Juno (2007)

This relatively small movie has turned out to be the American sleeper hit of the winter and has even more amazingly been nominated for four Oscars: best film, best director, best actress, and best original screenplay.  Let me tell you immediately that it is unlikely to win best film despite being a totally entertaining movie and I am a little dubious of awarding an Oscar to a young director for only his second film (Jason Reitman, son of Ghostbuster).  However the acting nod to barely known 20-year old Ellen Page and to screenwriter Diablo Cody for her first script are probably well-warranted, since both are remarkable.

Page plays a 16-year old high school junior who finds herself pregnant after some good-natured exploratory sex with her "best friend" Michael Cera -- two outsider nerds that are painted as real people.  She can't face the thought of an abortion when a picketing teenager points out that the foetus 'has fingernails' and finds a local couple from a free-listing paper who are eager to adopt.  The couple are played by an ever-so-needy Jennifer Garner and her would-be rocker husband Jason Bateman, who we discover have their own reality problems.  There are also two wonderful turns from J.K. Simmons and Allison Janney as Juno's dad and supportive stepmother.  All of the characters are so engaging in their own ways and Page's Juno in particular so rounded that one watches yet another movie about teenaged pregnancy with complete absorption.

Much of this is due to the very sharp screenplay from erstwhile lapdancer and improbably-named Diablo Cody, but her real name Brook Busey seems equally unlikely.  She is either a major new talent or someone who has struck lucky without even trying, but her dialogue sparkles with wit and intelligence.  In the end not much has changed, but we have come to know and in Juno's case love some very ordinary yet remarkable folk.

Tags: Juno, sleeper hit, Ellen Page, Diablo Cody

Bobby (2006)

I knew that this film covering the hours leading to Bobby Kennedy's assassination on the California Primary Day in 1968 has long been a dream project for actor-director Emilio Estevez, but I wasn't expecting too much considering some of his earlier dire directing efforts.  I must admit that I was more than pleasantly surprised. 

Working with an ensemble of some twenty-odd lead actors, most of whom were more than familiar faces, he creates a series of interlocking stories amongst the staff and guests at the Ambassador Hotel which served as Kennedy's campaign headquarters.  While some of these tales are more gripping than others, they all contribute to the hustle and bustle of the day.  The movie is not quite on the level of a Robert Altman ensemble flick, but it's a damn good try.  Some of the actors who gave surprisingly better performances than I would have expected were Demi Moore as an addicted diva, Sharon Stone as the hotel's hairdresser, Ashton Kutcher as a hippy drug dealer, and Freddy Rodriguez as one of the Mexican kitchen staff (his performance alone was, I thought, worth the price of admission).  It was also lovely to see a very elderly Harry Belafonte back on the screen as he visited with old friend and ex-hotel manager Anthony Hopkins.

Estevez made the wise decision of only using stock newsreel footage to show the charismatic Kennedy, but he also made excellent use of his voice; the audio of his outlining his hopes for the future over the shocked reactions to the shooting made for a very moving and effective finale.  I must confess that I was never aware that Kennedy was not the only victim that evening and that some of the characters that we had come to know were also unwary targets.  By and large, I think Estevez can feel proud that he was able to fulfill his dream so effectively.

Tags: Bobby, Emilio Estevez, ensemble casts

The Corn is Green (1945)

This somewhat stagey film version of the Emlyn Williams play is still something of a master-class of screen acting.  When the movie was about to be made, the studio would not accept the middle-aged and renowned actress who originated the role and insisted on casting Bette Davis who at only 37 had to be made up as older and less attractive.  However you can "dowdy-up" Davis as much as you like, but her acting chops shine through and make her beautiful.

It's the story of a spinster schoolteacher who comes to a local Welsh mining village to bring some sort of education to those whose chances had been somewhat limited previously, including some of the town's oldies and many of the young and rowdy miners.  Amongst these Davis finds one potentially brilliant student, played by John Dall in his first screen role, and tutors him and encourages him to try for a scholarship to Oxford -- where the "toffs" go.  The whole village becomes intoxicated by his chances for success, as something that will bring some achievement to all of them.  The one person who couldn't care less is played by Joan Lorring as the sluttish housemaid who willfully seduces Dall during one of his periods of doubt, gets pregnant, and blackmails Davis to keep the secret from her prize pupil.

Oddly enough both Dall and Lorring received Oscar nods for best supporting actor and actress, though neither won and neither made much further impact in films, although Dall was pretty believable in "Rope" soon after.  No fuss was made of Davis' great acting skills, and she is more than ably supported by Nigel Bruce as the not-too-bright town squire and a very young Mildred Dunnock as a teaching assistant.  Katharine Hepburn reprised the role for a TV version of the play in 1979 and that's not too shabby a display of charismatic acting either.

Something else that makes this movie memorable to me is its terrific use of classic Welsh folk songs as they underline the life of the village.

Tags: The Corn is Green, Betty Davis, forgotten actors

Simpatico (1999)

Some movies disappear off the face of the earth but not always deservedly so.  The late night BBC screening a few days ago was the first reappearance of this movie, which with its high-powered cast -- Jeff Bridges, Nick Nolte, Sharon Stone, Albert Finney, and Catherine Keener -- and source from a Sam Sheperd play might have promised so much more.  While all five actors have their moments, at times they seem to be acting in different films, and only Finney and Keener really impress.

It doesn't help that the story is confusing and that the backstory is told to us in dribs and drabs.  It seems that when Bridges, Nolte and Stone were teenagers (and they are embodied in three younger actors who just could never have grown up to be those three) they embraced a horse-racing scam and made some quick money which changed their lives, but not necessarily for the better.  To get away with the scam, having failed to bribe racing commissioner Finney with an insufficient monetary sop, they used the young Stone to compromise him sexually with some pretty pornographic photos.  Years on Finney has resurfaced under a pseudonym, Bridges is a successful breeder with an unsuccessful marriage to Stone (who was Nolte's squeeze), and Nolte is pretty much a disheveled down-and-out involved in a non-sexual relationship with Keener.  He still hangs on to the incriminating negatives and dreams of revenge.  However how the three main characters finally end up seems both strange and unbelievable and their motives are in so many ways beyond the viewer's comprehension, as are Finney's, who refuses to be intimidated by past indiscretions.  I still think that Bridges is a fine and underrated actor, but his  was an impossible role to understand in this shiny but finally muddled mess.

Tags: Simpatico, Jeff Bridges, racing scam

The Front (1974)

I have occasionally thought about this movie in the many years since I first watched it and thought I should give it another go.  And I'm pleased that I did.  It's an early Woody Allen role but not in a film written or directed by him.  He plays a pretty unsuccessful nerd working as a restaurant cashier and part-time bookie, when old school friend and successful TV writer Michael Murphy visits and tells him that he has been blacklisted.  The film takes place in the early 1950s at the time of the McCarthy communist witch-hunts and the movie starts with a breezy montage set to a Sinatra tune of images from the period only marginally suggesting the paranoia of the time.

Murphy asks Allen to "front" for him, i.e. he'll continue writing his scripts, but Allen will pretend to be their author for a percentage of the proceeds.  This works so well that Allen is soon fronting for another two talented but blacklisted writers and is beginning to enjoy the rewards of cash and prestige.  It is only when he himself becomes the focus of the Un-American committee tribunal that he understands the freedoms that are indeed at stake and finally becomes a "mensch".  This movie seems to divide critics down the middle between those that feel that it is a brilliant recreation of a troubled time in America and those who think that it just isn't funny enough.  It does have its humourous moments, but in no way should anyone expect a flat-out comedy, despite Allen assuming his typical smartass persona.

The director (Martin Ritt), the screenwriter (Walter Bernstein, who was Oscar-nominated for the screenplay), and at least four of the actors were themselves victims of the blacklist and unable to work for many years.  The actors include Zero Mostel who is one of the main leads, playing a much-loved television comedian who finds himself shunned for past deeds that he doesn't even remember.  His is a showy role and the devastating effects of the blacklist on his normally ebullient personality are another reason why this movie is more tragedy than comedy.  The only uplifting factor is the thought that so many of the talents involved were able to make this film some twenty years after the events depicted. 

Tags: The Front, Woody Allen, The Blacklist

The Broadway Melody (1929)

Although I have seen the Broadway Melody movies tagged 1936, 1938, and 1940, I had never seen this progenitor, so it was with some excitement that I put in the shiny disc.  Now I can not try to persuade you for a minute that this is a particularly good film, but it is of such historic importance that it made my day.  It is probably the first feature-length all-talkie movie to be given broad distribution and therefore the first all-talkie experience for most viewers of the day.  Things have, of course, looked up since then.  It's the trite show-biz tale of two sisters who come to the Great White Way from the boondocks, how they try to make their mark on Broadway, and the love story between the older sister's so-called fiance and his attraction to her younger sister.  Despite no major names in the cast, this was still an exuberant experience because of the catchy musical score and the rather super art-deco sets.

The three leads were Charles King, a vaudeville performer who made very few film appearances (just as well since he is not much of an actor), Anita Page as the younger sister who had a few early 30s roles but whose career more or less finished mid-decade, and Bessie Love who had been in movies since 1915, appearing in such silent classics as "Intolerance" and "The Lost World", but who moved to London in the mid-30s and only took cameo parts subsequently.  Both she and Page bring an honest energy to their roles and probably both deserved more exciting subsequent careers.

The continuing treat was with the extras on this American disc.  These included five short films of musical revues which featured a wealth of mainly non-talent, apart from a black singer who could have competed with Paul Robeson.  However pride of place goes to a fairly long short titled "The Dogway Melody" which played out a similar story to the main film with all of the roles taken by dogs!!!  Now I know that it is now considered horribly incorrect to have dogs prancing around on their hind legs and dressed in human finery, but this feature was done with such affection -- including a black dog imitating Al Jolson -- that I could only sit back and smile at the conceit.

Tags: Broadway Melody, Bessie Love, performing dogs

L'Poche d'Argent (1976)

This French film from director Francois Truffaut is also known as "Pocket Money" and "Small Change" and is an affectionate look at a group of schoolboys (and one or two memorable girls) in a small provincial town.  Truffaut has always demonstrated an interest and an insight into childhood and the stories we follow in this episodic movie are all warmly told, even that of the outcast young thief whose sorry home life is eventually revealed.  This is a film of great humour and insight with a number of very cute actors not acting "Hollywood cute", as we see them interact with their teachers, their friends, their parents, and their neighbours -- all of whom are richly drawn.  There is one absolutely look-away-from the-screen moment when an infant is seen playing about on an unprotected ninth floor balcony, but Truffault wants us to understand the joys of childhood, not its tragedies, and this is not allowed to detract from the film's gentle and happy approach.

Tags: Truffault, childhood

Let's Go to Prison (2006)

There are bad movies and bad movies.  Some smell bad because of poor scripting or embarrassing acting or inept direction (or all three); others just start with such an idiotic concept that they can not help but fail.  The above film (one of Sky's offerings this week) definitely falls into that category.

A small-time three-time loser (Dax Sheperd) comes out of prison and wants to take revenge on the judge who sent him away each time.  When he finds that the guy is dead, he decides to exact punishment on the judge's son (Will Arnett) who's a pretty nasty bundle of self-importance anyhow.  Shepard frames him on a disturbing-the-peace charge which is not properly defended by Arnett's lawyers who want to get him out of the way in their money-making foundation.  Shepard then allows himself to become a four-time loser (I always thought that meant jail forever in America) so that he can bunk with Arnett and make his life a misery.  Incidentally, this is meant to be a comedy!  No, I do not know either of these actors either nor the director, Bob Odenkirk, who I believe is also an actor.  The only cast names that rang any bells were Dylan Baker as the corrupt prison warden and Chi McBride as the big fat black who decides to make Arnett his girlfriend (actually the only well-conceived performance in this sorry shooting match).  Shepard's character has the syllable "shit" as part of his surname; I doubt this was unintentional.

I also watched "Flushed Away" (2006) another of this week's offerings.  While this is far from a bad movie, it is not particularly good either, despite its high-powered voice cast.  The first computer-generated animation from Ardman, it is something of a misfire and lacks the charm of other works from that stable.  I believe its failure was the main cause of that small British studio's link with Dreamworks being dissolved.  Perhaps they can now return to the sort of movie that they do best without trying for pathetic international jokes.

Tags: bad movies, so-called comedies, Ardman

Hungarian Goulash

As it turned out, yesterday was Hungary Day as far as my viewing went -- but I had lobster, not goulash for dinner.  First I watched "Fateless", a 2003 holocaust movie following the trials and tribulations of a Budapest teenager when he is picked up and sent to various concentration camps.  At well over two hours this was resolutely depressing, although very well made in black and white with a Morricone score.  The lad only barely survived and was loaded on a cart ready for the crematorium when the camp was liberated; the Yank soldier with whom he interacted and who urged him not to return to Hungary turned out to be Daniel Craig (something of a shock that).  But go back he does to discover what has become of his family.  Oddly enough there was little bitterness in his memory as he recalled the small things that made his stay in the camps tolerable.  This would definitely fall into the category of a "worthy" film, i.e. not one to be watched in terms of escape or entertainment.

In the evening we decided to watch "Satantango" (1994) by Hungarian director Bela Tarr which I bought Michael a Christmas or two ago, since he really liked Tarr's "Werckmeister Harmonies" (2000) which was a hard slog as far as I was concerned.  Since "Satantango" runs seven hours (!), we only saw the first disc of three for just over the two hour mark.  This movie may be considered Tarr's masterpiece and a film to be raved about, but several hours of watching black and white footage -- much of it more or less static -- of cows in a field or the back view of a drunken doctor walking to and from a shop was not an easy experience.  As far as I can tell this film tells the interweaving stories of some inhabitants of a dead-end country village back in the 1980s.  The American "intellectual" Susan Sontag claims that this is the greatest movie ever made and says she makes a point of watching it at least once a year; I suspect this is just another case of a so called great thinker being pretentious.  And just think, there are still two discs to plough through.  Super!

Tags: Hungarian, Fateless, Bela Tarr, Satantango

Grindhouse

If I lived in the USA, I am sure that I would have gone to see the above Tarantino-Rodriguez project in the cinema, especially if I had known that its relative lack of success in that market would have resulted in the two main films being presented separately in the rest of the world.  And while one would have hoped that the two parts might be reunited with their linking cod trailers for the film's DVD release, this now seems very unlikely, especially since both parts -- but especially the Tarantino one -- have been padded out for their international releases.  Did these two movie buffs not need reminding that so-called grindhouse features seldom ran more than a scant 90 minutes (if that) and would not have pushed the two hour mark.

As a second-best offering for those of us who could not see the original presentation (which is remarkably well-rated for a film which theoretically no one went to see and which is better-rated than the two individual movies on their own), the Prince Charles cinema has been showing "Death Proof" and "Planet Terror" back to back to partially recreate the experience.  I am well pleased that I was able to see both movies, but would stoutly disagree with anyone who claimed that the former, Tarantino's baby, which had the wider release and marketing push was the better movie.  "Death Proof" is definitely a movie of two halves with a barely-known cast, apart from Kurt Russell as Stuntman Mike who gets his jollies by killing babes on the road.  The build-up to his first road chase seems to go on forever, proof of the unnecessary puffing out of this tale for its individual release.  The second half is also pretty slow but in a way more interesting if only for its movie buff references and the casting of Zoe Bell (Uma Thurman's stunt double from the Kill Bill movies) as one of the second posse of gals in cars who manage to outgun Stuntman Mike.

Rodriguez' "Planet Terror" has a rather better cast and is much better fun, especially for fans of bad sci-fi and heavy gore.  One is put in the mood by the phony trailer for 'Machete' before the feature starts with icon Danny Trejo as a ruthless killer.  The main film complete with its jokey missing reel tells of the fight for survival between a few well-armed Texans (or in Rose McGowan's case 'well-legged' since Freddy Rodriguez -- again -- fits her stump with a machine gun) and a growing bunch of mutant zombies.  Despite striving for the grindhouse look of scratched negatives and dubious colour, the film is well-made despite itself and stands up as an over-the-top but very entertaining feature.

One final criticism: as a progenitor of the project, the director of one movie, and the producer of both, Tarantino manages to take on an acting role in both flicks and as we all know by now, the dude just can't act.  Sheer vanity say I. 

Tags: Grindhouse, Tarantino, Rodriguez

Sky Movies

When Sky Movies made some major changes to their film channels about a year ago, I had a little moan.  The main alteration was to promise five new movies per week on the so-called Premiere Channel, with virtually no premieres whatsoever on the remaining eleven channels; there are a few exceptions on the so-called Indie Channel, but nothing notable.  At least they are now moving the timings about each week which results in some choice during the peak viewing hours and saves having to set the films being screened at unsocial hours.

The choice this week is a fairly typical one, consisting of one crummy animation which I shall skip (one of the innumerable Scooby Doo spin-offs), one film that I have seen previously (the pretty watchable "Night at the Museum"), and three movies new to me.  One of these was a welcome surprise -- "Stranger than Fiction" which I have discussed below.  The other two were watched on principle but with no great expectations.  The first of these called "Grounded" here is actually called "Unaccompanied Minors" (2006) in the States and has an incredibly low IMDb rating.  I knew about it vaguely: a no-name cast deals with the problem of unaccompanied children when an airport is forced by snow to shut down on Christmas eve.  It started off as a nightmare of unruly children misbehaving abysmally and I thought that I might have to give up.  However it soon focused on five very different kids who find themselves bonding during the night's adventures; perhaps I am getting soft in the head, but I thought it had an acceptable sweet core and that it was nearly a "feel good" picture.  Mind you, it is absolutely typical of Sky that they should premiere a Christmas movie some three weeks late.

The other film new this week is "Harsh Times" (2006) which has a much, much higher IMDb rating but which is something of a hard watch.  We all know by now that Christian Bale is a most versatile actor who will undertake any challenging role, and since he was one of the producers here, he must have willingly accepted the part of a totally amoral, damaged, sociopathic ex-soldier.  This was a character that one could only hate and one knew from the start that there would be tears before bedtime.  The other main roles were taken by the hispanic undertaker from 'Six Foot Under' (Freddy Rodriguez) and the hispanic housewife from 'Despearate Whatsits' (Eva Longoria), playing a married couple with definite commitment problems.  If you get your jollies by watching out-of-control people robbing and killing, you might warm to this movie.  Otherwise you can only sit back and admire the acting skills and then move on to something rather more appealing.

Tags: Sky Movies, ratings, Harsh Times, Christian Bale

Stranger than Fiction (2006)

Thank goodness that my incessant film-viewing does bring the occasional very pleasant surprise.  I didn't know much about this one and despite the fact that Emma Thompson is usually terrific, the rest of the cast made me have some doubts.  Will Ferrell has been little less than annoying in his recent "comic" performances and Dustin Hoffman and Queen Latifah so often go over the top; even kooky Maggie Gyllenhaal can rapidly reach satiation point in her choice of the roles.  So when I tell you that all of the above were wonderful, I'm really saying something.

For once Ferrell is able to demonstrate his acting skills as the poor dweeb who suddenly starts hearing an author's voice in his head and discovers that he is but a character in her next novel and that his death is imminent.  The author in question is Thompson who has a severe case of writer's block and Latifah is her assistant sent by her publisher to chivy her along.  Hoffman (in a thankfully restrained performance) plays a literary expert to whom Ferrell turns for help and Gyllenhaal is a creative baker whom Ferrell (as an IRS inspector) has to audit and to whom he becomes strangely attracted.  At the same time that Ferrell starts to investigate the intrusive voice, he also begins to break out of the meaningless rut that his life has been.  This first-time screenplay by Zach Helm (he has gone on to write and direct the new release "Mr. Magorium...") was very reminiscent of the clever scripts by Charlie Kaufman and made watching this movie both a literate and amusing experience.  Surprises like this are always very welcome.  More please!

Ping please...

Tags: Stranger than Fiction, Emma Thompson, Will Ferrell, ping, Dustin Hoffman

St. Trinian's (2007)

Much against my better judgment, we went to see this new release at the cinema.  Granted we had some free passes, but I probably should have followed my gut instinct and used these for something more worthwhile.  Saying that I hated the movie is far too extreme; I just thought it was a complete waste of time -- a film without any sense of fun or glee.  I admit that I shall always cherish Alastair Sim in the dual role of the headmistress and her somewhat shady brother and am quite prepared to admit that I might not even like the original film were I to see it now for the first time.  However the the original movie, despite the diminishing returns of its sequels, had a certain charm and dare I say innocence which are sorely lacking from this updating.

Rupert Everett makes a bold go at the Sim role and nearly pulls it off, but Colin Firth in the role of the man from the Education Ministry only manages to embarrass himself, and man of the moment Russell Brand was nothing short of cringe-making in the Flash Harry role.  Believe me, not every film needs to be "re-imagined", especially if they were not particularly great movies the first time around.  As for all the schoolgirl totty on display -- possibly the only excuse for any modern-day success -- none of the many actresses were particularly notable for anything other than their looks -- and poor old Jodie Whittaker who made a big impact in "Venus" was particularly bad.

However if you would like a completely different take on this movie, read the users' comments on IMDB which are by and large rapturous.  I never claimed to be at ease with popular taste and in this case I would appear to be the odd man out with a vengeance.

Tags: St. Trinian's, Alastair Sim, Rupert Everett

Anything Else (2003)

I've been going on occasionally about the critical disrespect targeted at Woody Allen over the past decade or so and how so many of his more recent movies not only do not get a UK cinema release but don't even get a DVD release -- what I refer to as "falling between the cracks".  Now most of his fans are pretty forgiving and I have in fact enjoyed his latter-day movies when I eventually catch up with them, but frankly, this one was terrible.  In his guide, Leonard Maltin describes it as Woody's worst ever; however I would reserve that nadir for his "Hollywood Ending" (2002) which I saw on an airplane and which has never surfaced here.

So what is the problem here?  As in several of his more recent movies, he uses a Woody Allen clone since as people never tire of pointing out, he is far too old to play the young lover.  His choice here is Jason Biggs, best known for the "American Pie" series and hardly a charismatic choice, especially with old Woody in a supporting role.  In fact, all of the casting is dislikeable.  Whereas Woody normally opts for a starry cast (and actors line up to appear in his films), the only other "names" here are Christina Ricci, Danny DeVito, and Stockard Channing, and I can't decide which of them presents the most annoying character -- they're all pretty horrible.  It's purportedly the doomed love story between gag-writer Biggs and Ricci, with her playing a neurotic would-be actress who withholds her sexual favours from Biggs, but who spreads them about elsewhere.  DeVito is Biggs' useless manager who the Woody character pleads with him to drop and Stockard is Ricci's scatty mum who moves in with the couple.

Can I say anything positive?  Well, Woody himself although playing a neurotic mess did come up with the occasional zinger and as always his choice of music was superb.  That apart, it wasn't even a noble failure.

Where's the link??? 

Tags: Anything Else, Woody Allen, Jason Biggs, missing link

Threequels

As a generalisation I do not go to the cinema to see sequels, the big exception being for Harry Potter movies (for my sins).  Last summer was described as the year of the movie 'threequel' with new entries from some of previous years' biggest hits.  Contrary to popular belief this was not the failure (except of course creatively) that was expected, with nearly all of them doing good business to offset their escalating costs.  Thinking back, I did actually like the first entries of nearly all of these movies, finding them painless eye candy.  I even, if the truth be told, liked the second entries.  (Mind you, I'm not that certain about the Jason Bourne series which some people think the most successful of these.)  So I decided to celebrate the new year by viewing two of the biggest grossers, "Shrek the Third" and "Pirates of the Caribbean at World's End".

I shall not sit here and try to convince you that either of these films represent great cinema, but there is not a lot wrong with either of them as plain entertainment.  It is obvious that the charm of a new concept like Shrek's revisionist take on fairytales or Depp's camp interpretation of pirate captains can not continue to enchant in the same way, but that's not going to stop their moviemakers from trying.  While Shrek's ogreish charm may be wearing a bit thin and while the film now seems to try harder to appeal to adults than to kids, there still is enough going to make most of its 90ish minutes easy viewing.  And while on one level I hope that we have now seen the last of these characters, it would not surprise me to discover a fourth film or a spin-off movie, and I might even end up enjoying that one too.

As for the Pirates series, part three was the longest yet and definitely overstuffed in the attempt to mask the sheer incomprehensibility of the plot.  Depp continues to amuse, even if the cameo from his role model Keith Richards proved something of a non-event.  The rest of the cast also seems to be having fun, although I still fail to react to the would-be charms of Orlando Bloom.  For me the big attraction was a role for Chow Yun Fat, the coolest man in the world and in his own way the biggest movie star, when one admits that movie fandom does not end outside the borders of the U.S.  As always he was wonderful, although killed off far too soon for me.  While I sincerely hope that this entry is indeed the last, I did feel that things were left for more to come.  God help us!

Missing link...

 

Tags: Threequels, Shrek, Pirates, link gone