Truly Golden Globes

I’m so sorry i haven’t been posting to this blog. My career has taken a turn such that i have very little time for movies any more, to say nothing of writing my blog. However, the Golden Globes tonight inspired me because it’s so rare that i agree with so many of the awards. But this year — oh yeah.

Many of you will remember that i thought that The Kids Are All Right was one of the best films of the year. I also thought Annette Benning gave a performance so extraordinary that it deserved to be recognized. I am ecstatic that both the film and the actress won golden Globes tonight. If you haven’t seen this gem–which shows the truth of family even when the configuration is different than yours–run don’t walk to find it for rent.

Likewise, you must plan to see The Social Network, a film that deserved to win it’s Golden Globe for best drama. Brilliantly written, directed and acted, it is the best film i’ve seen this year.

Clare Danes won for Temple Grandin and if you didn’t read my review check it out in the archives. This HBO film is a marvelous telling of an extraordinary story.

 

And then there’s Glee. Readers of the blog know i am a huge Gleek , so the win for the show and the actors was very popular with this reviewer. I’m also a passionate supporter of the gay community and was gratified to see the exceptionally talented Chris Colfer and Jane Lynch be deservedly recognized.

I was ecstatic about the elegant Colin Firth winning for The King’s Speech, another film worth finding. I haven’t seen Black Swan (and won’t since i think it’s pretty scary and i don’t do scary) but i love Natalie Portman and was happy to see her win. 

Of course, i really enjoyed seeing many of my favorites like Johnny Depp (YUM!), Jeremy Irons, the amazing Tilda Swinton, and lots more.

It’s funny that i haven’t seen many of the new films (yes, yes, i do want to see True Grit), but for purposes of this award show, i didn’t have to. All my favorites were the winners.  I hope yours were too.  :  )

The Kings Speech: Bloody Good

The film, The Kings Speech, is a really, really good story marked by brilliant tour de force performances that elevate the  simple and mostly familiar story into the realm of a great movie. It’s not a masterpiece of film-making, but it is a true milestone in performance.

If you don’t know yet, The Kings Speech tells the story of Albert, the youngest son of King George V, who ascended to the throne when his older brother, David, decided he couldn’t continue as King (Edward VII) without the “woman he loved”, Wallis Simpson. He stepped down (to become the Duke of Windsor) and his younger brother became king. This is all fairly familiar stuff, but what people probably don’t know is that Albert had a severe problem with stuttering. Radio had just come on the scene, and monarchs were expected to address their people pretty regularly. This film shows how the king-to-be, played by Colin Firth, forms a relationship with an unorthodox speech teacher played by Geoffrey Rush.

The cast of The Kings Speech is like a who’s who of English acting. (In fact, you have to spend a couple moments getting over the Harry Potter characters these actors play). They are splendid across the board. Helena Bonham Carter who can be over-the-top in some performances is just right as the plucky, humorous, brave woman who we have come to know as the Queen Mum. Derek Jacobi is delightfully unlikable as the Archbishop Lang, Timothy Spall takes you aback as Winston Churchill but then wins you over. Geoffrey Rush commands as the incredibly cheeky teacher who became a lifelong friend of the King. Really, all the performances are smashing, right down to the little girls who play the princesses that grow up to be Queen Elizabeth and her sister, Princess Margaret.

But the film belongs to Colin Firth. Truly one of the greatest actors of this or any generation, Firth not only masters the stuttering, halting voice of the King, he wrings every drop of understanding and sympathy from his audience for this man who simply wants to be a naval officer, but is thrust into the center of history.  He is brilliant in the role and deserves the Academy Award for which i think he will be nominated.

The Kings Speech is such a good story i hope it will appeal to younger people who are unfamiliar with the historical events.  It makes you laugh, cry and stand up and cheer. The film is rated R because of the very unusual methods the teacher used that included a lot of profanity. People rarely stutter when they swear. It’s a shame the movie has to have this rating, because  teenagers could benefit from knowing this story. C’est la vie. Adults, run don’t walk to see The Kings Speech.

The Tourist — Oh Johnny

Okay, full disclosure. Just say the words Johhny Depp to me and, if the film isn’t terrifying, i will run, not walk to see it. Serious crush here since way before he was fashionable. Add Angelina Jolie and, well, the eye candy quotient is so high it’s irresistible. So, you see, not the stuff of which really objective reviews are made.

With that said, The Tourist is a fun movie. Not a really good movie, but so fun and funny it’s worth seeing for most of us. It’s a caper movie and a comedy. In it, Angelina is a woman of mystery and Johnny Depp is a nerd. Yes, a nerd. Now, we have seen him be a man with scissors for hands, a mad hatter, the owner of a chocolate factory, a drug addict, a man dressed as a woman, and much more, but never before that i recall, a nerd. It’s tough to make Johnny look even slightly bad, but the hairdo he sports in this film almost does it. And until you’ve seen People’s “Sexiest Man of All Time” crawling on a roof in blue striped pajamas, well, you understand. There are laugh-out-loud funny moments in the movie, a favorite of mine being when the Depp character is being held at the police station in the afore-mentioned pajamas.

The film is an uneasy mix of comedy and action. Because it is so funny, we never believe any real jeopardy is at hand, and yet the script seems to want us to take it seriously sometimes. Both Depp and Jolie could have phoned in their performances, and neither appears to be trying over-hard, though even at their worst, they are way ahead of many actors.  I adore Paul Bettany but the character he plays, an Interpol inspector, is completely unbelievable. And i’m not sure why Rufus Sewell wanted the tiny part he plays, but there he is.

Despite this, here are the reasons to see The Tourist:

• It really is funny sometimes
• Jolie is so beautiful it’s a treat to just get to look at her.
• Venice is so beautiful it’s a treat to just get to look at it.
• It’s fun trying to figure out the caper (which i did, but not for a little while)
• Even in pajamas and a bad hairdo, Johnny Depp is still the most beautiful face on the planet

See, i told you i wasn’t objective.  :  )

Secretariat — Oh You Horse!

I saw Secretariat back when it opened in October, but i saw it the same week as Social Network and then went on to another film, so i missed blogging about it. But you may have noticed that this film, like the horse it celebrates, just won’t go away. It’s still playing in my local first-run theatres two months later. So, what the heck, i’ll write about it.

Secretatriat is the based-on-a-true story of the amazing triple-crown winning horse from 1973,and Penny Tweedy,  the housewife/mom, who believed in him and made him a winner. Don’t misunderstand, Tweedy was no amatuer, shrinking violet. Her father raised race horses and she cut her teeth in the stables, but against the advice of all the men around her, and against the tide of the times that said a woman should stay home with her husband and kids, Tweedy created a champion and restored her father’s farm to prosperity.

Last week, i talked about Burlesque, a film with every cliche in the book. Secretariat has the cliches as well, but they’re true. This is one of the stories that created the cliches, and it’s impossible not to stand up and cheer. Secretariat, in other hands, could have been a sappy Disney movie, but the choice of Diane Lane to play Tweedy and John Malkovich as her trainer, Lucien Laurin, providing the humor, elevates the film  way above the tear-jerker class.

No matter how sophisticated you are, how much you like your films dark and angst-ridden, i can almost guarantee Secretariat will get you where you live. It is really a terrific film. If you haven’t seen it, find it at the local cinema or expect to see it on rental very soon. Sorry i didn’t tell you sooner, but don’t miss it.  :  )

Get Your Burlesque On

First, picture every cliche you have ever seen in a film. The good ones, like the tough-as-nails lady boss with the heart of gold, her perky gay sidekick who loves her dearly, the small town girl with the great big voice, the handsome small town boy who writes music, the struggling little business coveted by the mean developer so he can tear it down for a high-rise, the nasty star girl who can’t go on so the heroine has to step in and save the –, oh, well, you get it. Put it all together and you have Burlesque.

I know you expect me to say run, don’t walk to get away from this film, but you’d be wrong. Two reasons — Cher and Christina Aquilera. Aquilera gives the world a voice lesson in this film and Cher shows us what a legend looks like. For the full, over-long, two hours, i for one never got tired of hearing Aquilera sing and hoping Cher would sing more.

Since you don’t have to worry about the plot for even a second, you can spend your time watching the beautiful people –Cam Gigandet as the romantic lead though we last saw him as a really mean vampire, Kristen Bell as the nasty starlet who is an ad for alcoholism if alcoholics ever looked that good, and Eric Dane who makes one drool for the bad guy. Add a couple of engaging phone-ins by the ever delightful Stanley Tucci and wonderfully wicked Alan Cumming, and you have a more-entertaining-than-not afternoon at the films.

No Academy Awards here folks, but if you want to see Christina in gorgeous costumes seriously putting on a show, get your Burlesque on.  :  )

Wild About Harry

Harry Potter films are like Twilight films. If you’re a fan of the franchise, nothing can keep you away, and if you’re not, nothing will persuade you to go. Nor should you. Without a thorough grounding in Potter lore, it would be very hard to make sense of any of the later films. So, in that context, i’ll review Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1. I should warn you that this review will later on contain some spoilers, so stop when i tell you if you haven’t seen it and don’t want to know.

That said, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 is just that. Part of a bigger story. It makes no attempt to be complete in itself. It totally leaves you hanging. I read the book, but so long ago now that i can’t remember all that happens (Thats a problem with the series. Aside from a few of the books, they are hard to remember individually.) So i have no idea how true to the book the movie is. Despite all these qualifiers that might have made it a boring or even bad film, it’s actually quite good. One of the main reasons is that the three young stars have grown into their talent and become very good actors. The film honors that fact by giving them long scenes with no other characters around and no special effects. They have to carry the scenes and they do. Particularly notable is a charming moment where Harry and Hermione dance together alone in a tent to a scratchy radio. It is a lovely heartfelt affirmation that life goes on despite the horror around them.

And horrible it is. In the last book and film, the dark lord has nearly won, and only a few of the good remain to fight the evil. Don’t go to the film expecting dragons and quidditch matches. They are not there. In fact, the film is so much closer to realistic than the other films, that the truly over-the-top characters like Helena Bonham Carter seem almost too much.

I had one problem with the film (this is the spoiler part). Two really. First, Hermione puts a spell on Harry that changes his looks –slightly. Emphasize slightly. We have seen her do far more in the past, so why she doesn’t change him completely is a mystery. Maybe just rushed for time. Despite this minor transformation, no one seems to be able to recognize him for certain. This is incongruous. At this same time, Harry and his friends are captured by a group of thugs who take them to Bellatrix. It seems very odd that these wizards who have prevailed against the dark lord and his henchmen time and again, should be captured by a group of nobodies. I tried to justify it by saying Harry didn’t have his wand, but if that was the case, why was the destruction of the wand made so unimportant that it happened off stage? Clearly, these inconsistencies bothered me enough to mention here.

All in all, however, the film is excellent –heartfelt, touching, and seriously moving. It is quieter and slower than most Potter films, but it never drags. Its 2hr and 27min length went by in a flash. We can only wait anxiously for Part 2.

Rental Recs: What Are Your Favorite Films?

A friend asked me the other day which movies are my favorites? I told her i have two lists. The really good movies that i love — and the somewhat guiltier pleasures that i love. Today, i’ll share with  you a few of the first list.

Pulp Fiction — I figure you either get Tarantino or you don’t, and if you do you’ve already seen this movie a bunch of times. The fact is, Tarantino movies are funny and memorable not only for their principal story arcs but also for the depth and brilliance of their perfect little moments generally performed by actors in very small roles.  Pulp Fiction is famous for it’s revival of the career of John Travolta. He is phenomenal in the movie  as is his sidekick, Samuel L. Jackson. Yes, the twisting scene is amazing, but just hearing Travolta talk about “a Royale with cheese” is worth the price of a ticket. The great little moment in this film is Christopher Walken’s monologue about the gold watch. But, as i say, if you think Q. is disgusting, i will never change your mind.

Kill Bill 2 —  While i’m at it let me just say that this film is as great a masterpiece as PF. The never to be forgotten Superman speech at the end, is just one more reason why we mourn the death of David Carradine.

Bull Durham — Run do not walk to rent this film if you’ve never seen it (and i’ll be beside you renting it for the fifteenth time). This funny, funny film is graced with some of the cleverest dialogue ever written for a movie. I don’t care if you hate baseball and don’t like Costner, you still will love this film. It is “a little excessive for the Carolina League”.

Bandits —  Another funny one with writing almost as fabulous as Bull Durham. This mini-masterpiece with Bruce Willis, Cate Blanchett and Billy Bob Thornton is just an indescribable caper movie. It’s best line — “I begged you to stay out of the library”. Grab it.

Michael Clayton —  George Clooney is just the first of the marvels in this taut, gritty and unexpected drama. Two of the world’s acting treasures, Tilda Swinton and Tom Wilkinson, add so much nuance and detail to this film, it really shouldn’t be missed. The plot fascinates, the acting is unexcelled.

I talked about Junebug in my last post and reviewed the Kids Are All Right a few months ago. Those deserve to be on your rental list as well. In a few days, i’ll list a few films from the guiltier pleasures list. Meanwhile, what are your favorite great films?

Rental Rec: Those “Adams” Girls

This has been a busy week and no good movies in sight, so i thought i’d give you some rental recommendations. Today’s suggestions focus on two of my favorite of the crop of young actresses — Amy Adams and Rachel McAdams. Both women have that charismatic, luminous quality that makes them memorable and fun to watch. And, best of all, they’re both great actresses.

Probably my strongest recommendation from their body of work would be the 2005 film that made Amy Adams a breakout star and earned her an Academy Award nomination (should have won IMO) The film is Junebug , so quirky that it puts the in in independent. An amazing story of some newlyweds, the wife a sopisticated dealer in primiitive art from Chicago, who travel to the husband’s home town in the hills of North Carolina and the cultural confrontation that ensues, Junebug is one of my all-time favorite movies. Funny, touching and true, it stays with you forever. And the best thing about it is the enchanting Amy Adams as the very pregnant Ashley, a girl so enchanted by life, change and mystery that she takes you with her into her world of wonder. I can’t recommend this film highly enough.

Most people would recognize Rachel McAdams for her role in the wildly popular film,  The Notebook. No, im not going to recommend this film whole-heartedly because the underlying story of the old couple is the worst kind of sentimental crap and yes, i cried my eyes out. But the story of the young couple is so fantastic it turned out to be one of the most genuine, engaging and, dare i say, full-on sexy love stories of its year (2004). Rachel has made some good and some not-so-good movies, but in all of them she’s a high point. My other suggestion from her filmography is one of my favorite thriller/psychological dramas, State of Play starring the incomparable Russell Crowe (yes, i know he may often be questionable personally but, lets face it, there’s no better actor). This film at first pits and then teams the old line news hound with the young capitol blogger to get to the bottom of a story of corruption and eventually murder. There’s enough switchbacks in this thing for a Colorado mountain road, and it is exciting on every level. McAdams holds her own with Crowe and that’s high praise.

Among Amy Adams’ other great films, look for: Sunshine Cleaning, Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (a huge favorite of mine), Charlie Wilson’s War and, of course, Julie and Julia. Neither woman is yet an absolute A-List star, but they are both A-List actresses. Add them to your Netflix A-list.

Get Out of the Box!

Here’s something a bit different for this blog. My friend, Linda, sent me this link which concerns a bunch of  the stuff  i care most about — creativity, divergent thinking, educating children, the future of America and the world. I want to share it with you. At the end, like me, you’ll probably want more. Maybe we can create more?

Hereafter

I generally wouldn’t see a film called Hereafter assuming it would be either too scary or too sappy for my taste, but this film happens to have Clint Eastwood for a director — not a guy known for either one. Therefore, i plunged. I’m glad i did.

In some ways, Hereafter can be defined best by what it’s not. It’s not a spooky afterlife thing, it’s not some sentimental, uplifting drivel that gives you diabetes, and it’s not a spiritual movie (although i have friends who would disagree with the latter) . What it is is an interesting, personal drama about the impact that brushes with the afterlife have on three people in this world, a woman reporter who has a near-death experience, a young boy who loses someone close to him and a  psychic trying to escape his “gift”.

Ignoring the subject matter for a minute, Hereafter is a thoughtful, long but never boring look at the lives of these three people, individually and, briefly, in intersection. Each story is fascinating in its own right. Matt Damon does his usual credible job as the psychic who’s trying to live a normal life despite the best efforts of his brother to make money from his skill. The woman reporter is played by a lovely French actress names Cecile De France, one of those luminous people you are happy looking at. And the boy is played by twins, Frankie and George McLaren, whose sad-eyed faces haunt you from the first moment you see them. The three stories are, as is usual, brilliantly edited by Eastwood with a sense that he has all the time there is to explore the characters’ worlds. So, all in all, it’s a good drama.

The real interest of the film, however, comes from the fact that it treats the “hereafter” as a given fact. Each characters’ experience of the afterlife is accepted as true although it’s made clear that there is a lot of charlatanism associated with the way people talk about life after death. Don’t misunderstand, i’m not saying that the film talks about “heaven” where good people go for living a certain way a la Ghost. No. The hereafter is a simple continuation of life that all people experience as if “passing from one room to another” as a great man once said. The psychic doesn’t try to explain it, the woman makes an effort in a book, the child know the truth of it. The movie audience is left to feel comforted, skeptical or outraged as they wish. The film does not manipulate the audience’s feelings which is, in the long run, one of the very best things about it.

I realize as i’m writing this that it’s very hard to explain Hereafter. I guess because each person is likely going to have a very personal experience of the film. I know my husband and i spent some time talking about people we loved who had passed on. The film will do that to you. But remember, it’s not sentimental and it’s not even a little depressing. It is worth seeing.