DVD Mini Review - Il Divo

I really wanted to write a bit more about Paulo Sorentino's wonderful Il Divo but this has been a strange night and it is late. So I will just say that it is a marvelous film about former Italian Prime Minister Guilo Androetti (Toni Servillo). Androetti was elected to many terms and had a following. But he was linked to the mob and some thought that he was responsible for many deaths.

I don't know much about Italian politics but I can say that this film is not at all dry. It is very entertaining. The way it is shot, the music and the acting - all of which is top notch. And Servillo is outstanding. In the extras you see Sevillo as he really is and how he is as Androetti. No wonder his performance has been so highly praised.

Well, I wish I could write more but, as I said, it is late. So if you love European cinema as much as I do (and you didn't see this film in the theater) go out and rent Il Divo as soon as possible.

The Damned United

Tom Hooper's film The Damned United may not be all fact but it is a good entertainment just the same. And this comes from someone who is not a fan of soccer or any sports.

It is the story of the rise and fall of Brian Clough (Michael Sheen) who was the manager of the soccer team in Derby and then Leeds. His loyal friend Peter Taylor (Timothy Spall) is also his partner during the time he managed the Derby team. Clough is overly ambitious and many times this gets him into trouble. And one of the people he crosses is the chief of the Derby Sam Longson (Jim Broadbent). And he is also at odds with the Leeds teams former manager Don Revie (Colm Meany).

I won't say what else happens. Hooper does a great job of directing his actors. And Peter Morgan's script is very well written. The film is an amazing character study of a man who wants too much. All of the acting is terrific (also including Henry Goodman as Manny Cousins) and Sheen proves he is worth his weight in gold as an actor.

I highly recommend this film to those of you who like character studies and outstanding acting.

Amelia

In all honesty, I almost didn't see Amelia in the theater. It got such bad reviews and it didn't pull me in from the previews. But I was very curious because I wondered if it was as bad as most of the critics said it was. I have to report that it wasn't all that bad. It is a decent but conventional biopic.

We all know about Amelia Earhart (Hillary Swank). We know of her love of flying and her disappearance in 1937. Much of the film is about Amelia's romance and marriage to publisher George Putnam (Richard Gere). She only agrees to marry him if they have an unconventional marriage. She wants both of them to be free to see others. She has an affair with Gene Vidal (Ewan McGregor) who is the father of Gore. But that doesn't last. Of course, a lot of the film also focuses on her passion of flying. The last half hour is the best - it is about her last flight.

I think that Mira Nair does a good job of directing the film. I don't know why the critics are raking her over the coals. I have always admired her work. The flight scenes are wonderful. The acting is good. Swank even resembles Amelia. Gere is good and I liked McGregor. Christopher Eccleston is terrific as Fred Noonan - the navigator who was with Amelia went she went missing. And I enjoyed Cherry Jones's cameo as Eleanor Roosevelt. The main problem with the film is the script. And that is where Nair has to take a bit of the blame. Although she did the best with what she had she should have been able to tell that there were weaknesses in the script (written by Ron Bassl and Anna Hamilton Phelan). The story should have gotten into more of what made Amelia tick and cut back a bit on the schmaltzyness in certain scenes.

So all in all a decent (but unexceptional) film but one that could have been really good if it took a different direction.

DVD Mini Review - Rage

I really like Sally Potter and I always look forward to her films. They are offbeat and not for a mainstream audience. I just watched the DVD of her latest film Rage. I know that the film did not do well with the critics and, as far as I know, it was never released in the theaters in the US. I don't know why because it is a fascinating film and there must be an audience out there who would like it.

Basically, a student named Michealangelo is interviewing a number of people with his video camera. It is for a project he is working on about the week leading up to a fashion show and the fashion show itself. You never see Michaelangelo but you really feel his presence. The film is a bunch of interviews with various participants in the event and their take on things. Some of the actors in the film include Simon Abkarian, Bob Balaban, Adriana Barraza, Judi Dench, Steve Buscemi, Eddie Izzard, Jude Law and John Leguizamo. All of the acting is very good. And so many points are very well made and ring so true.

I will not say more about the film. It is not for everyone. But for those of you who like interesting experimental films then Rage is up your alley and you should definitely rent it.

A Serious Man and New York, I Love You

I saw two really good films today. I will say a few words about each.

The Coen Brothers have given us another wonderful film. A Serious Man is their most personal film to date. It takes place in St. Louis Park, Minnesota which is a heavily Jewish suburb of Minneapolis. This is where the brothers grew up.

Larry Gopnik (Michael Stuhlbarg) is a college professor who is going through a hell of a time. His wife Judith (Sari Lennick) wants a divorce. She wants to marry their friend Sy Abelman (Fred Melamed). His son Danny (Aaron Wolfe) is about to Bar Mitzvahed. The boy is a heavy pot smoker. His daughter Sarah (Jessica McManus) wants a nose job. His brother Arthur freeloads off of him and has many problems. On top of this Larry is having problems with a student who wants to bribe him for a better grade or sue him for defamation of character. Oy, what is a man supposed to do?!

Larry goes to rabbis but they offer no answer to his dilemma. Is there anyone who can help this man? Well, I won't tell you. You will have to see this terrific film for yourselves to find out. The Coens have done a marvelous job of directing the film and their screenplay is witty but also quite serious. Yes, you laugh but underneath it all they pose some very hard questions about God, faith, destiny, etc.

I don't remember seeing Stuhlbarg in a film but he was great as the put upon Larry (I understand that he is a theater actor). The rest of the cast was spot on as well. The first ten minutes of the film features a Yiddish folk tale starring the wonderful Fyvush Finkel among others. Some people told me that they couldn't see the connection between that short section of the film and the rest of it. Ah, but look deeper and you will see the connection. Highly recommended to those of you who like challenging, well made films.

I loved Paris je t'aime and I love the next film in the series of cities we love - New York, I Love You. I will say that I liked Paris a bit better but New York is still so very enjoyable. I don't understand why the critics didn't like the film but they are very often wrong.

There are several short films interwoven into one big one. The main star is NYC. But among the directors are Fatih Akin, Yvan Attal, Shekhar Kupur (his piece was written by Anthony Minghella and was supposed to be directed by Minghella but, sadly, he passed away), Mira Nair, Joshua Marsten and Natalie Portman. Among the actors we have Natalie Portman, Bradley Cooper, Orlando Bloom, Robin Wright Penn, Cristina Ricci, Drea de Matteo, John Hurt, James Caan, Andy Garcia, Chris Cooper, Julie Christie, Eli Wallach, Irfan Khan, and Ugur Uycel. There are others but I can't list them all.

I liked all of the shorts with varying degrees. Of course, some are better than others. But take all together they make up a very good film. I won't get into the various stories but some of them really hit home. Most of the them are filmed in Manhattan. One takes place in Brooklyn. It would have been nice if there were stories from each of the other three boroughs but the producers chose to use Manhattan for the most part. All I can say that this is a highly enjoyable film and I hope you will see it despite the fact that most of the critics did not like it.

New York can be a tough place to live in. It can be a lonely place despite all of the people. It is overly crowded and the pace is too fast. It is very expensive. I sometimes feel that I would like move somewhere more quiet. I have mixed feelings about that. But there is something special about this city and even with all of its flaws in the end I have to say NEW YORK, I LOVE YOU!

Disengagement (MOD) and Adoration (DVD)

I just saw two interesting but flawed films. Here are a (very) few words about each.

Disengagement is directed by Amos Gitai. It is a 2007 film but it is just now being released on Movies on Demand. I don't think it had a theatrical release in the US.

The story is interesting but the script is a bit muddled. The film starts off on a train. An Israeli soldier Uli (Liron Levo) is headed for France. He meets a Palestinian woman Hiam (Hiam Abbass) and they make a connection. The next thing we see is a dead man and a black woman (Barbara Hendricks) singing to him. We then realize that it is Ana's (Juliette Binoche) father. But Uli shows up and we find out the dead man is his father too. Well, step father as Uli was adopted by the man. After the funeral Uli has to go back to Israel because of the disengagement in the Gaza. The Israeli army is dismantling Jewish settlements in the Gaza. Ana finds out that the daughter (Dana Ivgy) she gave up so long ago is living in one of the settlements and she goes to Israel to try and find her.

The first section of the film is very good. But after that Abbass just disappears from the film. So what was the connection? I guess it is symbolic. Jeanne Moreau shows up in a brief scene and has very little to do. Too bad because she is such a great actress. Juliette Binoche is one of my favorite actresses and she is fine here but there is one scene where is is over acting. Gitai is a fine director and the scenes where he is showing the removal of the settlers is riveting. I just wish that that script was clearer in which direction it wanted this film to go in.

Adoration is directed by Atom Egoyan. It is also an interesting film that doesn't totally satisfy.

Simon (Devon Bostick) lost his parents in a car accident. He lives with his uncle Tom (Scott Speedman). His grandfather is dying. His grandfather tries to poison his mind by tell Simon that his father Sami (Noam Jenkins) killed his mother Rachel (Rachel Blanchard).

Simon's French teacher Sabine (Arsinee Khanjian) asks Simon to translate a story. Simon comes up with one about his father told his pregnant mother to travel to Israel. She is reluctant but she agrees to meet him there. Little does she know that he planted a bomb in her bag. This is not really true but it is spread around the internet and becomes a sensation. But it also does much harm.

Watching people's reaction to the story on the web was most intriguing. You wonder why Simon didn't stop this before it exploded. The film really delves into people's attitudes about Muslims and gives us much food for thought.The cast is good and Khanjian really shines.

I recommend these films for those of you who love world cinema that makes you think even though the end results are not perfect. At least these directors are making films that are more challenging than the usual studio crap.

The Boys Are Back and Coco Before Chanel

A (very) few words about two films I saw this weekend. I wish I had more time to write but I just don't.

The Boys Are Back is a wonderful and warm film directed by Scott Hicks (Shine). It is base on true events. Joe (Clive Owen) is a successful sports writer. He is originally from England but now lives Australia with his wife Katy (Laura Fraser) and their young son Artie (Nicholas McAnulty). All seems to be going well until Katy passes out at a party. It turns out that Katy has advanced cancer. She soon dies leaving Joe to care for Artie. It isn't easy because they both have to deal with their pain.

Into to mix comes Joe's older son Harry (George MacKay). Joe left the UK and Harry's mom when he met Katy. But that doesn't mean he loves Harry any less. Harry decides that he needs a break and decides to stay with Joe for a while. And that is all I will say about the plot.

I laughed and had tears in my eyes during the film. It brings up all kinds of emotions. And to those critics who put down the film, well, you were thinking with your mind and not your heart. The film could have gone down a predictable road with one aspect of the film but, happily, it does not (when you see it you will know what I mean). The two boys are wonderful in their roles. And Owen is fantastic as Joe. He is a terrific actor and I hope that he gets more "meat on the bone" roles like this in the future. I recommend this film to everyone and do take your not too young children along with you.

I was disappointed with Coco Before Chanel. Ann Fontaine wrote and directed the film about the early years of Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel. Audrey Tautou does fine work as Coco. She says a lot with her eyes. But if only she had a better film to be in. The film drags a bit at the beginning and could have used some editing. But the real problem is in the script - the way the story is told. It just isn't that interesting. Now I know that the actual story must be interesting and this film really needed a better writer.

The music, costumes and scenery are all beautiful. And we get to see another good performance from Tautou. Benoit Poelvoorde is excellent as Balsan, the man Coco moves in with at the beginning of the film. But true love comes her way and she meets "Boy" Capel (Allesandro Nivola). Nivola does the best he can with what I think is an underwritten role. Also shining in the film is the great Emmanuelle Devos as Emilienne, a woman who Coco designs clothes for. Whenever Devos is on the screen things liven up. Coco Before Chanel isn't a terrible film at all. But it isn't a good one either. There are things in the film that are worth seeing but I would say wait until this one is on DVD and rent it.

DVD Mini Review - Grey Gardens

Grey Gardens is HBO's Emmy winning film which is based on the 70s documentary by the Maysles Brothers.

Big Edith Bouvier Beale (Jessica Lange) and her daughter Little Edith were top society women in the 30s. But a number of events lead to something strange happening. After Big Edie's marriage fails and things fall apart for Little Edie they both become recluses that live in the family house known as Grey Gardens. But without money the two live in squalor. But along comes their famous relative, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (Jeanne Tripplehorn) to save the day and fix their house.

I was totally fascinated with these two eccentric women. And I must say that I really like eccentrics - people who are different (although I don't see any reason for people to live the way these two women did). And seeing this film makes me want to see the Maysles documentary - which I never have seen.

The two lead actresses are amazing. On the DVD there is an interesting short film about Grey Gardens then and now. This shows just how authentic Lange and Barrymore are. I expect great things from Lange so it was no surprise that she was outstanding in the role. But Barrymore was the revelation here. I never really thought about her much as an actress but this film shows just what she can do. The right role brings out those wonderful Barrymore genes.

I recommend this film to those of you who like interesting character studies and wonderful acting.

Capitalism: A Love Story

I have been a fan of Michael Moore's since I saw Roger and Me twenty years ago. He is always fighting the good fight. I am not a fan of capitalism. It is not a system that works for most people. I, like Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders (who is in the film), am a Social Democrat (also known as a real Socialist). I believe in safety nets for people in need.

Moore shows us many instances of how capitalism doesn't work for 95 percent of the population. Banks get bailed out but not people. People lose jobs without getting money that is owed to them. People lose homes that they have live in for a long time. But why don't people rebel against this. Because in the US people are brainwashed into thinking that they, too, can become ultra rich. Fat chance of that happening to most of us.

There are so many highlights in the film that I don't really want to mention any. I will say that you get a real education while watching it. Though there were laughs there were also lots of things that made me angry. If you think that the mess we are in started a few years ago well guess again. It started with Ronald Reagan who believed in "trickle down economics." But the wealth does not trickle down to most of us.

Moore mentions something that I completely forgot about - FDR's second Bill of Rights. To get an idea of what the man wanted for all Americans here is a short list of musts for all of us:

A job with a living wage
Freedom from unfair competition and monopolies
A home
Medical care
Education
Recreation

Who could argue with that? But FDR died and this did not go through. We should start a movement to enforce this.

All I can say is see this film. You will learn something and perhaps you will get mad enough to get off of your butts and do something to make change happen.

DVD Mini Review - Cleo from 5 to 7

I had the opportunity to watch Agnes Varda's fine film Cleo from 5 to 7. The story is a simple one. The film follows the life of Cleo (Corrine Marchand) - her real name is Florence - for a few hours. Cleo is a famous singer. But today her mind is on other things and not music.

Cleo is waiting for the results of a biopsy for cancer. She is convinced that she is dying. A her visit to a tarot reader confirms her suspicions. We don't get too many details about the illness. Her assistant Angele (Dominique Davras) tries to get her mind off of it. Her musician friends and others try to entertain her and play music for her. But this doesn't work. At some point she takes off on her own and even takes off her wig and starts refer to herself as Florence. Things change when she meets Antoine (Antoine Bourseiller). He is about to depart for Algeria. Florence gets a revelation about life. She even gets up the courage to go to the hospital to see the doctor for her results.

That is it in a nutshell. Cleo is very well shot. I liked the way it went for color to black and white at the beginning. And I enjoyed all of the Paris street life that we get to see. All of the acting is very good and Marchand is wonderful. You really feel for her and wonder how you would be in her shoes.

I highly recommend this film to those of you who want to see vintage world cinema.