Another bio pic that is more entertaining and wholesome is the unofficial story of the first African American baseball player Jackie Robinson recruited by the Majors and his challenges in the locker room, on the field, and on road trips. The title "42" comes from his jersey number, which today has been retired from all Major league usage. Lead actor Chadwick Boseman gives an outstanding performance, and the rest of the cast is equally good. The film manages to be inspiring without sentimental hogwash clouding most scenes. GRADE------B+
The new Japanese anime film for Studio Ghibli called FROM UP ON POPPY HILL is spectacularly drawn, colored and detailed, which makes the odd, maudlin plot the main culprit here from keeping this film from becoming a classic like HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE and SPIRITED AWAY. The young girl keeps house for her grandmother (mom is mostly absent), goes to school, leads the clean up project of a dirty old fraternity for boys, and starts to fall for a smart student---who may turn out to be her step-brother. Yuk and Yawn, but the film is still fascinating to look at with stunning visuals that keep you interested. GRADE------------B
Another film that features quality visuals is OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL--viewed again by a timing default. The opening 20 minutes remains the difficult section. It is filmed in WIZARD OF OZ honoring black and white, but is very talkie as it tries to set up the various characters who will later appear in the land of Oz. Still, it is entertaining for lovers of WIZARD OF OZ and is very faithful and respectful in spirit and themes. GRADE------B
I went reluctantly to THE INCREDIBLE BURT WONDERSTONE, because, frankly, there wasn't much playing that week that interested me, so it could be a case of very low expectations being met and exceeded. It isn't socko, but the film has a gentle spirit, some delightful sight gags, a wacky out there performance by Jim Carrey as a violent magician, and the always witty Alan Arkin. It isn't very memorable, but it wasn't awful, either. GRADE--------B-
When I saw GIMME THE LOOT at SIFF 2012, I remember vividly the constant flow of profanity, especially every form, verb, adjective and noun of the F word----in every single sentence. Had all that profanity been cut, the screenplay would have been about 3 pages long. Two young teen friends want to "tag" (graffiti) at a baseball game, but getting there is the challenge, and the boy and girl try to ignore the growing feelings they have for each other. It's breezy stuff, and forgettable, but easy to watch if constant profanity doesn't offend you. GRADE-------C+
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My favorite DVD viewings of the past couple weeks are as follows:
This is the third viewing I've had of the Spanish thriller THE UNINVITED GUEST (EL HABITANTE INCIERTO) (2006). It's a clever, insinuatingly intense drama about an unstable arcehict who is recently single and living alone in a large new house in which he swears he keeps hearing someone moving about. His ex-girlfriend doesn't believe him, and neither do the neighbors or the police. He becomes so obsessed that he leaves the house and ends up............Well, the plotting is fascinating and the creepiness keeps growing. The film reminds me of Polanski's ROSEMARY'S BABY (1968) and THE TENANT (1976) (the lead even reminds me of Polanski, who starred in that classic....this might make a great double bill....). It's a wonderful subtle thriller with some great twists, and should please most thrill seekers. GRADE-------A-
I remembered seeing Neil Simon's CALIFORNIA SUITE (1976) when it was first released, and thinking that the best thing about it was Maggie Smith, and indeed she went on to win best supporting actress that year. She and Michael Caine play a bickering couple who travel from London to Los Angeles for the Oscar show that might result in winning her an Oscar. Jane Fonda plays the brittle ex wife of Alan Alda who flies into Los Angeles to discuss the custody of their teen age daughter--theirs is the SERIOUS plot in the quartet of stories. Walter Matthau plays a bumbling straight man who ends up in a drunken bed with a passed out prostitute just an hour before his wife Elaine May is to be joining him--a comedy drama section. The least effective, and very slapstick quarter comes from Bill Cosby and Richard Pryor as doctor cohorts who find jealousy and pratfalls as they struggle to out do each other, to the dismay of their wives. Still it is all fitfully amusing, and the cast makes the most of Simon's gags. GRADE---------B
I remembered the amazing twist ending of THE OTHERS (2001), but this second viewing 12 years later didn't impress me much. It's the old ghost story in the big house and perhaps knowing the end takes the punch out of the proceedings. Nicole Kidman is still impressive, and Fionnula Flanigan is quite effective too. GRADE---------B-
Loosely based on the life of Gauguin, this fictional account based on the novel THE MOON AND SIXPENCE (1942) by W. Somerset Maugham, features a wicked performance by George Sanders at his most silver tongued. He plays a business man who leaves his wife, family, friends, and lovers to paint the way he wants to paint. He ends up in the South Pacific, living with a native woman and dies of---not syphilis like Gauguin, but .......leprosy. The film is unpleasant to watch because of his callousness, yet it casts a curious spell. The black and white film has a startling sepia sequence near the end. Very curious. GRADE-------B-
Friday, April 19, 2013
Thursday, March 28, 2013
STOKER, WARM BODIES, OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL, ADMISSION plus A.Penn Classic NIGHT MOVES
A strong contender for stylish thriller of the year, STOKER has a lot of creepy moments, and the good cast leaves an unsettled feeling that permeates the film. It works as a mystery about the arrival of a strange man (Mathew Goode) who is the unknown brother to the recently deceased father of Mia Wasikowska and the disturbed wife, Nicole Kidman. Both needy lonely women become attracted to "Uncle Charlie" for different reasons, and I think there is more than a passing resemblance to Hitchcock's SHADOW OF A DOUBT here, right down to the name Charlie, as it slowly dawns on the girl that her uncle may not be who she thinks he is. The pacing may be leisurely at first, but it builds nicely as we know more about her life, her mother and begin to realize that certain people in her life are disappearing at an alarming rate. The Korean director Park Chan-wook has made a number of creepy, fascinating films including SYMPATHY FOR MR. VENGEANCE (2002) and OLD BOY (2003) (which is being remade this year by Spike Lee, with Elizabeth Olsen and Samuel L. Jackson and Josh Brolin) and gives the film an impressive style. GRADE------B+
I've been reading some not so polite reviews of the new film by Paul Weitz who did the marvelous dramedy ABOUT A BOY (2002) so I went in with low expectations, but I chuckled and laughed a lot throughout his new film ADMISSION, another dramedy with some charm, subtly and wit. Tina Fey gets a lot of the best lines, but Paul Rudd grounds the film and makes a great "straight man" and Lily Tomlin makes the most of her small role as Tina's militant feminist mother. The plot has Fey, who has worked for 16 years as a snooty admissions officer for Princeton, trying to get a special young student into the university, partly because he may be the child she gave up for adoption many years ago. The film tries to say alot about the changing direction of "families" in today's society. GRADE------B
There are great special effects, and the art and set direction are splendid, and the cinematography very sharp. The cast is certainly game. The only awkward aspect of the new film OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL is that it is trying awfully hard to be faithful to the continuing story of THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939) (as well as the current Broadway smash musical WICKED) that you spend a lot of time following the mechanics of its plot, squinting your eyes in disapproval if any of the action might contradict the popular Judy Garland version. Fortunately the plotting is pretty faithful and leaves the future story accessible to the history presented. Still, it requires a lot of explanation and talk talk talk, and at the screening I saw, the 20 or so youngsters in attendance became restless and bored several times. But never fear---soon would arrive a tornado, flying monkeys, wicked witches or Munchkins to recapture their attention. By the end, I was satisfied with this prequel. GRADE---------B
A sleeper in the best way, the new zombie comedy WARM BODIES is a new take on the crowded theme of the walking dead. These new zombies apparently can be warmed up and healed by love, unless that is, of course, they are so far gone that their skin has already been burned to a crisp. It's a clever comedy with some big laughs. GRADE------B
The new Romanian film BEYOND THE HILLS deals with religious (and as a side-bar, sexual) hysteria in a rural convent. When a young woman comes to visit her best friend at the nunnery, sexual tensions make the priest resent the new comer, and drive the friend into rebel mode as she tries to convince her nun friend to leave for the big city. The leisurely paced film slowly builds tension, and the ending is disturbing, as we know what we've seen, but the "outside" world has a different take on the troubled convent. GRADE-------B-
The new documentary SUSHI: GLOBAL CATCH gives strong evidence that the current sushi popularity is largely responsible for the diminishing supply of fish, especially tuna, in the world's oceans. I've seen this argument before, most effectively in the disturbing film THE COVE (2009), but it is well worth seeing again. GRADE------B-
The following were viewed on DVD during the past 2 weeks.
The classic film-noir NIGHT MOVES (1975), released after his masterworks of MIRACLE WORKER (1962), BONNIE AND CLYDE (1967), ALICE'S RESTAURANT (1969) and LITTLE BIG MAN (1970), proved that the talented director Arthur Penn was no fluke. Gene Hackman is a private eye hired to track down a runaway girl. After he finds her he realizes that a can of worms has been opened that infects just about everyone he's been in contact with. Fascinating characters and and plot twists, and a great symbolic ending that reminds me of CHINATOWN (1974). GRADE----------A
The best foreign language film Oscar went to the Japanese film DEPARTURES (2008), a gentle, lovely film about a young man who, with his wife, returns to his hometown after the loss of his beloved job as cello player for a symphony, and the death of his mother. The only job he can find--an undertaker's assistant. The film is very funny and warm, and becomes strangely beautiful as it delves into the ceremonial aspects of comforting the grieving while attending to the dead. This film packs a big emotional punch by the final scene. GRADE--------A
I saw the Ghibli Studio's film PRINCESS MONONOKE (1997) upon is original US release, and I remember really liking it, but watching it again recently, I can honestly say that I didn't recall a single scene from this film. It felt like I was watching it for the first time. The unusual, creative visual animation is all there, and the theme, very symbolic for the need to go "GREEN" and save the forests before they are extinct is still timely. Maybe the film is so odd and bizarre with the different creatures (like little white forest ghosts, white horrific wolves, spirit creatures that look like bucks with antlers gone wild, etc) that my mind couldn't conceive to remember it. Weird, but engrossing to watch. GRADE------B+
Last but by no means least, is the sentimental, atmospheric, emotional adventure film DOWN TO THE SEA IN SHIPS (1949) directed by Henry Hathaway. Lionel Barrymore mugs it up as the old grandfather captain on a whaling ship who has been fathering his grandson --a young Dean Stockwell in the finer points of shipboard life. He has some conflicts when a new younger captain (Richard Widmark) tries to teach him new ways. Talky and a bit tedious at first, but once they get to whaling at sea, it becomes rather engrossing GRADE------B
I've been reading some not so polite reviews of the new film by Paul Weitz who did the marvelous dramedy ABOUT A BOY (2002) so I went in with low expectations, but I chuckled and laughed a lot throughout his new film ADMISSION, another dramedy with some charm, subtly and wit. Tina Fey gets a lot of the best lines, but Paul Rudd grounds the film and makes a great "straight man" and Lily Tomlin makes the most of her small role as Tina's militant feminist mother. The plot has Fey, who has worked for 16 years as a snooty admissions officer for Princeton, trying to get a special young student into the university, partly because he may be the child she gave up for adoption many years ago. The film tries to say alot about the changing direction of "families" in today's society. GRADE------B
There are great special effects, and the art and set direction are splendid, and the cinematography very sharp. The cast is certainly game. The only awkward aspect of the new film OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL is that it is trying awfully hard to be faithful to the continuing story of THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939) (as well as the current Broadway smash musical WICKED) that you spend a lot of time following the mechanics of its plot, squinting your eyes in disapproval if any of the action might contradict the popular Judy Garland version. Fortunately the plotting is pretty faithful and leaves the future story accessible to the history presented. Still, it requires a lot of explanation and talk talk talk, and at the screening I saw, the 20 or so youngsters in attendance became restless and bored several times. But never fear---soon would arrive a tornado, flying monkeys, wicked witches or Munchkins to recapture their attention. By the end, I was satisfied with this prequel. GRADE---------B
A sleeper in the best way, the new zombie comedy WARM BODIES is a new take on the crowded theme of the walking dead. These new zombies apparently can be warmed up and healed by love, unless that is, of course, they are so far gone that their skin has already been burned to a crisp. It's a clever comedy with some big laughs. GRADE------B
The new Romanian film BEYOND THE HILLS deals with religious (and as a side-bar, sexual) hysteria in a rural convent. When a young woman comes to visit her best friend at the nunnery, sexual tensions make the priest resent the new comer, and drive the friend into rebel mode as she tries to convince her nun friend to leave for the big city. The leisurely paced film slowly builds tension, and the ending is disturbing, as we know what we've seen, but the "outside" world has a different take on the troubled convent. GRADE-------B-
The new documentary SUSHI: GLOBAL CATCH gives strong evidence that the current sushi popularity is largely responsible for the diminishing supply of fish, especially tuna, in the world's oceans. I've seen this argument before, most effectively in the disturbing film THE COVE (2009), but it is well worth seeing again. GRADE------B-
The following were viewed on DVD during the past 2 weeks.
The classic film-noir NIGHT MOVES (1975), released after his masterworks of MIRACLE WORKER (1962), BONNIE AND CLYDE (1967), ALICE'S RESTAURANT (1969) and LITTLE BIG MAN (1970), proved that the talented director Arthur Penn was no fluke. Gene Hackman is a private eye hired to track down a runaway girl. After he finds her he realizes that a can of worms has been opened that infects just about everyone he's been in contact with. Fascinating characters and and plot twists, and a great symbolic ending that reminds me of CHINATOWN (1974). GRADE----------A
The best foreign language film Oscar went to the Japanese film DEPARTURES (2008), a gentle, lovely film about a young man who, with his wife, returns to his hometown after the loss of his beloved job as cello player for a symphony, and the death of his mother. The only job he can find--an undertaker's assistant. The film is very funny and warm, and becomes strangely beautiful as it delves into the ceremonial aspects of comforting the grieving while attending to the dead. This film packs a big emotional punch by the final scene. GRADE--------A
I saw the Ghibli Studio's film PRINCESS MONONOKE (1997) upon is original US release, and I remember really liking it, but watching it again recently, I can honestly say that I didn't recall a single scene from this film. It felt like I was watching it for the first time. The unusual, creative visual animation is all there, and the theme, very symbolic for the need to go "GREEN" and save the forests before they are extinct is still timely. Maybe the film is so odd and bizarre with the different creatures (like little white forest ghosts, white horrific wolves, spirit creatures that look like bucks with antlers gone wild, etc) that my mind couldn't conceive to remember it. Weird, but engrossing to watch. GRADE------B+
Last but by no means least, is the sentimental, atmospheric, emotional adventure film DOWN TO THE SEA IN SHIPS (1949) directed by Henry Hathaway. Lionel Barrymore mugs it up as the old grandfather captain on a whaling ship who has been fathering his grandson --a young Dean Stockwell in the finer points of shipboard life. He has some conflicts when a new younger captain (Richard Widmark) tries to teach him new ways. Talky and a bit tedious at first, but once they get to whaling at sea, it becomes rather engrossing GRADE------B
Saturday, March 16, 2013
THE HOBBIT (again), LIKE SOMEONE IN LOVE, THE QUARTET, DEAD MAN DOWN, THE MONK, PHANTOM, plus DVD choices
Top of the list for films seen in theatres this past 2 weeks start off with a repeat viewing of THE HOBBIT, first seen last December, but still as entertaining and enthralling as ever. My only complaint is the segment near the end inside the mountain where the hideous goblins live--there is so much running around (in fact, this is the third time that Gandolf the wizard has yelled to the dwarfs---"RUN!), swinging from rickety bridge to rickety bridge, and surviving the most deadly of falls of what seems like thousands of feet down rocky cliffs, that it feels more like a video game than a serious battle. I do enjoy that first meeting with Gollum where he plays cat and mouse games with Bilbo on the lake, which is inter cut with all that running around, but still, enough running around please. But a cinematic pleasure is not to be taken lightly, and the fantasy world created by Peter Jackson and company is still one of the great pleasures from last year. GRADE-------A-
Viewed last September at Vancouver International Film Festival, comes a small film with some hypnotic powers called LIKE SOMEONE IN LOVE, a new film by Iranian director Abbas Kiarostaini, filmed in Tokyo. A student who prostitutes herself at night is sent to an academic elderly client out in the suburbs who seems more interested in feeding her and playing house, and she finds herself strangely drawn to him, rather than her immature boy friend who seems to have violent reactions to her seeming disinterest in him. Not a lot happens, but the tension is sustained and you feel the coming together of two diverse souls as a very positive thing. GRADE-------B+
You might think the main reason for seeing THE QUARTET is that the great Maggie Smith (PRIME OF MISS JEAN BRODIE) is featured as "the DIVA" and gets her share of witty lines, as in her superb role in TV's DOWNTON ABBEY, so it is a lovely surprise to find that, yes, indeed she gets some great lines, but the three other actors who are part of THE QUARTET are equally delightful. Pauline Collins (best known for her stage and film performance as SHIRLEY VALENTINE), Billy Connolly (best known for MRS BROWN) and Tom Courtney (with a career stretching back to DR ZHIVAGO and beyond) are all working on all cylinders. Even though the plot is rather slim and leisurely predictable, it is an extreme pleasure watching these great actors go through their paces. Another wonderful reason for seeing this film---it's set in a retirement home for aging musicians, and most of the bit parts are played by actual music greats from the past. GRADE---B
Seen at last years SIFF, the Gothic film THE MONK is set in Madrid during the 17th century. A highly religious and popular monk has his spirituality tested by the arrival of a strange younger monk wearing a mask. Soon he finds that the devil is his real challenge. This is a superior melodrama based on a novel, and featuring good production values. I found it luridly fascinating. GRADE------B
Directed by Niels Arden Oplev of the Swedish THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, and starring Noomi Rapace (from that same film) the new want-to-be noir crime thriller DEAD MAN DOWN has some interesting, watchable scenes and the actors are compelling in sort of an over wrought manner, but the plot is convoluted and contains some big contrivances that don't make much sense. Dominic Cooper, Isabelle Hubert, Terrance Howard and Colin Farrell all make a good impression, and it's not a dull film--it just doesn't all come together like it should, plus it opens and closes with a couple of outrageously violent and bloody scenes that stretch credibility. GRADE-----C+
In the mid 1960's, a rogue atomic submarine is missing from the Russian arsenal and a power struggle ensues on board that might set off a nuclear war with the United States. The new film PHANTOM has all the right set up, and the cast (headed by Ed Harris, David Duchovney and William Fitchner) are up for the task. Unfortunately, the script feels leaden and familiar (think K-19, HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER, BEDFORD INCIDENT, RUN SILENT RUN DEEP and dozens of other better films), the direction is just adequate and the entire film reeks of mediocrity. It is incredibly AVERAGE. GRADE------C
The following films were viewed on DVD during the last two weeks.
Set in a small, picturesque Peruvian fishing village, this dramatic, forbidden love/ghost story called UNDERTOW (2010) is handled with realism and an unbiased approach. The actors are beautiful and subtle, the setting and photography are stunning, and the film builds into a powerful and emotional ending. It works as an excellent cross between GHOST and BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN. GRADE---------A-
We usually watch this film THE REF (1994) during the Christmas season as an antidote to the saccharine films that usually appear, but it is a riot at any time of the year. Kevin Spacey and Judy Davis play a long suffering married couple who can't stop bickering, even when they are "kidnapped" by a vulgar local thief (Denis Leary) on Christmas Eve just before the acerbic mother-in-law (Glyns Johns)is showing up for dinner with her disfuncional family. The script is witty and nasty, and I enjoy this hilarious film every time I watch it. GRADE-------A-
An enjoyable if fantastic Studio Ghibli animated film SPIRITED AWAY (2001) has a young girl loosing her parents (they are turned into pigs after eating too much pork!) and being sent to a fantasy world where she is forced to work in a bathhouse which services some very bizarre ghosts and spirits. The film is a trip without the drugs, yet has such creative creatures and a persuasive sense of innocence that it casts a strong and satisfying spell. It is reminiscent of a very dark and perverse ALICE IN WONDERLAND, but totally unique in and of itself. GRADE-------A-
Based on the popular stage play of the 1940's, David Lean's film by writer Noel Coward called BLITHE SPIRIT (1945) is witty and amusing even by today's standards. Dashing Rex Harrison plays the newly remarried husband who inadvertently conjures up his dead ex-wife's ghost during a seance held by a would be mystic played with her usual aplomb and wit by Margaret Rutherford. He is the only one who can see the ghost, so there are a lot of misunderstandings between his new wife and his ghost ex-wife. The dialogue is quite bemusing at times, and always quite clever. The ending surprised me, in spite of the fact I'd seen this film several years ago. GRADE------B+
Viewed last September at Vancouver International Film Festival, comes a small film with some hypnotic powers called LIKE SOMEONE IN LOVE, a new film by Iranian director Abbas Kiarostaini, filmed in Tokyo. A student who prostitutes herself at night is sent to an academic elderly client out in the suburbs who seems more interested in feeding her and playing house, and she finds herself strangely drawn to him, rather than her immature boy friend who seems to have violent reactions to her seeming disinterest in him. Not a lot happens, but the tension is sustained and you feel the coming together of two diverse souls as a very positive thing. GRADE-------B+
You might think the main reason for seeing THE QUARTET is that the great Maggie Smith (PRIME OF MISS JEAN BRODIE) is featured as "the DIVA" and gets her share of witty lines, as in her superb role in TV's DOWNTON ABBEY, so it is a lovely surprise to find that, yes, indeed she gets some great lines, but the three other actors who are part of THE QUARTET are equally delightful. Pauline Collins (best known for her stage and film performance as SHIRLEY VALENTINE), Billy Connolly (best known for MRS BROWN) and Tom Courtney (with a career stretching back to DR ZHIVAGO and beyond) are all working on all cylinders. Even though the plot is rather slim and leisurely predictable, it is an extreme pleasure watching these great actors go through their paces. Another wonderful reason for seeing this film---it's set in a retirement home for aging musicians, and most of the bit parts are played by actual music greats from the past. GRADE---B
Seen at last years SIFF, the Gothic film THE MONK is set in Madrid during the 17th century. A highly religious and popular monk has his spirituality tested by the arrival of a strange younger monk wearing a mask. Soon he finds that the devil is his real challenge. This is a superior melodrama based on a novel, and featuring good production values. I found it luridly fascinating. GRADE------B
Directed by Niels Arden Oplev of the Swedish THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, and starring Noomi Rapace (from that same film) the new want-to-be noir crime thriller DEAD MAN DOWN has some interesting, watchable scenes and the actors are compelling in sort of an over wrought manner, but the plot is convoluted and contains some big contrivances that don't make much sense. Dominic Cooper, Isabelle Hubert, Terrance Howard and Colin Farrell all make a good impression, and it's not a dull film--it just doesn't all come together like it should, plus it opens and closes with a couple of outrageously violent and bloody scenes that stretch credibility. GRADE-----C+
In the mid 1960's, a rogue atomic submarine is missing from the Russian arsenal and a power struggle ensues on board that might set off a nuclear war with the United States. The new film PHANTOM has all the right set up, and the cast (headed by Ed Harris, David Duchovney and William Fitchner) are up for the task. Unfortunately, the script feels leaden and familiar (think K-19, HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER, BEDFORD INCIDENT, RUN SILENT RUN DEEP and dozens of other better films), the direction is just adequate and the entire film reeks of mediocrity. It is incredibly AVERAGE. GRADE------C
The following films were viewed on DVD during the last two weeks.
Set in a small, picturesque Peruvian fishing village, this dramatic, forbidden love/ghost story called UNDERTOW (2010) is handled with realism and an unbiased approach. The actors are beautiful and subtle, the setting and photography are stunning, and the film builds into a powerful and emotional ending. It works as an excellent cross between GHOST and BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN. GRADE---------A-
We usually watch this film THE REF (1994) during the Christmas season as an antidote to the saccharine films that usually appear, but it is a riot at any time of the year. Kevin Spacey and Judy Davis play a long suffering married couple who can't stop bickering, even when they are "kidnapped" by a vulgar local thief (Denis Leary) on Christmas Eve just before the acerbic mother-in-law (Glyns Johns)is showing up for dinner with her disfuncional family. The script is witty and nasty, and I enjoy this hilarious film every time I watch it. GRADE-------A-
An enjoyable if fantastic Studio Ghibli animated film SPIRITED AWAY (2001) has a young girl loosing her parents (they are turned into pigs after eating too much pork!) and being sent to a fantasy world where she is forced to work in a bathhouse which services some very bizarre ghosts and spirits. The film is a trip without the drugs, yet has such creative creatures and a persuasive sense of innocence that it casts a strong and satisfying spell. It is reminiscent of a very dark and perverse ALICE IN WONDERLAND, but totally unique in and of itself. GRADE-------A-
Based on the popular stage play of the 1940's, David Lean's film by writer Noel Coward called BLITHE SPIRIT (1945) is witty and amusing even by today's standards. Dashing Rex Harrison plays the newly remarried husband who inadvertently conjures up his dead ex-wife's ghost during a seance held by a would be mystic played with her usual aplomb and wit by Margaret Rutherford. He is the only one who can see the ghost, so there are a lot of misunderstandings between his new wife and his ghost ex-wife. The dialogue is quite bemusing at times, and always quite clever. The ending surprised me, in spite of the fact I'd seen this film several years ago. GRADE------B+
Friday, March 1, 2013
AMOUR, THE QUARTET, JACK THE GIANT SLAYER, IDENTITY THIEF, plus FILM NOIR at SIFF!!!
Don't miss my TOP FILMS OF 2012 from my previous blog.
New films this week run the gamut, and this week saw four entries from the yearly Film Noir series
at SIFF Cinema.
The last film on my Oscar list that I saw just before the Oscar show was AMOUR, a French film that movingly, sadly, depressingly depicts the the downward spiral of a long married elderly couple as their life begins to change with the stroke of the wife. I was particularly impressed with the subtle, brave playing of the wife, portrayed by Oscar nominee Emmanuelle Riva. She conveyed the physical deterioration and the emotional frustration exquisitely, and keeps the film from becoming too maudlin and sentimental. It is still, unfortunately, very somber and grim, and will probably keep the film from achieving the height of popularity that it probably deserves, since so many middle aged people already have their hands full with the care of elderly and sick parents. GRADE----B+
Maggie Smith, whose popularity seems to be expanding daily due to the popular PBS Masterpiece production DOWNTON ABBEY, of which I am already a big fan, is certainly the main reason to see the new film THE QUARTET. Set in a retirement home for elderly musicians, and many of the actors were actual working musicians in their prime, the film tells of a recently retired diva (Miss Smith) whose arrival stirs a lot of passion--she's loved and loathed alike, and her ex-fiance (Tom Courtney) is particularly perturbed by her presence. Not a lot happens plot wise, but the cast (including Michael Garbon, Billy Connolly and Pauline Collins) is quite entertaining and the director, actor Dustin Hoffman, knows how to generously handle each scene, so the actors shine. GRADE---B
There's a lot to like in the special effects and look of JACK THE GIANT SLAYER, and the cast is first rate. Ewan McGregor, Stanley Tucci, Eddie Marsan and Ian McShane really make their pithy lines very funny. The story moves along and the direction by Bryan Singer (X-MEN, THE USUAL SUSPECTS, SUPERMAN RETURNS) is compelling. Unfortunately, the down side is that the giants, while visually impressive have little to do to separate them from each other, and come across as so much noise and chaos. (I also kept wondering where are all the female giants?, and how do they come across all the food that they need to fill their huge stomachs? Still, older children may be fascinated and there's enough to keep the adults entertained, even if it amounts to little by the end.
GRADE--------B-
A popular, high grossing, high concept comedy from the last couple weeks is IDENTITY THIEF, and the previews make it seem like a great idea. But good ideas don't always translate to good movies, and this is one of the most lame brained movie in a long time. Melissa McCarthy certainly creates an intriguing character, and she gets most of the laughs and audience sympathy, but the plot is quite insipid, and an uninspired sub plot involving bounty hunters and drug dealers is particularly weak. Jason Bateman is his usual milquetoast self, and the jokes just don't make much sense, plus they just aren't very funny. Eric Stonestreet from TV's MODERN FAMILY has a couple of amusing scenes with McCarthy, and for that, the grade I give this is very very generous... GRADE--------C-
Following are revival films from either DVD or the Noir film series that I saw in the past two weeks.
A new Blu Ray version of THE AFRICAN QUEEN (1951) really looks great and makes the excellent chemistry between Katherine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart even more effective. The scene where they "come together" on the river and decide this is the most beautiful place each has ever seen, now, actually looks like a very lovely place indeed, with flowering vines and large rhododendrons. A classic, beautifully made adventure romance. GRADE-------A
I don't think I've ever seen Billy Wilder's noir classic SUNSET BOULEVARD (1950) from start to finish, and the newly restored vision at the Film Noir series was a terrific way to view it. I was particularly impressed with Gloria Swanson's not quite over the top role of the faded silent screen siren, trying to restore herself to her past glories. When you see bits and clips, her performance seems way over the top, but all together, it is a fascinating, funny tour de force. GRADE--------A-
I'd never seen THE THIRD MAN (1949), director Carol Reed's masterpiece with Orson Wells, Joseph Cotten and Valli, and set in a post war Vienna, that is decayed and mysterious and divided into four parts. The mystery plot (about trying to find out who murdered the complicated Harry Lime) is not the most convincing, but the mood, characters, camera shots and shadows, and general unpleasantness of Harry Lime's life keep the film fascinating. GRADE------A-
A film that spent 5 years on the shelf due to legal battles with the director and his backers, has finally come out on DVD (after a brief theatrical run last year). MARGARET (2011) tells the sad tale of a teenager who witnesses a tragic accident to which she feels partly responsible, and her guilt throws her life into crisis, testing her relationships with her parents, teachers and friends. When she tries to right some wrongs, she find things get complicated. There are some wonderfully thoughtful performances (by Anna Paquin, J. Smith-Cameron, Jeannie Berlin, Allison Janney, Matt Damon, Mark Ruffalo and others) and a very compelling story to get you past the long (2 1/2 hour) running time. A special film that is moving and fascinating. GRADE------B+
A very little, nifty film noir called THE WINDOW (1949) and based on a Cornell Woolrich story, features a 10 year old boy which a penchant for stories and exaggeration becoming witness to a murder by the neighbors up stairs, and of course, his parents don't believe him, but the killer neighbors sure do. A good suspense yarn. GRADE------B+
An unusual suspense thriller from the usually comedic director Blake Edwards, this smart noir called EXPERIMENT IN TERROR (1962) has a mysterious man attempting to make Lee Remick rob the bank she works for, or else her sister will be molested and murdered. There are some pervy moments and the tension is steadily maintained. San Francisco is well featured, and the actors including Ross Martin, Stephanie Powers, and Glenn Ford are quite reliable. GRADE-------B
Another noir, REPEAT PERFORMANCE (1947) has a woman murdering her husband in the opening scene, then she gets a chance to turn back the clock to a year earlier to change the course of events, in this very interesting story with some similar themes to IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, but darker and more cynical. GRADE------B
TALES FROM EARTHSEA (2006) is a Studio Ghibli animated film from director Goro Miyazaki and based on an Ursula K. LeGuin series of books. The anime is good though not great, and the story is interesting, if a bit familiar. Obviously much of the story is truncated and made simpler to fit the two hour running time. Ambitious. GRADE------B-
New films this week run the gamut, and this week saw four entries from the yearly Film Noir series
at SIFF Cinema.
The last film on my Oscar list that I saw just before the Oscar show was AMOUR, a French film that movingly, sadly, depressingly depicts the the downward spiral of a long married elderly couple as their life begins to change with the stroke of the wife. I was particularly impressed with the subtle, brave playing of the wife, portrayed by Oscar nominee Emmanuelle Riva. She conveyed the physical deterioration and the emotional frustration exquisitely, and keeps the film from becoming too maudlin and sentimental. It is still, unfortunately, very somber and grim, and will probably keep the film from achieving the height of popularity that it probably deserves, since so many middle aged people already have their hands full with the care of elderly and sick parents. GRADE----B+
Maggie Smith, whose popularity seems to be expanding daily due to the popular PBS Masterpiece production DOWNTON ABBEY, of which I am already a big fan, is certainly the main reason to see the new film THE QUARTET. Set in a retirement home for elderly musicians, and many of the actors were actual working musicians in their prime, the film tells of a recently retired diva (Miss Smith) whose arrival stirs a lot of passion--she's loved and loathed alike, and her ex-fiance (Tom Courtney) is particularly perturbed by her presence. Not a lot happens plot wise, but the cast (including Michael Garbon, Billy Connolly and Pauline Collins) is quite entertaining and the director, actor Dustin Hoffman, knows how to generously handle each scene, so the actors shine. GRADE---B
There's a lot to like in the special effects and look of JACK THE GIANT SLAYER, and the cast is first rate. Ewan McGregor, Stanley Tucci, Eddie Marsan and Ian McShane really make their pithy lines very funny. The story moves along and the direction by Bryan Singer (X-MEN, THE USUAL SUSPECTS, SUPERMAN RETURNS) is compelling. Unfortunately, the down side is that the giants, while visually impressive have little to do to separate them from each other, and come across as so much noise and chaos. (I also kept wondering where are all the female giants?, and how do they come across all the food that they need to fill their huge stomachs? Still, older children may be fascinated and there's enough to keep the adults entertained, even if it amounts to little by the end.
GRADE--------B-
A popular, high grossing, high concept comedy from the last couple weeks is IDENTITY THIEF, and the previews make it seem like a great idea. But good ideas don't always translate to good movies, and this is one of the most lame brained movie in a long time. Melissa McCarthy certainly creates an intriguing character, and she gets most of the laughs and audience sympathy, but the plot is quite insipid, and an uninspired sub plot involving bounty hunters and drug dealers is particularly weak. Jason Bateman is his usual milquetoast self, and the jokes just don't make much sense, plus they just aren't very funny. Eric Stonestreet from TV's MODERN FAMILY has a couple of amusing scenes with McCarthy, and for that, the grade I give this is very very generous... GRADE--------C-
Following are revival films from either DVD or the Noir film series that I saw in the past two weeks.
A new Blu Ray version of THE AFRICAN QUEEN (1951) really looks great and makes the excellent chemistry between Katherine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart even more effective. The scene where they "come together" on the river and decide this is the most beautiful place each has ever seen, now, actually looks like a very lovely place indeed, with flowering vines and large rhododendrons. A classic, beautifully made adventure romance. GRADE-------A
I don't think I've ever seen Billy Wilder's noir classic SUNSET BOULEVARD (1950) from start to finish, and the newly restored vision at the Film Noir series was a terrific way to view it. I was particularly impressed with Gloria Swanson's not quite over the top role of the faded silent screen siren, trying to restore herself to her past glories. When you see bits and clips, her performance seems way over the top, but all together, it is a fascinating, funny tour de force. GRADE--------A-
I'd never seen THE THIRD MAN (1949), director Carol Reed's masterpiece with Orson Wells, Joseph Cotten and Valli, and set in a post war Vienna, that is decayed and mysterious and divided into four parts. The mystery plot (about trying to find out who murdered the complicated Harry Lime) is not the most convincing, but the mood, characters, camera shots and shadows, and general unpleasantness of Harry Lime's life keep the film fascinating. GRADE------A-
A film that spent 5 years on the shelf due to legal battles with the director and his backers, has finally come out on DVD (after a brief theatrical run last year). MARGARET (2011) tells the sad tale of a teenager who witnesses a tragic accident to which she feels partly responsible, and her guilt throws her life into crisis, testing her relationships with her parents, teachers and friends. When she tries to right some wrongs, she find things get complicated. There are some wonderfully thoughtful performances (by Anna Paquin, J. Smith-Cameron, Jeannie Berlin, Allison Janney, Matt Damon, Mark Ruffalo and others) and a very compelling story to get you past the long (2 1/2 hour) running time. A special film that is moving and fascinating. GRADE------B+
A very little, nifty film noir called THE WINDOW (1949) and based on a Cornell Woolrich story, features a 10 year old boy which a penchant for stories and exaggeration becoming witness to a murder by the neighbors up stairs, and of course, his parents don't believe him, but the killer neighbors sure do. A good suspense yarn. GRADE------B+
An unusual suspense thriller from the usually comedic director Blake Edwards, this smart noir called EXPERIMENT IN TERROR (1962) has a mysterious man attempting to make Lee Remick rob the bank she works for, or else her sister will be molested and murdered. There are some pervy moments and the tension is steadily maintained. San Francisco is well featured, and the actors including Ross Martin, Stephanie Powers, and Glenn Ford are quite reliable. GRADE-------B
Another noir, REPEAT PERFORMANCE (1947) has a woman murdering her husband in the opening scene, then she gets a chance to turn back the clock to a year earlier to change the course of events, in this very interesting story with some similar themes to IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, but darker and more cynical. GRADE------B
TALES FROM EARTHSEA (2006) is a Studio Ghibli animated film from director Goro Miyazaki and based on an Ursula K. LeGuin series of books. The anime is good though not great, and the story is interesting, if a bit familiar. Obviously much of the story is truncated and made simpler to fit the two hour running time. Ambitious. GRADE------B-
Saturday, February 23, 2013
TOP FILMS OF 2012 plus OSCARS tomorrow
Finally, my TOP FILMS of 2012, just in time for the OSCARS presentations tomorrow, Sunday 24 February. Red carpet stuff starts at 4pm (or earlier on E!) and the ceremony starts at 5pm.
The following films I rated an "A" because I can't imagine them being made any better than they are, and because they gave me a lot of pleasure.
----A-----
ARGO--Dramatic, exciting, politically entertaining, witty and funny as hell-- OSCAR nominee
Alan Arkin and cohort John Goodman provide the comic relief.
SKYFALL--Great action, great actors (Daniel Craig, Judy Dench, Javier Bardem), great villains
super special effects, music, editing, photography. The best BOND ever!
MOONRISE KINGDOM--Wes Anderson's newest creates a world all it's own, where two runaway
kids seem more mature and sensible than the adults in their lives. Clever and witty.
CHASING ICE--Beautifully shot documentary about disappearing ice floes and icebergs. Covers
similar ground as Al Gore's AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH, but much less political.
Amazing time lapse photography that is gorgeous and shocking, too.
----A- -------
LIFE OF PI--Ang Lee's newest based on the philosophical novel is THE MOST BEAUTIFUL
FILM of the year to watch---I had to blink twice sometimes to acknowledge the
tranquil detail and extreme exotic purity of many scenes. Wonderful score and
special effects. Since Ben Afleck didn't get nominated for best Director for ARGO,
then I would give Ang Lee the nod for supremely handling a film that dealt so
eloquently with spirituality, children, water and underwater photography and the
humanizing of animal behavior. The final "twist" gives a new dimension to the story.
LAS ACACIAS--Lovely, intimate South American film about a lonely, long haul trucker who is
forced to take a young woman and her baby along. Of course, the baby manages
to steal many scenes, but the shyness of the main characters wins you over.
THE INTOUCHABLES--French comedy drama based on true story of the relationship between
an African caretaker and his rich white paraplegic charge--a classic "fish out of
water" story with humor and humanistic touches.
OSLO, AUGUST 31ST--Gripping "last day in the life" of an intelligent Norwegian suicidal drug
addict, and the people who touch his sad life.
THE AVENGERS--Big, noisy but very well constructed and entertaining super hero adventure.
THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY--Peter Jackson's magic is back on track. Can't
wait for segments 2 and 3.
LIBERAL ARTS--35 year old man visits his Alma mater and falls for a young student in his
attempt to reconnect with his "glory days" in this mature, charming tale.
EYE OF THE STORM-- Australian Fred Schepisi (CHANT OF JIMMIE BLACKSMITH,
ROXANNE) is back on track in a funny, almost campy family melodrama.
With Geoffrey Rush, Judy Davis, and the incomparable Charlotte Rampling.
DIANA VREELAND: THE EYE HAS TO TRAVEL--Superior documentary about fashion icon.
-----B+-------
LINCOLN--Fascinating historical epic with crowning performance by Daniel Day Lewis.
DJANGO UNCHAINED--Quentin Tarantino's latest is bloody mixture of lurid melodrama, high
action, terrific acting and comic overkill, but it's still very entertaining.
AMOUR--Serious French film about couple's struggles when the wife has a stroke. Actors are great.
THE SESSIONS--Excellent drama about a sex therapist trying to help iron lung patient discover
his sexuality. Helen Hunt and John Hawkes are terrific.
SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK--Quirky comedy drama that you either GET or don't GET.
I got it, and the cast is amazingly connected, especially deNiro and Jennifer
Lawrence, both OSCAR nominees. It creates a unique mise en scene.
SEARCHING FOR SUGARMAN--Amazing mystery documentary about a very talented singer/
songwriter, thought dead for many years, found living in anonymity.
BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD--I give a lot of credit to the director for taking us on this
journey to the uncharted world of poor people living and surviving on a Louisiana
bayou, but the true heroine of the film lies with the amazing force of nature,
--not the devastating hurricane that centers the film, but the true star who anchors
yet carries us along, 6year old Quvenzhane Wallis, a best actress nominee.
Other B+ films that could just as easily be in the top 20 above.......
PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER, HUNGER GAMES, LOOPER, BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL, CLOUD ATLAS, SECRET WORLD OF ARRIETY, ANNA KARENINA, FRIENDS WITH KIDS, KEEP THE LIGHTS ON, ELENA, FIVE YEAR ENGAGEMENT, DO DECA PENTHATHON, GAYBY....
FAVORITE GUILTY PLEASURES--------GAYBY, EYE OF THE STORM, JOHN CARTER, PITCH PERFECT, WANDERLUST, HITCHCOCK, PREMIUM RUSH, THE QUARTET, ROCK OF AGES, ICE AGE CONTINENTAL DRIFT, DR SEUSS LORAX,
SMALL BUDGET WONDERS-------BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL, GAYBY, DO DECA PENTHATHON, KEEP THE LIGHTS ON, ACACIAS, PEOPLE LIKE US, ANY DAY NOW, ROBOT AND FRANK, SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED,
TERRIBLE MOVIES--------TED< THE VOW< PARANORMAN< THIS MEANS WAR< GONE< and the worst for many reasons including shaking camera, bad lighting, bad sound, general ugliness etc--the newest version of WUTHERING HEIGHTS.
Some films NEARLY ruined by that damn SHAKY CAMERA-----RAMPART,END OF WATCH, TAKEN 2,BOURNE LEGACY, ZERO DARK THIRTY, ANY DAY NOW, LES MISERABLES, DO DECA PENTHATHON, BEAST OF SOUTHERN WILD
Some more modest films that are perfectly fine entertainment (Grade B or B-) include,
AMAZING SPIDER MAN, BRAVE, PROMETHEUS, THINK LIKE A MAN, HOPE SPRINGS,THE MASTER, SALMON FISHING IN YEMEN, ARBITRAGE, KID WITH A BIKE, 2 DAYS IN NY, SIMON AND OAKS, HOW TO SURVIVE A PLAGUE, BEL AMI, ANY DAY NOW, HELLO I MUST BE GOING, THE IMPOSSIBLE, THE QUARTET, WANDERLUST, LAWLESS, ZERO DARK THIRTY, LES MISERABLES, HELLO I MUST BE GOING, NORTH SEA TEXAS, TEDDY BEAR,
OSCAR STUFF
I'm hoping ARGO will win best picture, but I wouldn't mind LIFE OF PI or LINCOLN taking home the stature. DJANGO UNCHAINED was entertaining, but too violent, AMOUR too serious--it has a better chance in the Foreign Language Film category, SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK is too quirky, BEAST/SOUTHERN WILD and LES MISERABLES had too much shaky camera work to watch comfortably, and even though it is solid, ZERO DARK THIRTY suffers in comparison to the recently watched first TV season of HOMELAND as it shares many similar elements.
Daniel Day Lewis seems to have a lock for Best Actor, but I also admired Hugh Jackman and Bradley Cooper in LES MIS and SILVER LININGS respectively. I really loved all the best actress nominees--I'd vote for Naomi Watts as the mother trying to survive a tsunami with her one son in THE IMPOSSIBLE, but I think Jennifer Lawrence gave a brave performance in SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK (and THE HUNGER GAMES) and will probably win.
I really love Helen Hunt in THE SESSIONS---she's bravely nude in much of it, and the determined character of Sally Field in LINCOLN is very strong, but Anne Hathaway really nails her big dramatic song in LES MIS and certainly makes that film more memorable. The supporting actor category is really up for grabs this year---all actors are great, AND they've all won an OSCAR before!!!!! I'd vote for Christoph Waltz in DJANGO, but he just won 2 years ago for INGLORIOUS BASTARDS. It's been a while since Robert De Niro (SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK) so he might have the edge, but Tommy Lee Jones has had a great year (see HOPE SPRINGS) so LINCOLN might be his ticket. Alan Arkin is also well liked, and since ARGO was slighted in the direction category, this might be another bone thrown that way. I liked them all.......
Since Ben Afleck didn't get a nomination for best director (he's won at other awards ceremonies.....) I'd vote for previous winners Ang Lee or Steven Spielberg, but David O. Russel does some amazing things with SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK. Michael Haneke (AMOUR) and Benh Zeitlin (BEAST SOUTHERN WILD) are newcomers to the OSCARS and seem like long shots.
The writing awards are tougher for me to predict. I think MOONRISE KINGDOM should win, but this is its only nomination. My next choice would be Tarantino for DJANGO, but AMOUR, FLIGHT and ZERO DARK THIRTY all have their supporters in the original category. For adapted screenplay, I loved LINCOLN'S literacy and ARGO's suspense and drama. BEASTS, LIFE OF PI and SILVER LININGS are also strong.
I'd love LIFE OF PI to win for music score, cinematography and visual effects, and SKYFALL to win all the other technical awards.
I'm surprised that THE HOBBIT only got a couple minor nominations, because it is really a quality film, nearly as good as the LORD OF THE RINGS series. I think John Hawkes should have been nominated for THE SESSIONS. I'm also disappointed that SKYFALL got just a few nominations--since it is known as the BEST BOND EVER!!!!!!!
I have some miscellaneous dvd films and new openings to write about---perhaps next week. The new films include the fabulous Maggie Smith in THE QUARTET (Grade B) and the sad, moving AMOUR (Grade B+) and the annoyingly dull and mostly unfunny IDENTITY THIEF (a generous grade of C-)........I'll be as busy as I can be at SIFF Cinema's FILM NOIR series starting this weekend........
The following films I rated an "A" because I can't imagine them being made any better than they are, and because they gave me a lot of pleasure.
----A-----
ARGO--Dramatic, exciting, politically entertaining, witty and funny as hell-- OSCAR nominee
Alan Arkin and cohort John Goodman provide the comic relief.
SKYFALL--Great action, great actors (Daniel Craig, Judy Dench, Javier Bardem), great villains
super special effects, music, editing, photography. The best BOND ever!
MOONRISE KINGDOM--Wes Anderson's newest creates a world all it's own, where two runaway
kids seem more mature and sensible than the adults in their lives. Clever and witty.
CHASING ICE--Beautifully shot documentary about disappearing ice floes and icebergs. Covers
similar ground as Al Gore's AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH, but much less political.
Amazing time lapse photography that is gorgeous and shocking, too.
----A- -------
LIFE OF PI--Ang Lee's newest based on the philosophical novel is THE MOST BEAUTIFUL
FILM of the year to watch---I had to blink twice sometimes to acknowledge the
tranquil detail and extreme exotic purity of many scenes. Wonderful score and
special effects. Since Ben Afleck didn't get nominated for best Director for ARGO,
then I would give Ang Lee the nod for supremely handling a film that dealt so
eloquently with spirituality, children, water and underwater photography and the
humanizing of animal behavior. The final "twist" gives a new dimension to the story.
LAS ACACIAS--Lovely, intimate South American film about a lonely, long haul trucker who is
forced to take a young woman and her baby along. Of course, the baby manages
to steal many scenes, but the shyness of the main characters wins you over.
THE INTOUCHABLES--French comedy drama based on true story of the relationship between
an African caretaker and his rich white paraplegic charge--a classic "fish out of
water" story with humor and humanistic touches.
OSLO, AUGUST 31ST--Gripping "last day in the life" of an intelligent Norwegian suicidal drug
addict, and the people who touch his sad life.
THE AVENGERS--Big, noisy but very well constructed and entertaining super hero adventure.
THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY--Peter Jackson's magic is back on track. Can't
wait for segments 2 and 3.
LIBERAL ARTS--35 year old man visits his Alma mater and falls for a young student in his
attempt to reconnect with his "glory days" in this mature, charming tale.
EYE OF THE STORM-- Australian Fred Schepisi (CHANT OF JIMMIE BLACKSMITH,
ROXANNE) is back on track in a funny, almost campy family melodrama.
With Geoffrey Rush, Judy Davis, and the incomparable Charlotte Rampling.
DIANA VREELAND: THE EYE HAS TO TRAVEL--Superior documentary about fashion icon.
-----B+-------
LINCOLN--Fascinating historical epic with crowning performance by Daniel Day Lewis.
DJANGO UNCHAINED--Quentin Tarantino's latest is bloody mixture of lurid melodrama, high
action, terrific acting and comic overkill, but it's still very entertaining.
AMOUR--Serious French film about couple's struggles when the wife has a stroke. Actors are great.
THE SESSIONS--Excellent drama about a sex therapist trying to help iron lung patient discover
his sexuality. Helen Hunt and John Hawkes are terrific.
SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK--Quirky comedy drama that you either GET or don't GET.
I got it, and the cast is amazingly connected, especially deNiro and Jennifer
Lawrence, both OSCAR nominees. It creates a unique mise en scene.
SEARCHING FOR SUGARMAN--Amazing mystery documentary about a very talented singer/
songwriter, thought dead for many years, found living in anonymity.
BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD--I give a lot of credit to the director for taking us on this
journey to the uncharted world of poor people living and surviving on a Louisiana
bayou, but the true heroine of the film lies with the amazing force of nature,
--not the devastating hurricane that centers the film, but the true star who anchors
yet carries us along, 6year old Quvenzhane Wallis, a best actress nominee.
Other B+ films that could just as easily be in the top 20 above.......
PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER, HUNGER GAMES, LOOPER, BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL, CLOUD ATLAS, SECRET WORLD OF ARRIETY, ANNA KARENINA, FRIENDS WITH KIDS, KEEP THE LIGHTS ON, ELENA, FIVE YEAR ENGAGEMENT, DO DECA PENTHATHON, GAYBY....
FAVORITE GUILTY PLEASURES--------GAYBY, EYE OF THE STORM, JOHN CARTER, PITCH PERFECT, WANDERLUST, HITCHCOCK, PREMIUM RUSH, THE QUARTET, ROCK OF AGES, ICE AGE CONTINENTAL DRIFT, DR SEUSS LORAX,
SMALL BUDGET WONDERS-------BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL, GAYBY, DO DECA PENTHATHON, KEEP THE LIGHTS ON, ACACIAS, PEOPLE LIKE US, ANY DAY NOW, ROBOT AND FRANK, SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED,
TERRIBLE MOVIES--------TED< THE VOW< PARANORMAN< THIS MEANS WAR< GONE< and the worst for many reasons including shaking camera, bad lighting, bad sound, general ugliness etc--the newest version of WUTHERING HEIGHTS.
Some films NEARLY ruined by that damn SHAKY CAMERA-----RAMPART,END OF WATCH, TAKEN 2,BOURNE LEGACY, ZERO DARK THIRTY, ANY DAY NOW, LES MISERABLES, DO DECA PENTHATHON, BEAST OF SOUTHERN WILD
Some more modest films that are perfectly fine entertainment (Grade B or B-) include,
AMAZING SPIDER MAN, BRAVE, PROMETHEUS, THINK LIKE A MAN, HOPE SPRINGS,THE MASTER, SALMON FISHING IN YEMEN, ARBITRAGE, KID WITH A BIKE, 2 DAYS IN NY, SIMON AND OAKS, HOW TO SURVIVE A PLAGUE, BEL AMI, ANY DAY NOW, HELLO I MUST BE GOING, THE IMPOSSIBLE, THE QUARTET, WANDERLUST, LAWLESS, ZERO DARK THIRTY, LES MISERABLES, HELLO I MUST BE GOING, NORTH SEA TEXAS, TEDDY BEAR,
OSCAR STUFF
I'm hoping ARGO will win best picture, but I wouldn't mind LIFE OF PI or LINCOLN taking home the stature. DJANGO UNCHAINED was entertaining, but too violent, AMOUR too serious--it has a better chance in the Foreign Language Film category, SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK is too quirky, BEAST/SOUTHERN WILD and LES MISERABLES had too much shaky camera work to watch comfortably, and even though it is solid, ZERO DARK THIRTY suffers in comparison to the recently watched first TV season of HOMELAND as it shares many similar elements.
Daniel Day Lewis seems to have a lock for Best Actor, but I also admired Hugh Jackman and Bradley Cooper in LES MIS and SILVER LININGS respectively. I really loved all the best actress nominees--I'd vote for Naomi Watts as the mother trying to survive a tsunami with her one son in THE IMPOSSIBLE, but I think Jennifer Lawrence gave a brave performance in SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK (and THE HUNGER GAMES) and will probably win.
I really love Helen Hunt in THE SESSIONS---she's bravely nude in much of it, and the determined character of Sally Field in LINCOLN is very strong, but Anne Hathaway really nails her big dramatic song in LES MIS and certainly makes that film more memorable. The supporting actor category is really up for grabs this year---all actors are great, AND they've all won an OSCAR before!!!!! I'd vote for Christoph Waltz in DJANGO, but he just won 2 years ago for INGLORIOUS BASTARDS. It's been a while since Robert De Niro (SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK) so he might have the edge, but Tommy Lee Jones has had a great year (see HOPE SPRINGS) so LINCOLN might be his ticket. Alan Arkin is also well liked, and since ARGO was slighted in the direction category, this might be another bone thrown that way. I liked them all.......
Since Ben Afleck didn't get a nomination for best director (he's won at other awards ceremonies.....) I'd vote for previous winners Ang Lee or Steven Spielberg, but David O. Russel does some amazing things with SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK. Michael Haneke (AMOUR) and Benh Zeitlin (BEAST SOUTHERN WILD) are newcomers to the OSCARS and seem like long shots.
The writing awards are tougher for me to predict. I think MOONRISE KINGDOM should win, but this is its only nomination. My next choice would be Tarantino for DJANGO, but AMOUR, FLIGHT and ZERO DARK THIRTY all have their supporters in the original category. For adapted screenplay, I loved LINCOLN'S literacy and ARGO's suspense and drama. BEASTS, LIFE OF PI and SILVER LININGS are also strong.
I'd love LIFE OF PI to win for music score, cinematography and visual effects, and SKYFALL to win all the other technical awards.
I'm surprised that THE HOBBIT only got a couple minor nominations, because it is really a quality film, nearly as good as the LORD OF THE RINGS series. I think John Hawkes should have been nominated for THE SESSIONS. I'm also disappointed that SKYFALL got just a few nominations--since it is known as the BEST BOND EVER!!!!!!!
I have some miscellaneous dvd films and new openings to write about---perhaps next week. The new films include the fabulous Maggie Smith in THE QUARTET (Grade B) and the sad, moving AMOUR (Grade B+) and the annoyingly dull and mostly unfunny IDENTITY THIEF (a generous grade of C-)........I'll be as busy as I can be at SIFF Cinema's FILM NOIR series starting this weekend........
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
DJANGO UNCHAINED, ZERO DARK 30, FRANCINE, LES MIZ again, and OSCAR NOMINATIONS!!!!
I always approach Quentin Tarentino films with much trepidation, knowing that from experience they will be alternately profane, violent, amusing, creative, energetic, outrageous, musical and perhaps tedious at times. His newest film DJANGO UNCHAINED is right up there with his most (see adjective above and insert here) films. I must say that I loved the first 90 minutes very very much, for its audacious plot/script, that has a German bounty hunter (Christoph Waltz) teaming up with a freed slave (Jamie Foxx) in search of the well paying bounty hunting of white criminals that seem to end up exploiting slaves on Southern plantations. The film is an extreme black revenge fantasy, and in spite of it's lurid moments and bizarre humor, the film is intelligently entertaining. But the final third, set on the plantation of an over the top sadistic slave master played with gleeful abandon by Leonardo DiCaprio and his faithful overseer of the slaves Samuel L. Jackson at his ornery, witty mode changes the mood to a more brutal tone. The violent climax features buckets of abstract red blood splattered copiously far and wide and the greatest explosive pyrotechnics that Hollywood can provide. (Quentin Tarentino, in a small cameo role, gets a spectacular exit.) If you're in the mood, it's a hoot. If not, it can dampen your pleasure in the film. Still, I WAS NOT BORED, and give the film snaps for creativity and entertainment value given the melodramatic subject matter. You've never seen anything like this. GRADE--------B+
ZERO DARK 30 played for me much like director Katheryn Bigelow's previous Oscar winner THE HURT LOCK from a couple years ago---technically proficient, some intense scenes, competent actors, but rather clinical in it's approach to the story--this time the hunt for and killing of Osama Bin Laden. There is also some use of a hand held camera which I detest--at least it is not used as intensely as some films that have been ruined by excessive motion--(LES MISERABLES, END OF SHIFT come quickly to mind.....)
I've been enjoying Jessica Chastain for the last two years---she's appeared in over 6 roles, most effectively in THE HELP last year. Here she is portraying someone who is work obsessed, clinical, determined, driven---but with no back story, she's not very intriguing. The final 45 minutes is the most interesting, as the mission goes into effect and is played out probably as accurately as the bits of news we witnessed on TV gave us. Over all the film is intelligent in a clinical manner--there's nothing to engage our sympathies, however. GRADE--------B
I finally saw LES MISERABLES again, this time at a much better theatre, and while the earlier assessment is accurate for me, at least the foreheads and chins of the actors were not cut off and the hand held camera work and the "way to many closeups" were not quite so annoying. I've been humming the score for several weeks now, and not a bad score to hum. GRADE-------B
Screened at the recent Vancouver Intl Film Festival in October, the modest film FRANCINE features a fine performance by Melissa Leo as a recently released convict who has trouble relating to people but, we think at first, seems able to relate to animals. She works at an animal shelter, feeding and washing and adopting animals, until towards the end of the short 70 minute feature, we realize her home has become a hoarders nightmare of dozens of animals, with food and liter covering nearly every inch of her home. As usual, Miss Leo is fascinating, and the film wouldn't exist without her layered and compelling nuances. GRADE--------B
Watched on DVD----------------------------
The final installment of the DRAGON TATTOO TRILOGY is called THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNET'S NEST and it is a compelling and satisfying mystery thriller that ties up most of the loose ends and brings some closure to the characters that make up the nearly 9 hour Swedish TV series that was made into 3 film for the US viewers. I watched the Extended Version, and while there is not a lot of crucial scenes that were missing from the theatrical version, it was interesting to see some of the scenes that weren't there--usually adding some clarification to the drama, and there are a couple modest subplots that help make the film feel stronger. GRADE------------A-
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON (2010) is a superior animated film with lots of adult humor stirred in, having to do with domesticating dragons, honoring family, becoming your own person, etc---all presented with lovely special effects and scenery. GRADE-----B+
Roman Polanski's version of OLIVER TWIST (2005) was a flop in the USA, barely opening in most of the country, but in Europe, the film was a modest hit, bringing it's box office gross to over $40 million. It was made just after his award winning THE PIANIST (2002) and just prior to THE GHOST WRITER (2010). It's a pity, because this version has a lot to recommend it. The sets are quite spectacular, the actors very effective (Ben Kingsly plays Fagin), and the music score (by Rachel Portman) is most lovely. I enjoyed this film quite a bit---certainly even better than anything you'd see on Masterpiece Theatre. Well worth a watch on DVD. GRADE--------B+
Billed as "a dark feel good comedy" and quite funny in it's deadpan humor, the Norwegian film A SOMEWHAT GENTLE MAN (2010) starring Stellan Skarsgaard is a strange hybrid of gangster film crossed with love story crossed with character study. Just out of prison, his boss wants to set him up with a job and a revenge plan, but Skarsgard's characters just wants to eat and make love to any number of women who cross his path--and in that order, too. GRADE-------B+
I watched Jodie Foster's film NIM'S ISLAND (2008) prior to seeing her bizarre, confusing, rambling speech on the recent Golden Globe's show, and thought that for a desert island child's fantasy film, it was pretty good, and she seemed calmer and less intense than usual, for a change, and I like her that way. Gerard Butler and Abagail Breslin also star, and the film should have been a bigger hit on the family circuit than it was. Now, back to the Golden Globes show, it seemed like she was trying to say a lot of things, but felt she didn't have to, so the "is she out or not" question seemed obscured by the pleas for privacy (and this from one of the most reclusive stars working in Hollywood these days) and the heartfelt anguish over her mother's dementia (?). And is she retiring or not from film making? Weird. GRADE-------B-
Produced by 20th Century Fox just after the disastrous years long filming of CLEOPATRA that nearly sank the studio, this trifle of a comedy TAKE HER SHE'S MINE (1963) stars James Stewart and Sandra Dee as an overly possessive father who tries to protect his college bound daughter from losing her virtue, but he ends up in a succession of scandalous situations--mostly from his own eager stupidity. Surprisingly, there are a number of funny sight gags and clever lines strewn among the predictable situations, and Jimmy Stewart is nothing if not a stalwart good sport as an actor. GRADE-----C+
************************
OSCAR NOMINATIONS came out last week, and as usual there were surprises and missed opportunities. I don't have too many problems with the best picture category, but I think that SKYFALL, being touted as the best BOND ever should have eked out a nomination. I would have loved to have seen Samantha Barks and Eddie Redmayne get supporting nominations for LES MISERABLES--they both stand out in my mind as more subtle choices than some others. I think it was brave for the Academy to honor the small indie BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD with nominations for Picture, Director and Actress--I admired this film a lot, except for the distracting hand held camera business, and the child star Emmanuelle Riva certainly makes this film stand out in memory. The foreign film category always disappoints me, as the country nominates their own film--not necessarily the best film---for consideration. Hence, THE UNTOUCHABLES missed out on a nomination--one of the best from SIFF. More comments later, and watch out for my FAVORITE FILMS from 2012 coming in the next few weeks.
ZERO DARK 30 played for me much like director Katheryn Bigelow's previous Oscar winner THE HURT LOCK from a couple years ago---technically proficient, some intense scenes, competent actors, but rather clinical in it's approach to the story--this time the hunt for and killing of Osama Bin Laden. There is also some use of a hand held camera which I detest--at least it is not used as intensely as some films that have been ruined by excessive motion--(LES MISERABLES, END OF SHIFT come quickly to mind.....)
I've been enjoying Jessica Chastain for the last two years---she's appeared in over 6 roles, most effectively in THE HELP last year. Here she is portraying someone who is work obsessed, clinical, determined, driven---but with no back story, she's not very intriguing. The final 45 minutes is the most interesting, as the mission goes into effect and is played out probably as accurately as the bits of news we witnessed on TV gave us. Over all the film is intelligent in a clinical manner--there's nothing to engage our sympathies, however. GRADE--------B
I finally saw LES MISERABLES again, this time at a much better theatre, and while the earlier assessment is accurate for me, at least the foreheads and chins of the actors were not cut off and the hand held camera work and the "way to many closeups" were not quite so annoying. I've been humming the score for several weeks now, and not a bad score to hum. GRADE-------B
Screened at the recent Vancouver Intl Film Festival in October, the modest film FRANCINE features a fine performance by Melissa Leo as a recently released convict who has trouble relating to people but, we think at first, seems able to relate to animals. She works at an animal shelter, feeding and washing and adopting animals, until towards the end of the short 70 minute feature, we realize her home has become a hoarders nightmare of dozens of animals, with food and liter covering nearly every inch of her home. As usual, Miss Leo is fascinating, and the film wouldn't exist without her layered and compelling nuances. GRADE--------B
Watched on DVD----------------------------
The final installment of the DRAGON TATTOO TRILOGY is called THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNET'S NEST and it is a compelling and satisfying mystery thriller that ties up most of the loose ends and brings some closure to the characters that make up the nearly 9 hour Swedish TV series that was made into 3 film for the US viewers. I watched the Extended Version, and while there is not a lot of crucial scenes that were missing from the theatrical version, it was interesting to see some of the scenes that weren't there--usually adding some clarification to the drama, and there are a couple modest subplots that help make the film feel stronger. GRADE------------A-
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON (2010) is a superior animated film with lots of adult humor stirred in, having to do with domesticating dragons, honoring family, becoming your own person, etc---all presented with lovely special effects and scenery. GRADE-----B+
Roman Polanski's version of OLIVER TWIST (2005) was a flop in the USA, barely opening in most of the country, but in Europe, the film was a modest hit, bringing it's box office gross to over $40 million. It was made just after his award winning THE PIANIST (2002) and just prior to THE GHOST WRITER (2010). It's a pity, because this version has a lot to recommend it. The sets are quite spectacular, the actors very effective (Ben Kingsly plays Fagin), and the music score (by Rachel Portman) is most lovely. I enjoyed this film quite a bit---certainly even better than anything you'd see on Masterpiece Theatre. Well worth a watch on DVD. GRADE--------B+
Billed as "a dark feel good comedy" and quite funny in it's deadpan humor, the Norwegian film A SOMEWHAT GENTLE MAN (2010) starring Stellan Skarsgaard is a strange hybrid of gangster film crossed with love story crossed with character study. Just out of prison, his boss wants to set him up with a job and a revenge plan, but Skarsgard's characters just wants to eat and make love to any number of women who cross his path--and in that order, too. GRADE-------B+
I watched Jodie Foster's film NIM'S ISLAND (2008) prior to seeing her bizarre, confusing, rambling speech on the recent Golden Globe's show, and thought that for a desert island child's fantasy film, it was pretty good, and she seemed calmer and less intense than usual, for a change, and I like her that way. Gerard Butler and Abagail Breslin also star, and the film should have been a bigger hit on the family circuit than it was. Now, back to the Golden Globes show, it seemed like she was trying to say a lot of things, but felt she didn't have to, so the "is she out or not" question seemed obscured by the pleas for privacy (and this from one of the most reclusive stars working in Hollywood these days) and the heartfelt anguish over her mother's dementia (?). And is she retiring or not from film making? Weird. GRADE-------B-
Produced by 20th Century Fox just after the disastrous years long filming of CLEOPATRA that nearly sank the studio, this trifle of a comedy TAKE HER SHE'S MINE (1963) stars James Stewart and Sandra Dee as an overly possessive father who tries to protect his college bound daughter from losing her virtue, but he ends up in a succession of scandalous situations--mostly from his own eager stupidity. Surprisingly, there are a number of funny sight gags and clever lines strewn among the predictable situations, and Jimmy Stewart is nothing if not a stalwart good sport as an actor. GRADE-----C+
************************
OSCAR NOMINATIONS came out last week, and as usual there were surprises and missed opportunities. I don't have too many problems with the best picture category, but I think that SKYFALL, being touted as the best BOND ever should have eked out a nomination. I would have loved to have seen Samantha Barks and Eddie Redmayne get supporting nominations for LES MISERABLES--they both stand out in my mind as more subtle choices than some others. I think it was brave for the Academy to honor the small indie BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD with nominations for Picture, Director and Actress--I admired this film a lot, except for the distracting hand held camera business, and the child star Emmanuelle Riva certainly makes this film stand out in memory. The foreign film category always disappoints me, as the country nominates their own film--not necessarily the best film---for consideration. Hence, THE UNTOUCHABLES missed out on a nomination--one of the best from SIFF. More comments later, and watch out for my FAVORITE FILMS from 2012 coming in the next few weeks.
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
LES MISERABLES, PROMISED LAND, THIS IS 40, GUILT TRIP, and finally A NEW LEAF now on Blu Ray DVD
Certainly one of the most anticipated films for myself this year end movie season has been the long time coming film version of the popular musical stage production LES MISERABLES. There have been over half a dozen filmed versions of the Victor Hugo novel in the past 50 years, including 3 that I recently viewed on DVD--1935, 1952 and the latest non musical with Liam Neeson in 1998. Obviously the length of the novel has to be truncated to keep the plot with in a 2-3 hour time slot, and the versions I saw seemed to all keep the basic essentials in tact. I will say right now that the new musical film was a frustrating disappointment for me, mostly because of what I found to be some major directorial/technical missteps.
The first problem is immediately apparent. The director has decided that the hand held shaky camera work that is becoming so prevalent in low budget films is the answer, but I detest hand held camera work---it is nausea inducing and distracting and I think cheapens the look of the film. The second big problem is his insistence in using extreme CLOSE-UPS in nearly every scene--I guess to emphasise the emotional impact of the songs. Unfortunately, the entire film is sung with nearly 80% of scenes in extreme close up giving the film a claustrophobic, non-epic feel, and if ever a film should look like an epic, LES MISERABLES is one. There are many scenes where the camera is so close in and giggly that I wanted to move to the rear of the theatre. The third problem I had was not necessarily the fault of the film maker, but the theatre in which I saw it. I saw this film the day after Christmas with my parents in the local Stanwood WA theatre. When I walked in early, I noticed the screen was very wide--nearly wall to wall, but very short---maybe 50 feet by 15 feet high. This resulted in many many heads being lopped off in numerous scenes, especially in the occasional medium shot---sort of a headless singing torso effect, and very annoying. Even my parents who are in no way cinematic connoisseurs, made comment to that after the showing. However, they both found the film to be impressive and engrossing. I intend to see the film again in a better equipped theatre in Seattle to see if these issues are easier to watch in better conditions.
However, the good news is that the music continues to soar. The much hyped process of having the actors actually sing live during the scene and adding the scoring later, seems to bring out the emotional best in each song. The film is well cast, with some impressive emotional singing and acting work by each cast member--Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe (effectively subtle), Anne Hathaway (who is not so subtle in her big torch song, but nails it dramatically nonetheless), Amanda Seyfried (with her lilting soprano ballads), and nearly stealing the show are two lesser characters played by relative newcomers Samantha Barks and Eddie Redmayne. Sasha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter provide some needed broadly comic relief, since basically this film has most of it's cast dying by consumption, murder, suicide or disease by the end.
So, do I recommend this film? Absolutely, since for many it will be the only way to see it--when the still very popular stage versions come to town, it is hard to get seats, and very very expensive. This film is clearly sung, with only some of the choruses difficult to understand at times, but you will still get the gist. The story remains compelling and dramatic, and the message that LES MISERABLES delivers is that hope and love can endure even in the worst of times. GRADE-----------B
PROMISED LAND is a modest drama about big business (in this case a natural gas company) VS an environmental movement in a small town that wants to stop the exploitation of their farmland. The film is watchable, and the cast is engaging (Matt Damon, Frances McDormand, John Krasinski) but it is such a gentle film that aside from the liberal sentiment, there is not much to remember when it is finished. GRADE--------B-
Judd Aptow has had enormous success with his comedies that he has produced, including SUPERBAD, FORGETTING SARAH MARSHAL, BRIDESMAIDS, THE FIVE YEAR ENGAGEMENT, and he has directed some smash hits like 40 YEAR OLD VIRGIN, KNOCKED UP, and FUNNY PEOPLE (one of my least favorite), but all these film share one disappointing flaw. THEY ARE TOO DAMN LONG, and need to be edited and/or shaped with more coherent plots. His latest film THIS IS 40 has the same problem. This film goes on and on, and just when you think it should be wrapping up, he introduces at least 2 new characters that haven't had much screen time in the first 2 hours. This is not to say that there are no interesting characters. Indeed, he gives all his characters lots of screen time, and the film has many sparkling examples of witty banter that float by providing a smile or smirk by the viewer. I just wish sometimes he'd get to the point a little faster.
GRADE--------B-
A situation comedy if there ever was one, THE GUILT TRIP is set up as a vehicle for Seth Rogan (a young, brash, struggling would be salesman), and Barbara Striesand (his older, brash, controlling mother.) It is certainly an easy movie to watch, and there are a few chuckles, but mostly it evaporates by the time each scene in finished. The plot has Rogan taking his mother Striesand on a road trip across country to try to sell his newly developed all natural cleaner to various large companies. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to determine what will happen by the end. However, the film is so tame that I can't even recommend it as a guilty pleasure. GRADE-------C
_______________
The 1971 comedy THE NEW LEAF has recently appeared on Blu Ray DVD, and it is one of my wife's favorite comedies. Elaine May wrote, directed and stars in the film along with Walter Matthau, as a rich goofy matron who is seduced by the scheming Matthau who is now broke and needs to marry a rich woman in order to continue living in he manner to which he is accustomed. The film is very quirky and awkwardly paced at the beginning, and it always takes me a while to get into the (pleasurable) leisurely comedic style, but the characters become endearing and the charming film has a way of getting under your skin. GRADE----------B
The first problem is immediately apparent. The director has decided that the hand held shaky camera work that is becoming so prevalent in low budget films is the answer, but I detest hand held camera work---it is nausea inducing and distracting and I think cheapens the look of the film. The second big problem is his insistence in using extreme CLOSE-UPS in nearly every scene--I guess to emphasise the emotional impact of the songs. Unfortunately, the entire film is sung with nearly 80% of scenes in extreme close up giving the film a claustrophobic, non-epic feel, and if ever a film should look like an epic, LES MISERABLES is one. There are many scenes where the camera is so close in and giggly that I wanted to move to the rear of the theatre. The third problem I had was not necessarily the fault of the film maker, but the theatre in which I saw it. I saw this film the day after Christmas with my parents in the local Stanwood WA theatre. When I walked in early, I noticed the screen was very wide--nearly wall to wall, but very short---maybe 50 feet by 15 feet high. This resulted in many many heads being lopped off in numerous scenes, especially in the occasional medium shot---sort of a headless singing torso effect, and very annoying. Even my parents who are in no way cinematic connoisseurs, made comment to that after the showing. However, they both found the film to be impressive and engrossing. I intend to see the film again in a better equipped theatre in Seattle to see if these issues are easier to watch in better conditions.
However, the good news is that the music continues to soar. The much hyped process of having the actors actually sing live during the scene and adding the scoring later, seems to bring out the emotional best in each song. The film is well cast, with some impressive emotional singing and acting work by each cast member--Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe (effectively subtle), Anne Hathaway (who is not so subtle in her big torch song, but nails it dramatically nonetheless), Amanda Seyfried (with her lilting soprano ballads), and nearly stealing the show are two lesser characters played by relative newcomers Samantha Barks and Eddie Redmayne. Sasha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter provide some needed broadly comic relief, since basically this film has most of it's cast dying by consumption, murder, suicide or disease by the end.
So, do I recommend this film? Absolutely, since for many it will be the only way to see it--when the still very popular stage versions come to town, it is hard to get seats, and very very expensive. This film is clearly sung, with only some of the choruses difficult to understand at times, but you will still get the gist. The story remains compelling and dramatic, and the message that LES MISERABLES delivers is that hope and love can endure even in the worst of times. GRADE-----------B
PROMISED LAND is a modest drama about big business (in this case a natural gas company) VS an environmental movement in a small town that wants to stop the exploitation of their farmland. The film is watchable, and the cast is engaging (Matt Damon, Frances McDormand, John Krasinski) but it is such a gentle film that aside from the liberal sentiment, there is not much to remember when it is finished. GRADE--------B-
Judd Aptow has had enormous success with his comedies that he has produced, including SUPERBAD, FORGETTING SARAH MARSHAL, BRIDESMAIDS, THE FIVE YEAR ENGAGEMENT, and he has directed some smash hits like 40 YEAR OLD VIRGIN, KNOCKED UP, and FUNNY PEOPLE (one of my least favorite), but all these film share one disappointing flaw. THEY ARE TOO DAMN LONG, and need to be edited and/or shaped with more coherent plots. His latest film THIS IS 40 has the same problem. This film goes on and on, and just when you think it should be wrapping up, he introduces at least 2 new characters that haven't had much screen time in the first 2 hours. This is not to say that there are no interesting characters. Indeed, he gives all his characters lots of screen time, and the film has many sparkling examples of witty banter that float by providing a smile or smirk by the viewer. I just wish sometimes he'd get to the point a little faster.
GRADE--------B-
A situation comedy if there ever was one, THE GUILT TRIP is set up as a vehicle for Seth Rogan (a young, brash, struggling would be salesman), and Barbara Striesand (his older, brash, controlling mother.) It is certainly an easy movie to watch, and there are a few chuckles, but mostly it evaporates by the time each scene in finished. The plot has Rogan taking his mother Striesand on a road trip across country to try to sell his newly developed all natural cleaner to various large companies. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to determine what will happen by the end. However, the film is so tame that I can't even recommend it as a guilty pleasure. GRADE-------C
_______________
The 1971 comedy THE NEW LEAF has recently appeared on Blu Ray DVD, and it is one of my wife's favorite comedies. Elaine May wrote, directed and stars in the film along with Walter Matthau, as a rich goofy matron who is seduced by the scheming Matthau who is now broke and needs to marry a rich woman in order to continue living in he manner to which he is accustomed. The film is very quirky and awkwardly paced at the beginning, and it always takes me a while to get into the (pleasurable) leisurely comedic style, but the characters become endearing and the charming film has a way of getting under your skin. GRADE----------B
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