Last night we saw the Peter Weir film "Green Card", with Andie MacDowell and Gerard Depardieu. The have pretty good chemistry, and it's light fare, unlike most of his films. MacDowell was a limited actress, but has an interesting face and in certain roles, is right. This is one of those roles. She's uptight, needs a little loosening to enjoy life, like Jean Simmons in "Guys and Dolls". She doesn't want to take a risk, but once she does, in marrying Depardieu's character George, so she can appear married to get the coop apartment with the greenhouse that she covets, her whole world turns upside down. Sarah Brown went to Havana, drank rum milkshakes and discovered love. Bronte, MacDowell's character, has to be instantly intimate with George, in order to answer questions correctly for the Immigration people, when their marriage is deemed suspicious. Is George her type? Definitely not. But he warms her up, understands and listens, and even helps her persuade a society matron to donate her trees to a project of Bronte's.
There are some great scenes, including taking pictures on the roof to construct a past together for the authorities, their touching descriptions of each other for the immigration officiers, and the best scene is at the mansion of the society lady, where Bronte, who fears George is not a composer, discovers he can play the piano in an extremely funny dissonant piece, and then on the spot plays a melody and recites a poem spontaneously for the purpose of getting her the trees she so desperately wants for her gardens for the poor.
The use of Manhattan is lively and true. There is a sense of all nations converging, highlighted by African drumming on the street and a terrific soundtrack. This film is a trifle, but fun to see. It's a love letter to New York, and better than anything Woody Allen ever did. And we get to see Depardieu before he turned into a blimp, like Orson Welles and Marlon Brando. They were gorgeous when they were young.
Friday, February 7, 2014
Thursday, February 6, 2014
Pass the Popcorn: Movies from where I Sit
I do love musicals, and occasionally watch something like "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" or "Calamity Jane". They are silly, but if the songs are good, if the chemistry is right, well, I can forgive a lot. I usually say my favorite musical is "Les Miserables", but that means seeing it in the theater. I'm not a fan of the recent film. And I have a big soft spot for "Annie Get Your Gun", because of the delightful songs and spectacle and feminist edge to the story. But last night we saw "Guys and Dolls" again. You know how I know how much I like it? Something was defective with the DVD we'd had for years, and I actually ordered another. I really wanted to have it at my fingertips.
The story is sillier than silly, but it somehow works. Some Times Square petty gamblers are looking for a spot for a craps game, and Nathan Detroit (Frank Sinatra) is the facilitator, but can't get a space because the police are determined to jail them all. He can get a garage if he has a thousand bucks, so he bets Skye Masterson (Marlon Brando) that he can't take a Salvation Army prude (Jean Simmons) to Havana for the night. The subplot is the threat of Nathan and Adelaide breaking up because she's given him an ultimatum after a fourteen years engagement to marry her or it's over. The chemistry is so great between Brando and Simmons, and because Frank Sinatra is perfectly cast and Vivienne Blaine is adorable, and mostly because of Stubby Kaye, as Nicely Nicely the film is sheer fun. The dance choreography is goofy, the costumes bright and colorful and a handful of the songs are super terrific. At the beginning and end, Kaye leads two rousing, clever songs, and his tenor, in contrast to his chubby form (think opera) brings comic delight to the viewer. "Sit Down You're Rockin the Boat" is a finale that leaves me humming and singing for hours after.
Brando actually insisted on singing himself, and he does fine, and Simmons is as well. Their attraction is believable and the scenes in Havana funny and charming. You really believe they fall for each other that night. That they are both gorgeous helps. Their sudden commitment contrasts with the interminable engagement of Nathan Detroit and his doll. Both ways happen in life, and nobody has to change their stripes to get married. Sarah Brown is in her Salvation Army uniform when she marries, and Adelaide is in full frou-frou. There is a nice little message about not trying to change the other person, and the movie is long over before you realize Nathan and Skye have no legitimate way of earning a living. Oh, well. You can't have everything.
The story is sillier than silly, but it somehow works. Some Times Square petty gamblers are looking for a spot for a craps game, and Nathan Detroit (Frank Sinatra) is the facilitator, but can't get a space because the police are determined to jail them all. He can get a garage if he has a thousand bucks, so he bets Skye Masterson (Marlon Brando) that he can't take a Salvation Army prude (Jean Simmons) to Havana for the night. The subplot is the threat of Nathan and Adelaide breaking up because she's given him an ultimatum after a fourteen years engagement to marry her or it's over. The chemistry is so great between Brando and Simmons, and because Frank Sinatra is perfectly cast and Vivienne Blaine is adorable, and mostly because of Stubby Kaye, as Nicely Nicely the film is sheer fun. The dance choreography is goofy, the costumes bright and colorful and a handful of the songs are super terrific. At the beginning and end, Kaye leads two rousing, clever songs, and his tenor, in contrast to his chubby form (think opera) brings comic delight to the viewer. "Sit Down You're Rockin the Boat" is a finale that leaves me humming and singing for hours after.
Brando actually insisted on singing himself, and he does fine, and Simmons is as well. Their attraction is believable and the scenes in Havana funny and charming. You really believe they fall for each other that night. That they are both gorgeous helps. Their sudden commitment contrasts with the interminable engagement of Nathan Detroit and his doll. Both ways happen in life, and nobody has to change their stripes to get married. Sarah Brown is in her Salvation Army uniform when she marries, and Adelaide is in full frou-frou. There is a nice little message about not trying to change the other person, and the movie is long over before you realize Nathan and Skye have no legitimate way of earning a living. Oh, well. You can't have everything.
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
Pass the Popcorn: Movies from where I Sit
Since Chiwetel Ejoifor is in the news due to his nomination for "Twelve Years a Slave", I asked my son if he had ever seen him in anything else. He hadn't. I recommended "Talk To Me", the 2007 film that should have gotten more attention than it did. Based on a true story and person, Ralph Waldo "Petey" Greene Jr., a famous DJ on a Washington D.C. radio station, Don Cheadle plays Petey, and Ejiofor is his producer, Martin Sheen the owner of the station and Taraji P. Henson Petey's girlfriend. The cast also includes Cedric the Entertainer and Mike Epps. This movie is fun, funny, touching and educational at the same time. Ejoifor playes Dewey Hughes, who recruits Petey to jazz up the station and appeal to Black listeners. Petey is an ex-con, and player, a bullshit artist and nevertheless engaging. Sheen is doubtful, but takes a chance on Petey, with successful results.
The film is also about the friendship between Dewey, college educated and wanting to elevate the Black man, and Petey, who refuses to be elevated, even when he gets his chance at superstardom on TV with Dewey as his agent and manager. They couldn't be more different, but they love each other. One of the highlights of the film is Petey's getting on the radio to talk people down during the riots after Martin Luther King's death. He prevented a lot of violence from occurring.
The sets and costumes are delightful and take us back to the sixties and seventies, and to an era when radio had a tremendous impact on people. The acting shines, and, as I'm as much a fan of Cheadle as Ejoifor, it's a dream team. Henson and Sheen are irresistable as well. Take a ride on the soul train and see what all the fuss was about.
The film is also about the friendship between Dewey, college educated and wanting to elevate the Black man, and Petey, who refuses to be elevated, even when he gets his chance at superstardom on TV with Dewey as his agent and manager. They couldn't be more different, but they love each other. One of the highlights of the film is Petey's getting on the radio to talk people down during the riots after Martin Luther King's death. He prevented a lot of violence from occurring.
The sets and costumes are delightful and take us back to the sixties and seventies, and to an era when radio had a tremendous impact on people. The acting shines, and, as I'm as much a fan of Cheadle as Ejoifor, it's a dream team. Henson and Sheen are irresistable as well. Take a ride on the soul train and see what all the fuss was about.
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Pass the Popcorn: Movies from where I Sit
We watched "Fruitvale Station" last night, as my husband had never seen it. I was even more impressed with it than in the movie theater. My husband noted it went by faster than it's 85 minute running time. I think that choice was important, because one has the sense of a life gone to soon, too quickly, and what is left is the loss. Michael B. Jordan is great as Oscar Grant, and Melonie Diaz as his girlfriend is so real you feel you know her. What Ryan Cooper, the director has done is show us an ordinary day in an ordinary life of a young man without prospects, or direction, but with loving support of his family and therefore he has this amazing potential. He is also a loving father to his four year old daughter, and thus the randomness of his death is all the more tragic. Without any editorializing or preaching, you begin to see the loss of thousands of young black men like him. They are lost boys, with no help and no future, hoping to survive in mean streets, and often being in the wrong place at the wrong time, because they are forced to live in the wrong place and they are desperate for money and respect.
Oscar Grant is not portrayed as a victim, he is a confused young man, he has been in jail, he has sold pot, he can't get to work on time, he promises everyone he will take care of them, but he's just a boy, and can't even take care of himself. But you see he is personable, has good instincts most of the time, and wants to straighten up. Just the fact that he is black makes him suspect, and the boy behavior of he and his pals, who are angry and defensive, (and how could they not be?) is a recipe for disaster. You feel you know him, he's innocent, just give him a chance to grow up and figure out his place in the world. Please.
Octavia Spencer is touching as his mother, strong, worried, and then grieving. He is her baby boy. We all understand that. The film ends with Tatiania asking, "Where's Daddy?" a heartbreaking question for too many black children. Our society has done little to address this dilemma. We grieve for Oscar Grant, and at the same time, we come closer to feeling responsible for this violence. Racism is at the heart of this tragedy, and it's at home, in an area diverse and intermingled, which is shown so well in the film. If it happens here, then shame on us.
Oscar Grant is not portrayed as a victim, he is a confused young man, he has been in jail, he has sold pot, he can't get to work on time, he promises everyone he will take care of them, but he's just a boy, and can't even take care of himself. But you see he is personable, has good instincts most of the time, and wants to straighten up. Just the fact that he is black makes him suspect, and the boy behavior of he and his pals, who are angry and defensive, (and how could they not be?) is a recipe for disaster. You feel you know him, he's innocent, just give him a chance to grow up and figure out his place in the world. Please.
Octavia Spencer is touching as his mother, strong, worried, and then grieving. He is her baby boy. We all understand that. The film ends with Tatiania asking, "Where's Daddy?" a heartbreaking question for too many black children. Our society has done little to address this dilemma. We grieve for Oscar Grant, and at the same time, we come closer to feeling responsible for this violence. Racism is at the heart of this tragedy, and it's at home, in an area diverse and intermingled, which is shown so well in the film. If it happens here, then shame on us.
Monday, February 3, 2014
Pass the Popcorn: Movies from where I Sit
The Criterion Collection recently released a DVD of the 1956 film "The Burmese Harp" by Ron Ichigawa. This black and white film is beautiful and moving. Set in Burma at the end of World War II, it follows a Japanese soldier who escapes a POW camp, wanders the countryside as a Buddhist monk and ultimately embraces the mantle that has been his disguise. He takes it upon himself to bury the dead, and at first, the Burmese people won't help him, but eventually they see that he is honoring the dead and burying the past, and they assist. When, in the end, he hears that the Japanese prisoners are being sent home, despite the efforts of his soldier friends, he makes the decision to stay and live his life as a monk.
It's a simple story, but profound. It's about the journey from fearing death to accepting it as a part of who human beings are and our impermanence on this earth. The scenes stick with you, especially, for me, the huge resting Buddha statue that is a kind of cave/house inside. When I think of the suffering of the Burmese people, I understand how this film honors them, and all the victims of war, and the human condition. Death is all around us, but most people refuse to see or acknowledge it. This soldier transformed into monk turns toward the human condition and finds compassion.
I write this as we find out Phillip Seymour Hoffman has died of a heroin overdose, leaving a partner and three children. At forty six years old, he had a long life before him, yet somehow he could not face that gift, and find life precious. We don't know the story, we never will, but we know our own loss. His performances were jewels, and his sadness evident in each and every one of them. He somehow could not turn compassionately towards his own human condition and love himself enough to seek help. He had once 23 years ago, and perhaps he was weary or had lost sight of the preciousness of his own life. We have not, and will have his films to treasure, but his death is a blow. Impermanence is a hard fact to face.
It's a simple story, but profound. It's about the journey from fearing death to accepting it as a part of who human beings are and our impermanence on this earth. The scenes stick with you, especially, for me, the huge resting Buddha statue that is a kind of cave/house inside. When I think of the suffering of the Burmese people, I understand how this film honors them, and all the victims of war, and the human condition. Death is all around us, but most people refuse to see or acknowledge it. This soldier transformed into monk turns toward the human condition and finds compassion.
I write this as we find out Phillip Seymour Hoffman has died of a heroin overdose, leaving a partner and three children. At forty six years old, he had a long life before him, yet somehow he could not face that gift, and find life precious. We don't know the story, we never will, but we know our own loss. His performances were jewels, and his sadness evident in each and every one of them. He somehow could not turn compassionately towards his own human condition and love himself enough to seek help. He had once 23 years ago, and perhaps he was weary or had lost sight of the preciousness of his own life. We have not, and will have his films to treasure, but his death is a blow. Impermanence is a hard fact to face.
Sunday, February 2, 2014
Pass the Popcorn: Movies from where I Sit
I don't know how many times we've watched "Laura", the noir thriller from the 1940's, but it's not just the haunting melody, but the tightness of the editing, the cinematography, and the perfect casting that make it great. Gene Tierney is beautiful beyond belief and at the same time a girl you might know. Clifton Webb is perfection as Addison, her mentor, who is in love with her and jealous of her youth and beauty. Dana Andrews is just right as the detective, Mark, and Vincent Price and Judith Anderson make their parts unforgettable. The conceit that the detective is in love with a dead girl who suddenly comes to life is engaging, but we believe, from the beginning, that he is her mate, and not just because he is young and handsome, but he is a hero, brave and modest. Laura has been surrounded by syncophants and people who gravitate to her looks and hard work. Mark is a real person, unswayed by fame or money. She, in the end, is a small town girl looking for the boy next door. He's not threatened by her success or even interested. He falls in love with her portrait, and he already knows her secrets, as he has read her diaries and letters.
If I had to say what this film addresses, I'd say aging and longing for youth, in a culture that has made such obsessions a sickness. But in metaphorical language, the young, beautiful America has triumphed over Europe and Nazism and culture and breeding. In the US of A, you can love anyone and have them as long as you are true blue and full of moxie. Both Laura and Mark are moxie personified, and post World War II, that gumption would carry us far for a few decades. Addison is the old world, snobbish and stuffy, and Price and Anderson play aristocrats, one down on his luck the other with too much money and no self respect. Their world is over. It is Laura and Mark's world now, and looking back from the future, we are sad seeing their hopes and dreams and knowing they would turn sour, as our parents and grandparents dreams did. It's a fine romance represented in the film, and we watch with longing all the illusions and simplifications that will shortly be muddied up by the Cold War and our own greed, until today America has the biggest discrepancy in income between rich and poor of every other country except Chile. It is a new world but neither brave nor better.
If I had to say what this film addresses, I'd say aging and longing for youth, in a culture that has made such obsessions a sickness. But in metaphorical language, the young, beautiful America has triumphed over Europe and Nazism and culture and breeding. In the US of A, you can love anyone and have them as long as you are true blue and full of moxie. Both Laura and Mark are moxie personified, and post World War II, that gumption would carry us far for a few decades. Addison is the old world, snobbish and stuffy, and Price and Anderson play aristocrats, one down on his luck the other with too much money and no self respect. Their world is over. It is Laura and Mark's world now, and looking back from the future, we are sad seeing their hopes and dreams and knowing they would turn sour, as our parents and grandparents dreams did. It's a fine romance represented in the film, and we watch with longing all the illusions and simplifications that will shortly be muddied up by the Cold War and our own greed, until today America has the biggest discrepancy in income between rich and poor of every other country except Chile. It is a new world but neither brave nor better.
Saturday, February 1, 2014
Pass the Popcorn: Movies from where I Sit
We all have our guilty pleasures. One of mine is "27 Dresses". It's as much of a fairy tale as "Enchanted", which is another of my guilty pleasures. I'm not a fan of Katherine Hegel, and, as usual, the movie, a la Sandra Bullock films, has her cast as the ugly duckling, with her sister, played by Malin Ackerman, as the beauty. Give me a break. Hegel's features are so rubber doll perfect that it is irritating to say the least. But she does project sass, and with her deep voice, has some presence. Her character is already a wife, as she is the devoted slave of her boss (Edward McMillen) and the marriage is not satisfying, not hardly. She is everybody and nobody's devoted friend as well, and has been a bridesmaid 27 times. Along comes someone fun: a writer for the wedding column in the biggest paper, James Marsden (strange, he is the prince in "Enchanted" as well and also JFK in "The Butler").
Now here is the secret to why this movie works: he's like a girl's best gay friend (as in "Best Friend's Wedding"), but miraculously, he isn't gay. He's attracted to this stick in the mud, and sees the underlying sadness of her life. He's, moreover, FUN. There is the scene when they are both drunk in a bar in the middle of nowhere singing "Benny and the Jets". This is borrowed from "Best Friend's Wedding" and reworked more satisfactorily. Like me, I'm sure you never got over Rupert Everett refusing to change his sexual orientation and marrying Julia Roberts. For some reason, Marsden wants Hegel, because he sees potential, I guess. He should run for the hills, but anyway, that wouldn't be romantically satisfying.
So, we get the satisfaction of the pretty younger sister's comeupance, as Hegel destroys her engagement and wedding plans, but she has her reasons, as sister is lying about being vegan and cut up mom's wedding dress to boot. She gets her chance with the boss and discovers there is no chemistry between them. So she will not be picking out his clothes in the morning and serving him a seven course breakfast before he hihos off to work. She's off the hook, and whatever the future is with almost gay man, it will be a lot more interesting. Maybe. Unless you think about it.
Now here is the secret to why this movie works: he's like a girl's best gay friend (as in "Best Friend's Wedding"), but miraculously, he isn't gay. He's attracted to this stick in the mud, and sees the underlying sadness of her life. He's, moreover, FUN. There is the scene when they are both drunk in a bar in the middle of nowhere singing "Benny and the Jets". This is borrowed from "Best Friend's Wedding" and reworked more satisfactorily. Like me, I'm sure you never got over Rupert Everett refusing to change his sexual orientation and marrying Julia Roberts. For some reason, Marsden wants Hegel, because he sees potential, I guess. He should run for the hills, but anyway, that wouldn't be romantically satisfying.
So, we get the satisfaction of the pretty younger sister's comeupance, as Hegel destroys her engagement and wedding plans, but she has her reasons, as sister is lying about being vegan and cut up mom's wedding dress to boot. She gets her chance with the boss and discovers there is no chemistry between them. So she will not be picking out his clothes in the morning and serving him a seven course breakfast before he hihos off to work. She's off the hook, and whatever the future is with almost gay man, it will be a lot more interesting. Maybe. Unless you think about it.
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