The New York Film Critics Circle recently
announced its awards for 2003 motion pictures. Some of the lead
awards are:
Best Picture:
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the
King
Best Actor:
Bill Murray
( Lost in Translation)
Best Actress:
Hope Davis
(American Splendor and The Secret Lives
of Dentists)
Best Supporting Actor:
Eugene Levy
(A Mighty Wind)
Best Supporting Actress:
Shohreh
Aghdashloo (House of Sand and
Fog)
Best Director:
Sofia Coppola
(Lost in Translation)
Best Foreign Film:
City of God
Best NonFiction Film:
Capturing The Friedmans
Top 10 Lists of the Reviewers of
the New York Times for 2003
Elvis Mitchell:
Pirates of the Caribbean; 21 Grams; The
Triplets of Belleville; Elephant; Capturing the Friedmans; Lost in
Translation; Raising Victor Vargas; American Splendor; The Lord of
the Rings: The Return of the King; The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
(restoration)
A. O. Scott:
Master and Commander; Mystic River; The
Son; Spellbound; The Barbarian Invasions; The Man Without A Past; The
Triplets of Belleville; Finding Nemo; Bus 174; A Mighty
Wind
Stephen Holden:
Angels in America (shown on HBO); Mystic
River; The Fog of War; Capturing the Friedmans; Lost inTranslation;
House of Sand and Fog; The Barbarian Invasions; American Splendor;
Thirteen; City of God
Roy's 10 Best Viewed for 2003*:
The Hours; Whale Rider; Rabbit-Proof
Fence; The Fast Runner; Bloody Sunday; Bend It Like Beckham; The
Quiet American; Raising Victor Vargas; The Pianist; All or
Nothing
*Since I see many films the year after
their release, some of these are actually from the previous
year.
2004 Reviews
My rating system:
*A loser, a bomb. Miss it at all
costs.
**An acceptable film, but not much
more.
***An average film with some
virtues.
****An excellent film. Recommended
highly.
*****A one of a kind. A great
film.
"Open
Water"-I've always thought that people
who do crazy things like mountain-climbing are asking for trouble.
Well, scuba-diving isn't mountain climbing but it seems close enough
to me and "Open Water" proves my point. This film, originally
photographed in digital video, tells the disturbing tale of a young
couple, Susan (Blanchard Ryan) and Daniel (Daniel Travis), who leave
their suburban house and busy business schedules behind to go on
vacation where they will be scuba diving. Despite warnings on the
diving boat to stay with the group, they go off on their own and, as
a result of this and a miscount of divers returning to the boat, find
themselves stranded in the middle of the ocean surrounded by sharks.
The rest of the film is literally of the two treading water, talking,
and interacting with the creatures around them. "Open Water" clearly
conveys the slowly developing horror that surrounds these two when
they realize that they are lost and possibly abandoned with little
hope. Although there are slightly amateurish aspects to the film,
created by Chris Kentis and his wife, Laura Lau, "Open Water"
certainly will make anyone think twice about ever jumping off a boat
in the middle of the ocean with the confidence that the boat will be
there when they surface. DVD ***1/2
(12/30/04)
"The
Mother"-This British drama has a very
unusual and difficult tale to tell. May (Anne Reid) and her husband
Toots (Peter Vaughn) come from the suburbs to visit their two
children in London. It's obvious that both adult children have grown
extremely distant from their parents. Their son, Bobby (Steven
Mackintosh) is doing well. He's married with children and living in
an upscale townhouse in which a conservatory is being constructed by
Darren (Daniel Craig), who just happens to be a married man having an
affair with May's daughter, Paula (Cathryn Bradshaw). When Toots dies
suddenly, May can't face going home to an empty house and imposes
herself upon her children, especially Paula who ultimately expresses
great resentment against her mother for failing to encourage her in
life. May comes to Bobby's house and watches Darren do his work,
admiring his form and personality and ultimately falls into an
unlikely affair with this man who is half her age. Darren is charming
and self-centered, enjoying the admiration that comes from this older
woman. May, needless to say, is a woman attempting to break away from
her years of drudgery as a suburban housewife caring exclusively for
her husband, but she does it in a completely self-absorbed way
showing no true feelings for her children. Anne Reid goes through an
amazing transformation from the frumpy and dull housewife to an older
woman with some life and charm, at least for the young man who
catches her eye. "The Mother," with wonderful performances by Anne
Reid, Cathryn Bradshaw and Daniel Craig, explores themes of
parenthood failure, loss, rejection, infidelity, and betrayal. A most
unusual and serious film. DVD ***1/2
(12/29/04)
"Garden
State"-Zach Braff, who hasn't exactly
hit the jackpot as an actor, has here directed and starred in a
clever and well-made little film about a struggling young actor
nicknamed "Large" from LA, returning after many years to New Jersey
because his paraplegic mother has died in an accident. We follow
Braff as Andrew Largeman, who must come to grips with the fact that
he caused his mother's paraplegia as a young child and has been
medicated ever since by his psychiatrist father (Ian Holm). At the
cemetery, Large runs into some old friends who are cemetery workers,
including Mark (Peter Sarsgaard) who invites Andrew to a party where
the adventure begins. Braff's intention was to tell tales of things
and events he knew about from growing up in New Jersey suburbs and,
at the same time, to show Large opening up to the joy of life because
of his friends and the equally eccentric young epileptic, Sam
(Natalie Portman), he meets at a doctor's office. I suspect that this
film hit home with people in Braff's age range but it equally hit
home with me. Natalie Portman, playing just a regular person for a
change, rather than a space empress, is a revelation as Large's new
love interest. The acting is natural and the story poignant and
humorous. I enjoyed this film with one exception, that being Braff's
strange concept of canine humor. DVD ***1/2
(12/28/04)
"Wicker
Park"- Josh Hartnett stars as Matthew, a
young man who has recently moved with his fiancé (Jessica
Paré) from NYC to Chicago to work for her brother. Matthew is
about to leave for China on business when he believes that he
overhears, in a restaurant phonebooth, the girlfriend he lost two
years earlier when she simply disappeared from his life. Rather than
leave for China, Matthew undertakes to find Lisa. "Wicker Park," a
Chicago neighborhood, is the setting of one of the silliest and
convoluted stories I've seen in a long time. Going back and forth in
time in as confused a manner as possible, "Wicker Park" attempts to
show us how Matthew met Lisa (Diane Kruger), the lost girlfriend,
lost her, and then discovers another young lady named Lisa who is
really Alex (Rose Byrne) who also happens to be the girlfriend of
Luke, one of his close friends (Matthew Lillard). That Alex turns out
to be at the heart of all that is going on soon becomes obvious but
the ridiculous motivations and silly plot techniques ultimately bury
this very messy film. In addition, the acting borders on stiffness.
Not recommended. DVD **
(12/28/04)
"The
Girl From Paris"- Sandrine Dumez
(Mathilde Seigner) has a job teaching computers in Paris, but she's
always wanted to be a farmer. And this is one young lady who wants to
live out her dream. After studying agriculture, she journeys to the
Vercors region of France and purchases the farm from Adrien (Michel
Serrault) who is tired of the hard work and the loneliness after the
death of his wife. Adrien insists on being able to live in his
farmhouse for 18 months after Sandrine's purchase and he sits and
watches as she changes the farm, first turning the old cowbarn into a
hotel/tourist attraction and making cheese from the herd of goats she
lovingly takes out to the orchard to graze. "The Girl From Paris"
contains exquisite scenery in the French Alps and excellent
performances by Seigner and Serrault as well as Jean-Paul Roussillon
as Adrien's old friend who has traded in his own farm for a luxury
Volvo. Directed by novice director Christian Carion, "The Girl From
Paris" is a charming look at the contrasts between city and farm
life, the hustlebustle versus the quiet and dangers of the country,
and of the romantic and social needs of a 30-year-old girl who thinks
she can do the hard work of a farm on her own and those of a much
older man who resents and then begins to appreciate Sandrine's
presence. (In French with English subtitles). DVD ***1/2
(12/25/04)
"The
Manchurian Candidate"-It is difficult to
review this film without comparing it to the original 1962 version
which I saw again only recently. Suffice it to say that the original
is in black and white, taut, crisp and clear. In that film, Laurence
Harvey is Raymond Shaw, the son of a manipulative political mother
(played by Angela Lansbury) who wants to make her husband, Raymond's
stepfather, president of the United States through a nefarious
brainwashing plot that begins in Korea/Manchuria. Frank Sinatra is
Major Marco, whose dreams lead him to solve and stop the plot, with
the mysterious encouragement of Eugenie Rose Chaney (Janet Leigh),
but only after a shocking denouement. In the 2004 version, Denzel
Washington is Major Marco and Liev Shrieber is Raymond Shaw, but
there has been a game of musical chairs from the original version.
One character, the stepfather, has been removed and, to replace him,
characters who did one thing in the first version must do other
things in the remake in order to help modify the plot. Senator
Eleanor Shaw (played brilliantly, as always, by Meryl Streep), a
widow, wants to make her son Raymond, now a congressman, into a
national figure. The plot now starts in Desert Storm and involves a
corporation which, inexplicably, contains the word "Manchurian" in
its title. And Eugenie Rose has become Rosie (Kimberly Elise), a
federal agent who endears herself to Major Marco, a man who is either
onto something or is outright paranoid. I can't say how I would
viewed this film had I not recently seen the original. But suffice it
to say that this version seemed to be trying too hard to fill in the
holes created by the missing pieces from the original. I suspect that
a fresh look at this film would reveal a pretty decent thriller that
ends in some pretty nasty and shocking violence. The theme of
corporate control of political figures should not be overlooked. DVD
***1/2
(12/24/04)
"King
Arthur"-This is not the "King Arthur" of
"Camelot" fame. This Arthur (Clive Owen) is forced into a 15-year
service for the Romans in Britain in the early first Millennium, and
leads a band of dwindling knights, including a few with familiar
names such as Galahad (Hugh Dancy), Lancelot (Ioan Gruffudd) and
Gawain (Joel Edgerton). Doing the bidding of Rome, these knights, who
sit at a round table for purposes of equality, fight the Woads, the
forces of Merlin (Stephen Dillane), a raggedy but clever horde of
native Brit rebels. Just as these knights are about to be granted
their freedom from Rome's control, they are forced into one last
extremely dangerous task of saving a Roman family on the other side
of Hadrian's Wall. Needless to say, Arthur inspires his troops,
saves, among others, a boy and a young Brit woman named Guinevere
(Keira Knightley) from death at the hands of the Roman priests, and
ultimately leads his knights into battle with Merlin's forces against
the invading Saxons, led by Cerdic (Stellan Skarsgård) and his
son, the sinister Cynric, played deliciously by German actor Til
Schweiger. "King Arthur" is beautifully filmed and contains two of
the most spectacular battles I've ever seen. One, on an ice field in
the north, is completely unique. The other, in contrast, is all about
fire. Keira Knightley, who has yet to turn 20, is wonderful as the
gritty, intelligent and very tough Guinevere who knows how to use a
bow and arrow and engage in hand-to-hand combat. Clive Owen, growing
in his stature as a film star, has the perfect aura of leadership to
be the Arthur of a slightly modified legend. Notable in the cast is
Ray Winstone, recently seen as Henry VIII on PBS, as Bors, one of
Arthur's toughest and funniest knights. Recommended. DVD ****
(12/23/04)
"De-Lovely"-In
the 1940s "Night and Day," a biopic of Cole Porter, the great
songwriter, was made with Cary Grant as Porter. It bore almost no
resemblance to Cole Porter's real life. This time, Director Irwin
Winkler has attempted a more realistic approach, making it quite
clear that Porter was gay despite being married to Linda Lee Thomas
for 35 years. I have always loved the great standard songs that were
written in the first half of the 20th Century and Cole Porter was at
the heart of this amazing period, along with other greats like Jerome
Kern, George Gershwin and Irving Berlin. Any movie that presents his
music is worth seeing and "De-Lovely" does a decent job of reminding
the older among us and introducing the younger to these amazing
songs. I only wish Winkler had had a better overall approach to the
story. Told using the rather stilted and clichéd technique of
having an elderly, dying Porter (Kevin Kline) sitting in a theater of
his youth next to Gabriel (Jonathan Pryce) and watching what appears
to be a play of his life, we get an impression that not much more
happened in Porter's 73 years than his difficult marriage to Linda
Lee (Ashley Judd). Sure it's a romance, but hardly a standard one
since Porter was usually flirting with the latest good-looking guy to
come along. The film makes it clear that Linda Lee knew this and
accepted the arrangement. The sets are gorgeous and the costumes (by
Georgio Armani) are exquisite and just right for the periods involved
(1920s on). The musical numbers are fine, as far as they go. Just
when we think we're going to get a real production number, the film
cuts away to one of far too many shots of Cole and Linda looking at
each other (lovingly, distracted, perplexed, disturbed and so on).
Alanis Morrissette does a nice job singing "Let's Do It, Let's Fall
In Love" but it would have been nice to see a little more of her
performing. The wonderful jazz pianist, Diana Krall, with her
luscious deep voice, starts "Just One of Those Things" and
immediately the film cuts to dialogue, with Krall's voice lost in the
background. We do get to hear a decent version of "Let's Misbehave"
sung by Krall's husband, Elvis Costello, and there is a delightful
funny production of "Be A Clown" in the back lots of MGM, but the
music, which should really be the star of this film, gets chopped and
cut far too often to truly appreciate all of its greatness. Parts of
the script are vague and the casting and acting leaves a lot to be
desired. Monty Wooley, who was an American, is played by the very
British Allan Corduner, but he's simply "Monty." One would never know
he was "The Man Who Came To Dinner." Other parts are played by actors
who bear no earthly resemblance to the real thing (for example, Keith
Allen as Irving Berlin). Some of the performances, especially early
in the film look amateurish. Kevin Kline and Ashley Judd do well as
the main characters, but what saves this film is the music. Despite
the weaknesses, I never fail to be moved when hearing such lovely
melodies as "Night and Day," (performed by John Barrowman), "Begin
the Beguine" (sung by Sheryl Crow), and "Every Time You Say Goodbye"
(sung by Natalie Cole). So, don't expect a masterpiece, but do expect
to watch a sumptious production and hear some of the best popular
songs ever written. DVD ***1/2
(12/23/04)
"The
Door In The Floor"-This film is taken
from the first third of a book by John Irving called "A Widow For One
Year." That book is about a woman named Ruth Cole who has been
widowed in early middle age. Here, however, we see only the part in
which Ruth (Elle Fanning) is still four years old. Her father, Ted
Cole (Jeff Bridges), is a rather nutty writer of children's books who
also thinks he's an artist, and her mother, Marion Cole (Kim
Basinger), is a lovely but damaged person as the result of the loss
of two teenage sons, a loss which haunts both parents. Marion's black
and white photos of her two sons line the walls and rooms of their
beautiful beach home in East Hampton, NY, and Ruth, the replacement
child, is obsessed with the photos of the brothers she never knew.
Marion, separating from Ted, fears that having Ruth was a mistake
while Ted appears intent on his own self-indulgent sexual hedonism.
Into this rather distressing situation comes Eddie O'Hare (Jon
Foster), a young Exeter student who is hired as Ted's summer writing
assistant but is really needed because Ted has lost his driver's
license. Eddie is immediately taken with the beautiful Marion and
soon finds himself obsessed by her loveliness. "The Door In The
Floor" is the name of a rather dull story that Ted has written for
children. Ted's reading of a part of it during the film demonstrates
what appears to be a rather unlikely banal children's tale. But the
situation in this film is certainly not banal. If anything, it's
weird and painful. And the performances don't help. Jeff Bridges does
a good and typical job, for him, as the rather eccentric and
narcissistic writer. Kim Basinger looks great but her acting is stiff
and stilted. Jon Foster seems to be in the middle of the "Summer of
'42," rather than modern-day Long Island. Elle Fanning, like her
sister Dakota, is a natural as the young child in the middle of a
messy family situation. "The Door In The Floor" doesn't quite make
it. When you reach the end, you realize that you haven't really cared
about these characters. As an aside, Mimi Rogers has a role as a rich
woman who is Ted's sexual prize of the day. She has little to do
except stand totally nude in front of the camera. One wonders why an
actress would take such a role. DVD ***
(12/18/04)
"I,
Robot"-Based on the writings of Isaac
Asimov, "I, Robot" stars Will Smith in a rather typical role for him,
as tough and independent Del Spooner, a detective in Chicago in the
year 2035. Del's problem is that he lives in a world now full of
robots doing all sorts of human chores, but he doesn't trust any of
them despite the famous three rules that are built in to the robots
and intended to guarantee that they do no harm to humans. When
scientist Dr. Alfred Lanning, the inventor of the robotics needed for
these advanced robots, appears to kill himself by jumping out of a
very high window, Del smells a rat (or is it a robot?). In typical
good cop/bad cop circumstances, Del is ridiculed by his colleagues
and his boss (Chi McBride) because no robot has ever done harm to a
human. But, of course, Del is right and after fighting off hordes of
evil robots, ultimately gets to say the line no character could
resist under the circumstances "Somehow 'I told you so' just doesn't
quite say it." Del is aided in his cause by Dr. Susan Calvin, played
robotically and almost without expression by Bridget Moynahan. "I,
Robot" has a theme which in many ways rings true for our times: that
only evil results from those who feel that humans need protection by
losing their civil liberties. Somehow, people like George Bush and
John Ashcroft might learn something but this fairly simple-minded
film is probably a little too complicated for them. The special
effects are intriguing. The robots seem amazingly real, but the film
simply turns into a vehicle for the technical effects people to show
off their skills. It's intriguing but ultimately loses something
along the way. It's worth a viewing but not much more. DVD ***
(12/17/04)
"Collateral"-Tom
Cruise, usually the good guy in his films, brings little or nothing
to this role as Vincent, a gray-haired hired killer who happens into
the "cleanest cab in LA," operated by Max (Jamie Foxx). Max is a good
guy, dreaming of starting up a limousine business, when Vincent talks
him into accompanying him to five locations around LA. At the first
stop, Max rudely discovers Vincent's true profession when a body
lands on top of his cab, ruining the taxi's reputation, and then Max
becomes a captive of the cold-blooded hitman. The film and the
characters seem to sleepwalk through the various hits, with any drama
occurring only occasionally and briefly. "Collateral" has little or
no tension until the very end when Max becomes the proverbial knight
in shining armor to save the life of a young woman (Jada Pinkett
Smith) he has only just met. I'm still trying to figure out the
title. I can only assume it's intended to refer to Max as "collateral
damage" in Vincent's murderous pursuits. This dull film is not
recommended. DVD **1/2
(12/17/04)
"I'll
Sleep When I'm Dead"-Director Mike
Hodges ("Get Carter") directed Clive Owen in "Croupier," and now
tries his hand at directing him in a noir-type revenge story about
local British hoods and the violence they engender. Although the film
is somewhat murky about the details of the characters' pasts, it
appears that Will (Clive Owen) was a local gangster who suffered a
breakdown and left town to live the life of a hermit in a trailer in
the woods. When we first see him, he is sloppily dressed, with a
shaggy beard, doing some work cutting lumber. Back in town, young
Davey (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers), is a cool man-about-town who likes the
ladies and is also dealing drugs. But Davey has obviously angered
someone. He is followed by a dark car and then brutalized by a local
gangster, Boad (Malcolm McDowell), which eventually leads to Davey's
suicidal death. Will, Davey's older brother, decides to return to
town just in time to learn of Davey's death and immediately he wants
to know why. "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead" is slowly paced but
effective. Will is virtually a superhero, similar to the Clint
Eastwood character "Preacher" in "Pale Rider." Will knows exactly
what to do to find the man responsible for his brother's death and
exactly how to look cool doing it. While "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead"
is not hard to watch, the details are a little confusing. Charlotte
Rampling, almost 20 years senior to Owens, is Helen, either Will's
former wife or former girlfriend (it's not made clear), and seems to
serve little or no purpose. The casting in that regard is a little
strange. Owen is, as usual, effective as the cool hero and Malcolm
McDowell has made a career of playing obnoxious thugs. He's perfect
as Boad. DVD ***1/2
(12/11/04)
"Maria
Full of Grace"-American writer/director
Joshua Marston has created this original and surprising first-rate
film about a young woman from a suburb of Bogota, Colombia, who quits
her dreary job at a rose plantation, and is soon talked into working
as a drug "mule," carrying in her stomach pellets of heroin to the
United States. Maria (Catalina Sandino Moreno) first believes she'll
be working alone but quickly discovers that she's one of several
young women on the plane carrying these horrifying pellets in their
stomachs with the goal of getting through US Customs in New York.
Another of the girls is her friend Blanca (Yenny Paola Vega) and
there is also Lucy (Guilied Lopez), a young lady she has met when
being interviewed by the druglord in Bogota. When Maria forgets the
address she's supposed to list on her customs form, Lucy provides her
sister Carla's address in New York City, information that will come
in handy later. The film gives us a pretty good idea of what the
"mules" must go through, including the ability to swallow whole 50 or
60 of these dreadful pellets. If any break while in the stomach, the
carrier will die. Needless to say, it's not surprising that most of
the women look ill aboard the plane to New York and that things start
to go wrong as soon as they land and find themselves involved with
customs agents and uncaring drug traffickers. Catalina Sandino
Moreno, appearing in her first film, is lovely and yet amazingly
tough in the role of a hard-nosed 17-year old girl in a strange land
dealing with a singularly disturbing and unhappy situation. Her
performance elevates this film to a special level. Also of note is
Patricia Rae as Carla, Lucy's sister. Recommended. (Primarily in
Spanish with English subtitles.) DVD ****
(12/10/04)
"The
Bourne Supremacy"-If you read my 2003
comments about "The Bourne Identity," the predecessor of this film,
you'll see that I didn't think much of that film and recommended
against seeing it. "The Bourne Supremacy" is a different story. Well,
actually it's a continuation of that story... First, we see a CIA
deal going down in Berlin, being overseen by Agent Pamela Landy (Joan
Allen), but everything goes wrong and the deal is interrupted by a
killer (Karl Urban) who leaves behind the fingerprints of Jason
Bourne (Matt Damon), the former CIA hit man with amnesia, now living
quietly in Goa, India, with his girlfriend Marie (Franka Potente).
When Bourne realizes that he is being chased by a killer, the same
man who tried to frame him in Berlin, a battle ensues and the killer
leaves India thinking he has murdered Bourne and Marie. But, of
course, Jason must go on and he re-emerges to begin travels aimed at
finding the killer and discovering why the CIA, as he believes, is
after him. Back at Langley, Pamela Landy is being harassed by Agent
Ward Abbott (Brian Cox) who seems intent on finding and killing
Bourne while Landy would prefer to catch him and learn why he
apparently broke up her Berlin deal. In many ways, this is standard
thriller fare, with the ultra-clichéd good cop/bad cop
routine. But the film is so well paced and filmed in genuine
locations that it is a great deal of fun to watch. Director Paul
Greengrass ("Bloody Sunday") makes a point on the DVD of the
importance of using real locations for this film and I think he was
absolutely correct. Watching "The Bourne Supremacy" is like a super
high-tech, spectacularly photographed episode of "The Amazing Race."
Like virtually all thrillers, you can't take the story seriously and
the outcome is somewhat but not totally predictable. At least this
one has wonderful production values that are a delight to watch. Many
scenes were filmed with hand-held cameras. Greengrass literally had
the camera right in with the characters. We've all seen car chases,
but this film has two wild ones, including a chase through the
crowded streets of Goa and an imaginative and unique chase through
the streets of Moscow. The cast is good. As in my comments about "The
Bourne Identity," I still don't know why Julia Stiles bothered being
in this film since her part is not much larger than in the first
film. She and Franka Potente really don't have much to do. But Matt
Damon does a much better job in this "Bourne" than in the previous
film as a well-trained CIA killer who single-mindedly knows exactly
what he has to do to save himself. DVD ***1/2
(12/9/04)
"Hero"-Director
Zhang Yimou, best known for serious films about Chinese history and
culture, including "Raise The Red Lantern," has always demonstrated
an affinity for color as part of his overall dramatic tapestry. Zhang
has said that he always wanted to make a martial arts film and "Hero"
was his first, with the current "House of Flying Daggers" his second.
"Hero" is a spectacularly beautiful film, not only because of the
colors we see but also because of the incredible scenery and the
excellent cast, including Jet Li, the famed martial arts star, and
the young Chinese star Zhang Ziyi ("Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon").
Jet Li plays a nameless local official in Qin approximately 2,000
years ago who has been brought before the King (Daoming Chen), to
explain how he has disposed of the three assassins who had tried to
kill the king because of his ruthless attempts to take over the
various Chinese kingdoms and unite China. The three assassins, Sky
(Donnie Yen), Broken Sword (Tony Leung Chiu Wai), and Flying Snow
(Maggie Cheung), all from Zhao, are martial arts masters. In what we
soon realize is a "Rashomon" type tale, Nameless first tells his
version, is then contradicted by the King who tells another likely
version and then, ultimately, we learn what appears to be the truth.
With magnificent music, including violin solos by Itzhak Perlman,
spectacular scenery of places rarely if ever seen, and a fascinating
tale that fits right into Zhang's interest in Chinese history, "Hero"
is one of the best films I've seen in several years. In fact, I liked
it so much, I watched it twice, something I rarely do. The martial
arts in this film fit the story perfectly, are not overdone, and are
a sight to be seen. Of particular note are, first, a scene of a
battle in the woods between Flying Snow and Moon (Zhang Ziyi), Broken
Sword's servant, in which autumn leaves are swirling to a
breathtaking effect, and, second, a scene at a lake in which Broken
Sword and Nameless fight on and above the water as if they could walk
on the surface. This film is a sight to see. Highly recommended. (In
Mandarin with English subtitles.) DVD ****1/2
(12/4/04)
"Spider-Man
2"-Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) is
having a crisis. His Spider-Man powers seem to be fading and using
them seems to separate him from everything he loves, especially the
young actress, Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst). So Peter has to
decide, ultimately, whether or not to continue his spidery pursuits
of criminals. This "to be or not to be" theme is the heart of
"Spider-Man 2," the second in this series of "Spider-Man" films.
There are no real surprises. You can guess that Peter/Spider-Man
ultimately win the day over the evil Doc Ock (Alfred Molina) who has
become a "spider-man" of his own via a disastrous nuclear fusion
experiment. The experiment, of course, was sponsored by Harry Osborn
(James Franco), son of the late Norman Osborn (Willem Dafoe), the
Green Goblin who was defeated in the previous film. Everyone seems to
be after Spider-Man, including the rather humorous news editor J.
Jonah Jameson (J. K. Simmons), whose astronaut son becomes engaged to
Mary Jane, thus inspiring Peter to new heights. "Spider-Man 2" is fun
but not necessarily innovative. It's supposed to take place in New
York City, but in typical movie fashion the alley-less Manhattan is
shown with miles of alleys and a non-existing elevated train line
that ends precipitously over a river. Don't expect too much and
you'll enjoy this light cartoonish fare. DVD ***1/2
(12/3/04)
"The
Son"-Brothers Jean-Pierre and Luc
Dardenne ("La Promesse") are unusual filmmakers . Their themes are
usually about working-class people and their film techniques are
different from most. On the DVD of this film, the brothers brag about
the fact that they don't shoot films like other directors. "The Son"
is a perfect example and raises some thorny issues about how art
films should be made. From the very first scene, the camera focuses
almost exclusively on the head of the star, Olivier Gourmet, who
plays Olivier, a carpentry instructor at a trade school in Belgium.
Olivier is an ordinary man engaged in a very unglamorous profession.
He wears glasses and overalls and has sawdust all over his clothing.
We hear the noise of the carpentry shop, sometimes painfully loud,
but no music. Suddenly, Olivier is asked to take on a young man
(unseen) who has come to the school and wants to become part of
Olivier's carpentry class. Olivier almost immediately says no,
seemingly without thought, but then finds every excuse possible to
leave his classroom and check out this new student, even peering
through windows and following the boy in the street. Olivier looks
disturbed and hell-bent at the same time and the secret is revealed
later when Olivier receives a visit from his former wife, Magali
(Isabella Soupart). I won't reveal the secret, but I will say that
Olivier eventually allows the young man into his class and we follow
them on a trip into the country to pick up lumber from the lumberyard
owned by Olivier's brother. The question raised in my mind by this
film is an old one. Just what is the point of the cinema? Is it to
entertain? Certainly, but can't entertainment also be
thought-provoking art? Of course. Which brings us to the next
question in this somewhat circular issue. Shouldn't thought-provoking
art films be entertaining? Obviously that's completely subjective.
"The Son" is thought-provoking in making one wonder about the motives
of the characters (especially Olivier) and other themes (to mention
these would give the plot away). But, is it entertaining to watch a
film that is so down-to-earth and so painfully realistic that we
begin to know intimately the hairs and marks on the neck of the main
character's head? I found the techniques used by the Dardennes
Brothers in this film to be claustrophobic and pretentious. The
technique defeats the point of the film. The camera does not have to
aim at Olivier's head and face almost continuously in order to tell
the story of this man's severe emotions. When it did occasionally
pull away for a moment, it was almost like coming up for air. But no
sooner would one take a breath of fresh air, then the camera would
once again suffocate us with the Dardennes' affected technique. And
the ultimate affectation of this film is that it ends abruptly, just
as a real story is about to emerge. (In French with English
subtitles) DVD **1/2
(11/27/04)
"Zhou
Yu's Train"-Gong Li ("Raise The Red
Lantern"), one of China's most radiant film stars, is Zhou Yu, a
young long-haired ceramic painter who meets and falls madly in love
with Chen Ching (Tony Leung Ka Fai), a poet who lives in a distant
city. In order to see her lover, Zhou Yu takes the train twice
weekly, passing some extraordinary scenery in the Chinese landscape.
On the train, she meets Zhang (Honglei Sun), a veterinarian, who is
utterly charmed by her beauty although not so certain about her
somewhat puzzling actions and personality. Chen Ching has written a
poem about Zhou Yu which becomes the central theme of the film. Zhang
continuously meets Zhou Yu and tries to win her heart but it is
clearly with Chen Ching (strangely emotionless for a poet), until he
announces that he is moving to take a job teaching far off in the
outer provinces. With this, Zhou Yu begins to become more interested
in Zhang but she remains torn between the two. Directed by Zhou Sun,
"Zhou Yu's Train" is beautifully filmed and romantic, and yet
confusing. Throughout the film we see a woman with short hair (is it
Zhou Yu younger or older or someone else?) who appears to be
contemplating the events in the life of Zhou Yu and her two men. This
character, unnamed, is also played by Gong Li, leading to the
confusion. Even at the end, the film has been sufficiently
surrealistic that the apparent explanation of events becomes hard to
accept. Did I hear that right? Did that really happen? These are the
questions you're bound to ask. The best part of "Zhou Yu's Train,"
however, is the impressionistic mood and scenery and, of course, Gong
Li, who is a wonderful actress. (In Mandarin with English subtitiles)
DVD ***1/2
(11/26/04)
"The
Terminal"-Steven Spielberg, director of
this film, has often been on the edge of providing pablum for the
masses. This time he's over the edge. With a top-notch cast,
including Tom Hanks and Catherine Zeta-Jones, Spielberg has still
managed to give us a film that is shallow and unsubstantial. He
provides us with a simple story of a man arriving at an international
air terminal in New York (except it bears no resemblance to a real
New York airport) who finds that his eastern European country has
been overrun, his passport is useless, and he can't be allowed into
the United States. Temporarily stateless (or "unacceptable"), the
man, Victor Navorski (Tom Hanks), must spend all of his time in the
airport's international terminal until the problems in his country
are settled. Unfortunately, Spielberg turns what could be a charming,
simple tale into a fairy tale and therein lies its failures.
Everything that happens is just beyond belief. Navorski can barely
speak English, and yet somehow he understands the fast patter of the
airport security director, Frank Dixon (Stanley Tucci), telling him
what he must or must not do. Carrying a suitcase, it's not long
before he loses it (without a mention of the loss), and yet somehow
manages to wear fresh clothing in almost every scene. It doesn't take
him long to find a completely abandoned airline gate in which to
settle in like home. And before long, he's made friends of a number
of terminal employees who provide him with food and other
necessities, and has met a beautiful airline flight attendant, Amelia
Warren (Catherine Zeta-Jones), who is in the middle of a messy
relationship with a married man. And when he needs some money, he
demonstrates his amazing building talents and is hired as a
construction worker (off the books, of course) at the airport, making
enough money to afford to buy nice clothing later to impress the
flight attendant (who never seems to be surprised that Victor is
always in the terminal when she arrives from a flight). The story
simply is not believable and the techniques Spielberg uses to move
the plot even less so. The only thing going for this film is the
cast, especially the second-line actors, who are charming and fun.
These include Kumar Pallana, who is quite funny as Gupta Rajan, a
slightly crazy cleaning man from India who insists that anyone who
wants to search his trash must have an appointment; Diego Luna ("Y tu
mamá también") as an airline food service worker who is
madly in love with a customs agent, Officer Torres (Zoe Saldana), and
needs Victor's help to woo her (the reason is never explained); and
Chi McBride as another terminal worker who has championed Victor. Tom
Hanks, as always, is effective as the man with the eastern European
accent who prowls the terminal, but Catherine Zeta-Jones seems
miscast as a woman who is unlucky in love. DVD ***
(11/24/04)
"I'm
Not Scared"-It is southern Italy in the
1970s. A group of children are playing in open countryside and come
upon an abandoned house where they carouse until time to return home.
One of the boys, Michele, age 10, returns to find his sister's lost
glasses and discovers a hole in the ground. He peers in and sees the
foot of what might be a dead body, but upon returning later is
severely frightened by the apparition of what appears to be a
deranged child. Michele, who lives with his parents and younger
sister, in a town that looks like not much more than a few houses on
the edge of nowhere, continues to be curious and returns to the hole,
providing the child with water and bread. Slowly but surely we learn
that the child is a kidnap victim and that Michele is living in the
middle of a sinister plot to raise ransom for this child's life. It
is all too apparent that the director, Gabriele Salvatores
("Mediterraneo") wanted to tell a story of a brave boy who ultimately
shows courage in helping to save a life. The problem is that while
the film is beautifully photographed, the script is mediocre and
loaded with plot devices that serve the ends of the story but make
little or no sense. Michele goes back to the hole repeatedly alone
despite an obviously horrifying situation. Not likely. A normal kid,
in his right mind, would bring help along, at the very least. Instead
of being concerned for the child in the hole, Michele seems more
curious than concerned, almost as if visiting the hole is a lark,
something to do on a hot afternoon in the boring place he lives. He
gives the child water and brings bread, but insists on lowering
himself into the hole to take back the remnants of the loaf of bread
the obviously starving child has not yet eaten. When Michele, at
home, learns of the serious threat to this child's health, he shows
little or no signs of alarm. At one point he even helps the child
(now known as Filippo) out of the hole for a look at the outside
world and then bizarrely returns him to this dark dungeon, with
Filippo's cooperation, only to be discovered by one of the
kidnappers. This is one of the many weak and unlikely plot devices
created to move the story along.
Meanwhile, Filippo's behavior makes no
sense. He seems to show a suicidal impulse to stay where he is. Not
once does he beg to be released from the hell hole in which he is
living. Why should this child behave in such an unlikely manner? He's
been kidnapped, not institutionalized. The entire story is
unfortunately hokey. Unlikely things repeatedly happen that are
obviously done just to help tell the tale. At a climactic point in
the film, Michele, who has climbed every wall and fence without
difficulty, finds himself unable to climb a fence. This sudden
inability to do what he has done throughout is obviously necessary
for the next important scene in the film. And that's the problem with
"I'm Not Scared." Too many things happen that are inconsistent or
illogical. And these scenes ruin the intended theme of this somewhat
creepy film. (In Italian with English subtitles) DVD **1/2
(11/22/04)
"The
Other Side of the Bed"-This 2002 film is
a funny sex comedy and musical about the relationships of a group of
young Spaniards. As the film opens, we see two young women singing
over the prone, sleeping bodies of their boyfriends/lovers. The song
is lame. The singing isn't that great. But when the film gets going,
it turns into a rather charming and humorous look at the pains and
pleasures of young love. Paula (Natalia Verbeke) tells her
curly-haired boyfriend Pedro (Guillermo Toledo) that she has someone
new and is leaving. Pedro immediately goes into a funk and visits his
friends Javier (Ernesto Alterio) and Sonia (Paz Vega) to tell them of
his loss. They console him, and then we are surprised to learn that
it is Javier who is having the affair with Paula. Paula insists that
Javier leave Sonia, but he can't, drawn to both women. Pedro is
introduced to one of Javier's co-workers, Pilar (Marîa Esteve),
a pretty but dull young women who talks in epithets. Sonia eventually
shows sympathy for Pedro and you can guess where that leads. At
various points, the characters break into song and dance. Although
the songs are hardly memorable and the dancing is perfunctory, they
are done with tongue-in-cheek and aid in the romantic flow the film.
The cast is very appealing. (In Spanish with English subtitles) DVD
***1/2
(11/20/04)
"Facing
Windows"-This Italian film, actually
titled "La Finestra di Fronte," is a wonderfully charming film about
a 29-year-old woman in Rome with two kids and a husband who annoys
her. They argue frequently and live in an apartment with a view into
another apartment across the way. There, the wife, Giovanna (Giovanna
Mezzogiorno), watches a young very handsome single man, Lorenzo
(Raoul Bova), as he entertains dates and she becomes very intrigued.
But in the meantime she and her husband (Filippo Nigro) come across a
well-dressed elderly man (Massimo Girotti) in the street who has lost
his memory and needs help. They reluctantly take him in and the man
ultimately tells them his name is Simone, but he remembers little
else. The man called Simone occasionally walks off into a Jewish
neighborhood in Rome, looking haunted. In the process of trying to
help Simone, Giovanna finally meets Lorenzo and becomes extremely
attracted, only to learn that Lorenzo is soon departing for a new
job. While dealing with a jumble of emotions about Lorenzo and her
marriage, Giovanna slowly but surely learns the secret and real name
of the elderly man and discovers that he is a Jewish master pastry
chef who has an intriguing history from his days of dealing with the
horrors of World War II. "Facing Windows" contains themes of love,
lust, loyalty, survival and compassion. This absolutely delightful
film won the Italian best picture award. Giovanna Mezzogiorno is
breathtakingly lovely and vulnerable as the wife and deserved
accolades for her performance. Massimo Girotti, who died shortly
after making this film, is heartbreaking and inspiring as the old man
with memories possibly too painful to remember. Highly recommended.
In Italian with English subtitles. DVD ****
(11/19/04)
"The
Clearing"-This is one of those films
that seems to have no reason for existing. It's a thriller but not
thrilling. It has three stars (Robert Redford, Helen Mirren, and
Willem Dafoe) who usually take on far more demanding and interesting
parts. Each looks like he or she is sleepwalking through the film.
And it adds up to little. Redford is Wayne Hayes, a Pittsburgh
business executive, who lives in a beautiful suburban home with his
wife, Eileen (Helen Mirren). Wayne leaves home one morning, takes a
lingering look at his wife by the pool, and disappears. Meanwhile, we
see Willem Dafoe as Arnold Mack, a former employee of Wayne's
business, leaving home as if it is an ordinary day. But it's not. He
kidnaps Wayne and they head for a hike in the mountains, assertedly
to take Wayne to Arnold's superiors who are waiting for him.
Meanwhile, back at the home, the FBI, in the form of Agent Ray Fuller
(Matt Craven), has moved in to help with the search. "The Clearing"
has a few minor twists and turns but ultimately winds up a dud. It
has an ending that is surprising only because of its resemblance to
reality. DVD **1/2
(11/19/04)
"Before
Sunset"-Richard Linklater made a
delightful film in 1995 called "Before Sunrise." It starred Ethan
Hawke and Julie Delpy as Jesse and Celine, two young people who meet
on a European train and spend all night walking around Vienna,
talking about a multitude of subjects. At the end, when they are
about to leave each other, Jesse, the American, suggests that Celine,
the Parisian, meet him again in six months at an appointed spot in
Europe. The film ends. With "Before Sunset" we are re-introduced to
these characters nine years later and find out what happened at the
appointed date and time nine years earlier. Jesse is now an author,
married with a child, and on a book tour of Europe. His book, not
surprisingly, is about his night in Vienna with Celine, although it
is described as fiction. Celine arrives at a bookstore in Paris where
Jesse is appearing to sign and talk about his book, and the two
wander off into the streets of Paris, knowing Jesse has a limited
amount of time as he must catch a plane. "Before Sunset" resembles a
European film because it is essentially made of conversation but also
lovely shots of Parisian streets and parks. Jesse and Celine talk
about themselves, philosophy, and romance as they wander Paris,
ultimately winding up on a boat on the Seine. Although both appeared
to be equally adept at conversation in the original, here Jesse seems
more far awkward and limited conversationally. On the other hand,
Celine has a lot of interesting things to say, and she is charming,
articulate and emotional. This film, although still ambiguous at the
end, leaves the viewer with a far better idea about Jesse and
Celine's future than the first film. Julie Delpy is wonderfully
attractive. I wish her talents were given greater exposure in the
movie business. DVD ***1/2
(11/12/04)
"The
Stepford Wives"-This remake of the 1975
original is so strange and messed up that it cries out for comparison
with the original. In the original, Katherine Ross plays Joanna
Eberhart, a young photographer, whose husband Walter (Peter
Masterson) talks her into moving to a seemingly charming town in
Connecticut named Stepford. The original version was realistic, with
a sense that the place and the people could actually exist. It had a
town, police and stores. Gradually, Joanna and her friend Bobbie
(Paula Prentiss) begin to realize that there is something strange in
the town as the women either are or become perfect housewives who
seem to have no brains and to be concerned only with cleaning their
homes and serving their husbands. This original's ultimate conclusion
was what you would expect from a horror story by Ira Levin
("Rosemary's Baby").
The current remake stars Nicole Kidman as
Joanna, but this time she, like virtually all the characters in the
film, is a caricature of a real character. In the opening scene,
Joanna is a TV executive with such hateful ideas for TV shows that
one of her "reality show" victims tries to shoot her and Joanna finds
herself fired and moving to Stepford with her somewhat dull husband
Walter (Matthew Broderick) to get away from the stress of life in New
York City. When they arrive at the modern version of Stepford, there
is nothing there that remotely resembles a real place. The whole town
is essentially a monstrous exurban gated community with massive
homes. All the men appear normal and belong to the Men's Association,
and all the women seem perfect (much earlier than in the previous
film). In this film it's Bette Midler who plays Bobbie. The remake is
clearly intended to be a comical version of the original but it goes
wrong in so many ways, including the direction by Frank Oz. The
filmmakers can't seem to make up their minds just what the men are
doing to their wives to make them perfect. Are they robots or simply
women with computer chips in their brains to change their behavior?
And it's not really that funny. Interestingly, the deleted scenes on
the DVD, particularly a scene involving Bette Midler as the "new,
improved" version of Bobbie, reveal a great deal about this confusion
among those putting this film together. Others in the cast are Glenn
Close as Claire Wellington, an over-the-top Stepford wife;
Christopher Walken in a robotic performance as Claire's sinister
husband; Faith Hill in a bland performance as a Stepford wife who
enjoys square dancing just a little too much; and Roger Bart, who is
quite charming and funny, as Roger Bannister, a gay man who befriends
Joanna and Bobbie, but also turns into a"Stepford wife." DVD **1/2
(11/11/04)
"Intermission"-The
opening scene of this Irish film set in Dublin is a shocker. A
seemingly charming young man (Colin Farrell) walks into a food shop,
charms the young lady behind the counter, and then commits a
completely unexpected act of violence, and runs. This is just the
beginning of a multi-character film in which a seemingly unrelated
group of people meet and interact at various points to show the rough
side of Dublin. Cillian Murphy is John, an aimless store clerk, who
has jilted his lovely girlfriend Deirdre (Kelly McDonald) for no
apparent reason. His best friend Oscar (Davis Wilmot) is unable to
make it with women his own age and starts considering older women.
Deirdre's sister Sally is a frustrated young woman with a mustache.
Jerry Lynch (Colm Meany-Ireland's Gerard Depardieu?) is an extremely
egotistical and self-centered cop who gets to emote for a documentary
filmmaker. These and others somehow come together in various ways,
including a totally botched and funny bank robbery, in which John is
involved simply to impress his girlfriend. A little convoluted at the
start, "Intermission" is well acted, funny, and poignant about tough
life in Ireland. A good film, but not great. DVD ***1/2
(10/30/04)
"Saved!"-How
do you make a film that is both a parody of Christian fundamentalist
schools and at the same time somewhat respectful of the basic tenets
of their religion? Well, Director Brian Dannelly has done a fair job
of it. Using the standard formula for films about high school girls
(see, for example, "Mean Girls"), we have a group of ultra-Christian
girls whose every other word is "Jesus," and who call themselves the
Jewels. They are led by Hilary Faye (Mandy Moore) (compare the group,
The Plastics, led by Rachel McAdams in "Mean Girls") and include
followers Mary (Jena Malone) and Veronica (Elizabeth Thai). But we
also have some very out-of-place characters, including Hilary Fey's
cynical cigarette-smoking wheelchair-bound brother (Macauley Culkin)
and an apparently nasty Jewish girl (Eva Amurri) who is undoubtedly
just screamingly angry at having been placed in the middle of these
overly zealous Jesus lovers. Mary (an obviously appropriate name)
makes love to her just-announced gay boyfriend in order to save him,
thinking that this is what Jesus wanted her to do. Of course, she
immediately becomes pregnant, considers claiming a virgin birth, and
then tries to hide the pregnancy from her schoolmates and her mother
(Mary-Louise Parker), another religious zealot who is flirting with
Pastor Skip (Martin Donovan) the head of the school. Suffice it to
say that the most zealous of the group turns out to be the least
Christian, has her comeuppance, and all winds up well with the world.
Some of the parody is quite funny. But ultimately "Saved!"
deteriorates into that standard high school formula film that I
mentioned earlier and the religious theme is almost forgotten except
to remember that the good guys, including the Jewish girl, are really
the true "Christians." My favorite and most obvious line from the
film: "Why would God make us so different if he wanted us to be the
same?" Enough of this already. DVD ***
(10/15/04)
"Fahrenheit
9/11"-Michael Moore ("Bowling for
Columbine") has hit one out of the ballpark with this exposé
of George W. Bush, who needed the Supreme Court to make him
president, and of the bizarre and unanswered questions about his
family's connections to the bin Laden family and to the Saudi royal
family. Moore shows images of George W. Bush looking dumbstruck as he
sits in a classroom in Florida on September 11, 2001, after being
told that the second plane had hit the World Trade Center. This man,
who forced his way into the presidency by questionable means, sits
and does nothing despite the obvious nature of the attack on the
United States. Moore then proceeds to discuss the government's
decision to allow the bin Laden family to leave the US immediately
after 9/11, without being questioned by the FBI, and the background
and connections of the Bush family, not only with the bin Ladens and
the Saudis, but also via major money makers such as the Carlyle
Group. Many on the right have tried to question Moore's facts, but to
my knowledge the facts in this film have been checked and found to be
accurate. Moore seems to be the only major media person in the United
States willing to ask these questions. Unfortunately, as a result, we
get no answers. If you're thinking of voting for George W. Bush on
November 2, see this film. If you don't have serious doubts about
George W. Bush after watching "Fahrenheit 9/11," you're wearing
blinders. DVD ****
(10/10/04)
"Eternal
Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"-Charlie
Kaufman ("Being John Malkovich" and "Adaptation") is undoubtedly one
of the most original thinkers in Hollywood scriptwriting. His stories
are like no else's. This film is certainly no exception. Joel Barish
(Jim Carrey), a commuter to Manhattan, gets the impulse to jump on a
Long Island RR train on a wintry day and head for Montauk, at the
eastern end of Long Island. There, on a barren and cold beach, he
meets Clementine Kruczynski (Kate Winslet), a pretty but aggressive
young woman with blue hair. They seem to hit it off and head for
Clementine's apartment where she is picking up her toothbrush so she
can stay over with Joel. While Joel sits in his car in front of her
building, a young man (Elijah Wood) knocks on Joel's window and asks
him what he is doing there. Neither Joel nor the viewer can figure
out why he is asking this strange question. But by the time the film
is finished we will understand. For next we see that Joel has been
abandoned by Clementine who, having become bored with Joel, has had
her memory of him totally erased by Dr. Howard Mierzwiak (Tom
Wilkinson) with a new technique to erase specific memories. Joel is
frantic and ultimately decides to have his own memories of Clementine
erased. In the process, he meets the doctor's zany staff of Stan
(Mark Ruffalo), Mary (Kirsten Dunst), and Patrick (Elijah Wood).
While the three cavort around Joel's apartment, Joel lies still, his
memory being erased, and frustrated when he changes his mind but is
unable to act. The heart of the film consists of the many scenes of
life between Joel and Clementine that flash through Joe's brain as
they are gradually disappearing from his memory. The memories
disappear from the end of their life together to the beginning and it
becomes obvious that Joel ultimately understands the source of the
love he had with Clementine, but too late. This Kaufman tale has the
usual bizarre twists and turns and is a darn good revision of the
usual story of love. Although Kirsten Dunst seemed a little stiff in
her role as Dr. Mierzwiak's secretary and more, the others performed
exceedingly well. This is an unusual straight role for Carrey and he
succeeded beautifully. Kate Winslet is lovely and yet wacky, as her
hair changes colors and her mood shifts as well. This is like no love
story you've ever seen before. The middle of the film can be a little
repretitive and confusing, but the ending is worth waiting for. DVD
***1/2
(10/1/04)
"The
Alamo"-The story of the birth of the
state of Texas is intriguing. We all hear the myths but rarely see
any details. This film attempts to provide some details about the
legendary characters who lived, fought or died at the Alamo, ranging
from William Travis (Patrick Wilson) to Jim Bowie (Jason Patric) to
Davy (he called himself David) Crockett (Billy Bob Thornton) to
General Antonio Lopez de Santa Ana (Emilio Echevarría ).
Unfortunately, the direction of the film is somewhat heavy-handed,
and the drama is a little too plodding. With better direction and
several cuts, this could have been a first-rate adventure film.
Still, the production values are good. The San Antonio setting looks
genuine and we certainly discover how General Santa Ana managed to
win an easy victory at the Alamo, only to be destroyed by the raggedy
forces of Gen. Sam Houston (Dennis Quaid) leading to the birth of an
independent Texas (which became a state only a few years later). Back
at the Alamo, while the self-confident but seemingly fatalistic
Travis and the seriously ill (with "consumption") Bowie (he of the
famous knife of the same name) appear to be struggling initially for
control, in comes the smooth, clever, and somewhat naive (he thought
the battles were over) Crockett who leads by example and by his
fiddle-playing. Billy Bob Thornton's portrayal of Crockett is
undoubtedly far closer to the real Crockett than was the Fess Parker
coonskin cap TV version of the 1950s. This is a Crockett who only
wears a fur hat because he is portrayed that way in the theater and
wants to make the public happy. Later, in the middle of the final
battle, Crockett apologizes to a dead friend for bringing him into
this mess and we get the feeling that the whole thing was likely a
tragic mistake that could have been avoided with a little less
hardheadedness. Several important details, however, are left
unanswered. There is little or no explanation for the initial
situation. We are left to wonder just why the various characters find
themselves holed up in the inadequate Alamo, a partially completed
mission facility and not a fortress. Why Sam Houston never arrived to
support the loyalists at the Alamo is also unexplained. Later,
Houston appears to be retreating only to suddenly turn into
Wellington at Waterloo, destroying the Napoleonic Santa Ana's forces
in 18 minutes. The story provides some good historical background,
but "The Alamo," taken as a whole, is a drawn out affair. DVD ***
(10/1/04)
"Mean
Girls"-I wonder what would happen if a
film about high school girls actually had actors who were the right
age. Here, Tina Fey ("Saturday Night Live") has created a tale about
a young lady raised in Africa via home schooling who suddenly finds
herself dropped into the midst of an American high school loaded with
all the standard movie high school characters, ranging from the nerds
to "The Plastics," the empty-headed beauties who think they run the
school. The Plastics are led by Regina George, the blonde bombshell
played by Rachel McAdams, a young Canadian actress in her mid-20s.
Her followers are also beyond high school age. The only one even
close is the star, Lindsay Lohan, who was high school age when the
film was made. Lohan is Cady Heron, the home schooled girl, who first
encounters nerd friends, decides to sabotage The Plastics by joining
them, and soon finds herself becoming one of them. This is a morality
play in which Cady gets into enough trouble in school to realize that
she must return to her roots in order to save her soul. Tina Fey has
tried hard to make this funny but the situation has been played out
too many times before. Lohan and McAdams are very good, but the
script ultimately leads to yawns. Been there, done that. DVD ***
(9/25/04)
"Coffee
and Cigarettes"-It's black and white,
it's a talky, it's got lots of smoke and lots of java. It's got to be
avant-garde. And so, Jim Jarmusch, one of the more original
filmmakers of our time, has put forth another of his little eccentric
films. If you've ever seen "Night on Earth" or "Mystery Train,"
you'll have some idea of what lies ahead as you begin this film.
"Coffee and Cigarettes" consists of vignettes of one to three
individuals sitting around in a cafe, restaurant, dive, or hotel bar,
smoking and consuming coffee or tea. The groups range from a single
woman reading a gun magazine to a wonderful segment in which Cate
Blanchett plays two cousins. One is somewhat like herself in that she
is a celebrity and well-dressed while the other is obviously of a
lower economic strata and has a deep Australian accent. The short
conversation quickly reveals their differences. In another intriguing
segment, the actor Alfred Molina plays himself (and yet not) fawning
over his fellow British actor Steve Coogan ("24 Hour Party People")
who comes off as self-obsessed. Others participating include Bill
Murray as Bill Murray being a waiter for no particular reason,
chatting siblings Joie and Cinqué Lee (Spike's brother and
sister), Steve Buscemi, Iggy Pop, and Tom Waits. Some of the segments
seem to pass without incident, others are intriguing. Overall the
film is certainly different. If you like this sort of thing, check it
out. DVD ***1/2
(9/24/04)
"Bus
174"-Not long ago I reviewed "City of
God," the incredible story of aimless and violent youth in the slums
of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. "Bus 174" complements that film by showing
us the true story of one of those youths. Sandro do Nascimento grew
up in a slum, saw his mother murdered, and was present when killers
massacred a group of homeless youths near a church in Rio in 1993.
For unknown reasons, Sandro boarded a city bus in Rio in July 2000,
taking hostage several passengers, including three young women.
Without ever being clear on what he was demanding, Sandro held a gun
to the women's heads, threatening to kill at least one by a specified
time. This was a rare hostage situation in which live TV was able to
record the events in full view because Sandro and his victims were
inside the stationary bus, clearly seen through the windows, and
surrounded by helpless and incompetent police officers. At various
times Sandro and his victims are seen and heard yelling out the
window at the police. The director, José Padilha, decided to
show the story of the Bus 174 hostage situation as a reflection on
the societal nightmare of Sandro's upbringing and the violence in the
past in which he was a victim. Among other things, we see the
wretched conditions of the Rio jails in which the Rio street youth
are held by an apparently inept and likely corrupt justice system.
What comes through without question is that the police are
incompetent and that Brazilian society is uncaring about the poverty
and misery that produces these violent children and situations. "Bus
174" is enlightening, although cinematically it tends toward the
repetitious. Over and over we see scenes of Sandro threatening the
women and we hear interviews with some of the hostages. Padilha is
good at appropriate cuts to the background stories, and the film
finally reaches its climax when Sandro, after many hours, suddenly
walks off the bus with his pistol at the head of one of the young
women. That the inept police manage to kill both brings the story to
its seemingly inevitable tragic ending. This is powerful stuff.
Recommended for those who are interested in serious social issues. In
Portuguese with English subtitles. DVD ***1/2
(9/18/04)
"Man
on Fire"-Director Tony Scott ("Spy Game"
and "Crimson Tide") apparently wanted to create an artistic thriller
a la "Traffic." The film is loaded with artsy cinematic images. The
camera jumps, shakes and various kinds of transitions from scene to
scene are used. But when we get right down to it, this is just
another violent thriller starring Denzel Washington. In fact, this
film is so violent, it could well be the ultimate revenge film. This
time Denzel Washington is Creasy, an alcoholic former military type,
who is visiting his friend Rayburn (Christopher Walken) in Mexico
City when there is an outbreak of kidnappings. Rayburn encourages
Creasy to take a job as a bodyguard for Pita (Dakota Fanning), the
young daughter of a wealthy couple played by Marc Anthony and Radha
Mitchell. Despite attempting to be aloof from Pita, Creasy soon finds
himself becoming attached to the young intelligent and outspoken
girl. Ultimately, and not surprisingly, Pita is kidnapped during an
attack in which Mexican police officers participate and Creasy is
seriously wounded. Later, Creasy learns that the girl has been killed
in a botched attempt to pay a ransom. Then, as in so many "hero"
thriller films, Creasy quickly recovers and sets out to find and kill
every individual who participated in or profited from Pita's
kidnapping. "Man on Fire," unfortunately, quickly descends into scene
after scene of vengeance killings by the single-minded bodyguard.
"Man on Fire" has a few not terribly surprising surprises, and
ultimately has a good news, bad news, happy ending. Giancarlo
Giannini portrays a former Interpol cop whose placement in Mexico
seems unexplained. Mickey Rourke is a typical sleazy lawyer and
Rachel Ticotin is good as a helpful reporter. DVD ***
(9/17/04)
"Bon
Voyage"-We are in France at the
beginning of World War II. Actress Viviane Danvers (Isabelle Adjani)
is receiving praise for a new film but soon she is followed home by a
seemingly sinister man, André Arpel, who forces his way into
her apartment. Next we see Vivianne calling old boyfriend
Frédéric (Grégori Derangè) who arrives
thinking she desires him but instead finds that Arpel is dead and he
is needed to dispose of the body. When Frédéric crashes
the car in a heavy downpour and the trunk opens to reveal the body,
he winds up in prison charged with Arpel's death. But when the Nazis
approach Paris, Frédéric manages to escape with Raoul
(Yvan Attal), and the adventure begins. The story gets a little
complicated as we soon meet the lovely but bookish Camille (Virginie
Ledoyen) who is helping a physics professor (Jean-Marc Stehlé)
transport heavy water to England. Vivianne is traveling with her
favorite government Minister, Jean-Étienne Beaufort
(Gérard Depardieu), and all are being watched by a somewhat
mysterious reporter, Alex Winckler (Peter Coyote) who speaks French
and German. As you can imagine, the paths of all of these and other
characters cross over and over. "Bon Voyage" is a thriller, an
adventure story, a comedy, and even has a few serious elements. While
it tends toward the hectic, "Bon Voyage" has a pleasing cast of first
rate performers. Grégori Derangè emerges as a potential
new handsome leading man of the French cinema and Virginie Ledoyen
("8 Women") is beautiful and charming as the seemingly innocent
Camille. Over the years the French films seen in the United States
have more often than not been serious and talky with little action.
This production certainly provides a different approach by French
filmmakers. "Bon Voyage" is beautifully photographed, a little zany,
and fun to watch. (In French with English subtitles) DVD ***1/2
(9/10/04)
"The
Ladykillers"-In 1955, Alec Guinness
starred in the original version of this film as the leader of an
ultimately bumbling criminal band renting from an old lady and
pretending to be a real group of musicians. When they try to kill the
old lady, their fates are settled. It's a classic, not to be outdone
and worth watching on the DVD recently released. The current version
of "The Ladykillers," from the Coen Brothers, changes the story
somewhat. Rather than London, the setting is Mississippi where the
"worldly" charms of Professor Goldthwaite H. Dorr (Tom Hanks)
convince an initially cynical Marva Munson (Irma P. Hall) that she
should allow him to rent a room and use her basement for his "band's"
rehearsals. The band, made up of four recruits to help Dorr rob the
local riverboat casino, that just happens to be parked behind Ms.
Munson's house, brings together jive-talking Gawain McSam (Marlon
Wayans), the "inside" man, The General (Tzi Ma), who knows how to dig
tunnels, Garth Pancake (J.K. Simmons), the know-it-all with irritable
bowel syndrome (a fatal flaw), and Lump Hudson (Ryan Hurst), the
dumbbell who is there for his strength if nothing else. Amid scenes
of wonderful gospel music at Ms. Munson's church, Dorr's little merry
band digs its way toward the casino and the riches lying inside. When
their plot is discovered by the old lady and she tells them they must
return the money and attend church, the little band seals their fate
by plotting Ms. Munson's untimely death. Tom Hanks is quite funny and
different as the smooth-talking southern accented poetry quoting
Professor Dorr. Irma P. Hall is delightful as the bowlegged
tough-talking Marva, a woman who knows just what is going on around
her, although constantly worrying about whether her cat, Pickles,
will get out the door. With the help of some very good gospel music,
the Coen Brothers have created another little delight. As a copy of
an original classic, this version of "The Ladykillers" pales
significantly in comparison. But it's still a funny film with a good
cast and worth a view. DVD *** (9/8/04)
"Good
Bye Lenin!"-It is 1989, the waning days
of the GDR (East Germany) and young Alex (Daniel Brühl) is
marching in protest against the regime. At the same time, his mother
(Katrin Sass) is a happy participant in the bureaucracy of the GDR,
until, that is, she sees Alex being manhandled by East German police
during a protest march, has a heart attack, and falls into an 8-month
coma. During the time she is in her coma, the GDR and the Berlin Wall
collapse and the people of East Berlin begin to become westernized.
When Alex's mother finally emerges from her coma, her doctor warns
Alex that she must avoid excitement and he proceeds, with the help of
his sister (Maria Simon), girlfriend (Chulpan Khamatova), and
friends, to make her believe that the GDR continues to exist and
that, among other things, people are leaving West Germany in droves
as refugees to avoid the stresses of capitalism. The situation is a
little contrived and ultimately gets a little repetitious, but Alex's
insistent attempts to make his mother believe that nothing has
changed are amusing. He has friends create video tapes of broadcasts
showing the refugees pouring into East Berlin and ultimately enlists
the help of a former German cosmonaut who has now descended to become
a cab driver in the new western post-Berlin Wall era. Writer and
Director Wolfgang Becker certainly has a point to make about the need
for human continuity and how people could make as much of life as
possible under an oppressive regime as it existed prior to the Wall
collapsing, even down to enjoying the east's proletarian pickles. But
the commercial and technological temptations of the west (including
Coca Cola) are also obvious and it's clear that even with the
stresses that come with greater freedom in life, that life is
ultimately to be preferred. (In German with English subtitles). DVD
***
((9/4/04)
"Dogville"-Lars
von Trier, the Danish director, makes unceasingly morose films often
centered on depressed or abused women ("Breaking The Waves" and
"Dancer In The Dark"). This one is too, but despite being three hours
in length it is exceedingly interesting and watchable. Filmed on a
soundstage in which the Rocky Mountain town of Dogville is outlined
in chalk with minimal props, it doesn't take long for the viewer to
forget the annoyance of this strange scenery and to feel that one has
entered an actual town. But this Depression-era town is like no Rocky
Mountain, USA, town anyone could possibly imagine. And that may be
due to the fact that von Trier has never been in America and only
imagines what an "ideal" American town is like. This town and its
people ultimately represent all towns and all people because von
Trier is undoubtedly attempting to bare the disturbed human
soul."Dogville" brought to mind such filmmakers, writers, and
playwrights as Bergman, Brecht, Shirley Jackson and Thornton Wilder.
This is an "Our Town" gone weirdly wrong. Initially we see a rather
quiet town populated by simple souls. Tom Edison (Paul Bettany), a
young philosopher who envisions himself as a writer despite rarely
writing, lives with his father (Philip Baker Hall) and knows everyone
in this small town, from the blind old man (Ben Gazzara) who never
leaves his house to Vera (Patricia Clarkson), a woman with a houseful
of children and a husband (Stellan Skarsgard) with a wandering eye.
There is Ma Ginger (Lauren Bacall), a store owner known for her care
of the Gooseberry trees and her pies that result, and Liz Henson
(Chloe Sevigny), a young attractive woman who hates the attention of
the men in town, especially that of Tom, the most handsome and
eligible bachelor. Into this town wanders Grace Margaret Mulligan
(Nicole Kidman) who is being chased by gangsters and fears for her
life. Tom befriends her, but the town initially is hesitant to take
her in, fearing that it will endanger them. After the angelic Grace,
with Tom's urging, agrees to do work for all, they let her stay and
gradually she becomes part of the town despite being asked to work
harder and harder to satiate the town's guilt for harboring her. The
people of this sleepy little town gradually reveal their nasty side,
turning Grace into a virtual prostitute for the local men. Grace, on
the other hand, seems always to be forgiving no matter how
monstrously she is treated (including the application of a heavy
chain around her neck, attached to a heavy metal wheel which she must
drag around). The story has a somewhat surprising ending, but one
that naturally follows from von Trier's vision of the evil in the
human soul. It has been said that von Trier's aim was to criticize
America and its foreign policy. That is not clear; but what is clear
is that von Trier has an extremely cynical view of the human psyche.
And considering the violence and abuse in human history, past and
present, that shouldn't be too surprising. Virtually all of the
performances are first rate and the film has an excellent narration
by John Hurt. DVD ****
(9/3/04)
"Monsieur
Ibrahim"-Films with humane themes are
always at the top of my list but this French film, although seeming
to be trying hard, miserably fails. The problem is that it is so full
of artificial and unpleasant circumstances that it undermines the
heart of any humane theme it might have. The film is based on a play
by Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt and reading about the play online indicates
to me that certain significant elements, such as the boy's father
being a Holocaust survivor, are omitted from the film. In the film,
Moses Schmitt, aka Momo (Pierre Boulanger) is a 16-year-old Jewish
boy living with his morose father in a Paris neighborhood surrounded
by streetwalking prostitutes. Momo lives in a dark dreary apartment
amid dusty old books and we learn that his mother has abandoned him
shortly after birth for no apparent reason. The father has also
tortured him with stories about an older brother who left with the
mother. Despite stealing tins of food from the local "Arab," a
storeowner named Ibrahim Demirdji (Omar Sharif), the boy is
befriended by Monsieur Ibrahim, a Turkish Muslim (and not an Arab) as
if he were a son. In their conversations, Monsieur Ibrahim implies to
Momo that everything one needs to know is in the Koran. Not only does
Ibrahim forgive Momo his trespasses, but he gives him cat food to
pass off as paté for the father. This nastiness is
unexplained. Ultimately, Momo and Ibrahim grow so close that when
Momo's father dies, he out-of-hand rejects his mother (who arrives
out of the blue--no explanation given for her abandonment or return)
and takes off on a road trip to Turkey with Monsieur Ibrahim. In
effect, Momo has totally rejected his Jewish heritage and is heading
for Ibrahim's Islamic heritage. I won't describe the end other than
to say that it again is completely artificial and unlikely in its
circumstances like much of the film. Although this film has been
viewed positively as a warm story about a relationship between a
Muslim man and a Jewish boy, the film could easily be interpreted to
be anti-Semitic. Why? Well, everything good seems to occur when Momo
is with the Muslim Ibrahim, while everything bad ( including a
miserable father, an abandoning mother, a dreary apartment and life,
and old books which do not provide the knowledge that Monsieur
Ibrahim's one book, the Koran, provides) occurs when Momo is living
his life as a Jew. Omar Sharif is wonderful as the old man Ibrahim
and Pierre Boulanger provides a fine performance in this intriguing
role of the unhappy French boy. (Mostly in French with English
subtitles). DVD ***
(8/27/04)
"Hidalgo"-This
is one of those epics that is beautiful and fun and yet you want to
fast forward at times through some of the drawn-out desert scenes.
Supposedly based on the true-life adventures of Frank Hopkins (Viggo
Mortensen), "Hidalgo" tells the tale of a man who was part American
Indian who witnessed the mistreatment of Indians at Wounded Knee,
suffered in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, and ultimately chose to
concentrate on racing his mustang, Hidalgo, in long-distance races.
Challenged to race in an incredibly difficult 3,000 mile race across
the Arabian desert called the "Ocean of Fire," Hopkins accepts almost
without thought and finds himself in all types of adventures, ranging
from escaping a monumental sandstorm, saving a pretty damsel (the
beautiful daughter of Sheikh Riyadh (Omar Sharif), played by Zuleikha
Robinson), from the clutches of evil Arabs bent on stealing the
Sheikh's champion horse, being seduced by Lady Davenport (Louise
Lombard) whose horse is also a favorite in the race, and generally
avoiding the dastardly deeds of various riders and outlaws bent on
preventing him from finishing this grueling ordeal. The photography
is beautiful but the desert scenes are drawn out. The thrills are a
little too clichéd, and the result of the race is
unsurprising. The film's end, however, provides a genuinely warm and
touching conclusion to this epic adventure. Viggo Mortensen is an
effective action hero who reminded me a little of Ed Harris in this
role as a tough western hombre. While not totally satisfying,
"Hidalgo" is fun, especially for those who love watching horses and
the horse who plays Hidalgo is alone worth watching in this film. DVD
***
(8/14/04)
"13
Going On 30"-Jennifer Garner leaves
Sydney Bristow ("Alias") behind and takes on a new and funny persona
as Jenna Rink, a 13-year-old girl (played beautifully as a teen by
Christa Allen) who wishes she was 30. She's cute and nice and not
part of the in-crowd at school. And she has a nerdy but nice
boyfriend named Matt. But when sprinkled with a little wishing dust,
Jenna wakes up to find that she is indeed 30 and living a life she
doesn't like. And in that life she once again meets Matt (Mark
Ruffalo) now talented and attractive. Jenna finds that she has turned
into a pushy and obnoxious magazine editor but with her 13-year-old
persona she decides to do something about it. Garner is surprisingly
funny as the at-times awkward and at other times chic Jenna. Ruffalo
does a workmanlike job as the amused Matt, and Judy Greer plays Lucy
Wyman, Jenna's co-editor. As a teenager (Alexandra Kyle), Lucy was a
total bitch but Judy Greer, although funny, doesn't quite carry off
the character's basic obnoxious nature in the adult version. "13
Going On 30" is not quite a repeat of "Big" which emphasized the
fantasy of a kid in a grownup's body whereas this film tries to make
a point about the various paths life can take, but it does the job,
is entertaining, and provides some hope that Jennifer Garner can grow
in her acting talents. Notable in the film is the amusing Andy Serkis
(of LOTR Gollum fame) as Jenna's editor-in-chief. DVD ***
(8/13/04)
"Kill
Bill: Vol. 2"-With a quick recap of
"Kill Bill: Vol. 1," telling the story of the massacre at the wedding
chapel, The Bride (Uma Thurman) resumes her efforts to kill all of
the assassins, and especially Bill, her former lover who shot her and
left her for dead. Whereas the first film (or first half of the
story) was practically nonstop action and violence, "Vol. 2" takes a
slightly different, more verbal tack. But first we see The Bride, now
revealed to be Beatrix Kiddo, come up against the formidable brother
of Bill, Budd, played coolly by Michael Madsen. Wielding her
incredible Hanzu sword, Beatrix soon finds herself buried alive and
we learn how she was taught her amazing King Fu talents. Will Beatrix
emerge from the ground? Well, of course, and the remainder of the
film tells how she finally defeats her enemies and finds Bill plus a
little surprise. I found this film a little too verbose for the
subject matter. Quentin Tarentino is a master of slick filming and
unusual and clever violent scenes. But he's not a master at dialogue
or theme. Plenty of homages to past thrillers, but Tarantino gets
carried away, especially in the final scenes of talk between Beatrix
and Bill (David Carradine). This film has one totally redeeming
feature, however. And that is Uma Thurman who is a feast for the eyes
under any circumstances. DVD ***1/2
(8/12/04)
"The
Human Stain"-Based on the rather serious
novel of Philip Roth, "The Human Stain" ultimately fails due to
astonishingly bizarre casting. However, it's still worth watching
simply because of the unusual and telling story from a significant
novelist about race, political correctness, and self-deception. "The
Human Stain" is the story of Coleman Silk (Anthony Hopkins), a dean
and professor at a western Massachusetts college who is accused of
racism when he refers to missing students (who turn out to be black)
as "spooks." Of course, Silk meant the term to refer to their ghostly
nature since he had never seen them in class, but in a world of
political correctness this one word costs him his job and, later in
the day, his wife, Iris (Phyllis Newman), who dies of the shock of
the accusation and its consequences. Silk, who has portrayed himself
as Jewish, hiding for years his true ethnicity, finds himself alone
in his big house and rejected by those who were once his friends. But
he manages to gain the friendship of Nathan Zuckerman (Gary Sinise) a
local novelist who is actually telling the tale. And what a tale it
is. We look back on the young Coleman Silk (Wentworth Miller) who
turns out to be an African-American from New Jersey who looks white
and realizes his advantage, ultimately rejecting his own mother (Anna
Deavere Smith) and family after the act of revealing his true race
costs him his first love (Jacinda Barrett). The current and now
jobless Coleman Silk, who is obviously at least in his early 70s,
miraculously falls into an amorous relationship with a young but very
hardened beauty, Faunia Farley (Nicole Kidman), a local woman who
does various odd jobs, including cleaning and milking cows.
Unfortunately, Farley has a disturbing background and a very
disturbed ex-husband, Lester (Ed Harris), who wishes harm to his
ex-wife and the old professor. Silk's lawyer and his friend Zuckerman
warn him that this relationship will fail and could threaten his
life, but Silk replies that this may not be his first love, or his
best love, but it is his "last love" and he will not abandon Faunia
despite the danger from Lester. "The Human Stain" is an interesting
and unusual tale but it is difficult to accept the obviously British
Hopkins (who, unlike so many British actors, can't seem to rid
himself of the vestiges of his British accent when necessary) as the
aging African-American from New Jersey, especially when compared to
the actor playing the young Coleman, Wentworth Miller, who bares
absolutely no resemblance to Hopkins. And then there's the casting of
Nicole Kidman in the very strange role of a tough and bitter broad
who is loving one minute and angry the next. Kidman actually does a
wonderful job in this role but cannot escape her beauty which serves
only to undermine the nature of the part. Gary Sinise is fine as
Zuckerman but has little to do other than narrate, and Ed Harris, as
always, is powerful as the mysterious and angry Lester Farley. Loaded
with flaws, "The Human Stain" still has enough good acting and a
story with thoughtful themes to make it worth viewing. DVD ***1/2
(7/24/04)
"Dirty
Dancing: Havana Nights"-I think this
film would have had a better chance if it hadn't attempted to rip off
the title of the original "Dirty Dancing." Interestingly, although it
has a vaguely similar theme, this film is based somewhat on the true
experiences of the film's choreographer, JoAnn Jansen, who was
brought to Havana in 1958 by her parents just as the Batista regime
was about to fall. Here, the story centers on Katey Miller (Romola
Garai), a high school senior who arrives in Havana in 1958 with her
family and immediately feels out of place among the wealthy, stuck-up
American kids with whom she is forced to socialize. Katey ultimately
is attracted to a young Cuban waiter, Javier (Diego Luna), at the
hotel where the family lives and becomes intrigued by the sensual
dancing and culture of the locals. While her family tries to force a
relationship with a young wealthy American (Jonathan Jackson), Katey
finds herself training for a dance contest with the far more
down-to-earth Javier and learns something about the local history and
violence of the Batista regime. The story of the Castro takeover is a
little too serious for this very"romantic" film, but the class and
cultural differences are portrayed sufficiently to make the point.
Ultimately, though, the film is about dance and Latin music and
there's certainly plenty to enjoy. The cast is headed by the
intriguing young British actress Romola Garai ("Nicholas Nickleby"
and "I Capture The Castle") who, at age 21, seems to be creating a
niche for herself. She does a good job of changing her British accent
into that of an American, but she will quickly regain her real accent
as she is soon to be seen in the upcoming "Vanity Fair." Diego Luna
("Y tu mamá también") does a fine job as the young
Cuban who realizes that he's not likely to hold onto this young
beautiful American girl as the revolution descends on Havana. Patrick
Swayze is the only hint of the original "Dirty Dancing," appearing
here as a Latin dance instructor encouraging young Katey to enter the
big dance contest. Ultimately, "Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights" turns
out to be a decent diversion for those who enjoy good sexy dancing
with a little romance. DVD ***
(7/24/04)
"The
Barbarian Invasions"-Surprisingly, this
film from Director Denys Arcand is a rather cheerful film about a
man's dying days. Filled with excellent French-Canadian actors,"The
Barbarian Invasions" is the story of a reunion of sorts. Rémy
(Rémy Girard) is in the hospital and dying of cancer. He's an
atheist, a professor, smart, witty, randy, and a little bitter,
especially towards his son Sébastien (Stéphane
Rousseau) who has become a conservative businessman in Great Britain.
Rémy apparently has been anything but conservative as he finds
himself surrounded not only by his son and ex-wife, but also by,
among others, two former mistresses. Like so many non-American
movies, "The Barbarian Invasions" is a film filled with talk and
human emotions. Friends arrive and discuss the present and the past.
Although Rémy initially argues with Sébastien, we soon
see that the son is extremely able and willing to use his slightly
crooked business techniques to make his father's closing days as
comfortable as possible, even arranging for a closed portion of the
hospital to be reopened for his father's greater privacy. Ultimately,
Sébastien decides to bring in Nathalie (Marie-Josée
Croze) the daughter of one of Rémy's friends, because she is a
junky and knows exactly where to get heroin to ease Rémy's
pain. This situation may not sound cheerful, but the script is
delightfully positive and the acting superb. Rémy's final days
are spent in the pleasure of the company of those he loves. This is a
wonderful film. Highly recommended. DVD ****
(7/17/04)
"Against
The Ropes"-Jackie Kallen is a real-life
successful boxing promoter. In "Against The Ropes" Meg Ryan plays a
fictionalized version of Kallen. Whereas the real Jackie Kallen was
from Detroit and had been a journalist and was married and a mother,
the Meg Ryan version is from Cleveland, single, and grew up in the
boxing world. Meg tries hard but just doesn't seem right as the tough
talking Jackie who decides to take on the rather scary Cleveland
boxing promoter LaRocca (Tony Shalhoub). She finds Luther Shaw (Omar
Epps), a tough guy from the hood, and decides to make him a boxer.
With the reluctant help of Felix Reynolds (Charles S. Dutton), Shaw,
despite every effort to resist learning to be a pro athlete,
ultimately succeeds. At first he adores Kallen, but when she seems to
be putting her own image ahead of his, he turns on her and Kallen
finds herself on the outside looking in. But this is fictional sports
fantasy, and knowing that the real Kallen is a success, you can just
imagine what happens at the end. "Against The Ropes" is tolerable to
watch if not artistically exciting. Meg Ryan, it would seem, needs to
take another look at the twists and turns of her recent career. If
"In The Cut" and this film are indications of her future, she's in
trouble. DVD ***
(7/16/04)
"Secret
Window"-Wasting the talent of such as
Johnny Depp, this stinker, based on a story by Stephen King, should
be missed. I admit that I didn't watch the whole film. I viewed the
first 20 minutes or so until the completely predictable death of a
pet dog, and then I watched the end of the film out of curiosity. I
have no doubt I missed nothing in between. Depp is a writer who is in
the process of being divorced by his totally unlikely wife, played by
Maria Bello. He lives alone in a remote country house, wearing his
ratty bathrobe and sleeping most of the time. Ultimately, he is
interrupted by a frightening southerner (John Turturro) who asserts
that Depp's character stole a story that he wrote. Depp then starts
muttering to himself, wondering if he could have plagiarized the
story. Insipid is a nice word for this worthless story. The actors
looked like they weren't even trying. This is a miss-at-all-costs.
DVD *
((7/10/04)
"The
Butterfly Effect"-With a mediocre script
and poor acting performances, this film is hardly worth describing
except to say that it is about a young man, Evan Treborn (Ashton
Kutcher) who manages to travel back and forth in time by reading
portions of his diaries. Evan's goal is to change things in the past
but each time he makes a change he finds things are screwed up in
different ways, encouraging him to keep going back to make changes.
Ultimately, he figures that no one will be happy unless he makes the
ultimate trip back. The premise was certainly interesting. The film,
however, leaves a great deal to be desired. Amy Smart ("The Battle of
Shaker Heights") is pleasant as the young lady of Treborn's dreams.
DVD **
(7/9/04)
"Cold
Mountain"-"Cold Mountain" left me, well,
cold. I had been very wary of this story and seeing the film at last
showed me why. Actually, it's not as bad as I thought it would be,
but it was close. Into the pre-Civil War town of Cold Mountain, NC,
comes the lovely Ada Monroe (Nicole Kidman) with her reverend father
(Donald Sutherland). Almost immediately the lovely Ada spies a
good-looking laborer, Inman (Jude Law), and is attracted. But before
they have a chance to have much of a relationship, Inman must leave
with the confederate troops as the Civil War breaks out and the
lovely Ada is almost immediately threatened by the obnoxious Teague
(Ray Winstone), head of the local Home Guard which will round up and
shoot as many confederate deserters as it can find. With the help of
the rather frightening and ultimately acrobatic Bosie (Charlie
Hunnam), the Home Guard will play a major role in these characters'
future. Inman, who keeps the lovely Ada's photo nearby at all times
and who has fought valiantly up to this point, inexplicably deserts
his fellow Rebs after recovering from a near-fatal battle wound, and
heads for home on foot (to return to the lovely Ada he hardly
knows?). This rather extended and somewhat tiresome trip requires him
to avoid being seen as much as possible as he could be easily shot
for desertion. "Cold Mountain," directed by Anthony Minghella ("The
English Patient" and "The Talented Mr. Ripley") presents the
highlights of his long trek home while, at the same time, we see the
struggles of the now orphaned and almost starving lovely Ada who
takes in the rugged Ruby Thewes (Renée Zellweger) to help her
run her farm. "Cold Mountain" is loaded with an interesting cast,
especially noteworthy since so many are either English (Jude Law,
Eileen Atkins, Ray Winstone, and Charlie Hunnam), Australian
(Kidman), or Irish (Brendan Gleeson as Ruby's wastrel of a father).
It seems that the southern accent is rather easy to portray. But
there are enough American actors like Zellweger and Kathy Baker,
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Giovanni Ribisi and Natalie Portman in brief
roles. The romance of the lovely Ada and Inman is awkward and their
fate ultimately predictable. Zellweger's downhome performance is
noteworthy. The Weinsteins, who produced this film, thought it should
gather awards. A viewing will easily reveal why it was ignored at
Oscar time. DVD ***
(7/3/04)
"Spartan"-With
the unique patter of a David Mamet script,"Spartan" is a fairly tepid
thriller about a military agent caught up in an assignment to find
the kidnapped daughter of a high U.S. government official (the
president?) Val Kilmer seems to be going through the motions as
Scott, an ultra-confident tough cookie, who finds out later that he
has been hoodwinked by a political plot aimed at making it look like
the daughter has drowned in a boating accident rather than having
been kidnapped for prostitution in the middle east, and thus
protecting her father from a scandal. Mamet, who also directed, has
his characters talk in his now almost-clichéd style of awkward
brief sentences, a style unlike any heard in normal conversation.
Mamet also apparently has a deeper political purpose to his story,
the conclusion raising serious doubts about the credibility of high
level politicians and the gullibility of the media. But as worthy as
the theme may be, the vehicle for getting there is weak. Derek Luke
is pleasant as Curtis, an enthusiastic, but inexperienced aide to
Scott, and Tia Texada is enthusiastic as Jackie Black, a tough
soldier who wants to impress Scott. Others of note are Ed O'Neill and
William H. Macy, a Mamet regular. DVD **1/2
(7/2/04)
"Bubba
Ho-tep"-The creation of this indie film
required some imagination. Elvis Presley, aka Sebastian Haff (Bruce
Campbell), is an elderly disabled resident of a decrepit nursing home
in Texas. One of the other residents is Jack (Ossie Davis), an
elderly black man who claims to be JFK. The explanation: Elvis: "No
offense, Jack, but President Kennedy was a white man." And Jack
replies: "They dyed me this color! That's how clever they are!" And
into this strange mix comes, believe it or not, an ancient Egyptian
mummy bent on sucking souls from the bodies of the residents. Now
this certainly sounds like a recipe for a movie disaster of epic
proportions, but strangely it works and that's in part due to the
intelligent script and the poignant portrayals by both Campbell and
Davis. Haff tells a story explaining that he's the real Elvis and how
he got there and Campbell, providing a touching portrayal of an
elderly Elvis, makes you believe him and feel for his current state.
Ossie Davis is hysterically serious as the apparently deluded Jack.
When confronted with the horror of the evil stalking the nursing
home, they somehow rise from their unhappy situations and go after
the mummy to save their souls. On the DVD, the filmmakers discuss
whether this is a comedy, a horror film, or a drama, and clearly it
is all three. Quite a combination for a 90-minute film! Recommended
for its unique approach and for the acting of both Campbell (who
really hits the Elvis button) and Davis. As Elvis says: "Thank you.
Thank you very very much." DVD ***1/2
(6/26/04)
"The
Lost Skeleton of Cadavra"-I had never
heard of this indie film until it was mentioned by a friend. Just out
on DVD (I doubt it ever played in more than a handful of commercial
theaters, most likely in LA), it attempts to be a parody of sci-fi
films of the 1950s such as "It Came From Outer Space" and "This
Island Earth." The trouble is that the filmmaker, Larry Blamire, who
also stars in the film, has made the script so hokey and the effects
(I hesitate to call them "special") so mediocre and obvious that the
film becomes a self-parody. A rocket ship looks like a toy, a mutant
looks like something put together in a backyard, and a skeleton
character has obvious strings pulling the arms and legs. No matter
how bad the sci-fi films of the 1950s were, they weren't this bad and
the acting wasn't as atrocious as that we see here. Blamire admits
his film is silly and I have to admit that it does have some funny
stuff. The problem is that the cast tries so hard to be bad with an
abominably silly script that it's hard to tell what's parody and what
is simply bad writing and bad acting. A real parody, to be
worthwhile, must be a little more subtle than this. With lines like
"Betty, you know what this meteor could mean to science. It could
mean actual advances in the field of science," do we laugh? How about
this? "Sorry, sometimes my wife forgets that she is not an alien from
outer space." The film is in black and white. It stars a cast of
unknowns, including Fay Masterson as Betty, wife of Dr. Paul
Armstrong (Blamire), and Jennifer Blaire (Blamire's real wife) as
Animala, a cat-like creature who is pretty entertaining. Masterson,
as the adoring wife of the idiot scientist, and Blaire are the best
things in the film. DVD **
(6/25/04)
"Bad
Santa"-"Bad Santa" is a BAD movie. I
mean really bad. The premise? Billy Bob Thornton is Willie, a
degenerate slob who annually manages, unlikely, to get jobs as a
department store Santa Claus so that he and his "elf" partner, Marcus
(Tony Cox) can ultimately rob the store. They then use the winnings
to survive until the following Christmas season. Someone told me this
film was a funny putdown of Christmas. No, sirree. This film is not
funny and is more of a putdown of the movie business itself. Willie
is a drunk and foul-mouthed to the nth degree. In fact, this film may
set the record for the use of four letter words. It's also
mean-spirited and lacking anything that would provide
"entertainment." In the cast, sadly, is the late John Ritter as a
department store employee (portrayed as a nerd) who is shocked at
Willie's behavior and language, including his sexual activities in a
customer changing-room, and complains to the completely cynical store
security head, Gin (Bernie Mac). Does Gin do something about it?
Sure, he joins the illegal activity and ultimately pays a very stiff
price. Loads of fun! If you like a constant onslaught of four-letter
words from characters with no redeeming social value whatsoever, this
film is for you. Otherwise, run as fast as you can in the opposite
direction. DVD *
(6/25/04)
"The
Station Agent"-This charming little
indie film tells the story of three people who normally would have
little in common but wind up as friends under unusual circumstances.
Finbar ("Fin") McBride (Peter Dinklage) is a dwarf whose job as an
assistant in a model train store in Hoboken, NJ, has ended abruptly
with the death of his friend, the owner, Henry Styles (Paul
Benjamin). Henry leaves Fin an old train depot in a rural part of New
Jersey and Fin heads there on foot, hoping to lead a solitary life
watching trains. But no sooner is he there than he meets two
characters, Joe Oramas (Bobby Cannavale), who is running a mobile
food stand which just happens to be parked right outside Fin's train
depot, and Olivia Harris (Patricia Clarkson), a separated woman and
artist grieving the loss of her son, who almost runs Fin down twice
on a rural road. Joe is lonely and loves to talk and talk, but Fin
initially won't have any of it. Fin is also wary of Olivia who
suddenly befriends him with a bottle of wine. Slowly but surely the
three begin to become friends as Joe and Olivia follow Fin in his
walks along a railroad "right-of-way." With emotions running the
gamut from fun to intense anger, "The Station Agent" shows what life
can be like for a dwarf in our society, with people staring and
ridiculing, but also being protective. And then Fin has the
opportunity to compare his own problems with those of his new
friends. Patricia Clarkson is, as always, wonderful as the pained
Olivia and Bobby Cannavale provides humor as the hot-dog man who
would rather run away from his stand and be with people. Peter
Dinklage makes a tremendous impact as the little man at the center of
this tale of basic human emotions. DVD ****
(6/18/04)
"City
of God"-This is the story of a slum
community in Rio de Janeiro and what a story it is. Brilliantly
portrayed through the eyes and narration of young Rocket (Alexandre
Rodrigues), "City of God" explores a slum world of violence that
almost defies imagination. From the opening thrilling shots of knives
being sharpened and the attempted escape of a chicken on the block,
we can tell that we are in the hands of intelligent filmmakers who
are about to explore violence in a whole new way. The City of God is
a fearful place, overrun with young hoods who seem to have no purpose
in life other than to lie, steal, cheat and murder. Rocket finds
himself caught in the middle, although he is fortunate enough to have
the talent to be a photographer and to ultimately capture the images
of this hell of a world. Literally caught between a phalanx of hoods
with guns on one side and police with guns on the other, Rocket
proceeds to tell the story from the beginning which is the 1960s. We
see, in story interludes, the development of this hoodlum community
into the 1970s until it is controlled, after untold numbers of
shooting deaths, by two men, Carrot (Matheus Nachtergaele), a fairly
benign drug dealer, and Li'l Ze (Leandro Firmino), a ruthless
psychopathic drug dealer who is calmed only by his more peaceful
cohort Benny (Phellipe Haagensen). Rocket, although occasionally
caught up in the crime, would like to escape but has little choice as
he is forced to live among these murderers. Ultimately, another
peaceful character, Knockout Ned (Seu Jorge), is forced into the
picture when Li'l Ze is rejected by Ned's girlfriend. Li'l Ze
initially embarrasses Ned in public and rapes his girlfriend, but
ultimately decides to kill and his murderous rampage forces Ned from
his life of peace into a life of revengeful killing. This turns into
a wholesale war in the City of God. Based on a true story, "City of
God" also shows the incompetence and corruption of the local police,
some of whom are gun runners to the hoods. The movie is spectacularly
filmed and paced. The acting is as natural as one could possibly
imagine. Many films contain violence for the sake of violence, but
not this one. Here we experience a tale that explores an unfortunate
reality of Brazilian life and we see the cycle of violence with our
eyes wide open. In Portuguese with English subtitles. DVD ****1/2
(6/11/04)
"Mystic
River"-Director Clint Eastwood has
brought us an interesting mystery that delves into the minds and
personalities of a group of earthy characters portrayed by an
ensemble cast of first-rate actors. It's a dynamite combination and
yet I found this film to be ultimately sour. Taking place in the
streets of Boston, Eastwood's cast attempts to put on Boston accents
that are occasionally so thick that at times they can barely be
understood. To make it worse, the sound recording seemed to be below
the usual standards for modern films with far too much background
noise drowning out the dialogue. In a way, it reminded me of watching
a British film about people with incredibly thick northern English
accents. That said, the story starts out with three boys playing in
the street only to have one, Dave Boyle, kidnapped by pederasts and
kept for several days until he escapes. The others, Jimmy Markum and
Sean Devine, look on perplexed as Dave is driven away. When we next
see them, they have grown up and apart. Sean (Kevin Bacon) is a
police detective; Dave (Tim Robbins) is married and has a son; and
Jimmy (Sean Penn), who has spent time in prison for robbery, is
married to the tough Annabeth (Laura Linney) and has three daughters.
The trouble begins when Jimmy's daughter Katie (Emmy Rossum),
planning to run off with a neighbor boy Brendan (Tom Guiry), is
murdered. On the same evening Dave returns home at 3 a.m., with blood
all over him and a gash in his abdomen. His wife Celeste (Marcia Gay
Harden) immediately becomes frightened and suspicious and when the
police, in the form of Sean and his partner, Whitey Powers (Laurence
Fishburne), start inquiring about Dave, Celeste loses her cool,
leading to the ultimate denouement. The cast is overpowering. Sean
Penn, as always, portrays a character with amazing intensity but with
enough subtlety to make him real. Tim Robbins is extremely effective
as Dave, the man who has never gotten over his childhood experience.
Laura Linney, usually full of vim, vigor and charm, is here amazing
as the tough, worshipful wife of the very rough Jimmy. Marcia Gay
Harden gives Celeste the vulnerability she needs to egg the story on.
Kevin Bacon and Laurence Fishburne do a fine job as the seemingly
good guy, bad guy cops. Eventually the solution to the mystery
becomes obvious, but then there develops another mystery as to the
motivations of Sean, the detective. I found the ending disturbing and
morally obtuse. DVD ***1/2
(6/10/04)
"The
Company"-With the apparent inspiration
of actress Neve Campbell, who has studied dancing since childhood,
"The Company," directed by Robert Altman, serves as almost a
docudrama about the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago. The story is truly
incidental to the ultimate intent of the film, which is to reveal
what life is like in such a company. With members of the actual
Joffrey playing the dancing parts, we get to see the trials and
tribulations of professional dancers and the creative process, which
can be awe-inspiring or downright silly. Malcolm McDowell plays
Alberto Antonelli, the somewhat egotistical head of the company, and
Neve Campbell is Ry, one of his newer up-and-coming dancers. James
Franco, apparently along for the ride simply to give an excuse to
show Ry's private life, is her boyfriend, a chef in a trendy
restaurant. In a way this is a perfect situation for a director like
Altman who prefers ensemble films and likes to move quickly from
scene to scene ato show atmosphere rather than drama. And there is
lots of atmosphere. The film contains some spectacularly wonderful
dance numbers, including a fascinating duo to the tune of "My Funny
Valentine" performed outdoors during a developing thunderstorm, and a
solo done by a ballerina on a swing. What we learn is that the life
of a professional dancer is difficult, is less glamorous than
imagined, and requires an incredible amount of will and strength. The
dancers are driven and work constantly, rarely taking breaks for to
take a break is to lose their momentum. The film ends with a major
dance number created around animal characterizations that, while
beautifully danced, seemed more appropriate for a theme park show
than for a major company like the Joffrey. No matter, this film is
worth seeing for anyone who loves or is intrigued by modern dance.
DVD ***1/2
(6/5/04)
"Monster"-Aileen
Wuornos was a hooker turned killer who was eventually executed for
murder. In this otherwise fairly mundane film about her
transformation from a disturbed highway prostitute into a murderer,
Charlize Theron makes an amazing transformation of her own from one
of the most beautiful women in the world into a blonde worn out hag.
Wreaking of a messed up childhood, which is hinted at in the film,
Theron totally becomes Wuornos. This film is not only about Lee, as
Wuornos was known to her friends, but also about Selby (Christina
Ricci), Lee's lover and ultimate turncoat. As "Monster" begins, Lee
is already bereft, sitting under a highway overpass and considering
suicide. But she goes on and walks into a bar, meeting the lonely
Selby. Despite protestations about not being a lesbian, Lee takes
Selby up on her invitation to come home with her and the relationship
begins. Selby is totally passive, seemingly allowing Wuornos, despite
her protestations, to control her life as they move from hotel room
to rundown house. Although Wuornos attempts to get a regular job, she
literally wreaks of her regular occupation and is unable to break
into that other world. She returns to hooking and eventually meets a
"john" who makes the mistake of beating her to a pulp and threatening
her life. Wuornos turns the violence on the john and her career of
murder begins. There are those who have argued that Aileen Wuornos
acted in self-defense and had sexual relations with many other men
during the time of the killings and did no harm to them, only turning
on those who were violent to her. That is not the way she is
eventually portrayed in this film, finally killing a man who doesn't
even solicit sex from her. Without knowing more details of the case,
it's hard to pass judgment on the filmmakers in this regard. However,
despite Theron's amazing performance, the film drags, repetitious in
its portrayal of the dull hopeless relationship of Lee and Selby.
With better direction and more imagination, this film might have
taken off. DVD ***
(6/4/04)
"The
Last Samurai"-It is 1876, and Custer and
the 7th Cavalry have just been wiped out by the Sioux along the
Little Bighorn. Nathan Algren (Tom Cruise), a former member of that
troop from the Civil War, is now remorseful about the murderous
killing by the Army of innocent Indian women and children and is
resorting to alcohol to alleviate his disturbing memories. He is
recruited by Colonel Bagley (Tony Goldwyn), an officer he despises
for his stupidity and lack of feeling, to go to Japan to help train
the Emperor's soldiers in the use of modern weapons. In Japan, Algren
is in the process of training raw recruits when a threat develops
from Samurai headed by Katsumoto (Ken Watanabe). Katsumoto, at the
end of a thousand year Samurai tradition in Japan, thinks of himself
as fighting on behalf of the emperor, but the Emperor is weak and has
been subjected to intense pressures to modernize Japan and, in the
process, destroy the Samurai. Before the troops can be adequately
prepared and over Algren's objections, Bagley orders them to battle
and it isnt long before Katsumoto and his fellow Samurai warriors
rout the Emperor's soldiers and capture Algren despite his bravest
efforts. Apparently impressed with Algren's pluck and courage,
Katsumoto keeps him alive and brings him to his village. He is cared
for by Katsumoto's newly widowed sister Taka (Koyuki) (the husband
having been killed by Algren), who at first despises Algren but then
gradually begins to become impressed by his spirit and demeanor.
Meanwhile, in contrast to the Bushido philosophy and manner of the
Samurai, Algren demonstrates to Taka and others in the village the
ways of a tough but sensitive man of the west. And as he lives among
them, Algren gradually begins to admire the Samurai life and to
transform himself into one of them. "The Last Samurai" is beautifully
filmed and extraordinary at revealing the contrasting philosophies of
two very different warriors. One, a western man like Algren whose
view of battle is close to that of the mercenary, and, second,
Katsumoto, to whom fighting is part of the everyday life of the
tradition-rich Samurai warrior. Ken Watanabe provides a very strong
and handsome presence as Katsumoto in this excellent film of
divergent cultures and philosophies, and Tom Cruise has never been
better. Others of significant note in the film are Koyuki, showing
the quiet wonderment of Taka at this strange man who is living in her
home; Timothy Spall (who played the musical role of the Mikado in
"Topsy-Turvy") as Simon Graham, a translator and photographer at the
final battle; the amusing Billy Connolly as Zebulon Gant, Algren's
right-hand man; Masato Harada as Omura, the minister who fills the
Emperor's ears with hate for the Samurai; and Togo Igawa as General
Hasegawa, a Samurai turned modern soldier who pays the ultimate price
for leading his men into a hopeless battle. DVD ****
(5/29/04)
"The
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the
King"-After six hours of "The Fellowship
of the Ring" and "The Two Towers," we are faced with another three
dreadful hours of pretty much the same thing: Frodo (Elijah Wood)
still has the ring and is headed towards Mordor to try to dispose of
it in the fires of Mount Doom, accompanied by Sam (Sean Astin) and
the obviously treacherous Smeagol/Gollum (Andy Serkis, who actually
gets to be seen at the start of this film); Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen)
and Legolas (Orlando Bloom) are wandering around trying to think of
ways to save mankind; Gandalf (Ian McKellen) is on his white horse
telling everyone what to do; another Middle Earth city faces attack
from the Mordorian legions of Auks and other "friendly" characters;
and Eowyn (Miranda Otto), a woman of beauty and pizzazz, is mistaken
in her belief that Aragorn is attracted to her when unbeknownst to
her, he's really in love with the utterly vapid and expressionless
Arwen (Liv Tyler). Other than the performance of Sean Astin, the
acting is pretty much non-existent in this film. It's all posturing,
with little or no expression. Elijah Wood still looks like an animal
in the headlights during most of his scenes. Thankfully, he has Astin
along to provide some real emotion as Sam may well be the only
character in this film who demonstrates any spirit at all. Everything
else is utterly predictable. Once again we have "Star Wars" meets
"The Wizard of Oz" with a little bit of "Alien" and "Them" thrown in.
This film won an inexplicable Oscar for Best Film. It deserved an
Oscar for special effects (but even those grow wearisome after a
multitude of repetitions). But that's about it. The rest is as
over-the-top as any film I've ever seen (do the battle scenes ever
end?). Peter Jackson, the director, didn't know when to cut. I have
no doubt he could have significantly edited this film without any
loss to whatever story it has. And then there's the end. The end that
never ends and the end that is unexplained. The elderly Bilbo and
Frodo must sail off into the sea for no apparent reason. I'm sure
Tolkien had a reason but it's certainly not obvious here. And it
wasn't obvious to the other characters who were shocked and surprised
by Gandalf's pronouncement that Frodo must go. With the departure of
Frodo and the elderly Bilbo, thankfully, after nine long weary hours,
the series was over. DVD **1/2
(5/28/04)
"Osama"-Like
its unique predecessor, "Kandahar," "Osama" tells of miserable life
under the Taliban in Afghanistan before 9/11. The film, made by
Siddiq Barmak, is beautifully filmed, giving the viewer a clear and
depressing view of the misery of the Afghan existence in the
Taliban-era. And "Osama" is especially effective in portraying the
virulent anti-female policies of the Taliban. Marina Golbahari is the
unforgettable young girl whose mother and grandmother are so
desperate for food that they cut her hair and send her out dressed as
a boy to work (something females could not do), a potentially fatal
undertaking if she is discovered by the Taliban. What makes it seem
so foolhardy is that Taliban are everywhere with their black beards
and semi-automatic rifles peering with suspicion at everyone and
everything everybody does to be certain that no one is enjoying
themselves in any way. Named "Osama" by one of the boys (who knows
her secret), the young girl is finally caught up in a desperate
situation when the Taliban round up all the boys, including Osama,
for re-training to their militaristic and hateful way of thinking. In
one astonishing scene, the boys are taught how to wash their bodies
by a deranged mullah who will eventually be the bane of Osama's life.
This is a tragedy, but it is encouraging that in such a short period
of time, two enlightening and extremely well-done films have emerged
from a country like Afghanistan to allow it to tell its story. We can
only hope that the people of Afghanistan have only good things to
look forward to, but I suspect they have a very long way to go.
(English subtitles) DVD ****
(5/22/04)
"Miracle"-While
the cold war was still red hot, an Olympic hockey game between the
USA and the USSR was big news. In 1980, Americans were glued to their
TVs to watch the young upstart USA hockey team, led by coach Herb
Brooks, play the older, more experienced and dominant Soviets. As Al
Michaels, TV broadcaster, asked at the end of the game as the USA
team won, "Do you believe in miracles?" It was a truly great moment
in sports. "Miracle" recreates the experience. Kurt Russell, looking
a little too much like an Elvis impersonator, does a fine job of
becoming coach Brooks, who had been cut as a player from the gold
medal winning 1960 USA Olympic team and who was going to do
everything in his power to win at Lake Placid in 1980. Initially
ignoring his wife (the marvelous Patricia Clarkson) and totally
ignoring the views of the amateur hockey powers, Brooks selectively
chose the kind of young players he thought could meld into a team and
put them through an extremely rigorous training program. It worked.
"Miracle" is loaded with what would normally be thought of as sports
film ultraclichés: the super tough coach who, despite cynicism
from those around him, knows exactly what he's doing and molds the
young upstart team which ultimately wins the unbelievable game at the
end. But this really happened and this film makes it seem so real
that when you watch the big medal-round game versus the Soviets at
the end, it's almost as if you are watching the real game and you can
ignore the clichés. The cinematography of the action on the
ice is truly astounding (the techniques used to film these scenes are
explained on a special feature on the DVD). In addition, a cast of
young hockey players turned actors, as well as actors with some
hockey experience perform as well as one could possibly expect. I was
particularly impressed with Michael Mantenuto as Jack O'Callahan who
suffers what appears to be a serious injury at the worst moment and
then rises to the occasion; Patrick O'Brien Demsey as Mike Eruzione,
the team captain; and Nathan West as Rob McClanahan. And not to be
forgotten is Eddie Cahill as Jim Craig, the young goalie who
overcomes family concerns and plays the game of his life in Lake
Placid. Kurt Russell is hardly known for his acting ability, but here
he comes through by transforming himself into Herb Brooks. For having
re-created so well such a great sports moment, "Miracle" is
undoubtedly one of the best sports films. DVD ****
(5/21/04)
"The
Fog of War"-This is a mesmerizing
documentary interview with Robert McNamara, the Secretary of Defense
for JFK and LBJ, and later head of the World Bank, and one of the
most detested men in America during the Vietnam era. Here, McNamara,
with the help of filmmaker Errol Morris ("The Thin Blue Line"),
describes the lessons he learned while making many of the decisions
he made that cost many Americans their lives during the 1960s. With
incredible images and music by Philip Glass, "The Fog of War"
surprisingly reveals McNamara in a good light as a man who was
thoughtful and pained by what he found himself doing. Not
surprisingly in the circumstances, McNamara comes off well, but
Lyndon Baines Johnson does not. DVD ***1/2
(5/17/04)
"Paycheck"-Ben
Affleck has gone astray recently and this film provides some
explanation. Ben is simply a stiff as an actor. I laughed when John
Woo, the director, compared Affleck on the DVD to Cary Grant. Not in
looks, charm, or talent. Sorry John. Woo also thinks this film is
like Hitchcock. Again, sorry John. Here Ben is Michael Jennings, a
reverse engineer used by futuristic companies to create amazing
machines based on the original creations of others. Jennings doesn't
seem to mind their requirement that his memory of the job be erased
at the completion of the undertaking. So, when Jennings finishes a
three year job for the sinister James Rethrick (Aaron Eckhart) and
finds himself with an envelope full of seemingly meaningless items
rather than the $90 million he expected, the "fun" begins. And it is
loaded with every cliché known to this genre of film from gun
battles to car and motorcycle chases. The chases, the mysterious
gunslinging characters, the involvement of the FBI which, as usual,
doesn't seem to have a clue, and, of course, the beautiful maiden
(Uma Thurman), all bring yawns. Well, maybe not Uma who is fun to
watch no matter how bad the script. "Paycheck" is a mess. Not really
clever, and it is full of holes, whether from bullets or otherwise.
Paul Giamatti, Joe Morton, Michael C. Hall, and Colm Feore play stock
characters. DVD **1/2
(5/16/04)
"The
Triplets of Belleville"-There is a genre
of movies that can simply be called "weird." This animated French
film fits the category to a tee. It is the story, if one can call it
that, of an elderly lady who blows a whistle, but never talks, and
who obsessively encourages her grandson to become a bicycle racer.
When the seemingly mindless grandson is kidnapped from the Tours de
France by gangsters, grandma and dog Bruno (who never fails to bark
at passing trains) take off by sea to save grandson. Ultimately, they
meet up with one of the most bizarre group of characters seen on
film, the now-elderly singing Triplets of Belleville, three ladies
who are so frog-obsessed that they eat them in every way possible,
even like popsicles. The animation is strangely fascinating and
writer/director Sylvain Chomet undoubtedly intended some commentary
on other animated films and on European and American culture, but I
must admit that I kept wondering why in the world he went to all the
trouble of creating this bizarre film. The best things in it are
Bruno, who has the train schedule down pat, and the Triplets' rather
amusing theme song. With very few words in any language, "Triplets"
has more grunts and expressions than anything else as a form of
communication. DVD ***
(5/15/04)
"In
America"-An Irish family of four is seen
crossing from Canada to the US, stating that they are tourists. That
they are illegal is totally forgotten in this fantasy about their
moving to and settling in Manhattan. Suffering from the ravages of
losing their young son to cancer, Johnny (Paddy Considine) and Sarah
(Samantha Morton) settle into a hovel of apartment in a drug-infested
building with their two daughters, Christy and Ariel (Sarah and Emma
Bolger). Despite the fact that they are suffering from the loss of a
child, Johnny and Sarah allow the two young girls to leave the
apartment alone while they make love and conceive another child. Most
of the neighbors seem warm and loving, including the local waitress.
The apartment miraculously turns lush and comfortable, and on
Halloween Christy and Ariel are allowed to trick or treat and thus
meet the amazing and unrealistic Mateo (Djimon Hounsou), an artist
suffering from the never-mentioned AIDS, but who immediately turns
from an angry ogre into a loving caring friend of all. "In America"
is loaded with such hokum. Director Jim Sheridan, supposedly basing
this story on his own childhood, even has the impossible five figure
hospital bill paid for miraculously after Sarah gives birth. The
acting is fine. Sarah Bolger stands out as the amazingly cute,
intelligent, and insightful older daughter. But ultimately it is
impossible to take this story seriously when everything, including a
monumentally absurd attempt to win a carnival ET doll, seems too good
to be true. DVD ***
(5/14/04)
"Master
and Commander: The Far Side of the
World"-Stories of sea battles between
warships of powerful European nations and of early America were once
a staple of Hollywood, as were pirate films. But other than the
occasional disaster epic such as "Titanic," the ocean-going adventure
genre film had almost ceased to exist. "Master and Commander: The Far
Side of the World" brings it back with a vengeance. One of the most
exhilarating cinematic creations seen in a long time, "Master and
Commander" brings us aboard the HMS Surprise commanded by Captain
Jack Aubrey (Russell Crowe). We follow the ship's crew through
moments of fear, death, joy and elation as they are either chased by
or chasing the French warship, the Acheron. One of the pleasant
surprises of this film is that the crew is not full of stereotypes.
In fact, the crew seems like a group of real people, including the
young midshipman Blakeney (Max Pirkis) who loses his arm in battle
not long after the film begins. When the Surprise enters into a
battle of cannon-fire with the Acheron, it remains for the ship's
doctor, Stephen Maturin (Paul Bettany), to save as many as possible.
Maturin also serves as the captain's friend and advisor. In this
saga, the Surprise sails from the coast of Brazil around Cape Horn
(and through the usual monstrous storms) to the Galapagos Islands in
the Pacific where the ultimate battle hopefully will occur. "Master
and Commander: The Far Side of the World" is exquisitely filmed. It
comes as close as I've seen (without the smells, obviously) to giving
us the feeling of what it might have been like for the sailors to be
cooped up in a relatively small box on a vast ocean without much in
the way of pleasure, especially women. Crowe and Bettany (who also
appeared together in "A Beautiful Mind") interact like genuine old
friends. The cast otherwise is marvelous. Highly recommended. DVD
****
(5/8/04)
"Girl
with a Pearl Earring"-Johannes Vermeer
was a 17th-century Dutch painter from Delft who created some of the
most exquisite images ever put on canvas. His paintings were mostly
of people in rooms with wonderful lighting and lush colors and
details, although he did the occasional landscape and portrait. This
film, based on the novel by Tracy Chevalier, is about one of those
portraits, the "Girl with a Pearl Earring." Not that much is known
about Vermeer's life and Chevalier took the opportunity to speculate
on how this magnificent painting might have been created. The film
tells the story of Griet (Scarlett Johansson), who becomes a maid in
the tense Vermeer (Colin Firth) household, overseen by Maria Thins
(Judy Parfitt), Vermeer's mother-in-law. Thins tries to help her
son-in-law obtain commissions for his art, but it's painfully obvious
that Vermeer's wife Catharina (Essie Davis) doesn't trust him and
that Vermeer has little or no interest in his wife (other than to
have children) because is oblivious to the subtleties of his
wonderful talents. Griet is intelligent and perceptive, and when
Vermeer becomes distinctly attracted to the young maid, the wife
looks on with pain and fear. The real power, however, lies with a
gentleman named Van Ruijven (Tom Wilkinson), Vermeer's primary
patron. Van Ruijven loves to manipulate and ultimately insists that
Vermeer make a painting of Griet for him, thus adding to the already
tense situation. "Girl with a Pearl Earring" is not so much a story
as it is a contemplation of Vermeer's paintings. The script is
minimal but the images are fabulous. From the opening scene of Griet
chopping and slicing the most sensuous looking vegetables one may
have ever seen to the extraordinary images of Vermeer's home and
studio, the film looks almost like a living Vermeer painting. From
the art and set design to the incredible cinematography (Eduardo
Serra), this film is a joy to behold. If there was nothing else, this
film would be recommended. But under the direction of Peter Webber,
"Girl with a Pearl Earring" is also a meaningful exploration of
creativity and the pressures of marriage. DVD ****
(5/8/04)
"Calendar
Girls"-A few years back the women of the
Rylstone Women's Institute in North Yorkshire, England, posed "nude"
for a calendar to raise money for a cancer center in honor of the
husband of one of the women who had died of leukemia. "Calendar
Girls," with some minor changes, tells their story. Here the women
are from Knapely, a rather idyllic rural community in the north of
England. Some are stuffed shirts and others are quite open to
experimentation. With the inspiration and leadership of Chris (Helen
Mirren), several of the women ultimately decide to pose, but only
after making sure that they will not be exposed to the photographer.
They initially fear their wild idea will be a failure but ultimately
they succeeded beyond their wildest dreams, with several finding
themselves in the United States, signing autographs and appearing on
major American TV shows, including the Tonight show. The cast is
delightful, especially Mirren, Julie Walters as Annie (the widow),
Linda Bassett, Annette Crosbie, Celia Imrie and Penelope Wilton.
"Calendar Girls" produces some genuine laughs and will undoubtedly
occasionally choke you up, but does go somewhat dramatically
overboard. And yet it's a fun couple of hours. DVD ***1/2
(5/5/04)
"The
Cooler"-This gambling casino fantasy
stars three wonderful actors, all of whom provided Oscar-worthy
performances. William H. Macy is Bernie Lootz, a loser of such
proportions that he has the talent to cool off hot hands at the
gaming tables at the Shangri-La Casino in Vegas run by the
overbearing and merciless Shelly Kaplow (Alec Baldwin). Bernie and
Shelly have been together for years, but that hasn't stopped Shelly
from taking ultra-advantage of Bernie's luckless life or from
physically abusing Bernie by smashing his knee cap. Bernie wobbles
around, seemingly content with a life without love, without cream for
his coffee, and without purpose. Shelly, who is being pressured by
other powers-that-be at the casino to upgrade the facility from the
old basic casino to a new family-style Vegas attraction, wants Bernie
around to guarantee the house's continued winnings. Whenever someone
looks like they're on a roll, Bernie is called in to cool them off
and all he has to do is step near the table. But into Bernie's life
comes the lovely Natalie (Maria Bello), a casino waitress, who
initially looks uninterested but then seems to hang around Bernie's
activities. Before he knows it, Bernie finds himself in a
relationship with Natalie and in love, and Bernie's whole outlook on
life has changed. In one of the funniest scenes in a long time,
Bernie walks into the casino with a strut and a smile on his face and
suddenly the cooler has turned into the heater. Now, wherever Bernie
goes, the customers start to win, and win big. Needless to say,
Shelly is not at all happy and he has violence on his mind. "The
Cooler," despite being located in a Vegas casino, is in reality a
fantasy film headed for what we all hope will be a fairy-tale ending.
Alec Baldwin received a deserved Oscar nod for his powerful
performance as the single-minded casino head, but William H. Macy and
Maria Bello were equally powerful in portraying two characters whose
lives seemed beyond their controls and who discover love in the
strangest way. Other noteworthy performances are from Ron Livingston
as the smart-aleck Larry Sokolov, who tries to convince Shelly that
change is needed and on the way; Ellen Greene as the waitress with
never enough cream for the coffee; and Paul Sorvino as an addicted
over-the-hill lounge singer. This is a delightful film worthy of
admiration for three actors inspired by their characters.
Recommended. DVD ****
(5/1/04)
"Big
Fish"-Billy Crudup is Will Bloom, a
young man whose father, Ed Bloom (Albert Finney), a self-centered
man, has been telling seemingly tall stories all his life and Will is
tired of the whole thing. Will hears of the impossibly large fish
that Ed caught on the day Will was born and believes none of it,
becoming embarrassed at his father's endless whoppers. Little by
little we begin to see Ed's version of life, about his adventures as
a young man in Alabama (the young Ed is played by Ewen McGregor),
running into one of the biggest men ever seen, Karl the Giant
(Matthew McGrory, who really is 7'6"), learning about his future fate
from a witch (Helena Bonham Carter), and becoming a member of an
unusual circus troupe led by a canine-like Amos Callaway (Danny
DeVito). When the senior Ed becomes seriously ill, Will returns from
Europe with his pregnant French wife Josephine (Marion Cotillard) and
starts to see his father in a new light, especially after hearing
about him from others. Meeting a younger version of the witch (also
played by Carter), Ed discovers what his father did to save an
unusual town and its people and learns the truth about the unusual
way his father met and married his mother, Sandra (played by Alison
Lohman as the young Sandra and Jessica Lange as the contemporary
Sandra). "Big Fish", the creation of Director Tim Burton ("Edward
Scissorhands") is seemingly about faith and discovery, with the aim
to teach Will a big lesson. The film is loaded with unusual images
and strange characters, but ultimately it fails because it never
rises to the level of inspiration and Will's conversion seems
strained and unlikely. Albert Finney's performance is uninspired and
feels very much like a caricature of his old self. Black-haired Billy
Crudup is miscast as the offspring of the blonde Lohman/Lange and the
light-haired McGregor/Finney characters. Tim Burton has made some
intriguing films, including "Beetlejuice" and "Ed Wood," but "Big
Fish" seems more in league with "Sleepy Hollow" and "Planet of the
Apes." "Big Fish" is only mildly amusing, and in the end the whoppers
and the central theme just don't seem to be that impressive. DVD ***
(4/30/04)
"Love
Actually"-The theme is that love is all
around. Somewhat shocking for a British film. Sounds more like a
hokey American film. But the writer/director Richard Curtis ("Notting
Hill" and "Bridget Jones' Diary") managed to cast some of the most
delightful actors around and put together a rather cheerful two hours
of fun. "Love Actually" portrays characters and love stories moving
in every direction, some of which cross paths, even if only
momentarily. There's the single prime minister (Hugh Grant) who is
intrigued by Natalie, one of the employees at 10 Downing Street
(Martine McCutcheon) until he catches her flirting with the US
president (Billy Bob Thornton); there's a sexy young thing in an
office (Heike Makatsch) trying very hard to seduce the prime
minister's brother-in-law Harry (Alan Rickman); there's a shy couple
(Martin Freeman and Joanna Page) who are stand-ins for a porn film
and who meet under rather bare circumstances; there's a widower (Liam
Neeson) mourning the loss of his wife (although dreaming about
Claudia Schiffer) and caring for his stepson Sam (Thomas Sangster),
who happens to be in love with a young lady at school and is afraid
to tell her; there's Sarah (Laura Linney), an employee in Harry's
office who is woefully in love with Karl (Rodrigo Santoro) but has no
idea how to tell him or show him even when she finally winds up in
bed with him; there's Billy Mack (Bill Nighy), a cynical pop singer,
who constantly insults his best friend and manager (Gregor Fisher);
there's Jamie (Colin Firth), a writer who has been disappointed in
love who goes off to live in a villa in Italy and meets a lovely
Portuguese housekeeper (Lúcia Moniz); and there's an
interesting trio of Peter (Chiwetel Ejiofor), Mark (Andrew Lincoln)
and the woman at the center of their friendship (Keira Knightley).
There are wonderful performances by others, including the marvelous
Emma Thompson as Harry's wife, the prime minister's sister; and Kris
Marshall as Colin who can't seem to find a woman in England but
decides to go to Wisconsin to meet sexy babes and succeeds beyond his
wildest dreams. With any lesser cast this film could have been a
corny and confusing disaster, but with this wonderful group of
performers it has to succeed in making you smile. DVD ***1/2
(4/29/04)
"Kill
Bill: Vol. 1"-This is Quentin
Tarantino's fourth film ("Reservoir Dogs," "Pulp Fiction," and
"Jackie Brown") and he makes sure you know it when reading the
introductory titles. It is also one of the most violent films ever
made and yet the violence is reduced utterly to comic book status.
With martial arts carried to a degree that reaches pure art, people
smash and slash each other. They crash into things and have their
heads and limbs cut off, but never do you imagine that any of this is
real. Uma Thurman is, as usual, stunning as The Bride, a member of
the Deadly Vipers Assassination Squad headed by Bill (the unseen
David Carradine), who is the victim herself of an assassination
attempt by the other DVAS, including O-Ren Ishii (Lucy Liu), Elle
Driver (Darryl Hannah), Vernita Green (Vivica Fox), and Budd (Michael
Madsen). Her entire wedding party is murdered, but The Bride, who had
been pregnant, amazingly survives despite a bullet to the head and,
after waking up years later from a coma, decides she will avenge the
wedding tragedy and will "kill Bill." The rest of this film, told
somewhat out of sequence and with the partial use of Japanese
animé, is as slick as slick can be. With a powerful sword made
of "Japanese steel," which can cut right through other blades, The
Bride goes after O-Ren and Vernita. And when the film ends, we have
more to look forward to in Vol. 2, just out in the theaters. If you
like martial arts and slick films, this is a masterpiece. If you like
a little substance, it's not. Tarantino's films are loaded with
allusions to other films, but that hardly seems enough to justify
this cinematic creation. On production values alone, the film rates
highly but I can't go beyond the rating I'm giving simply because
Tarantino is obsessed with violence simply for the sake of violence.
When you see cartoon-like images of blood spurting out like fountains
from injured people, you know you are in the hands of a very strange
filmmaker. DVD ***1/2
(4/16/04)
"Casa
de los Babys"-John Sayles ("Sunshine
State") writes and directs his own films which often consist of
vignettes of life rather than plot-driven tales. "Casa de los Babys"
is about American women in Mexico waiting to adopt babies. We see the
women, played by Darryl Hannah, Lili Taylor, Marcia Gay Harden,
Maggie Gyllenhaal, Mary Steenburgen, and Susan Lynch hanging out at a
hotel (known locally as the Casa de los Babys) run by a cynical
Señora Muñoz (Rita Moreno, in a rare Spanish-speaking
role), shopping, eating out, louging around their rooms, lying on the
beach, and all the time waiting and talking about impending
motherhood. Some have been there for months and the local authorities
don't seem in a rush to help them. Each of the women has a story. One
has had and lost three children; one is a recovered alcoholic;
another is an annoying incessant complainer who doesn't seem to be
telling the truth about her life. But we also see other aspects of
local life, including homeless Mexican children who prowl the streets
looking for money, a place to sleep, and probably some love. And then
there are the locals who look for work or who work in menial
occupations serving these American women preoccupied with motherhood
and some of whom are downright bitter about it. The film contains a
powerful scene in which Eileen (Susan Lynch), an Irishwoman from
Boston, tells the housekeeper (Vanessa Martinez) of her dreams of
being the mother of a young daughter while the housekeeper replies in
Spansh to an uncomprehending Eileen that she was the mother of one of
the children given up for adoption to Americans. Sayles is saying
quite a lot about the great divide between how Americans see the
world and how everyone else sees us. Also notable are Darryl Hannah's
portrayal of the intense Skipper, who is dealing with her past
losses; Marcia Gay Harden, who seems capable of almost any portrayal,
as the unpleasant Nan, an American with a bit of klepto in her; and
Lili Taylor as Leslie, a tough-talking New Yorker. Mostly in English
but with some Spanish and English subtitles. DVD ***1/2
(4/16/04)
"Timeline"-I'm
a sucker for a time travel story if it seems to have any value at
all. "Timeline," unfortunately, doesn't have much. Based on the
Michael Crichton novel of the same name, "Timeline" tells the story
of a group of archaelogists at a place called Castlegard in France
who are being supported by a high tech company, ITC, in the New
Mexico desert. When a couple of the archaelogists break through into
a tunnel no one has been in before and find a note from one of their
colleagues that was written in the 14th Century along with a lens
from his eyeglasses, the archaelogists want to know what is going on.
They soon find that ITC has hit upon a machine that connects with a
worm hole in the fabric of time and can send people back to
Castlegard in the middle of the Hundred Years War. So, a team of
crack archaelogists are sent, almost without thought, back to rescue
Professor Johnston (Billy Connolly) and they immediately find
themselves being hunted by the English forces bent on killing as many
Frenchmen as possible. The team is led by Professor Johnston's son
Chris (Paul Walker) and his love interest Kate (Frances O'Connor).
One of the things that makes time travel stories fun is the
interaction of the parties, old and new, so that the wonders of time
travel can be considered, as well as the catches in the time warp
that have to be carefully considered and avoided (for example, no one
should dare try to change history). But here it's simply an adventure
story. All we see, other than one somewhat inane romance, is running,
chasing and fighting. The romance is between a time traveler,
André Marek (Gerard Butler) and a significant historical
figure in the battle about to take place, Lady Claire (Anna
Friel),who is supposed to be hanged by the English thus providing the
inspiration for the French victory. But Marek falls in love with and
saves Lady Claire, a glitch in history that is left essentially
unexplained. The archaelogists know that they have a limited time in
which to return to the present and that time is clicking by. And so
the viewer knows that the film will come down to a climax in which at
least some of the time travelers will make it home at the very last
second. Cliché anyone? And even the production values fail.
The battle scenes in the 14th Century look more like a scene from a
recreation at Busch Gardens than anything resembling the real thing.
There's a cute catch at the end involving our romantic couple (when
Marek is urged to join the group heading home, he responds "I am
home,"), but hardly surprising and hardly enough to raise this film
from its very pedestrian level. DVD **1/2
(4/15/04)
"The
Magdalene Sisters"-For some reason,
despite the incredible history of power, death, wars, and pain
associated with some established religions, many assume that religion
automatically provides the moral leadership that will lead to better
humans. The Crusades, the Inquisition, the wars between Christian
sects, and the current state of affairs in the Middle East, all
demonstrate that religion, in and of itself, can lead just as easily
to evil and human suffering as to human decency. In recent times the
Catholic Church in America has suffered through a scandal of immense
proportions due to the abuse of children by seemingly "holy" priests.
"The Magdelene Sisters" provides another excruciating example of
this. It is 1964, and three young women are about to discover the
immense power of the Church in Ireland. Margaret (Anne-Marie Duff) is
raped by a cousin at a wedding. Bernadette (Nora-Jane Noone) flirts
with boys at the orphanage where she lives. Rose (Dorothy Duffy) has
had a child out of wedlock. The parents of both Margaret and Rose
turn their Catholic-based moral outrage on the girls and ship them
off to a Magdelene Sisters laundry to work as virtual slaves, under
lock and key. Joining them is Bernadette who has been scorned by the
holier-than-thou administrator of the orphanage. Under the scornful
and tyrannical leadership of Sister Bridget (the amazing Geraldine
McEwan), the girls are essentially imprisoned by the church for a
life of slavery. They work all day in a laundry under close watch
prevented from talking by those who have been there for many years
and the uncaring Sisters in charge. They eat slop while the nuns eat
far better food. They can neither leave the convent nor talk to
anyone outside. They are stripped naked by the nuns and ridiculed.
This is, unfortunately, a true story. Amazingly, the film advises
that the last Magdelene Sisters laundry closed as recently as 1996.
The cast is superb. Geraldine McEwan is raw evil as a nun who cries
when watching "The Bells of St. Mary's," but who demonstrates less
than zero feelings for her fellow humans. The young women are
powerful, especially Anne-Marie Duff as Margaret who spends four
years in this hell because she was the victim of a sexual attack, and
Nora-Jane Noone as the flirtatious orphan sentenced to this Church
based prison simply for looking and talking to boys. Also of note is
Eileen Walsh as Crispina, who is in the convent because she has had a
child sans marriage and feels that she can communicate with her child
through a St. Christopher's metal she wears. Her pain is palpable.
This is a distressing, but significant film. Highly recommended. DVD
****
(4/10/04)
"Shattered
Glass"-This is a true story. Stephen
Glass (Hayden Christiansen) was a fraud. Outwardly a nonfiction
writer for The New Republic in the middle 1990s, Glass was actually
creating elaborate fiction and passing it off as fact. Ultimately, he
was found out and fired by newly appointed Editor-in-Chief Chuck Lane
(Peter Sarsgaard). "Shattered Glass" tells their story. Glass, age 25
in 1998, is portrayed by Christiansen as a somewhat nerdy and
annoying figure, one who kowtows to the boss, spreads favors to his
equals, and gives pompous advice to his underlings, generally advice
that he never follows himself. Glass is self-confident but always
expressing self-doubt. Whenever anyone wants to see him, he asks
pleadingly "Are you angry at me?" Well, obviously he had deep-seeded
guilt feelings. After writing an astounding and fake story about a
hacker convention at which a teen hacker received an amazing job from
a Silicon Valley software firm named Jukt Micronics, a writer at
Forbes Digital, Adam Penenberg (Steve Zahn), became suspicious and
did the research which ultimately proved the story was a fake and
brought Glass down. "Shattered Glass" is an interesting story but is
lacking in some respects. Peter Sarsgaard, despite some rave reviews,
is pretty lackluster as Lane, a man who one would think would be a
little more animated (nervous, disturbed, and outraged) at what he is
learning about one of the leading writers on his magazine.
Christiansen ("Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones"), on the
other hand, is fairly effective as the surreal Glass. Hank Azaria,
who plays Michael Kelly, the editor of The New Republic prior to
Lane, comes across more as an editor-in-chief than does Sarsgaard as
Lane. Also notable in the cast is Chloë Sevigny as Caitlin, an
editor who supports Glass until the truth finally comes out. Sevigny,
however, is never given the opportunity to show the intelligence that
would be required of an editor/writer at a magzine like The New
Republic. "Shattered Glass" had great potential but tripped a little
over its own shards. DVD ***
(4/9/04)
"House
of Sand and Fog"-After seeing "21 Grams"
just a few days ago, I wondered about my reaction to another film
with a similar tragic theme. But "House of Sand and Fog" reminded me
of exactly why some films about human tragedy succeed where others
simply don't work. Based on the novel by Andre Dubus III, "House of
Sand and Fog" is a tragedy of almost Shakespearean proportions and
works simply because it's about people and a situation that one could
actually imagine happening. In other words, one can relate easily to
this depressing situation. Kathy (Jennifer Connelly) is evicted from
her home overlooking SF Bay when the county makes a mistake about
unpaid taxes. Almost immediately, Col. Bahrani (Ben Kingsley), a
prideful former Iranian officer who tries hard to make his peers
believe he continues to be successful in America, bids successfully
on the house, moves his family in and starts making changes in order
to get a substantial increase in value in a resale. But Kathy, who is
a depressed recovering alcoholic who inherited the house from her
beloved father, desperately wants her house back and starts by seeing
an attorney (Frances Fisher) in hopes that Bahrani's purchase can be
stopped. Into the mix comes Lester (Ron Eldard), a deputy sheriff who
is sympathetic and, although married with two children, very
attracted to the beautiful Kathy. When the county admits error and is
willing to buy back the house, Kathy finds that Col. Bahrani will not
budge, insisting that her problem is with the county and not with
him. Bahrani, who treats his wife (Shohreh Aghdashloo) almost as a
possession, is unmoved and his intransigence is ultimately the source
of a complex tragedy that brings down almost all of the characters.
Ben Kingsley is truly amazing in his ability to portray a character
as single-minded as Bahrani, while having played so many other far
more sympathetic characters just as well. Shohreh Aghdashloo is a
dynamo as Bahrani's wife, a woman frustrated by her husband's
backwards approach to marriage and by her inability to understand
much of what is going on due to a language barrier. Jennifer Connelly
once again establishes her right to be described as one of the best
young actresses around today. Also of note is young Jonathan Ahdout
as Bahrani's teenage son Esmail, who finds himself caught between his
instinct for caring for a fellow human's plight and obeying his
strict and insistent father. I was afraid of"House of Sand and Fog"
but I was incredibly moved by the time it was over. DVD ****
(4/4/04)
"Something's
Gotta Give"-It's a lot of fun watching
two old pros in action. Here, Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton come
together in a film which provides a rare opportunity for a story
about love amongst the oldsters and even between young and old. We
initially see Harry Sanborn (Nicholson) approaching an
ultra-beachside home in the Hamptons with his young girlfriend Marin
(Amanda Peet). They believe no one, especially Marin's mother, Erica
Barry (Keaton), is home, but home she is. And not only Erica, but her
sister, Marin's aunt, Zoe (Frances McDormand). And we get the
expected difficult introductions as Erica meets a boyfriend of her
daughter's who turns out to be older than she is herself. Harry is
uncomfortable and wants to leave only to be talked into staying.
Harry then suffers a heart attack, is saved by Dr. Julian Mercer
(Keanu Reeves), and returns back to Erica's house to recuperate while
Marin returns to New York. Not surprisingly, Erica, although a
successful playwright, has been divorced for years and appears to
have lost the touch for romance. So what might happen here? Both Dr.
Mercer and Harry find themselves intrigued by this attractive,
intelligent and giggly woman. Keaton and Nicholson play together
almost like a team. In fact, at times their dialogue sounded
improvised and natural. Both are genuinely funny as is Frances
McDormand who has one absolutely hysterical scene. Amanda Peet, as
lovely as she is, always seems to blend into the background so that I
usually can't remember who she is until I see her. Keanu Reeves
demonstrates no new acting talent. Paul Michael Glaser appears as
Erica's ex, and Jon Favreau has a small role as Harry's assistant.
"Something's Gotta Give," directed and written by Nancy Meyers ("What
Women Want") is an enjoyable if not memorable romantic comedy. It's
primary flaw is that it starts to get old in the last half hour. 90
minutes would have been just perfect for this kind of humor. DVD
***1/2
(4/2/04)
"21
Grams"-A few years back, the director of
this film, Alejandro González Iñárritu, made a
film in Mexico called "Amores Perros." It was literally about how
life is a "bitch" and portrayed misery for both humans and dogs. One
of the central aspects of that film was that the story was about the
intersecting lives of three main characters or groups of characters.
Iñárritu has done it again. "21 Grams," written by
Iñárritu and Guillermo Arriaga, has virtually the same
theme and style. Also reminding us of the style of another recent
film, Paul Thomas Anderson's "Magnolia," we initially see puzzle-like
scenes that seem to be disconnected and out of sync only to find that
they ultimately come together to tell the story of three people whose
lives intersect in utter misery. Sean Penn is Paul Rivers, an
unhappily married mathematician who is desperately ill and awaiting a
heart transplant. Benicio Del Toro is Jack Jordan, an ex-con full of
guilt who has found Jesus but who doesn't seem to be impressing his
wife and children with his obsessive religious beliefs. Naomi Watts
is Cristina Peck, a reasonably happy wife and mother of two
daughters, who spends her time swimming at a recreation center and
taking care of her lovely family. All are ultimately joined by the
occurrence of a nightmarish tragedy that winds up giving Paul a new
heart, Jack even more misery and reason to question his belief in
Jesus, and Cristina utter despair. But the tragedy that brings them
together is only the beginning. This film is depressing in an
unrelenting manner. The acting is brilliant. No question. Sean Penn,
Naomi Watts, and Benicio Del Toro are at the top of their form, all
wonderful performers who deserve accolades. "21 Grams" is beautifully
filmed, with alternating cinematic styles to reflect different scenes
and moments of time. The supporting cast is also excellent. Charlotte
Gainsbourg ("My Wife is an Actress") is fine as the somewhat whiny
and obsessed wife of Paul Rivers who wants only to have a child with
her sick husband despite having only recently aborted a child. And
Melissa Leo is very powerful as Marianne Jordan, Jack's very unhappy
wife. Iñárritu seems obsessed with the misery of daily
life. We get it constantly on the evening news. Do we also need to
spend money for "entertainment" to have this misery beaten into our
heads? "Magnolia" and "Amores Perros" each ran far longer than two
hours, driving this viewer to distraction. "21 Grams" is ONLY 2 hours
long , thankfully. DVD ***1/2
(3/27/04)
"Dirty
Pretty Things"-What might life be like
as an illegal immigrant in London where you aren't allowed to work
and you're being haunted by immigration police? This is the general
theme of this excellent film about two people struggling to survive
and reach their dreams under difficult circumstances. Okwe (Chiwetel
Ejiofor) is a doctor from Nigeria who was forced to run from his
native land when falsely accused of a crime. Now he drives a cab by
day and works at night as a desk clerk in a somewhat seedy hotel,
rarely sleeping. And he shares a flat with a young Turkish woman,
Senay (Audrey Tautou), who dreams of living in New York if she can
only avoid the immigration officials. "Dirty Pretty Things," however,
is not simply about the life and troubles of immigrants. It's also a
thriller. When Okwe discovers a human organ in a very inappropriate
place in one of the hotel rooms, he begins to wonder just what's
going on in the hotel and he soon discovers a sinister and revolting
practice being conducted by one of his fellow workers at the hotel.
Sergi López is perfectly sleazy as Sneaky Señor Juan
who, upon discovering that Okwe is a physician, tries to drag him
into the nightmarish business he has established on the premises.
Chiwetel Ejiofor is powerful as the sincere and caring Okwe and
Audrey Tautou is attractive and charming as Senay, a woman who is
almost willing to do anything to achieve her dreams. Directed by
Stephen Frears ("High Fidelity" and "The Grifters"), "Dirty Pretty
Things" is an insightful film with a real edge. DVD ****
(3/26/04)
"Gothika"-Why
is it that some people who win Oscars seem to have no judgment for
quality roles? Halle Berry is one of those. Here she descends into
the role of Dr. Miranda Grey, a psychiatrist at a penal institution
for the mentally ill run by her husband, Dr. Douglas Grey (Charles S.
Dutton). To make it as spooky as possible the filmmakers present the
institution as downright dreary. In fact, the place looks like it
belongs on another planet. Grey is seen walking the poorly lit barren
and forbidding hallways to her miserable little office after treating
an apparently psychotic patient (Penelope Cruz) and chatting with a
very friendly colleague, Dr. Pete Graham (Robert Downey, Jr.). Her
trip home will not be routine. Traveling in a heavy rain, she sees a
strange young woman in the middle of the road, runs off the road to
avoid her, checks on the girl and then wakes up to find herself a
patient in the institution having apparently committed a murder.
Treated like a psychotic patient by the very people she was working
with only a few days before (including her friend Dr. Pete who is
now, rather inappropriately, treating her), Miranda begins to realize
that she is possessed and not crazy. Of course, Miranda considers
herself a rational person who doesn't believe in the paranormal or in
ghosts. When Dr. Graham insists he doesn't believe in ghosts, Miranda
replies "Neither do I, but they believe in me. " "Gothika," directed
by French actor Matthieu Kassovitz, tries hard to outdo fright films
like "The Sixth Sense," because, believe it or not, Miranda sees dead
people. But it hardly makes it. The ghost story turns into a
virtually standard police procedural with a truly hokey solution. And
the final scene in the film was completely unnecessary after the
"rational" explanation for all of the doings going on in the film.
Halle Berry has talent. So do Downey and Dutton. We can only hope
that they find themselves in more serious films with parts that let
them demonstrate that talent. DVD ***
(3/20/04)
"Veronica
Guerin"-If you think of movies about
Ireland, what comes to mind? Films like "Michael Collins," "The
General," "Bloody Sunday," and "The Boxer?" These are films about
Irish toughs, often murderous. And one fine actor often appears:
Gerard McSorley, who here plays John Gilligan, a man that the family
of Veronica Guerin wishes she had never met. This time we have a
film, produced by the prolific Jerry Bruckheimer, that isn't about
the IRA but rather about drug dealers in Dublin. Veronica Guerin was
a real-life Irish journalist who decided to go after these drug
dealers and died doing so in 1996. Cate Blanchett does a wonderful
job of becoming Guerin, a reporter who becomes obsessed when she sees
neighborhoods overrun by needles, sickness, and death. But Guerin is
married, has a son, and never learns to protect herself. She appears
never to consider that she may be endangering her family. let alone
herself. Interacting with a variety of local hoods, including John
Traynor (Ciarán Hinds), who leads and misleads her, Guerin is
portrayed as obsessed to the point of total recklessness. Nothing
stops her: a gunshot through the window of her house, an intruder
shooting her in the leg, and a brutal assault from a leading drug
dealer. Guerin simply gets up and goes on her way with the ultimate
tragic result. The postscript tells us that Guerin's efforts paid off
in the end by driving the drug dealers from Dublin, but meanwhile we
are shown the end of the life of a woman who was simply asking for
trouble. The film has an excellent cast, including Brenda Fricker as
Guerin's mother, and fine production values, but it makes you crazy
watching a woman simply driving herself towards doom. DVD ***1/2
(3/19/04)
"Morvern
Callar"-In this film from 2002, Samantha
Morton is Morvern Callar, a young woman in Scotland who wakes up to
find her boyfriend has committed suicide and left behind a novel on
the computer (written for her) which he urges her (in his suicide
note) to have published. Morvern, however, doesn't take the usual
steps. Instead of arranging for the body to be taken away for a
funeral, she tells no one and disposes of the body herself. Morvern
shows no emotion whatsoever. And it isn't surprising when she goes to
the computer, changes the name of the author to her own, and ships it
off to a publisher. She takes the money her boyfriend has left behind
for a funeral and begins a life of hedonistic pleasure, going off to
a resort in Spain with her friend Lanna (Katherine McDermott). Not
much else goes on in this film. Described by the director Lynne
Ramsey as a character study, Morvern doesn't seem to have much
character to study. As portrayed by Samantha Morton, she shows little
or no expression and certainly little in the way of ethics. One of
the problems with this film is that we have no idea who Morvern is
and what her relationship was with her boyfriend. We're simply
dropped into the situation without any background and, as a result,
it's impossible to get an idea whether Morvern is being herself in
her somewhat bizarre reactions or is deeply disturbed by the suicide.
Things happen without explanation. At one point Morvern simply walks
into a room where Katherine is having a good time in bed with a guy,
insists that she pack and leave immediately, and then takes her into
the hinterlands where she ultimately abandons Katherine on a deserted
road. Another problem with this film is that it is almost impossible
to understand much of the dialogue. Katherine McDermott has a very
deep Scottish accent and even that is often drowned out by background
noise. It may be that this was intended by the director, but a few
subtitles might have helped. DVD **1/2
(3/13/04)
"Mona
Lisa Smile"-This opened to tepid reviews
at best. And so I viewed it with caution. Despite some flaws, though,
I found "Mona Lisa Smile" to have several genuine virtues, including
a very good cast and a wonderful soundtrack. Julia Roberts is
Katherine Watson, an art teacher who arrives from California at
Wellesley in 1953. Katherine, with feminist views, is looked on with
shock as she tries to encourage her students to think for themselves
about something other than becoming a wife. But Katherine finds
Wellesley to be, as she describes it, "more a finishing school than a
college." Despite the apparent brilliance of several of the students,
including Betty Warren (Kirsten Dunst) and Joan Brandwyn (Julia
Stiles), it becomes apparent that these young women are thinking more
of the men they will marry than any careers they may desire. Not
surprising for 1953. Katherine, however, simply doesn't look like
1953, not even like the bohemians of that era. In fact, as portrayed
by Roberts, she more closely resembles a time traveler from the
present who is dropped into the midst of a place with archaic views
on the role of females in society. But otherwise, the film's theme is
a good one and interestingly developed. The cast is excellent.
Roberts does the best she can to play against her usual type. Dunst
and Stiles are rather powerful as the wealthy young women who have to
deal with the pressures of their era and of their social milieu.
Maggie Gyllenhaal is excellent, as usual, as Giselle Levy, a
free-spirited girl who is somewhat ethnically out of place. Also
notable is Ginnifer Goodwin as the not-so-gorgeous and perfect Connie
Baker who at first allows the insecurity of Kirsten Dunst's character
to interfere in her lovelife but then happily awakens to what has
been done to her; and Marcia Gay Harden as the extremely repressed
Nancy Abbey who faces a life alone while she watches "I Love Lucy"
and teaches the young women how to cross and uncross their legs. And
then there's the soundtrack. Tori Amos appears in the film
transformed from a modern pop singer to a band singer of the era,
doing an excellent rendition of "You Belong To Me." And in the
background we hear from no less than Alison Krauss, Celine Dion, Macy
Gray, and Mandy Moore. Is this film a little hokey? Sure. But put it
all together and it's an interesting and rather enjoyable experience.
DVD ***1/2
(3/12/04)
"School
of Rock"- Virtually all of Jack
Black's manic personality comes through in this very light film about
a guy who is failing in his rock mania only to take a job, on false
pretenses, as a substitute teacher at a private school. Joan Cusack,
in a demeaning role as a somewhat emotionally deprived school
principal, puts Dewey Finn (Black) into a classroom without really
checking his qualifications or ID. Does Dewey teach anything? Making
believe he is his roommate, Ned Schneebly (Mike White), a real
substitute teacher, Dewey teaches the only thing he knows how: rock
music. Although making incredibly loud sounds in the classroom, the
denizens of the school appear to be mostly deaf and everyone is
shocked and amazed when it turns out that Dewey has turned a class of
young scholars into a pretty wild rock band. The premise is cute but
the presentation is repetitive and ultimately dull. There is nothing
much here except a lot of loud rock noises and Black's maniacal
ravings. Sarah Silverman has the rather sour role as Ned's nasty and
unpleasant girlfriend Patty who finally gets a door slammed in her
face when Ned realizes how negative she is. Too bad for Sarah. Too
bad for the viewers. DVD **
(3/6/04)
"Searching
for Debra Winger"-The actress Rosanna
Arquette was deeply affected by the theme of the classic film "The
Red Shoes" in which a ballerina is forced into a choice between love
and career and ultimately chooses suicide. Arquette was also aware of
the actress Debra Winger's decision to simply walk away from her
career, at least for the moment. So Arquette decided to make this
documentary in order to seek out the views of a variety of famous
actresses, both in Hollywood and in Europe (including at Cannes), on
subjects important to them, such as careers, aging, marriage,
children, and female film roles. Along the way, she interviews a
substantial number of film stars, including Robin Wright Penn, Jane
Fonda, Vanessa Redgrave, Meg Ryan, Whoopi Goldberg, Diane Lane,
Martha Plimpton, Charlotte Rampling, and, of course, Debra Winger.
What comes through is that whereas the public tends to put these
women on a pedestal as superstars in the glamorous movie business,
the women are quite human with human concerns about their own daily
lives and careers. They acknowledge the difficulties of handling and
balancing careers, children, and men, with men often coming out on
the short end of the stick, so to speak. Not surprisingly virtually
all want to be treated as professionals and as artists, but often
feel like bodies being figuratively examined by the men running the
film business. One of the terms heard most often when referring to
how male executives often view actresses is "f---ability." You can
guess the missing letters. Where, they wonder, are the roles for
middle-aged women equal to the roles available to actors like Sean
Connery, Harrison Ford, and Jack Nicholson. Along the way, we also
get a peek into the reality of being in the limelight. Jane Fonda,
who admits leaving her career upon pressure from her now ex-husband
Ted Turner, describes her desire for intimacy rather than the need
for a few more film roles and also the deep-seated fears than many
actors feel before performing. The emphasis on looks and beauty
(seen, for example, these days in articles about the Oscars which
seem more concerned with the gowns worn than the performances
performed) comes through in this quote of Ally Sheedy from the film:
"Or even if you have to walk in, in a tight fitting shirt and look
sexy. You know what I mean? It's like that's what you're about in
that scene, that stays with you for the whole day and it goes on and
on and on. And then people say 'why are there so many 13 year olds
that are bulimic?' Hello." Although the film tends to run a little
on, overall I think Rosanna Arquette has done a fine job of covering
an interesting and provocative subject in the entertainment world.
DVD ***1/2
(3/6/04)
"Pieces
of April"-This may be one of the
shortest features I've ever seen, lasting only about 75 minutes, but
it's chock full of dysfunctional family drama. Katie Holmes is April
Burns, a young lady who has obviously been in rebellion against her
mother and family back in Pennsylvania and is now living in somewhat
harsh conditions in New York City with her earnest and cheerful
boyfriend Bobby (Derek Luke). With her mother Joy (Patricia Clarkson)
seriously ill with cancer, April invites the family to her crowded
little apartment for Thanksgiving dinner for a last reunion. When the
film begins, it's obvious that April is having a hard time getting
started, and the Burns family, including Dad Jim (Oliver Platt),
brother Timmy (John Gallagher, Jr.), and annoying sister Beth (Alison
Pill), are having a hard time leaving home since they cannot believe
that they will have a good time with April. So what happens when
you're about to have a turkey dinner for your family under such
circumstances? The oven breaks and April must search all over her
decrepit building for a neighbor who will let her use their oven. In
the process, she runs into a whole gamut of characters, including an
initially cynical but then helpful couple (Lillias White and Isiah
Whitlock Jr.), a Chinese family that she can barely communicate with,
and an extremely weird single guy named Wayne (Sean Hayes) with a dog
and a brand new oven. Meanwhile, Joy is bitter and the family makes
multiple stops along the way, almost as if they never really want to
reach their destination. Patricia Clarkson is brutally effective as
the miserable Joy who can't decide if she loves or hates her
daughter. Katie Holmes is excellent in the tough role of the
rebellious April. Derek Luke is charming as the smiling and pleasant
Bobby who will not let anything get between him and his love for
April. Alison Pill is notable as the fawning daughter Beth. This film
covers a wide range of emotions in a short period of time and does it
very effectively thanks to the writing and directing of Peter Hedges
("About A Boy"). DVD ***1/2
(2/28/04)
"Matchstick
Men"-The scam picture is nothing new but
this one does have a clever twist. Roy Waller (Nicholas Cage) is a
highly neurotic, twitching, con man who teams with Frank Mercer (Sam
Rockwell) to swindle innocents out of their hard earned money. Roy is
really neurotic, having to open and close doors three times each and
obsessed with the cleanliness of his home. But away from home he's a
cigarette smoking mess. Roy and Frank concoct a plan to swindle a
businessman, Chuck Frechette (Bruce McGill), but into the mix falls
Roy's never before seen 14-year-old daughter Angela (Alison Lohman)
who seems to take to Roy and to the life of a con man (or woman) with
ease. When Roy can't find his all-important medication to control his
neuroses, he goes to a psychiatrist recommended by his partner. The
psychiatrist, Dr. Klein (Bruce Altman), puts Roy back on medication
and all seems well but, as the viewer will ultimately discover, it's
not. Nicholas Cage, an actor I used to find annoying, seems to have
found his niche in playing characters with quirky personalities
(e.g., "Adaptation") and he is excellent here as the confused and
anxiety-ridden Roy Waller. Alison Lohman, who stood out as a troubled
teenager in "White Magnolias" impresses once again. Lohman, who is
actually in her early 20s, amazingly looks and seems to be 14. Sam
Rockwell ("Confessions of a Dangerous Mind") is also first-rate as
Frank, a smooth talker who could talk almost anyone out of their
earnings. Directed by Ridley Scott, "Matchstick Men" is well done and
fairly clever although ultimately lacking the sharpened pace that a
film of this type needs. Despite it's weaknesses, including an end
that seemed unnecessary, it's a fun and clever film. The DVD has a
very good feature on the making of the film. DVD ***1/2
(2/27/04)
"The
Missing"-It's the late 19th Century and
we are in gorgeous northern snow-covered New Mexico. Cate Blanchett
stars as Maggie Gilkeson, mother of two daughters living in the wild,
who is angered by the visit of her hated father Samuel Jones (Tommy
Lee Jones), a white man who had abandoned her as a child and spent
many years living with Apaches. Brake Baldwin (Aaron Eckhart), who
would like to marry Maggie, is there to protect the little family,
and after Maggie has sent Samuel packing following a brief visit,
Brake and another ranchhand accompany the older daughter Lily (Evan
Rachel Wood) on horseback to town where a fair is going on. They
promise to return by sundown. When they don't return as promised,
Maggie and the younger daughter, Dot (Jenna Boyd), start out to find
out just what happened to them and ultimately have to enlist the aid
of Samuel in order to find Lily, who has been captured by a group of
renegade Apaches for sale in Mexico. This junior league "The
Searchers" has a fine cast. Blanchett and Jones, as always, are
riveting. Both of the girls (Wood and Boyd) are very good in tough
circumstances. But ultimately this Ron Howard-directed film is just
too full of clichés and lacking originality to stand out. We
have the standard story of two individuals with enmity between them
regaining their affection due to the need to join together to fight
adverse circumstances, and the adverse circumstances provide the
overdone theme of parental search for a lost child, this time in a
western setting. We know who will succeed and all we can do is wait,
and it seems interminable at times, for the final battle and family
reunion. Howard also had the problem making such a film in an era of
modern ethnic and racial sensibilities. Howard tries to solve that by
including a few white men among the evil Apaches and having a good
Apache and his son join the Gilkeson side. But it's too obvious and
doesn't help turn this film into anything but an also-ran. DVD ***
(2/27/04)
"Sylvia"-This
is the story of Sylvia Plath, the poet and writer, who took her own
life in 1963. Gwyneth Paltrow does a serviceable job as Plath, an
attractive American student at Cambridge in the mid-1950s who meets,
falls in love with, and marries the British poet Ted Hughes (Daniel
Craig). Even before their marriage we have hints of psychological
disturbance as we hear of Plath's earlier attempts at suicide. What
doesn't help her situation is that Plath is highly suspicious, with
cause, of her attractive new husband. Moving rather slowly, the film
never seems to delve into the heart of the problem. We see and hear
about the problems but never get a real sense of the intellectual or
emotional depth of these people. The literary achievements of the
main characters are also pretty much ignored. Plath's famous
novel,"The Bell Jar," is mentioned only in passing. Even with the
information provided and scenes of Plath's loneliness and
disturbance, by the time we reach the end, Plath's death seems like a
surprise rather than the inevitable. Daniel Craig seems a little too
aloof and cold, even early in their relationship, as the handsome Ted
Hughes. The passion between the two never seems to come through. The
excellent Blythe Danner, Paltrow's real-life mother, plays her mother
Aurelia. Jared Harris is good as Al Alvarez, a literary critic with
whom Plath flirts after she has discovered Hughes' affair. The
real-life story of Hughes and Plath had to have been more dramatic
than portrayed here. DVD ***
(2/21/04)
"Runaway
Jury"-Almost nothing that happens in
this film is realistic and most of the activities of the main
characters are either illegal or unethical. But "Runaway Jury,"
another of the series of films based on John Grisham novels, is
loaded with good actors and this ensemble is the film's saving grace.
How bad can it be with John Cusack, Gene Hackman, Dustin Hoffman, and
Rachel Weisz? After a senseless murder rampage in a stockbroker's
office in New Orleans, the widow of one of the victims sues a gun
manufacturer, claiming that the gun company is liable for the death
of her husband. Dustin Hoffman is Wendell Rohr, the crusading lawyer
bent on bringing the gun company to its feet. But the defendant has
an ace up its sleeve in the form of Rankin Fitch (Gene Hackman).
Fitch runs a totally illegal high-tech jury control operation which
should guarantee a victory for the defendant. But there is a joker in
the jury pool who plans to control the verdict himself and will use
the rivalry between Fitch and Rohr to his advantage. No point in
describing the plot. It's full of twists and turns and ultimately
reveals a twist at the end that can only bring a smile to those of us
who dislike guns intensely. "Runaway Jury" is also one of those films
that makes you think that with high tech, the bad guys can learn
everything there is to know about a person and follow them every step
of the way. Thankfully, I don't believe we've quite reached that
point yet. Also as I recall reading, this is the first time Hoffman
and Hackman have worked together and these old pros are genuinely fun
to watch. John Cusack, while hardly a great actor, is one of my
favorites. There's just something about his attitude. He is
complemented beautifully by an Americanized Rachel Weisz who normally
has a delightful British accent, and is first rate as Marlee, a woman
of mystery who makes things very uncomfortable for both Rohr and
Fitch. DVD ***
(2/20/04)
"Intolerable
Cruelty"-How appropriate to have watched
this Coen Brothers film on Valentine's Day! Ethan and Joel Coen
(directors and screenwriters) here created what can only be called a
zany comedy about the wonders of marriage, prenuptial agreements,
divorce and alimony. Beginning with an hysterical scene in which TV
producer Donovan Donaly (Geoffrey Rush) comes home early in the day
only to find his wife hanging out with Ollie the pool guy (and
Donovan has no pool), "Intolerable Cruelty" proceeds to tell the
story of Miles Massey (George Clooney), an extremely successful and
totally cynical divorce lawyer, and his fascination with Marylin
Rexroth (Catherine Zeta-Jones), the ultimate Hollywood golddigger.
The Coens take what could have been a rather banal comedy about
divorce lawyers, and instead bring us the very funny likes of Ed
Hermann as Rex Rexroth, Marylin's rather stupid and wealthy as well
as philandering husband; Cedric the Entertainer as Gus Petch, a
private investigator who always "nails the a--" of his intended
subject; Paul Adelstein as Wrigley, Massey's amiable and effective
sidekick; Jonathan Hadary in the very funny role of Heinz, the Baron
Krauss von Espy, the concierge who nails Marylin's a-- in court, and
Billy Bob Thornton as Howard Doyle, the innocent Texas oil
millionaire who is the subject of Marylin's prenuptial agreement
post-Rex Rexroth. Oh, the details don't really matter. Clooney and
Zeta-Jones really gel in their antagonism and attraction. There is
dynamite in their appearances together in this first-rate comedy. DVD
***1/2
(2/14/04)
"In
The Cut"-What in the world were Susanna
Moore (author of the novel and screenwriter), Jane Campion (director
and screenwriter), Nicole Kidman (producer), and Meg Ryan and Mark
Ruffalo (stars) thinking when they made this wretched film? I had
read Susanna Moore's novel and been rather shocked by the violence
and graphic sex, and I couldn't imagine how it could be made into a
film. Now I know. It can't. This is clearly a low point in the
careers of all. I'm not sure it's worth mentioning, but Meg Ryan
plays Frannie, a somewhat zombie-like writer living in Manhattan who
seems to hang around with weird and creepy types. While interviewing
a student of hers for a book, at a bar no less, she witnesses a
shocking sex act and soon learns that the woman involved was murdered
possibly by the man she saw. Soon, she is being questioned about what
she might have seen by Detective Malloy (Mark Ruffalo) who just
happens to have a tatoo like the man involved in the sex act. Does
Franny run? No, she continues in her zombie-like way to get involved
with Detective Malloy, sexually and otherwise, despite the continued
murders, including of one of her loved ones. Mark Ruffalo mumbles
throughout most of the film and Meg Ryan (can this really be Meg Ryan
doing these things in this film?) looks like she forgot how to move
her mouth. This film is graphic where it doesn't have to be. The
script is dull and banal and the acting is atrocious. Need I say any
more? Miss it at all costs. DVD *
(2/13/04)
"Capturing
The Friedmans"-This is an amazingly
well-done documentary about an astonishingly painful subject. The
Friedmans were a family of five in Great Neck, NY. The father, Arnie,
had been a musician in the Catskills and was an award-winning
computer teacher. He and his wife, Elaine, were the parents of three
seemingly normal boys, David, Seth, and Jesse. And then, almost
suddenly in the late 1980s, their lives literally fell apart. Postal
inspectors investigated the father for sending a magazine of child
porn through the mail and the police, searching with a warrant, found
a stack of similar porn behind the family piano. But that wasn't
enough of a problem, the police noticed that Arnie taught computer
classes in his home and began to inquire of the students as to
whether they had been molested. The film gives the clear impression
that the police had made up their minds and began using an
interrogation technique that encouraged the incriminating statements
of the youths. But it wasn't just Arnie who was charged with this
horrible crime. The youngest son, Jesse, then a late teen, was also
shockingly charged. Directed by Andrew Jarecki, who originally
started out to make a film about birthday party clowns, of which
David Friedman is a very successful example, "Capturing The
Friedmans" proceeds to use astonishing home videos and other
interviews to probe into the facts surrounding the charges and
ultimately the pleas and imprisonments of both Arnie and Jesse. You
cannot watch this film without feeling involved and the pain of the
parties. We hear from the family, Arnie's disbelieving brother, the
police, the lawyers, some of Arnie's students, and Debbie Nathan, an
investigative journalist who has written extensively on this subject,
especially on the McMartin Pre-School case that occurred earlier in
southern California. She expresses significant doubts about such
cases because they seem to fit a pattern of "mass hysteria." I was
shocked to hear the judge state her conviction that she had no doubt
of the guilt of the Friedmans. No trial had yet been held (in fact
there was never a trial) and thus no evidence had ever been
introduced. One minute you hear things that convince you that Arnie
and Jesse were being railroaded on the charge of child molestation.
And then you hear things that make you begin to wonder. "Capturing
The Friedmans" is literally a film you will never forget. On DVD, it
comes with a second DVD loaded with extras. One absolutely
fascinating bit, as exciting as if part of the film, is a raucous
debate, almost an angry argument, that breaks out among participants
of the film at the New York City premiere. This is not to be missed,
no matter how painful it is. DVD ****
(2/7/04)
"Under
The Tuscan Sun"-I needed a touch of
lightness and romance for my latest cinematic viewing, and "Under The
Tuscan Sun" was just right for that purpose. Based on Frances Mayes'
popular book of the same name, this film takes a few liberties and
tells the tale of a Frances Mayes (Diane Lane) who has just gone
through a miserable divorce and been "taken" for an awful lot by her
ex-husband. She's a college professor and writer who needs a change
in her life. She's talked into a trip to Tuscany by her pregnant
lesbian friend Patti (Sandra Oh). While traveling with a gay tour
group by bus, Frances eyes an old villa, stops the bus, gets off, and
buys it with little thinking, only to have second thoughts when she
sees all the work that needs to be done and realizes that she's alone
in a totally foreign environment. But as things often occur in films
of this genre, Frances is soon surrounded by charming people,
including a delightful Italian family, a group of Polish laborers
working on her house, a friendly Italian lawyer (Vincent Riotta) whom
she met while buying the house, an eccentric woman (Lindsay Duncan)
who gives her some very good advice to overcome her depression, and
ultimately her friend Patti, who arrives to stay, still pregnant,
after having been jilted by her lover. Ordinarily in a film of this
type, one would expect Frances to meet the perfect guy and the story
would then proceed to be about their up-and-down romance, but that's
not quite the case. Possible suitors come and go and Frances finds
herself distracted from one particularly attractive guy by other
things she must do. The scenery is exquisite, as one might expect.
The story is charming, although Frances looks put-out for most of the
film. Some of the things she does seem unlikely, like failing to
follow up on a relationship with a guy whose good looks, charm, and
love-making ability have appeared to snap her out of her depression.
Ultimately, however, this film is a charmer and good fun for passing
a couple of hours. DVD ***1/2
(2/6/04)
"Thirteen"-We
live in a culture that idolizes glitz, glam, sex, and clothes. It's
everywhere, whether in magazines, billboards, movies, TV, or Super
Bowl halftime shows. Our culture undoubtedly has a profound effect on
many teens, especially girls, who have to deal with unmitigating peer
pressure. "Thirteen" is about such a teen, a girl in Los Angeles
named Tracy (Evan Rachel Wood). Upon arriving at school, Tracy sees
that the most popular girls are the ones wearing the right sexy
clothes, makeup, and appropriate body piercings. The one that stands
out is Evie (Nikki Reed) and Tracy begins to emulate her. Before
long, they are best friends as Evie leads Tracy down a very dangerous
road that includes theft and drugs. Meanwhile, Tracy's mother Melanie
(Holly Hunter) is trying, despite her own weaknesses, to give Tracy
and her brother Mason (Brady Corbet) a decent home, but Tracy will
have none of it. She's obviously reeling from the departure of her
father who has little time for her, and is angry at the appearance of
her mother's latest lover, an ex-Cocaine addict named Brady (Jeremy
Sisto). The performances in this rather shocking film are riveting.
Evan Rachel Wood is powerful as the attractive but disturbed teen,
and Nikki Reed is doubly impressive as she co-wrote the script with
Director Catherine Hardwicke, based on her own experiences as a
13-year old. Holly Hunter is dynamic as the caring but somewhat
gullible mother who finally learns just what her daughter is turning
into. Jeremy Sisto ("Six Feet Under") is very good as Melanie's
slightly messed up but decent boyfriend, and Deborah Kara Unger gives
off just the right sense of disinterest and self-interest (until the
very end) as Evie's mother. This film about an unpleasant subject is
not for everyone, but if you're interested in the subject as well as
some very powerful movie performances, "Thirteen" is recommended.
****
(2/6/04)
"American
Splendor"-"American Splendor" is indeed
splendid. This biographical study of Harvey Pekar, writer of the
Ameican Splendor comic books, is an original sight to behold. With a
mixture of comic book scenes, actors in roles, and the real-life
people behind the scenes and often narrating, this film shows how a
man who could only be described as a schlemiel becomes something in
life. Harvey (played by Paul Giamatti) lives in Cleveland and is
essentially a loser. He's failed twice in marriage, has throat
problems affecting his ability to talk, his apartment is a mess, and
he has a reasonably dull job as a file clerk at a VA hospital where
his co-workers are hardly the inspiring types. After meeting and
befriending Robert Crumb (James Urbaniak), who goes on to success as
an underground cartoonist, Harvey finally gets the idea, after one of
many of his life's frustrations, to write about himself, and Crumb
agrees to illustrate the Pekar writings. Ultimately, after the comic
books he writes have become a success, Harvey receives a letter from
a comic book store clerk in Delaware, Joyce Brabner (Hope Davis), and
he invites her to Cleveland where they almost immediately click and
get married. Harvey goes on to appear regularly on David Letterman
before making a scene on the show and getting kicked off. But
everything he does, good or bad, becomes a subject for his comic
books, even his battle with cancer. This delightful film is poignant
and funny. Giamatti and Davis both deserved greater recognition for
their incredible performances (Davis was, however, awarded by the NY
Film Critics Circle as best actress for this performance and for "The
Secret Lives of Dentists" reviewed just below). And, believe it or
not, the rather miserable Pekar still winds up with a reasonably
happy ending in his film. I must mention the hysterical performance
by Judah Friedlander as the "nerd" Toby Radloff, one of Harvey's
co-workers, and the excellence of this performance is emphasized by
the opportunity to compare it to the real Toby who appears later in
the film. The splendor of this film and of Harvey Pekar's life is not
to be missed. ****
(2/5/04)
"Lost
in Translation"-Writer and director
Sofia Coppola has created a mini-masterpiece. This wonderful film,
which doesn't exactly have a complex plot, is loaded with meditations
on a variety of themes, ranging among loneliness, communication
problems between alien cultures, marital difficulties, hotel living,
celebrity worship, and the commercialization of both the media and
Japan. Bill Murray is Bob Harris, an actor who arrives in Tokyo to do
commercials for a Japanese whiskey company, and seems to be bored by
the whole thing and wishing it would be over soon. Scarlett Johansson
is Charlotte, a young wife whose husband (Giovanni Ribisi) is so busy
with his job that he barely has time to look at her before running
off to do his work, sometimes for several days. Both Bob and
Charlotte are pretty much alone in a large hotel, are having trouble
sleeping, and are doing what they can to occupy their time during the
day and even when awake in the middle of the night. Harris' marriage
has obviously been reduced to the banal as his wife sends him faxes
and FedEx's carpet samples to his hotel room for him to examine,
while his conversations with her are hardly scintillating.
Eventually, Bob and Charlotte meet in a hotel bar, enjoy each other's
company and start going places and doing things together, especially
in the evening. They attend parties and try karaoke (Murray is quite
funny, reminiscent of the lounge singer he played on "Saturday Night
Live," one of his best SNL characters). Sofia Coppola has presented
the doings of these characters in a meditative vignette manner,
moving with ease from image to image and scene to scene. I was
intrigued by Harris' withdrawal every time someone would fawn over
his celebrity. There is no specific plot, but so many subtle
happenings occur and the sights are so joyful to the eye (the images
of Tokyo are a vision to behold) that this viewer found the film to
be a delicious treat. Tokyo does not come off well, loaded as it is
with neon advertising and pachinko-type games, but hopefully it is
not as bad in real life as it appears here. Murray has already been
nominated for an Oscar and deserves the recognition. Johansson, who
even now is only 19, has grown into a lovely young woman and her
character presents just the perfect attitude of curiosity about and
attraction to the more famous Harris. Will these two, ages apart, get
together? That's certainly one question to wonder about. DVD ****
(2/3/04)
"Once
Upon a Time in Mexico"-It has been
relatively slow-going early this year for those of us movie watchers
who rely mostly on the newly issued DVDs, although things may be
picking up in the near future. "Once Upon A Time in Mexico," however,
may be the low point of this year's video watching. The DVD of this
film contains some entertaining extras, including shorts by Director
Robert Rodriguez on how easy it is to make films like this using the
computer equipment he maintains in his own home. All types of amazing
scenes are reduced to relatively easy computer technology, a
fascinating subject in and of itself. But, unfortunately, having the
technology to do these amazing special effects and even create one's
own movie music with just a keyboard and software is not enough to
make a movie worth watching. "Once Upon a Time in Mexico" is an
empty-headed bloodbath and that's about it. Following up on his early
success with "El Mariachi" (1992), Rodriguez brings back his
guitar-wielding hero, this time played by Antonio Banderas, to
present a confusing story of a murderous CIA agent named Sands
(Johnny Depp), a retired FBI agent named Jorge (Ruben Blades), and
their efforts to prevent a cartel head named Barillo (Willem Dafoe)
from killing the Mexican "El Presidente." Mix in a couple of
beautiful women like Selma Hayek as Carolina, El Mariachi's departed
lover, and Eva Mendes as a law enforcement officer with mixed
allegiances, and you have what sounds like it might be an interesting
plot line. This story, however, gets off on the wrong foot when
Sands' thug murders an innocent elderly guitar-maker for virtually no
reason and the film descends into scene after scene of senseless and
humorless violence. That's not to say that Rodriguez doesn't think
he's making a humorous film. There is the occasional chuckle when
Depp, as Sands, picks up his cell phone and says "Can you hear me
now?" But Rodriguez, obviously desirous of following in Quentin
Tarantino's bloodletting footsteps, just doesn't have it. For all the
special effects and violence, "Once Upon a Time in Mexico" is
essentially a gigantic bore, lacking any redeeming social value. DVD
*1/2
(1/31/04)
"The
Secret Lives of Dentists"-Is this
supposed to be a dark comedy or simply a nightmare. I'd say "bad
dream" is the best way to describe it. David and Dana Hurst (Campbell
Scott and Hope Davis) are a married couple with three young daughters
who also work together as dentists. All seems to be fairly well until
one night David sees Dana caressing another man backstage at an opera
in which she is performing. At the same time, David is accosted in
the audience by an angry patient named Slater (Denis Leary) who soon
takes on the role of David's conscience. There is no obvious reason
why Slater should become David's conscience other than that he seems
fairly obnoxious and stupid, but nevertheless David, with Slater's
help, begins to wonder what his wife is up to and imagine the sexual
escapades in which she might be involved. At the same time, as Dana
seems strangely absent as a wife and mother, David must also care for
three rather annoying children, including the youngest daughter who
clings to him continuosly. As Dana seems to be absent more and more,
and the kids become more and more annoying, David's imagination grows
wild and the Slater/conscience does everything in his power to
encourage David's worries and obsessions. This rather morose little
film reaches a climax in a series of scenes in which each member of
the family becomes severely ill with the flu and winds up throwing
up. Sounds like a fun flick, doesn't it? Campbell Scott is
expressionless throughout this film, but this may be appropriate to
the character as his wife mentions that he never smiles. Hope Davis
is fine as the frustrated wife who appears to be growing away from
her dentist/partner. DVD **1/2
(1/30/04)
"Le
Divorce"-The team of Merchant/Ivory has
produced some classics and some absolute duds. "Le Divorce," directed
by James Ivory, is closer to the latter than to anything one might
think of as "classic." Based on a successful novel by Diane Johnson,
this film tells the tale of two sisters, Isabel and Roxeanne. Isabel
Walker (Kate Hudson) arrives in Paris from Santa Barbara, CA, to be
with her sister Roxy (Naomi Watts) during the latter's second
pregnancy, only to appear just in time for Roxy's French husband
Antoine to walk out without explanation. What initially starts out as
a story about Roxy and her marital problems turns quickly to a tale
centering on the self-centered silliness of Isabel who immediately
takes up with Antoine's much older uncle, Edgar (Thierry Lhermitte).
There is also an element of examination of the contrasts between the
attitudes of the French and Americans about life and love, but this
potentially interesting theme is not explored well or sufficiently.
The scriptwriters couldn't seem to make up their minds about whether
the film is a comedy, a tragedy, or a simple drama. Matthew Modine
runs around crazed as the jilted husband of the woman who is now
seeing Antoine. Leslie Caron is Antoine's outwardly pleasant but
inwardly nasty mother. Glenn Close seems appropriate as Olivia Pace,
an expatriate American writer, who hires Isabel and coincidentally
happens to be an ex-lover of Edgar. Isabel and Roxy have a brother
who is totally obsessed with the value (American values) of a
painting owned by the Walkers but which is in Roxy's possession,
leading to a whole convoluted discussion of French law as to the
distribution of assets in a divorce. Some of the casting is strange
and off-putting. Roxy and Isabel are both rather attractive blondes
whose parents are portrayed by Sam Waterston and Stockard Channing,
neither of whom resembles the two younger women in any way. And some
of the relationships seem highly unlikely, such as that between
Isabel and Edgar, possibly due to the casting. On the other hand,
Naomi Watts is beautiful and effective as Roxy (Roxeanne de Persand).
All in all "Le Divorce" is a mish-mosh and only successful to a
limited extent. DVD ***
(1/30/04)
"Spellbound"-Many
years ago I remember the National Spelling Bee being won by someone
spelling "antidisestablishmentarianism." I was very impressed and
always proud of my own spelling ability, albeit imperfect. This
delightful documentary follows eight young people in their efforts to
win the National Spelling Bee in 1999 in Washington. Coming from
different parts of the country and all kinds of cultures, many of
these kids are outcasts at home because they are the intellectual or
nerdy types but when they are in competition they are joyfully
surrounded by their own kind. Among others, there's a young Hispanic
woman from Texas named Angela; a brilliant young woman of Indian
(India) ancestry named Nupur; a smart kid from a seemingly well-to-do
family in New Haven, CT, named Emily; and a young man named Neil from
California whose father strongly encourages him by putting him
through his spelling paces. Although one mother raised the issue of
whether this competition, part of which was shown on ESPN, is
actually a form of "child abuse," each and every one of these kids in
the film seemed to thoroughly enjoy their participation and had a
genuine sense of reality about them. Where the "bee" seems to go a
little haywire, though, is in the use of words that are incredibly
obscure. Some words were so "foreign," I had neither heard of them
nor recognized them even after they were spelled. But it's also
interesting how often the kids are eliminated (by the ring of a bell)
by everyday words. In this documentary, which I highly recommend, the
ultimate winner succeeds with the spelling of a fairly common word:
logorrhea. Could you have spelled that? DVD ****
(1/23/04)
"Open
Range"-Director and star Kevin Costner
has created a real old-fashioned western about a battle between a
rancher, the evil Denton Baxter (Michael Gambon) and his gang of
thugs, and a small group of cattle herders whose cattle graze on open
range, something that the evil Denton Baxter doesn't like. The cattle
herders are led by Boss Spearman (Robert Duvall) and Charley Waite
(Costner). After Baxter's men, in an effort to steal the cattle, kill
one of Spearman's men and seriously injure another, a teenager named
Button (Diego Luna), Spearman and Waite plan to seek revenge in a gun
battle in the center of the town. I should mention that there is a
lovely lady in town who has caught Waite's eye. She is Sue Barlow
(Annette Bening) who Waite and Spearman first take to be the local
doctor's wife only to find that she is the doctor's unmarried sister.
And so the romance element enters the tale. Every western
cliché in the book, right? Well, yes, and yet strangely this
film works. Duvall and Costner, two clichés in and of
themselves, work very well together as a pair of wranglers who are
decent men but also know how to kill if they have to. Despite
Costner's usual weaknesses, he manages to pull off the part of the
good-looking tough who is brooding, but good and caring (he'll even
rescue a dog in a flood). Bening is just right as a middle-aged but
still very "handsome" woman who doesn't want to miss her first real
chance for love. The scenery (it was filmed in Alberta, Canada) is
gorgeous. The script is playful and just right. And some of the
supporting cast, including Diego Luna and the late Michael Jeter as a
stable owner who joyfully helps Waite and Spearman in their big
battle, are fun to watch. I never expected to really like this film
but, surprise, I did. DVD ***1/2
(1/23/04)
"I
Capture The Castle"-The British usually
make taut dramatic films with good casts and good scripts. Not this
time. "I Capture The Castle" is a somewhat drippy story of a writer
who suddenly drags his wife and two daughters into a chilly castle
and then descends into fatal writer's block. After the wife dies,
James Mortmain (Bill Nighy), the writer, remarries a slightly wacky
artist named Topaz (Tara Fitzgerald), but his two daughters seem to
have to fend for themselves in life. And then two young Americans
arrive, Neil and Simon Cotton (Marc Blucas and Henry Thomas). They
have inherited the estate, including the castle for which Mortmain
owes years of rent. And they are as if they had no lives before
arriving in England. Both are taken with the older redheaded sister
Rose (Rose Byrne) and things get sticky when both brothers find
themselves at various times attracted to or engaged to Rose. Both
Blucas and Thomas are quite stiff in these roles, providing
absolutely no charm, something desperately needed by this film. In
fact, the only charm comes from the main attraction, the lovely
Romola Garai ("Nicholas Nickleby") who plays Cassandra Mortmain, the
younger and more intelligent daughter of the castle and also the
story's narrator. This is not Masterpiece Theater. One example of how
things went wrong was the casting of Mrs. Cotton, the boys' mother.
Sinéad Cusack, one of my favorite British actresses, usually
seen as warm, intelligent and very British, is the bad
American-accented Mrs. Cotton covered over with an awful hairdo and
clothing and with no opportunity to shine. Bad casting and bad
presentation. "I Capture The Castle" is one of those rare British
cinema mistakes. DVD **
(1/19/04)
"Lucía,
Lucía"-Starring the luminous
Cecelia Roth ("All About My Mother"), this film is really named "The
Cannibal's Daughter" ("La Hija del Canibal") in its native Mexico,
but it has nothing to do with cannibals. Rather, it's about the
mysterious disappearance of the main character's husband. While
waiting at the airport to fly to Brazil with her spouse for a New
Year's celebration, Lucía (Roth) suddenly realizes that her
husband has failed to appear to board the plane after going to the
restroom. In a total quandary, she returns home only to receive a
call soon thereafter informing her that her husband has been
kidnapped by a group called "Worker's Pride" and a ransom is
demanded. Lucía also receives a message from her husband
informing her of "inheritance" money in a safe deposit box to be used
to buy his freedom. Meanwhile, Lucía is befriended by two
neighbors, an older man named Félix (Carlos
Álvarez-Novoa) and a young man named Adrián (Kuno
Becker), who are both clearly enchanted by the lovely Lucía.
The story gets somewhat convoluted as the three attempt to pass the
money onto the kidnappers while often being interrupted by the
police. This film by Mexican director Antonio Serrano ultimately
reveals a fairly standard plot element involving Mexican government
and police corruption. But the story primarily centers around the
relationships among Lucía, Félix, and Adrián,
with Lucía realizing that she no longer loves her husband and
is very attracted to young Adrián. Like so many other films
that attempt a combination of comedy, pathos and mystery, this film
is ultimately undermined by a confusing and silly plot line. So many
things happen concerning the search for Lucía's husband, that
the viewer almost begins not to care. On the other hand, the
interrelationships among the three main characters are a pleasure to
watch, especially from the wonderful Roth and the articulate and
impressive performance of Carlos Álvarez-Novoa. (In Spanish
with English subtitles) DVD ***1/2
(1/17/04)
"Swimming
Pool"-Directed by Francois Ozon ("8
Women'), "Swimming Pool" is slow-moving but sufficiently mysterious
and enticing. Sarah Morton (Charlotte Rampling) is a writer of
British police procedural novels and we first see her looking bitter
and miserable as she makes her way through London to the office of
her publisher, John Bosload (Charles Dance). Bosload mentions that he
has a house with a pool in the French countryside and offers it to
Sarah so that she can be refreshed and start writing again. Looking
far more relaxed and happy, Sarah arrives at the lovely house in
Luberon in the South of France, and settles into the joys of peace
and solitude, noting only that the promised swimming pool is covered
over by a tarp. But Sarah's relaxation is soon utterly disrupted by
the arrival of Julie, Bosload's French daughter. Julie (Ludivine
Sagnier) is a beautiful young and lively woman who soon disrupts
Sarah's life by bringing home men and engaging in loud sexual
activity. But Julie also tweaks Sarah's curiosity and soon we see
Sarah snooping and starting to write a new book based on Julie. A
great deal of the first half or so of this film shows Sarah simply
doing things around the house and in the town. Some may find this
dull, but I found the slow attention to detail to be riveting. Just
watching the character move things around revealed aspects of her
personality that were important to the story. "Swimming Pool" turns
from a story about two women into somewhat of a thriller when Julie
invites home a waiter who had been flirting in town with Sarah and
they swim and engage in sex while Sarah watches from her balcony. The
film has a twist at the end that I will not reveal, but suffice it to
say that there are several hints along the way that all is not as it
might appear. I found some of the later plot lines to be unlikely,
which diminished somewhat the excitement of the growing plot. Any
potential viewer should be warned that there is a great deal of
nudity. Ludivine Sagnier is an extremely attractive young woman who
is shown in most of her glory, especially around the now uncovered
swimming pool, and Rampling also doesn't disappoint. Rampling and
Sagnier are wonderful, totally immersing themselves in their parts.
Ultimately, though, the murkiness of the plot somewhat undermined my
total enjoyment of this film. (Mostly in English but with some
French, and accompanying English subtitles) DVD ***1/2
(1/16/04)
"My
Wife Is An Actress"-This French film
from 2001 is about a sportswriter married to a well-known actress who
seems content until an acquaintance asks him how he feels about his
wife kissing other men in the films she makes. Yvan Attal is Yvan who
is married to the actress Charlotte (Charlotte Gainsbourg), and he is
also the director and screenwriter. When Charlotte goes to London to
make a film with John (Terence Stamp), a leading British actor, Yvan
grows more and more jealous, travels back and forth between Paris and
London by train, and seemingly does everything in his power to
destroy his marriage over fears that his wife is attracted to John.
This film is funny and charming, with a wonderful jazz score, but it
has some real weaknesses. Stamp, at this point in his life, is just
wrong as a potential romantic interest for the young and lovely
Charlotte and he plays his part rather stiffly. That Charlotte would
be interested in him or that Yvan would be jealous seems unlikely.
Despite coming from an obviously intelligent family, Yvan ultimately
comes across as hyper and humorless. When Charlotte has to do a nude
love scene with John, she jokingly asks the director to have everyone
in the crew nude and he complies. Yvan just happens to walk onto the
set at the exact moment of total nudity and he fails to see any humor
in this rather hysterical situation. Attal, the screenwriter and
director, unfortunately includes another unlikely coincidence. Later
in the film, when Charlotte returns to Paris to try to work things
out with Yvan, she just happens to emerge from a cab just in time to
see Yvan kissing a young woman on the street (rather innocently, of
course, but Charlotte doesn't know that). Despite these weaknesses,
this film has some strengths too. Attal and Gainsbourg, a couple in
real life, are wonderfully natural and work very well together. There
is a sideplot involving Yvan's sister and her Jewish identity. The
question is whether or not her soon-to-be-born child (with her
non-Jewish husband) should be circumcised, and this is very funny.
Even with its weaknesses, including a rather abrupt romantic
resolution at the end, I was charmed. This is ultimately a good
romantic comedy and certainly worth a look. (Mostly in French with
English subtitles) DVD ***1/2
(1/9/04)
"Owning
Mahowny"-Philip Seymour Hoffman is Dan
Mahowny, a somewhat dull Canadian bank vice-president, who slowly but
surely becomes addicted to gambling. Making bigger and bigger bets
with his local bookie, Frank Perlin (Maury Chaykin), Mahowny
ultimately realizes that he has money at hand at the bank and starts
to embezzle larger and larger amounts so that he can carry on his
gambling in Atlantic City and Las Vegas. The Atlantic City casino
head, Victor Foss (John Hurt), realizing he has a perfect mark, does
everything in his power to encourage Mahowny's gambling habits.
Mahowny's story, based on real life events, is revealed in this
fairly low budget film (just check out the sets) which can't seem to
make up its mind whether it's a quasi-documentary or a drama. Philip
Seymour Hoffman, who can be a stunning performer, here is simply dull
because, frankly, Mahowny really isn't that interesting a character.
Minnie Driver is completely miscast as Mahowny's adoring and
simplistic girlfriend, Belinda. John Hurt, a wonderful actor, is
asked to play nothing more than a classic stereotype. Not
recommended. DVD **
(1/5/04)
"Northfork"-The
Polish brothers, Michael and Mark, are creators of unusual art films,
certainly none intended for the commercial market. This was
demonstrated earlier with "Twin Falls, Idaho." Now, continuing with a
series of films named after towns, the Polishes present "Northfork,"
a story full of allegorical observations about a town in Montana in
the mid-1950s which is about to be destroyed as the result of the
construction of a dam. The basic plot seems simple on the surface.
Six men, including Walter and Willis O'Brien (James Woods and Michael
Polish), are assigned to "help" the residents of Northfork evacuate
before the territory is inundated by a new lake created by the dam.
If they succeed, they gain 1 1/2 acres of "lakeside" property. If
they fail, then they receive nothing. In doing so, they must interact
with a group of holdouts, including one man, with two wives, who has
built an ark and awaits a sign from "God" before he will leave.
Meanwhile, a young boy, Irwin (Duel Farnes), is seen alternating
between being seriously ill and cared for by the local priest, Father
Harlan (Nick Nolte), and being up and about, interacting with a group
of highly unusual characters who appear to be spirits searching for a
lost angel. These characters, Flower Hercules (Darryl Hannah), Cup of
Tea (Robin Sachs), Cod (Ben Foster), and Happy (Anthony Edwards), are
trying to decide if Irwin is the angel they seek. Filmed in muted
colors, "Northfork" attempts to portray issues of life and death and
spirituality. Ultimately, while thought-provoking, "Northfork" fails
because it is overwhelmed by its own weirdness. Claire Forlani, Peter
Coyote, and Kyle McLachlan are seen in brief roles. Nick Nolte is
excellent as Father Harlan. DVD ***
(1/2/04)
