Talking Foxes!

December 14, 2009 --

Fantastic Mr. Fox

Dir: Wes Anderson

Wes Anderson can do no wrong in my book. His movies are so unapologetically human (you know, those flawed, imperfect humans you hear about), that I cannot help but be capivated by the quirks of the Rushmore hero, the Darjeeling Limited brothers, all the Tenenbaums, and Steve Zissou. He brings this same trait to all the main characters in his first animated feature--except they aren't human at all! Instead, they are a community of stop-motion animated foxes, beavers, and opossums, living ordinary lives in a world that is more akin to Wallace & Gromit than Shrek. [That is to say, in an animated movie that doesn't try to cater to two audiences simultaneously.] Rather than laying on a hipper-than-thou ironic detachment with a few winks to the adults in the audience (I'm talking about Shrek--hated it!), Anderson creates a universe of his own that is more authentic because it doesn't cater to anyone.

With a dream cast of actors (their voices are so distinctive that their mannerisms are infused into their animated counterparts), and a smart, witty script, you will be enchanted by this nuclear family of foxes. Ironically, the human characters are the one-dimensional ones.

Anti-Christ

Dir: Lars von Trier

Believe it or not, the previous film is not the only one this year that features a talking fox. "Chaos Reigns." That's the only line delivered by a denizen of the creepiest woods you are likely to see anywhere outside of Deliverance country (I hope!). But this fox's warning comes a little late for us viewers, who have already endured an exhausting build-up of tension between a couple who have escaped to these woods to get over the grief of losing a child to their own negligence.

That scene of their child's accidental death comes at the beginning of this aptly-titled film (any scene depicting a child dying violently is a cinematic no-no), serving notice to everyone brave enough to buy a ticket that you are about to be taken to a place you've never been before. The first clue I had was in the soundtrack: the opening scene of this married couple (Charlotte Gainsbourg and, who else, Willem Dafoe) having sex is filmed in slow-motion black and white, to the strains of the beautiful Handel aria "Lascia ch'io pianga" from Rinaldo (I'm listening to it as I write this review!) The words are instructive:
Let me lament / my cruel destiny /and yearn for liberty.
May grief, in its mercy, / shatter the bonds / of my torment.

The device was used most-recently in Michael Haneke's "Funny Games" -- start the film with a beautiful piece of music to contrast it with the depravity to come. Oh, and the depravity does come. But von Trier has a deeper purpose in taking his audience further and further into this Dante-esque hell, and it is not to titillate: it is to depict nothing less than mankind's struggle between good and evil in visceral, stomach-churning terms. In scenes that defy description, both horrible and beautiful, you realize this director is striving to reach something profound.

I am going to stop right here to warn my readers that I am not recommending you see this film. To paraphrase a far-different film: "You can't handle the Anti-Christ!" It is too dark and unsettling for everyone but the hardest-core film buff. Not only does it show more full frontal nudity than any non-pornographic film seen by this reviewer (me!) -- it goes so far beyond the unwritten pact a filmmaker has with the public (loosely, to be 'entertained'), that it renders conventional criticism pointless. You have never seen anything like it, and very probably will wish you never had.

The Road

Dir: John Hillcoat

Chaos reigns in a big way in this film: a 2-hour slog through a post-apocalyptic hellscape (filmed in Pennsylvania ... I'm just sayin'!). This Cormac McCarthy-penned yarn is bleaker than "No Country For Old Men" by a country mile. Imagine the overriding concern of the surviving inhabitants of a post-nuclear world being the best way to commit suicide so you won't get eaten by cannibals, and then imagine it not being played for laughs (cf. 'Welcome to Zombieland.') Throw in a few big-star cameos (covered in mud), and that's the movie, right there.

I'm a big fan of Viggo Mortensen, and nobody does grungy like him. He does have some nice scenes with his son (also well-played), when they are not being chased by cannibals. Charlize Theron is good at grungy, too, but she walks out of the movie (literally), so maybe she knows before we do that this Road isn't leading anywhere. Don't let the uplifting ending fool you into thinking this trip was worth the effort: it wasn't (I'm just sayin').

There you have my holiday movie reviews -- God Bless Us, Everyone!

Quick reviews before the Christmas rush

December 4th:

These 2009 films slipped through the gaps in my reviews --

(500) Days of Summer

Finally, the tweeners have their "Annie Hall." That is high praise from me (and deserving) for this light and breezy rom-com* uses all the tricks in the book to spice up the story of one young man's obsession with the girl. Animation, out of sequence scenes, and a smart, at times witty screenplay all hark back to Woody Allen's classic. (There is even a song and dance number!) [*rom-com = romantic comedy]

None of this would work without leads who can capture the Allen-Keaton chemistry. Joseph-Gordon Levitt and the lovely Zooey Deschanel (a better actress than her sister Emily, star of "Bones" on tv), are perfectly matched, with chemistry and spark to match. On the downside, the obligatory male sidekicks don't make much of an impression, and Summer's 'replacement' can't hold a candle to Zooey, who is a worthy successor to Parker Posey as America's 'Indie Princess.'

The Informant!

Steven Soderbergh and the courageous Matt Damon (he plays an overweight schlub of a character!) team up for this comedic take on a true story: an Archer-Daniels Midland whistleblower who turns out to be a compulsive liar. When the extent of his delusions are finally revealed, however, it's not so much funny as sad. Nevertheless, the whole thing is played for laughs, sustained by Damon's committed performance. He is in almost every scene, and he nails the character and carries the movie past its shortcomings. Soderbergh is having fun with the material, too, turning southern Illinois circa 1990 into a landscape of bad fashion and ill-fitting hairpieces that look more like the 1970s (starting with the opening credits). He even uses both Smothers Brothers in key cameos. I could have done without Marvin Hamlisch's cheesy, over-the-top score, which only serves to call attention to itself. But if Soderbergh's intent is to create a parallel between the Watergate era the more-recemt sordid history of corporate crimes and cover-ups, he succeeds brilliantly.

Three (very different) films about England

November 22, 2009 -

Bright Star

Dir: Jane Campion

I will start with the best film of the three, by far. This film deserves a fuller review than I can give it now (I need to see it again to refresh my opinion), but here are a few notes:

- The soundtrack should be a leading contender for a "Best Original Score" Oscar (would you expect anything else from the director of "The Piano"?)
- I'm a big fan of Paul Schneider's acting ("Lars & the Real Girl"; "Assassination/JJames/Ford") but as John Keats' confidante and fellow poet "Mr. Brown," his thick Scottish brogue comes and goes. (It is a distraction from an otherwise solid performance). Why couldn't Campion find a British actor for this pivotal role?
See it if you can, and I will write a full review in time for awards season!!

The Damned United

Screenplay by Peter Morgan (The Queen; Frost/Nixon)

Starring Michael Sheen (ditto)

I am not familiar with the director, but the prestige of the cast and writer are enough to convince that there is more to recommend this film than a mere 'sports story' -- even if the sport is British 'soccer' (there can never be too many soccer movies out there). If that doesn't sell you, how about the presence of Academy-award winner Jim Broadbent??

The titular United is the once-mighty Leeds United (now relegated to second division status, alas), and the time is the free-for-all Sixties, when United was king of hill in English Football. Enter a cocky player turned manager of lowly Derby County who has a vendetta against Leeds and their manager (played as a meany by Colm Meaney). Michael Sheen has a knack for believably portraying real-life figures (not by relying on impersonation), and at the end of this movie, when news footage show the real characters in this drama, you realize how much Sheen has nailed it yet again.

The drama builds to a face-to-face confrontation on television (shades of Frost/Nixon??) that ends up being more sad than dramatic. An entertaining film, nonetheless, all the more so if you love Brits and soccer! And Jim Broadbent!!

An Education

Screenplay by Nick Hornby (High Fidelity)

Starring Peter Saarsgard and Carey Mulligan

A well-written screenplay and fine performances from the principals cannot save this rather predictable, young woman's coming-of-age story set in 1960s Britain (again!) from its inadequate director (a Dane I had never heard of, Lone Scherfig). One can see the plot developments coming from a mile away, and the small role by Emma Thompson is badly-played.

Another word or two about the cast. Newcomer Carey Mulligan is indeed a treat in the lead as a precocious teenager eager to dive into the world of sophisticated adulthood offered by the older, smooth-talking Peter Saarsgard. [He is an American actor who can sustain a decent British accent!]. She is a natural, in the same vein as the great Sally Hawkins in last year's "Happy Go Lucky" (who not only was robbed of Oscar recognition, but also is deserving of more than the one-scene cameo she is given by this Danish director!) Don't get me started ! ...

Two (very different) movies about WWII

Sunday, October 11, 2008 --

Inglourious Basterds

Dir: Quentin Tarantino

You never would guess it judging from the previews, but it turns out that the Inglourious Basterds are bit players in their own movie! I wonder if the opening weekend crowd who made it the #1 movie in America left disappointed when that fact dawned on them. I know I did, after expecting another extreme, skull-bashing good time from the enfant terrible of American cinema. Alas, the pace of this movie is more "Jackie Brown" than "Pulp Fiction." In other words...it drags.

In breaking-up the film into five chapters, Tarantino (QT) highlights the fact that he is trying to cram two movies into one: the first involves a 'Dirty Dozen'-like crew of Jewish soldiers out to wreak havoc behind German lines (if you've seen the previews, you have seen all of the good scenes). The second is the story of a young, Jewish refugee hiding out in Paris and planning her revenge against a brutal Nazi commandant who killed her family (a deliciously evil Christoph Walz). The film is chock-full of cinematic references only a true cinephile would love (down to a cameo by the great silent film star Emil Jannings, multiple Leni Riefenstahl references, and a brief disquisition on the UFA film studio under the Nazi regime!) But really, did the opening weekend crowd appreciate them??

The film is populated with excellent character actors--the best scene in the film involves Diane Kruger as a double agent, Michael Fassbender as a British spy, and August Diehl as a skeptical Nazi, sitting together in a French restaurant, each trying to con the other. Each actor takes full advantage of the generous screen time they are given. The build-up is amazing, but like every other prolonged scene in this movie, the payoff is unsatisfying.

The film descends into a ridiculous Jewish revenge fantasy, that I will only reveal is not historically accurate. I hate movies that aren't historically accurate (see my review of "The Miracle of St. Anna"). But the filmmaking is first-rate, so I am willing to give QT a pass, even though I can't recommend his latest.

Anonyma - Eine Frau in Berlin

(A Woman in Berlin--US title)

Whereas the previous film was fantasy, this film is unrelenting in its realism. The true story of one woman's survival in Berlin, after the Russians invade the city, is brutally honest in its depiction of life under occupation. It is commendable both in its verisimilitude -- the Russian soldiers speak and act like Russians (not like actors asked to imitate Russians) -- and in its unblinking confrontation with a past that has been ignored and denied for a generation (the woman who published her diary in 1959 was met with such scorn she withheld her name and any further publication until after her death).


At the center of this film is a scorching performance from Nina Hoss as the title character, 'Anonyma.' Her beautiful face is etched with every degradation she is forced to endure, and hardens every time she walks past the leering, jeering soldiers, whose catcalls she alone comprehends (being one of the few Russian speakers in Berlin). It is in those rare times that her ever-present frown breaks into a smile that you realize how the daily misery of survival has worn her down.


What is striking in this German film is that it doesn't claim any moral high ground: yes, the atrocities against the civilian population of Berlin were horrific--but the soldiers who perpetrated them had just come from a horrific experience themselves (a fraction of the atrocities the Nazis committed in Russia are described, but not depicted).


As with another recent film that was criticized (unfairly) for being sympathetic to, or "too soft" on the Germans ("The Reader"), this film is not an attempt at rehabilitation or sympathy for those Germans who lived and prospered under the fascist regime of Adolph Hitler. It is simply a depiction of those lives caught in the vortex of the worst criminal in human history. It is brutal and nuanced and very true.

Two people I wish would just go away!

Sept. 9, 2009 --
One of these two is bound to shock longtime readers!

1. Sandra Bullock: No one (I mean NO ONE) was more 'smitten' with Ms. Bullock when she was at the height of her career (I'm talking the While You Were Sleeping/Speed years). I can still loan to anyone who wants them my VHS copies of every movie she appeared in from "That Thing Called Love" through "Forces of Nature." [That includes "Demolition Man" (opposite Sylvester Stallone himself) too!.]

But a disturbing trend has developed this year: she has 'come out of retirement' to do more of those lame 'romantic comedies' we've come to expect from her -- only now she is starring opposite leading men who are half her age! First came The Proposal, opposite that 'I don't get why he is popular' Ryan Reynolds nonentity. Now we are treated to All About Steve with heart-throb du jour Bradley Cooper (Loved him in Alias!). I don't deny SB still has the clout to 'open' a movie (Steve was No.3 on its opening weekend!) But really, shouldn't these roles be going to younger actresses like Amy Adams and Rachel McAdams? (Lord knows they need the work!) =)

First, SB has never been that gifted at slap-stick (anyone see her appearances on the lame George Lopez TV show?) Second, she is a better actress than this material -- as evidenced by her roles in Crash and Infamous. That's what she needs to do: go away for now (here is an idea: chill out with me & McConnaughey in Austin!) and wait for that next Crash role to come along. That's my career advice. Or she can continue to cash that big paycheck by appearing in immediately forgettable movies.

2. Sarah Palin: No one was more 'smitten' with that maverick-y newcomer to the political scene -- all winking and aw-shucks -- than FFG. [Or am I thinking of Tina Fey? 2008 was such a long time ago.] Nevertheless, I remember thinking during the VP debate: "She is adorable!" [Full Disclosure: I love Joe Biden.] I even took her side during the clothes controversy (alongside the irrepressible Elisabeth Hasselbeck), and later when those sore-loserman McCain hacks* started taking potshots at her (as if their lousy, idea-less, negative campaign had a chance to win anyway...As if!).

*Nicole Wallace, you are better than that!

But did you listen to her farewell address from Alaska? I couldn't understand a word she was saying! What was she rambling on about with the 'merciless rivers'?? I just didn't get it! And then, she goes on to 'tweet' those lies about Obama's "Death Panels"? The one chink in her armour during the campaign was she didn't have a grasp of national issues (I may be understating it a tad). So, her first act as an Ex-Governor is to provide more ammunition to those claims. She needs to follow the advice she gave 'the media' when she quit: stop lying!

Now we see how she plans to 'make a difference' outside of government: by going on Facebook? (we all know what a time-waster that is!). I wish she would just go away. (But something tells me she is tweeting at this moment, the same night that President Obama outed her in front of a joint session of Congress ... in front of a bunch of weak-willed Republicans sitting on their hands, too cowed by Fox News to even applaud for the concept of truth over lies (I loved it!)

The two best movies of 2009 (so far)

THE HURT LOCKER

Dir: Katheryn Bigelow

Longtime director Kathryn Bigelow (Blue Steel, Point Break, Strange Days) has always been a Hollywood enigma: an under-appreciated female director who depicts macho swagger with more authenticity (i.e., balls) than hacks like Tony Scott and Michael Bay COMBINED! Yet these guys are continually given obscenely-budgeted glamour projects, and Bigelow is forced to film in Jordan on an indie budget to bring her latest to the screen.

She gets the last laugh, however, by defying convention (and recent history) to create not only her best film by far, start-to-finish, but without a doubt the definitive movie about the 2nd Iraq War. That it has garnered more critical acclaim than any other movie of the summer is icing on the cake. The secret to her stunning success? she avoids any 'big picture' pronouncements about this misbegotten war, and instead stays on the ground with the soldiers who fight in it.

She does this by following the daily routine of a bomb disposal unit deployed in the streets of Baghdad through a series of unrelated episodes, all fraught with the tension that is the daily plight of the soldiers deployed in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Every encounter they (and the audience) experience is fraught with two dangers: 1) the painstaking work of disarming an IED that can take out a city block at any moment, while 2) surveying the surrounding buildings and streets (teeming with the urban populace who live amid this daily nightmare), trying to distinguish the innocent bystander from the terrorist ready to set-off the bomb. Don't expect Bigelow to give you any cues or clues as to which of the Iraqis -- the cab driver, the man with a video camera, kids on a balcony, or a friendly English-speaker -- are the enemy.


The film brings the ongoing reality of this war to us complacent, 'I'm sick of hearing about this war' Americans. It is in-your-face, unrelenting, and visceral (Bigelow doesn't flinch at showing us how the enemy puts bombs in corpses...I told you she had balls!). Don't get me wrong: The Hurt Locker is also a heart-pounding, edge of your seat experience that leaves you exhilarated by the end of its grueling 2-hour, 10-minute length, while giving the world an important look into this ongoing, yet too quickly dismissed, tragedy.

MOON
Dir: Duncan Jones

Finally, someone makes a watchable version of SOLARIS (that impenetrable, 3-hour Russian sci-fi that not even George Clooney and Steven Soderbergh could salvage). What's more, it pays cheeky homage to that other film masterpiece of the genre: Kubrick's 2001. To the director's credit, he acknowledges the debt all science fiction films owe to Kubrick three separate times, most explicitly in the form of a talking computer (a "HAL 2.0") voiced by a soothing Kevin Spacey. That this first-time director is none other than the son of David Bowie, you have to give him credit for aiming high.

Sam Rockwell ably carries the movie as virtually the only actor, playing Sam Bell, the lonely crew member at the end of a three-year mission to mine the moon for an energy conglomerate. It is a vision of the future that is both frightening and all-too plausible: if there is a way to make money out of moon rocks, you know a multi-national is going to exploit it (and the workers it sends to mine it). The movie hits on another topical debate in the space program: how astronauts cope with years of isolation (Russia just completed a 150-day experiment with seven participants). In the movie, Sam copes via taped video messages from his wife, horticulture, hobbies, and Bewitched re-runs.

This is the set-up for an captivating plot that takes Sam on a mind-bending roller coaster as he uncovers the big corporate secret and the true extent of his exploitation. Jones only makes two missteps in carrying off this unexpectedly good suspense story: the first is the self-indulgent opening credit sequence; the second is the totally unnecessary voice-over on the final image of the movie. Each serves to call attention to itself, needlessly taking us out of the moody universe that Jones and Rockwell worked so hard to create.

and here is one more, since you've made it this far...

TETRO

Dir. Francis Ford Coppola

Spanish actress Maribel Verdu is one hot Latina woman! (whether she is wise enough to sit on the Supreme Court is beyond the scope of this review). That she was also the star of the two of my favorite Spanish-language movies of this decade -- Pan's Labyrinth and Y tu mama tambien -- gives her a special place in my heart. Working with FF Coppola no doubt adds luster to her filmography, even if his latest effort, Tetro, is a pure exercise in cinematic style.

Coppola, of all the great directors still active, has earned the right to experiment (much like Steven Soderbergh...see his latest). It is a cineaste's dream that he has decided to experiment in black and white, channeling British directors Michael Powell & Emeric Pressberger (If those two names are unfamiliar to you, this movie is NOT FOR YOU!). The film shows excerpts from their unwatchable "Tales of Hoffman" (I had to walk out of a screening--seriously!) then proceeds to outdo the duo with a pastiche of music, dance and an operatic plot not seen since ... Godfather 3!

But he has assembled a stellar cast, both in front of and behind the camera (music and cinematography are exceptional) to depict a Buenos Aires brimming with life and excitement, due in large part to the Spanish acting talent he has assembled. It truly feels like a Fellini film set in Argentina.

I must give credit to the Man for incorporating dance into this enterprise. To some in the audience, I expect it will seem laughaby out-of-place, but I think it is very effective in relaying emotion (when his actors are not up to the task, i.e., Vincent Gallo). Another Spanish acting legend, Carmen Maura, is wasted in a role that is truly laughable, but hey, she has a lustrous resume anyway, so she can experiment, too!

Angels & Demons & Porn Stars

ANGELS & DEMONS (2009)

Dir: Ron Howard

Bless me Father, for I have sinned: I enjoyed myself at this movie!

As A.O.Scott put it, Dan Brown's work is an offense, not against the Church, but against the English language! Luckily, Ron Howard and company have learned from their $200 million-grossing mistake of The DaVinci Code, and corrected all of the missteps that doomed that wet noodle of a summer blockbuster. Gone are the tiresome disquisitions on the beginnings of Christianity, the forced and awkward romantic moments, the self-flagellating villain (although I missed him in the sequel: the A&D assassin looks more like a disaffected grad student studying in Rome than a fanatically religious psychotic).

But it is the lead, symbologist Robert Langdon, who has undergone a stunning transformation: instead of a paunchy, middle-aged prof wheezing around Paris, London and northern England, Tom Hanks is actually 'buff' (the first scene shows him swimming laps in the Harvard pool at 5am!). His new exercise regimen will pay off over the next two and one-quarter hours (fifteen minutes too long for this movie, by my count).

Director 'Opie' takes us on a whirlwind tour of Rome's holiest sites in the five-plus hours Langdon spends in the Eternal City (Rick Steves himself would not have been able to keep up!) Amazingly, not a frame of this movie was shot in Vatican City -- the interiors and exteriors of St. Peter's Square came from a computer!

The screenwriters deserve credit for glossing over the nonsensical aspects of the plot -- (the sooner they skip over the anti-matter Maguffin, the better) -- to focus on the chase, while sprinkling in art and religious history in small doses(compared to the deluge of imprecise conjecture in The DaVinci Code). They also scrap any attempt at a love interest for Langdon: a wise move, since the luscious Italian scientist who is his foil possesses zero charisma on the big screen (but she must be a good actress, because this Italian lovely is actually an Israeli -- Ayelet Zurer).

Howard had the best of Hollywood at his disposal (supporting actors, screenwriters, costumers, musicians) and they all delivered the goods: I was surprised by the last revelation in the plot ... and I read the book! (proof positive of its forgettableness).

THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE

(digital video: 2009)

Dir: Steven Soderbergh

It's more of an experiment than an experience, this third of Soderbergh's forays into shoestring budget indie pics, after "Bubble" and "Full Frontal"--two films I refused to see because 1) I hate digital video, and 2) the previews looked so BAD!

When I am wrong, I'm wrong: in the hands of a master like SS, the digital video is at times as lush and deep as film (David Lynch didn't have such luck with his digital effort, "Inland Empire"). I freely admit that SS is a master -- you see an assured director's hand in every frame. Despite its other flaws (many, see below), the movie is always watchable--just to see what the director has up his sleeve.

That makes his insistence on using nonprofessional actors and improvised dialogue baffling -- a deadly combination that has never worked. These aren't DOGME '95 movies, after all (see my take on Danish films from the 1990s here ...except I haven't written it yet!). Rather than serving a guiding principle, SS reduces these devices to gimmicks: self-imposed, needless handicaps.

They do handicap this film (especially the acting). It amuses me that every review describes the lead, Sasha Grey (the 'Porn Star' that the title to this post promised) as "the only professional actor in the movie." Oh, she's a professional alright -- just not in acting (I'm saying this based on my very limited exposure to pornographic films ... I haven't seen any of Ms. Grey's previous work, although I feel compelled to rent one in the interest of writing a fair and knowledgeable review).

Her acting style can be charitably described as 'flat' and 'unaffected.' Surprisingly, that is exactly what the role calls for! As a high-priced New York City call girl, she is exactly what her clients* want: a young knockout (with a great fashion sense!) who is smart enough to pretend to have an opinion, but even smarter to know when to defer to the wiser, older client who likes to hear himself talk.

*older men who can spend several thousand dollars a night for a 'girlfriend'

And without fail, every client wants to give her financial advice! (One of the movie's best features is its well-defined place in time: the fall of 2008, when the economy is in turmoil and the Presidential election is up in the air). The best joke in the movie is that the sex is very much the least important part of the transaction; almost a formality.

The movie bogs down when it follows her 'boyfriend' (a personal trainer who wants to better himself--don't they all?) on a testosterone-fueled private jet to Vegas, accompanied by a bunch of assholes (I mean Wall St. investment bankers...same difference). So why did I exit the theater with a positive feeling towards this movie? It has to be because of the NY locales, the porn star, ... or possibly even the director?

Thumbs-up / thumbs-down in 2009

JUNE 11, 2009 --

Too lazy to write full reviews, so here are thumbnail reviews of the following movies:

SUMMER HOURS (France) -- I really disliked this movie! Great cast; talented director (Olivier Assayas). But I was turned off from the beginning: a confusing rush of exposition -- told to us in rapid French dialogue -- concerning family members who bear no physical or emotional resemblance to each other. (I have to blame the director for not taking the time to establish a familial rapport with the audience). Critics who like this movie use terms like 'languid' to describe the pace. (They must think languid is French for 'boring.') You want languid? Rent "A Sunday in the Country" from 1984 (Bertrand Tavernier's exquisite meditation on time, memory, and family). In Summer Hours, by the time the matriarch dies, you just don't CARE how the kids divide up the estate! Yet it goes on and on...(have a garage sale, already!)

ADORATION (Canada: Atom Egoyan) -- this film will no doubt exit the theaters in short order (if it hasn't already). In this case, it is with good reason (I was the only person in attendance at the Thursday, 5:45 screening in downtown Houston). I've been a fan of director Atom Egoyan since my time in Austin, where I saw, and was blown away by, "Speaking Parts" (1989). I still think about Mia Kirschner doing lap dances to a Leonard Cohen tune in "Exotica" (1994) ... my favorite of his films, for obvious reasons. Unfortunately, his latest movie plays like a polemic on race, terrorism, tolerance...not a second of which is authentic or believable (cf. Lemon Tree, below). Egoyan is stuck in the same voyeuristic, video-obsessed navel-gazing he displayed in 1989 (you know, back when that was 'in')...only now, he mixes it with a post-9/11 zeitgeist. Yes, that is as painful to sit through as it was to read (it was painful to write, too!)

LEMON TREE (Israel) -- Finally, a movie I like!! This film is well-worth seeing, if for nothing else than Hiam Abbass's ("The Visitor") compelling performance. Its metaphors for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict might be a bit heavy-handed at times, but it gets its message across. And it doesn't shy away from humor, either. The Jewish woman who lives across from the titular orchard, and who becomes the lead's unlikely ally, is an Israeli Naomi Watts! (I higher compliment I cannot give).

WENDY & LUCY (starring Michele Williams): contrary to expectations, this movie is NOT an indie-Lesbian love story (Lucy is a dog, for starters). MW strips herself of all movie-star trappings for this role. The problem with the movie is ... nothing happens! Not even to the dog!! Very frustrating.

State of Play

State of Play

Dir: Kevin Macdonald

(the actual review of the movie begins 3 paragraphs down)

I've always loved a good DC political thriller, ever since No Way Out -- if for no other reason than to point at the screen and yell "Been there!" (I'm referring to the bridge across the Potomac, not the back seat of a limo with Sean Young). Once I actually moved to DC, I became aware of a whole new game: "Spot the geographic inconsistencies!" Every movie (and TV show) filmed in the District takes some liberties with location -- who can forget President Bartlett's trip from the White House to the State Department in a downpour on "The West Wing" via the National Cathedral!! That's on Wisconsin Avenue!! Who's your driver, Mr. President?!?!

[A corollary to this game is "Spot the local media celebrity," but that game has lost its luster now that sportscaster George Michael has retired (I swear, he has more credits than Larry King!).]

Recent 'filmed in DC' examples that come to mind include: Burn After Reading, The Sentinel (Nicole and James Bond at Foggy Bottom--been there!), Breach (a traffic jam on Rock Creek parkway driving from the Pentagon to the FBI building) and Arlington Road (everybody gets lost driving to the FBI building, it seems). State of Play is not immune: in an early scene, we watch as Sonia Baker walks from her Adams Morgan apartment to the Metro station ... in Rosslyn! (that's in Virginia). She should be going to Dupont Circle, but to be fair to the filmmakers, that is not a very cinematic locale (plus, you can't push somebody onto the tracks at Dupont without being seen -- trust me, I know).

That said, State of Play is otherwise faithful to both the city and the profession it celebrates -- the newspaper profession!--as embodied by that intrepid/besotted Bernstein-esque reporter, Russell Crowe. Yes, the man can play a convincing abrasive print journalist. (I wish I could say the same for actor-cum-politician Ben Affleck: sadly, he only registers discomfort playing a conflicted Congressman next to the heavyweight actors in the cast). I still love your work in Hollywoodland, Ben!

In the excellent screenplay co-penned by Tony Gilroy ("Michael Clayton"), Crowe's Woodward (as played by the fetching Rachel McAdams) is a female blogger a la Ana Marie Cox's 'wonkette' (how's that for updating the story!) Furthermore, the corporate heavyweight badguy (Gilroy has to have one in every plot) is a military contractor that combines the sliminess of Blackwater with the smarminess of Halliburton (or is it vice-versa?). Ripped from the headlines, indeed!

In fact, as much as it pains my Anglophile heart to admit this, every change from the 2003 BBC miniseries (on which this movie is based) is an improvement: cast, plot, pacing, and filmmaking, it is a clean sweep! The six-part series was two-parts too long, and bogged down in red herrings and filmmaking pretensions (just listen to the director's track on DVD). Here, Macdonald ("Last King of Scotland") keeps the action moving at a brisk pace--too brisk for Jason Bateman's character (Dominic Foy) to make the impact the plot requires, or to be believably in fear for his life; nevertheless, he enlivens the film at just the right moment -- holed up in the Americana Motel in Crystal City (driven by there!)

As a(n) homage to a dying industry, the film harkens back to both "All the President's Men" and that Humphrey Bogart-Ethel Barrymore movie (too lazy to check IMDB at this point)--especially during the last montage: Long Live Newsprint! [FYI--The Pampa News is looking for a new beat reporter: experience required ... don't waste their time!]

My Top Ten ... reconsidered!

April 29, 2009 --

I know it is late in the game to be adding movies to last year's Top Ten lists, but remember, I could only come up with 3 foreign films worthy of ranking. I'm able to double that total since I've seen five subtitled fims in the last month -- one a genuine classic.

But first, I must make a minor but important adjustment to my regular movie list. The top 8 remain unchanged (and I hope to comment further about the unjustified backlash against 'The Reader' on a later post):

TOP TEN MOVIES OF 2008
1. MILK
2. THE READER
3. THE DARK KNIGHT
4. FROZEN RIVER
5. RACHEL GETTING MARRIED
6. FROST / NIXON
7. HAPPY-GO-LUCKY
8. VICKY CHRISTINA BARCELONA

But after repeat viewings on the movie channels over these last months, I have to elevate one film to Top Ten status:
9. In Bruges
10. TRANSSIBERIAN

Beautifully filmed, written, and directed by playwright Martin McDonagh, this funny, sad, touching story of two hitman lying low in Belgium is hilarious--and anchored by 3 brilliant acting performances: by Brendan Gleeson, Colin Farrell, and especially by Ralph Fiennes as their boss. I love it more each time I see it.
_______________________

The revelation in the foreign film category comes from France, naturellement!
Un Secret (Dir: Claude Miller) is a wonderful, evocative true story of a French Jewish family during WWII and their fateful choices that seal the futures of two generations. Whew! Starring the lovely Cecile de France (great name for a French actress!), it is rich, moving, and will leave you breathless...like a #1 movie should!

Top 6 Foreign Films of 2008
1. A SECRET (FRANCE)
2. REPRISE (Norway)
3. LET THE RIGHT ONE IN (Sweden)
4. I'VE LOVED YOU SO LONG (France)
5. The Counterfeiters (Austria) -- 2007's Oscar winner (that I forgot to include)
6. Gomorra (Italy) -- a brutal film

Hon. mention: STRANDED: I've come from a plane that crashed in the mountains* (France/Uruguay); The Class (France); Waltz with Bashir (Israel)

*We finally learn the real story of survival from the team of Uruguayan rugby players who crashed in the Andes in 1971, from the survivors themselves, almost 30 years later. No sensationalism: just a gripping and life-affirming story.

My own personal Rendez-vous with French Cinema

"Rendez-vous with French Cinema" is the name of New York's famous two-week festival of new French cinema, held every February at Lincoln Center. For my decidedly less glamourous rendez-vous, I had to drive out to a 30-screen multiplex in West Houston (the bad part of W.Hou.) to see two French films that no doubt played in New York many years ago. (Once the lights went down, I could have been anywhere--NYC, Paris -- or so I kept telling myself).

Je Ne Suis Pas pour la etre aimé (2005)
D: Stephane Brizé

I'll give you the one-sentence synopsis of this poorly-titled film ("Not here to be loved"?) if you promise not to say "Why would I want to see that tired premise again?" A lonely middle-aged man finds his world shaken-up when he starts taking tango lessons! Believe me, this movie is nothing like the many variations of "Shall We Dance?"

It opens unpleasantly: following the lead character as he goes about his business: delivering legal notices, evicting tenant -- like a French Repo Man -- then visiting his father: a bitter and ungrateful old coot living a plush nursing home. He shows so little personality you wonder why the attractive classmate (played by the lovely Anne Consigny*--last seen winningly in both A Christmas Tale and The Diving Bell & the Butterfly) bothers to befriend him (other than to discourage a more persistent suitor: a short and ultimately petty loser who just doesn't get that she's just not that into him!).

But when they dance, clumsily and slowly, they connect in a way that innocuous small talk would never reveal. Dance is such an intimate activity, and as shot here--from the waist up, for the most part--it wordlessly reveals the true feelings of these repressed characters. This absence of dialogue carries the film for the last ten minutes to its satisfying conclusion. (You don't see that in a Richard Gere-Susan Sarandon movie!)

* Side Note: her character is one reason why I haven't given up hope on nabbing a Frenchwoman. From the movies I see, these French babes go for one of two types: the out-of-work schlub (balding and depressed), or the old timers (you know, those guys whose faces have 'character.') You remember the old guy who seduces the lovely Ludivine Sagnier in "A Girl Cut in Two"? In the next movie, he's married to and is cheating on Isabelle Huppert! What's up with that!?

Les soeurs fâchées (2004)
D: Alexandra Leclere

I chose to see this movie (whose inapt English version is titled "Me & My Sister") based only on the barest of synopses (and the fact that it was French). Imagine my delight when the opening shot is a close-up of Isabelle Huppert ... gargling! (I'd be happy if every French movie started that way!) Shye plays Martine, a rich, sophisticated Parisian (i.e., great clothes, but a total bitch) who reluctantly hosts her younger sister Louise 'from the country' (Le Mans) for the weekend. As played by the veteran Catherine Frot, Louise's innocent enthusiasm and lack of guile charms the jaded Parisians ... and infuriates her desperately unhappy sister. Think of Louise as a French version of Poppy: Sally Hawkins's sunny British optimist in "Happy Go Lucky."

The two actresses play off each other wonderfully -- and as femmes d'un certain age, they bravely reveal their faces in close-up, warts and all (take note, Nicole Kidman!) As in the previous film, the film's central conflict is resolved wordlessly: all you need to know is revealed in the actor's faces in an ending that is bold, satisfying, and tres tres French!

Naomi & Nicole

March 11, 2009 --
Musings about my two favorite Aussies:

The International (2009)

Dir: Tom Tykwer

If one didn't know it beforehand, it would soon dawn on any foreign-film-goer watching the latest Naomi Watts flick that you were watching a Tom Tykwer film. This German director first came prominence with the frenetic "Run Lola Run." In every one of his subsequent films that I have seen, he has revealed a meticulous reverence for urban architecture. Even after you lose interest in his characters, (which often happens in his films) the slow pan of his camera, shooting straight down on an urban landscape, is captivating. His latest is no exception: it is like a travelogue of some of the great cities of the Western World: from its first scene at Berlin's Hauptbanhof, to quick stops in Lyon, France (I didn't know it was the headquarters of Interpol), New York, Milan, an finally, a climactic scene on the rooftops of Istanbul (with a great view!), you have to give Tykwer credit for getting the most out of his travel budget.

The plot is topical, if nothing else ("Banks are evil.") Don't expect a Bourne-style shoot em up: this film is more thoughtful, less non-stop action. As Manhattan ADA Eleanor "Ellie" Mitchell, Naomi isn't called on to do much more than the ever-changing parade of ADAs of "Law & Order" do from week to week, but she looks fabulous doing it ... jet-setting from one European city to another, tossing a stylish gray scarf around her neck (in lieu of luggage). There is no sexual tension or chemistry with her co-star Clive Owen, but there is none in the script either (she's happily-married, now that's a twist!).

The rooftop climax is somewhat unsatisfying, perhaps because of the tour-de-force set-piece that precedes it: a shoot-out at the Guggenheim. I hope the musuem was insured, althought the exhibit on display in the film got what was coming to it (everybody's a critic!). As the unsuspecting patrons realize when the bullets fly, there are no corners to cower in at the Guggenheim!

The Golden Compass (2007)

Dir: Chris Weitz

I re-watched this movie Sunday night, and I have to tell you, I 'saw & enjoyed' it even more the second time. (I do not recommend it on the small screen -- the fight scenes were in almost total darkness). I still feel the film's mythology is a weak step-child to Lord of the Rings-Harry Potter-Narnia, but as long as it has talking animals, I'm happy!

I watched it again because I have heard criticisms of Nicole Kidman's performance--her face, specifically: (as in "her surgical enhancements have rendered it frozen: without line, wrinkle or expression.") I must object most-strenuously! In fact, her performance as the evil "Mrs. Coulter" is the center of the whole movie, and she nails it. The role demands her to be cold and emotionless. She plays the ultimate Ice Princess (her first name is Marisa, not Ann, for those of you hoping for a satisfying life-imitates-art coincidence). This is what makes her so mysterious and frightening to young Lyra (the Harry Potter of the story). I chalk up Kidman's flawless face to good make-up and CGI special effects (much like those computer-enhanced abs on the Greek warriors in '300' ). Of course, I suppose I will have to see "Australia" now, to see how that face holds up in the Outback for three-plus hours. But if she has gotten work done, it hasn't turned out as bad as some I've seen.

As for the rest of the movie, in Phillip Pullman's world, every person has a cute little animal spirit by his side, a physical embodiment of his soul, usually causing trouble (like a cat). It is quite a clever conceit: the animal/soul acts as the character's talking subconscious. The acting talent they hired to voice these animals makes you think they were planning for a blockbuster trilogy (Kathy Bates, Ian McShane, LOTR-alum Ian McKellan, an unrecognizable Kristen-Scott Thomas playing a leopard!!)

All these characters are just begging to be fleshed-out (I haven't even mentioned the talking Polar Bears!) Alas, a sequel does not appear to be in the works, going on two years after the original. There is no way they can get all these actors to re-commit -- not to mention the child stars are probably teenagers already. To top it off, the director is currently shooting "Twilight 2" (Oh, the horror....).

It's a shame, because the heroine of this story is the spunky, independent Lyra, played winningly by Dakota Blue Richards (think "Hermoine goes to Narnia" and you get an idea of the plot.) The role of the ethereal, otherworldly beauty that is de rigeuer for the teenage boy target-audience (and moi!) in these films is capably filled by the French beauty Eva Green. If you thought her character name in Casino Royale was exotic and odd (Vesper Lynd) how about "Serafina Pekkala"!?! Since when does a witch have a last name!?!

Aside: The other films cast as its spirit-babes Cate Blanchett (LOTR) and Tilda Swinton (Narnia). Notice there is no such character in Harry Potter? No doubt because it was written by a woman!

Best OSCAR Show Ever??

February 25, 2009 --

Yes! After watching every Oscar telecast since I can remember (ffg never reveals his age), I can say this show was the Best EVER!

Why? Two simple reasons:
1. No Louis J. Horvitz directing it -- and cutting off all spontaneity and life from the four-hour slog to Best Picture (stay home and polish your undeserved Emmy, cuz you ain't gettin' another one, Horvitz!);
2. NO BILL CONTI! You know him: the musical director who boorishly started playing-off every winner in mid-acceptance speech (as if we were going to miss a precious second of another Horvitz-directed mess). He's the guy whose last (and only) hit was "Gonna Fly Now" from Rocky! That's Rocky I !! I defy you to listen to that song today all the way through without cringing.

The new blood the Academy injected for this show was spot-on: I cannot even criticize the bloated production number that brought the show to a halt halfway through -- because it was directed by Baz Luhrmann (props to Australia!)

Hugh Jackman was awesome. Anne Hathaway bravely took part in the opening number--and pulled it off...live! Steve Martin & Tina Fey killed! The five past acting winners paying homage to the new nominees was inspired and inspiring (but will it work next year?) The other presenters were, for the most part, brilliant. Exceptions: Zach Efron/Alicia Keys? Who and Why? Ben Stiller's riff on Joaquin Phoenix wasn't as funny as it could have been... and it was a rip-off from the previous night's Independent Spirit Awards! (That show teamed a comic Phoenix with a Christian Bale in an Adam West Batman get-up! Now that was funny!) Of course, the red carpet special was tortured and unnecessary (everybody watches E! nowadays, don't they?)

For the record, I scored 15 points, missing only the Best Actor of the Top 6 categories (I had a last-minute conversion to Mickey Roarke--his dog died!)
I miss you, too, Loki.
Biggest shock of the night: Best Foreign Film (Departures, Japan).

Lastly, my annual, totally-biased list of who looked and dressed the best! (No Renee Zellweger this year, and Amy Adams looked cute except for that coral reef attached to her neck, so I'll have to settle for the following):

7. In a nod to Milk, I start with Daniel Craig (the dude looks good in a tux!)
6. Marisa Tomei (for sentimental reasons)
5. (tie) Evan Rachel Wood / Freida Pinto
4. Penelope Cruz
3. Diane Lane (classy!)
2. Anne Hathaway

1. Natalie Portman

#2 (just like in the Best Actress race)

TOP TEN LIST

February 3, 2009 --

I don't know what meds Roger Ebert is taking these days, but when he proclaims 2008 to be such a good year that he had to make a Top 20 List -- and an alphabetical one at that (the ultimate critical cop-out) -- I have to wonder. It took me 13 months (and 3 days) to fill-out my Top Ten List this year, and even then it was a struggle. [Ebert's list contains the 'blink-and-you-missed-it' "The Fall", directed by Tarsem, hence my concern about his pharmaceuticals.]

More troubling is the fact that foreignfilmguy's Foreign Film List has been reduced to 3. Tres! Trois! (and tre, in a nod to two of the entries). So, without further griping (and no cop-outs), here are, in order ....

Top 3 Foreign Films of 2008

1. REPRISE (Norway)
2. LET THE RIGHT ONE IN (Sweden)
3. I'VE LOVED YOU SO LONG (France)

TOP TEN MOVIES OF 2008

1. MILK
2. THE READER
3. THE DARK KNIGHT
4. FROZEN RIVER
5. RACHEL GETTING MARRIED
6. FROST / NIXON

7. HAPPY-GO-LUCKY
8. VICKY CHRISTINA BARCELONA
9. TRANSSIBERIAN

10. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button*

Honorable mention:
Changeling
Slumdog Millionaire*

Tropic Thunder
U2: 3D
The Visitor
The Wrestler

"Saw & enjoyed"
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
Choke
Doubt *
The Duchess
Funny Games (starring the lovely Naomi Watts, who can be seen in The International, opening February 13th!)
In Bruges

There you have it: now it's on to the Oscars, where none of what I just wrote matters one whit!

One-second movie reviews

(because I am lazy)

Doubt
(Dir: John Patrick Shanley)

Meryl Streep once again takes a chance! Meryl Streep once again misfires!

Instead of reprising the Anna Wintour-whisper she used in Prada, this time she goes in the opposite direction: using some kind of flat, Brooklyn housewife-accent to portray the nun at the center of Doubt. It doesn't help the movie or her co-stars, who all acquit themselves nicely, as if they had to act around her. Shanley's attempts to expand his play beyond the stage are transparent and ineffective.

Slumdog Millionaire
(Dir: Danny Boyle)

The soundtrack is the best thing in this movie, but trust me, Score, Song and Cinematography are the only Oscars this movie deserves. (I'll give it film editing, too). The screenplay is laughable. I've never liked how Danny Boyle portrays children (remember that awful movie "Millions"?) Subtlety is not in his vocabulary. Here again the kids are lying, cheating, thieving little rapscallions. (but oh so loveable--yeah, right!) And the Mumbai police have no greater crimes to deal with than cheating game-show contestants? Bad timing.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
(Dir: David Fincher)

Forget Forrest Gump (the movie this Eric Roth-penned marathon is most often compared to): this movie reminds me more of Titanic. First and foremost, the movie is anchored by a horribly aged old lady (the unrecognizable Cate Blanchett). Under all that make-up, though, Cate can still act. (That old lady in Titanic could neither act, nor wash off the age spots). Like Titanic, the movie is a triumph of production values, yet it is always teetering on the edge of sinking under a woefully inadequate script. Fincher may not be 'King of the World,' but he still can dazzle with some amazing set pieces. The Make-up, visual effects, and Sound Mixing are top-notch, Academy voters.

OSCAR slights

January 22, 2009 --

SALLY HAWKINS* WAS ROBBED!!

* Best Actress, "Happy-Go-Lucky"
(she was ignored by the SAGs, too, so I blame those 'dumb' actors)

'The Boss' Bruce Springsteen was likewise snubbed (I don't know who to blame for that).

Complete list of nominees


Check out MY TOP TEN LIST, to be announced here by the end of the month!!

Quick Movie Takes: pre-Golden Globes

The Golden Globe awards are this Sunday (!) and I still haven't seen any of the movies nominated for BEST PICTURE (DRAMA), so I will have to limit my critique to the TV nominations:

Yea! "In Treatment" (HBO) got recognition for its fine supporting cast: Blair Underwood and the especially fine Melissa George (remember her in 'Alias'?).
"John Adams" (HBO) got its requisite nods, but I predict the Foreign Press won't be so enamored of American History as the lame Emmy voters were; look for an upset by the cast of "Bernard & Doris" (also HBO). [I was wrong--ffg]. I'm also pulling for Laura Dern's dead-on hilarious take of Katherine Harris in "Recount" (HBO again).

On the movie side, I can only predict one shoe-in (if there is any justice) [and there is!--ffg] : Brit Sally Hawkins in

"Happy Go Lucky"

(D: Mike Leigh)

She is brilliant in this gem of a movie. It is a character-study of a single personality-type: the relentless optimist. Leigh's genius is in proving that their lives are as deserving of exploration as anyone else. But 'Poppy' (Hawkins' character, appropriately an elementary school teacher) is no Candide: she recognizes the injustices, indifference, frustrations and anger that is ever-present in the society around her: she simply chooses not to let it affect her present mood or her long-term outlook on life. It sounds simple, but in Leigh's London -- populated by a dazzling array of 'kooks' -- it is a subversive triumph.

A couple of scenes are worth noting, for opposite reasons: 1) Poppy attends a beginner's Flamenco class with a co-worker, taught by a stern Spanish woman who is absolutely hilarious; 2) the one scene in the movie that doesn't work involves a deranged homeless man that is at once strained, unnecessary, and totally pointless (you'll know what I'm talking about when you see it). Cut that scene out and I'd rate this movie even higher in my Top Ten.

"Changeling"

(D: Clint Eastwood)

Angelina Jolie gets more ink as a real life Mom than she does as an actress, but her last two 'serious' roles proves that her real life has elevated her screen life to new heights. She was convincing as both wife and mother Marianne Pearl in the maligned "A Mighty Heart" " last year, and she shows added depth as a single mother in this other true life story (based on actual events involving the L.A.P.D in the 1920s--is there no end to the seediness of that police department?).

One woman's struggle for justice against this corrupt (all-male, naturally) machine is courageous to the point of unbelievability, but it really happened! Eastwood is faithful TO A FAULT to her ordeal: the scenes in the county mental hospital are straight out of "The SnakePit" that "Frances" was sent (the poor actresses playing the nurses act like there heart is not in it: Where's Nurse Ratched when you need her?. And Eastwood insists on dragging the movie out until the last creaky turn of the wheel of justice, when a simple end-crawl would have sufficed.

I give him credit for his precise casting: the movie is filled with great faces from the 1920s, all creating a convincing milieu (notably, detectives Jeffrey Donovan and Michael Kelly, and bad-guy Jason Butler Harner). Props to the character actors!!