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BaftaBaby 
"Always entranced by cinema."
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 Posted - 10/11/2006 : 15:13:52
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Tis the run-up or count-down to the winter festivities, and as usual I'll be spending many days in darkened cinemas to cram in all the films for the early spring voting. Just saw The Devil Wears Prada - and whoever thinks that's a chick flick is flicking the wrong chickens imho  That Streep can bring so much humanity to this pretentious drek only testifies to her acting genius. At one point Tucci tells Hathaway she's whining ... that's what the film felt like to me: ONE BIG white whine!
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Rest of the sked for the w/e:
Just off to see Children of Men
Tomorrow at 10AM Little Miss Sunshine,
Friday it's World Trade Center
Monday The Departed followed by The Queen
I'll report back -- if anyone's interested   -- with various edits to this post. Feel free to chip in/disagree/back me up/whatever 
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Children of Men betrays its literary roots, but -- whatever your politics - should be seen if only to remind ourselves of the metaphorical tightrope we're all walking. Cuar�n reaches directorial heights but all too sporadically, and needs to study Ridley Scott just a bit more closely. Moore, as always, is superb; both Owen and Caine had moments that brought real tears. Ashitey's suitably sassy as well as vulnerable, and if you were a fan of Ejiofor in Kinky Boots, you probably won't even recognise him.
Update tomorrow.
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Little Miss Sunshine re-affirms one's faith in American cinema. Without a single dollop of schmaltz it reaches deep and produces a work of intelligence and warmth, revealing some cogent cultural truths along the road. All the acting - ensemble as it is - is terrific, each performer being as generous to the rest as each creates multi-dimensioned characters.
[I think she likes it!]
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Friday's report: World Trade Centerhad me, lost me, got me back again ... the fact that I left the screening feeling moved and a bit drained, as well as ambivalent about what we know went on in the aftermath, is a tribute to Stone's directorial confidence. He's truly learned to simplify, clutch the essence of the thing, without making any scene a reducto ad absurdum -- he gets to the core of every scene, whether it's the iconic power of an image, a summation of the complexity of a relationship, or the sheer atmosphere in capturing a moment of intimacy in the face of the epic. More, I think, than any of his previous films he's non-judgmental, though clearly strongly affected by what happened, not only on that obscene and fateful day, but also by the ongoing tale of the extraordinary lives of ordinary people. I realise it's due to my own cynicism as an ex-New Yorker that the film both touched me profoundly and, in certain scenes, alienated me. But I suspect the latter was also in part due to the near awe with which Stone depicted the two heros. And there were stretches of the film where I resented being so aware of what great set-ups he introduced, what cunning editing, what phenomenal performances [particularly by Maria Bello], what masterly lighting and camerawork, what superbly integrated sound -- but perhaps that almost Brechtian effect is inevitable in the context of a drama based so completely on a real story which was shared by the whole world. I dare say a film about the tsunami would produce a similar effect. And I'd never call this film a docu-drama - Stone truly has walked that line and come out on the side of a feature. It's difficult as a viewer to separate the film from the event itself - but it's certainly well worth seeing from whatever perspective.
More on Monday.
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The Departed - well, even Scorsese at his worst is better than most directors at their best. And this is FAR from his worst; in fact may even be one of his best! All his films, this one included, are backed by impeccable technical achievements, particularly editing and the integration of sound. The acting here is never less than good, and in the case of Nicholson quite masterly. Anyone who thinks he's just being Nicholson isn't looking hard enough - it's one of his most careful characterizations. Sheen, Baldwin, and Wahlberg are excellent, filling each moment with truth. Vera Farmiga is appealing and able to reveal the conflicts of her character's tiny failures. Damon and DiCaprio, while certainly not bad, have neither one quite managed to forget they're stars. And even though they are the film's dual fulcrum, it's Scorsese who's the real hero of this film.
What elevates this one above his brilliant albeit more straight-forward mob tales like GoodFellas and Casino is the way he handles the intricacy of duplicity, the way he refuses to sanitize not only any inherent violence but all the implied webs that implicate us all. And he does it without preaching and, perhaps most importantly for a mainstream film, without sacrificing a well-constructed story. One of the elements which reveals superb cinema direction is the way socially complex stories are made available without being made simplistic. Eisenstein's Ivan the Terrible is a prime exemplar, as is the work of Abel Gance, Powell and Pressberger, and Renoir's La Grande Illusion, Kurosawa's Ran and Kagemusha in particular. Hollywood all too rarely allows these cinematic opportunities, but Sayles has managed it, Kubrick, Coppola, even Peckinpah at their best, David Lynch and the Coen Brothers, among others. But Scorsese epitomizes it, and The Departed works on every level. This is no mere expose of police corruption a la Serpico, or the effects of double-dealing a la Donnie Brasco; it's far from a typical mob-flick nor does it ever glorify or romanticize violence, yet never flinches from it to make the point. Think of the title and what rich territory it implies; the film delves into every nook and cranny, from the price paid for small personal betrayals to the relentless elimination of life in a society which pretends to value it yet day by day cheapens it. Perhaps this will be the year that the Academy will have the grace to award this man the honor he's deserved for so long.
The Queen - Frears has never been an innovative director, but he's always been an honest one. And he's always had an instinct - honed from his BBC-TV training - for reaching beneath the surface of those mistunderstood in society, those outsiders who flirt with the establishment and are either consumed by it or meet it on their own terms. No one will/can ever know what goes on in the mind of a monarch, someone who from birth has ingested a unique world view. There have been witty and intelligent attempts to understand, viz Alan Bennet's several forays: The Madness of King George and A Question of Attribution to name but two. The Queen may lack the wit, but allows us a glimpse, if not into a woman's soul, then into the dynamic relationship between The State and Politics - clearly not the same thing. It's an examination, and a very cogent one, of the difference between perception and reality and how the former is constructed for the public. And in the particulars of this story - Diana and Queen Elizabeth - asks who the Queen was/is/is supposed to be. Not a great film, but certainly worth seeing if only for Mirren's remarkable achievement and some stunning camerawork.
Here the rest of the week's sked:
Tomorrow: Stick It and Texas Chain Saw Massacre: The Beginning
Wednesday: Click and The History Boys
Thurs: Hoodwinked and The Guardian
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Tuesday
Stick It - There are some actors who can be relied on to make even a reading of the telephone directory into entertainment. Jeff Bridges, imho, is one of those actors [and, EM, when it come to HOT, Ed Norton ain't a patch on Jeff!] But I digress. Nor am I suggesting that writer/director Jessica Bendinger's script is as devoid of structure and characterization as a phonebook. But this energetic razzle-dazzle treatment of competitive gymnastics - reminiscent as it is of her screenplay of Bring it On - is only truly elevated in every scene featuring Bridges as trainer Vic. He avoids all the rah-rah coach cliches and invests every moment with the whole of his character - a bit of a joke, a bit of a has-been - he's self-aware of his failings but confident enough to know how to get his team of young women to reach for their stars [though he's not above taking their parents' cash with promises of greatness he knows will never be fulfilled.] Into his life comes trouble in the form of talented fuck-up Haley [former model Missy Peregrym in a spirited feature debut - tiny cameo in Catwoman not withstanding]. Bendinger shows her music vid roots, especially in the funky opening and later on with some of the synchronized routines straight out of Busby Berekely or those swimming-pool numbers in the old Esther Williams flicks. Her writing was honed on tv shows like Sex and The City, and she clearly knows this funky gym world. What she's not quite mastered is the consequences of relationships, and how to structure a story so it doesn't just drift off like her final big long pull-out shot. But the question remains: why isn't Bridges being offered whatever the Hollywood equivalent is of Hamlet, instead of this innocuous cotton candy date-flick?
Texas Chain Saw Massacre: The Beginning - You know when a comic has a catch-phrase and after a while - even if s/he's the most talented comic around - all an audience needs to hear is the catchphrase to guffaw with appreciation? But in the end, it just ain't that funny anymore! Well, that's what it's like with TCSM ... yep, it drips from the get-go, the tippy-toe music gathers volume, the sparse dialogue when it does emerge ain't really worth waiting for, the acting is passable considering the characters are painted-by-numbers, the sequence of scene-for-scene is pretty arbitrary, and probably the most effective onscreen element is the admittedly predictable production design. And all for what? Well, the TCSM equivalent of the catchphrase - poor misunderstood Tommy Hewitt supplying unconventional supper for the family. South African director Liebesman could possibly have drawn on the real-life horrors which became commonplace for decades in his home country to influence this film and maybe that might have lifted this to the heights of the genre, but all it is in essence is another promo for the franchise.
I'm expecting better fare tomorrow. Let's see!
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Wednesday
Click
There are acquired tastes in life such as sushi, hang-gliding, and the color khaki. But some stuff you either love or hate at first sight and nothing will ever change your mind. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch. For me that thing is Adam Sandler and I'm afraid it's a hate-affair all the way. I can't take him seriously when he's begging for it. I don't find his puerile crass humor the least bit funny -- and I'm a BIG fan of the puerile and crass -- when it's witty. I just never believe him. And he's never OTT enough for me. As compared to, say, Jim Carrey. So there was nothing going into Click that predisposed me to like it. And, sure enough, actually watching the film did nothing but confirm my prejudices. Anyone who understands the language of film can predict the "conceit" of the plot - so watching it play out holds no surprise. The [excuse the expression] characters are anything but. And I hope Christopher Walken, Sean Astin, Julie Kavnar, and Henry Winkler got big fat checks, because what else might have induced them to appear in this idiocy is beyond me. But the most frustrating thing is that - albeit not original - the actual premise of the thing might have intriguing possibilities: guy discovers a universal remote that actually controls the universe. But Sandler schmaltzes it up because he can't bear not to be liked, so instead of a magical story it bogs itself into the mire of sit-com mundanity. But hey - if seeing Sandler fart bigtime into the face of David Hasselhoff floats your boat - this is just the pic for you!
The History Boys
Except for director Nicholas Hytner, this has almost everything going for it. Some of the best British acting you'll see all year - in particular from Richard Griffiths and Frances de la Tour, but nearly everyone else is also quite wonderful. The dialogue, as you'd expect from Alan Bennett [film is from his successful stage play] is first-rate: witty, genuinely moving without being manipulative, and, dammit, actually ABOUT something. The characters have been crafted with affection, understanding, wit and humanity. Plus I'm retrospectively jealous of how sassy the boys are, how very wise beyond their years, how unafraid to challenge authority -- coming as I do from a society that only pretended to encourage individual thought.
The film hasn't quite lost its theatrical ballast and keeps getting tugged back to earth when it should be cinematically soaring. But that's primarily due to Hytner. I'll concede he romped appropriately with that other Bennett triumph The Madness of King George, but here he's fallen into the same trap that held him back with The Crucible. Ploddy, ploddy, ploddy. Uninspired, predictible camera placement; far too reliant on arbitrary cutting - like bad tv sometimes - and the tendency to keep playing it safe, doing the obvious. Which, for a film that examines the very essence of playing it safe and flying too close to the sun, is a BIG mistake. I suspect he was using a tried and tested stage director's dictat: don't let the production get in the way of a great script. But cinema ain't a writer's medium, it's collaborative. So if the director abnegates responsibility it actually diminishes the script. Which is a shame, because this could have been a great film. But it's certainly worth seeing for everybody else's contribution.
Tomorrow comes Hoodwinked and The Guardian. Hmmm...
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Thursday
Hoodwinked wants to be good, it really, really does. It wants you to adore those big-eyed cgi rip-offs of everything from anime to The Incredibles. It wants you to tap to the tunes, it wants you to chuckle at the jokelets, it wants you to be quick enough to see fleeting visual ref's like the quartet of birdies on a branch dressed like the Village People, and it especially wants you to cuddle up and hug those actors whose voices nealy fool you. Anne Hathaway as a Janeane Garofolo clone, Glenn Close putting on the granny, James Belushi all big and dumb. Well, forest-alert! I got news for the Edwards clan who contrived it - not only did I not like it, but none of the kids in the cinema were engaged for one tiny-tot minute. Blah!
Back this evening for The Guardian. Stay tuned.
The Guardian
You'd have thought after Waterworld Costner would have had enough of water. But here he is, and guess what? He's up to his neck in the stuff; hell it's way over his head. Lots and lots of water. Water in pools, and big BIG water in the sea. And, because this is Alaska, you KNOW what temperature that water is going to be. And you KNOW you're not about to go bouncing into it like some Venice beach bunny. This is serious water. This is water for serious people like the Coast Guard. Can you hear the bg music swelling with the waves? Can you feel the pride of the new recruits who will learn to buddy up and sacrifice self to save others. Can you glimpse those sidebar stories of marriages gone wrong, and brand-new love, and learning to be a man? Actually, the bits of this film that dealt with the process of turning brash lads into heroes of the sea are fascinating, and I kept wishing it was a documentary. Because every time the script got above itself and pretentiously tried to follow a narrative, to impose cliched drama on what is quite dramatic enough thank you very much -- well, then it lost me, only serving to make me hyper aware of the shortcomings. How screenplays like this get green-lighted has little to do with concepts of quality. There's no structure whatsoever. Vignettes substitute for story-telling and seem to be dropped in whenever someone decided they couldn't take one more frame of quasi-reality training and/or rescue. The effect is like inserting pages of a love comic into a dense training manual. The emotional reality makes Mary Poppins look like Macbeth. Actors, some of whom are perfectly capable and hardworking, have as much chance at characterization as they do of transforming into tulips. And the endings ... note the plural. Do you want to ask me about the endings? I counted about five of them, one zipping along after another. Some were tying up loose end-ings. Some were happy ever after endings. One was a this will make you cry ending [wanna bet?] And then there was the wipe away the tears because we're telling you not just a story but including you in the birth of a legend ending. Kevin, Kevin, Kevin -- he's all wet! |
Edited by - BaftaBaby on 10/19/2006 23:43:39 |
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silly 
"That rabbit's DYNAMITE."
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Posted - 10/16/2006 : 14:55:15
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Hi,
I wanted to let you know I'm enjoying reading your reviews here. Good stuff! thank you. |
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turrell 
"Ohhhh Ohhhh Ohhhh Ohhhh "
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Posted - 10/16/2006 : 17:15:56
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I am also enjoying - keep it up. Curious that they are starting so early - after all we are about a month away from the big time award movies coming out, no?
My wife is in SAG and up until a couple of years ago we used to get to see all the movies free with anyone nominated for a SAG award - one of the great things about being in LA all the theaters play along - this ended a couple of years back so now we just have to play the SAG nominating lottery - they randomly choose a portion of the SAG memebership to be on th enominating committee and then you get all of the DVDs for free - this is th ebest because you get to kep them - they have annoying screener subtitles but its not too bad and now that we have kids we don't get out much. We usually just hope for Mary or one of our other friends to win the lottery.
Anyway - let us know what other films you see - on the rare occasion we get out of the house it will be good to narrow down the list a bit. |
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BaftaBaby
"Always entranced by cinema."
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Posted - 10/16/2006 : 18:26:40
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quote:
Originally posted by turrell
I am also enjoying - keep it up.
Thanks, Turrell -- and Silly, too!
quote:
Originally posted by turrell
then you get all of the DVDs for free - this is th ebest because you get to kep them - .
Yeah, we get the DVDs too, but the distributors send them a bit later, once the bulk of the early screenings have finished. I've got a growing mountain of 'em! Great for those long cold winter evenings ... but as I recall from when I lived in LA you don't get many of those
quote:
Originally posted by turrell
Anyway - let us know what other films you see - on the rare occasion we get out of the house it will be good to narrow down the list a bit.
See my today's update above ^
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silly
"That rabbit's DYNAMITE."
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Posted - 10/16/2006 : 19:45:26
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I saw The Guardian yesterday and I'd love to hear somebody else's take on it.
Believe it or not, my eight-year-old son dragged me to see it, and then was disappointed when the "big wave didn't knock the ship upside down." I'm thinking he was confused...  |
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ChocolateLady 
"500 Chocolate Delights"
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Posted - 10/18/2006 : 21:24:30
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quote:
Originally posted by BaftaBabe
Wednesday
Click
There are acquired tastes in life such as sushi, hang-gliding, and the color khaki. But some stuff you either love or hate at first sight and nothing will ever change your mind. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch. For me that thing is Adam Sandler and I'm afraid it's a hate-affair all the way. I can't take him seriously when he's begging for it. I don't find his puerile crass humor the least bit funny -- and I'm a BIG fan of the puerile and crass -- when it's witty. I just never believe him. And he's never OTT enough for me. As compared to, say, Jim Carrey. So there was nothing going into Click that predisposed me to like it. And, sure enough, actually watching the film did nothing but confirm my prejudices. Anyone who understands the language of film can predict the "conceit" of the plot - so watching it play out holds no surprise. The [excuse the expression] characters are anything but. And I hope Christopher Walken, Sean Astin, Julie Kavnar, and Henry Winkler got big fat checks, because what else might have induced them to appear in this idiocy is beyond me. But the most frustrating thing is that - albeit not original - the actual premise of the thing might have intriguing possibilities: guy discovers a universal remote that actually controls the universe. But Sandler schmaltzes it up because he can't bear not to be liked, so instead of a magical story it bogs itself into the mire of sit-com mundanity. But hey - if seeing Sandler fart bigtime into the face of David Hasselhoff floats your boat - this is just the pic for you!
While I disagree with you about Streep (I find her annoying to watch, in both drama and comedy - although she's better in comedy, but that's not saying much), I am totally on board with you on Adam Sandler. I saw the promos for this film and was turned off, totally. At least Carrey has some redeeming films (he was marvelous in Man in the Moon), I can find nothing redeeming about Sandler. As planned, I shall avoid this film. Thanks!
(And here I'm going to shock you all - I find Sandler only a tiny tad more annoying than Jerry Seinfeld. I've tried to watch that TV show dozens of times and for me, it just falls on its face. The only thing redeeming about that show was Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and now I'm hooked on "The New Adventures of Old Christine" and I'm thrilled its doing well and she took home an Emmy for that show.)
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Downtown 
"Welcome back, Billy Buck"
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Posted - 10/18/2006 : 21:43:05
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Not shocking at all. Seinfeld is an extremely cynical show. It may have begun as a show about nothing but it evolved into a comedic look at the darker side of our nature. That doesn't appeal to everybody.
And the humor is VERY "Jewish" at times...and being Israeli in no way implies you should get that. "Jewish humor" really means "NEW YORK Jewish humor." |
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ChocolateLady
"500 Chocolate Delights"
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Posted - 10/19/2006 : 06:46:38
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quote:
Originally posted by Downtown
Not shocking at all. Seinfeld is an extremely cynical show. It may have begun as a show about nothing but it evolved into a comedic look at the darker side of our nature. That doesn't appeal to everybody.
And the humor is VERY "Jewish" at times...and being Israeli in no way implies you should get that. "Jewish humor" really means "NEW YORK Jewish humor."
Ah, so perhaps being an ex-Chicagoian could have something to do with it? We Chicago Jews like our humour to be FUNNY!!!
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Whippersnapper. 
"A fourword thinking guy."
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Posted - 10/19/2006 : 09:27:31
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quote:
Originally posted by ChocolateLady
While I disagree with you about Streep (I find her annoying to watch, in both drama and comedy - although she's better in comedy, but that's not saying much)...
You're treading on dangerous ground with Baffy here Chocky! I've tried to persuade Baffybabe about this myself but was met with short shrift.
Baffy only sees a uniquely talented artist at work, whereas you and I just want to slap her round the face with a wet kipper.  (Eh, I was thinking of Meryl, not Baffy.)
And I also think that "Streep" sounds like a medical condition. "Now eat up all you greens Johnny, you don't want to get Streep, do you?"
Anyone else have thoughts on Streep?
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ChocolateLady
"500 Chocolate Delights"
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Posted - 10/19/2006 : 13:26:20
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quote:
Originally posted by Whippersnapper
quote:
Originally posted by ChocolateLady
While I disagree with you about Streep (I find her annoying to watch, in both drama and comedy - although she's better in comedy, but that's not saying much)...
You're treading on dangerous ground with Baffy here Chocky! I've tried to persuade Baffybabe about this myself but was met with short shrift.
Baffy only sees a uniquely talented artist at work, whereas you and I just want to slap her round the face with a wet kipper. (Eh, I was thinking of Meryl, not Baffy.)
And I also think that "Streep" sounds like a medical condition. "Now eat up all you greens Johnny, you don't want to get Streep, do you?"
Anyone else have thoughts on Streep?
Katharine Hepburn, apparently. She said that Streep was her least favourite actress. Her reason: "click, click, click" meaning that when she acted, you could see her brain working on the part. I never knew what it was that I disliked about her until I read that. Hepburn put her finger on it perfectly.
That's one of the things I notice that most British actors are able to avoid - it always feels like they're not acting at all, but that they ARE the parts they are portraying. Anthony Hopkins once said in an interview that he hadn't the faintest idea how to act - he just gets in front of the camera or on stage and does what he's been told to do. It's that natural ability and frankness that Meryl just doesn't have.
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Whippersnapper.
"A fourword thinking guy."
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Posted - 10/19/2006 : 14:27:32
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Yes, I think Kathy put it very well for me too, but I think there is something else - a kind of demand upon the audience to like and admire what she's doing. Somehow I feel put upon by her performances.
I'm now waiting for the BaftaBabe Backlash!
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BaftaBaby
"Always entranced by cinema."
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Posted - 10/19/2006 : 14:48:16
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quote:
Originally posted by Whippersnapper
Yes, I think Kathy put it very well for me too, but I think there is something else - a kind of demand upon the audience to like and admire what she's doing. Somehow I feel put upon by her performances.
I'm now waiting for the BaftaBabe Backlash!
Hey Whip and CL - go pick on someone else. I don't play this game. And certainly not here. But you keep on keeping on. And, BTW, MS speaks SO well of both of you. 
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turrell
"Ohhhh Ohhhh Ohhhh Ohhhh "
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Posted - 10/19/2006 : 17:48:29
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I am a Chicago Catholic and really enjoyed Seinfeld and think Meryl is fantastic.
I don't like most Adam Sandler films, but I thought he was pretty good in Spanglish and very good in Punch Drunk Love - I have never nor will I ever see many of his films (Billy Madison, Click, Little Nicky, etc.) but he is occasionally okay when the material is not suited for 16-year old boys. |
Edited by - turrell on 10/19/2006 17:50:15 |
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mampers11
"Lazy Lebowski Loses Rug"
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Posted - 10/19/2006 : 18:30:29
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Well I am an Asian Catholic who lives in England and I absolutely adore Seinfeld. One of my favourite programmes of all time. However there are some aspects in which it is too New Yorkish, or too Jewish, but I love it all the same.
On Adam Sandler, I think he is ok. Sometimes annoying and other times just funny. Hate to say it but I did enjoy Happy Gilmore, only because it reminds me of university and I liked Wedding Singer.
All you can say is that you guys can call me an anomaly.
Mampers.
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BaftaBaby
"Always entranced by cinema."
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Posted - 10/20/2006 : 16:06:51
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Right ... Just got my viewing schedule for next week, so advanced notice that I'll be posting comments on these little numbers:
Monday: Marie Antoinette + Last Kiss
Tuesday: Stormbreaker + Grudge 2
Thursday: Step Up + Open Season + Barnyard
You have been warned
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ChocolateLady
"500 Chocolate Delights"
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Posted - 10/21/2006 : 09:22:10
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quote:
Originally posted by BaftaBabe
Right ... Just got my viewing schedule for next week, so advanced notice that I'll be posting comments on these little numbers:
Monday: Marie Antoinette + Last Kiss
Tuesday: Stormbreaker + Grudge 2
Thursday: Step Up + Open Season + Barnyard
You have been warned
Looking forward to it, actually! |
Edited by - ChocolateLady on 10/21/2006 09:23:11 |
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Let the [BAFTA] viewings begin!
