2011. Dir: Woody Allen. Starring: Owen Wilson, Marion Cotillard, Rachel McAdams, Michael Sheen and Corey Stoll. ●●●●○
Long time readers will know I have a masochistic relationship with Woody Allen, the sort of loyal passion to his work that brings me out to see all his releases, no matter how critically reviled. I have seen a number of truly awful films but every now and then he surprises and whilst his latest movie Midnight in Paris doesn't reach the heady heights of his 1970's-80's heyday, nor does it quite top his most recent return to form Vicky Cristina Barcelona however it is a delightful oddity that will be an enjoyable night out for any pseudo-intellectual or nostalgist.
Allen chooses to open with a jazz-scored montage of postcard scenes of modern Paris, it's bustling and beautiful and whilst the devise drags a little it's clear he's aim is to set up the romanticism of the city, a parade of lovers walking in the rain, scuttling boulevards with tiny cafes, a city of culture, architecture and wistful yearning. The extent of Allen's idolatry is to underline how his vision of Paris varies from other cities; this isn't the noisy, mishmash of Manhattan or the grimy morally complex London, instead it's a clear-cut city of Romance, a place where art can transport reality and magic might just come true.
We are then introduced to Luke Wilson's Gil Pender, a California hack visiting Paris with fiancee Inez (Rachel McAdams) and finding inspiration for his novel from the Parisien vibe and Monet's Water Lily's. Slipping away from the stifling company of his future-in-laws and hectoring friends, he is picked up by an out of place 1920's Peugeot at the stroke of midnight and transported to a party filled with snazzily dressed gents and flappers. But appearances, or at least perceptions of appearances, cannot be trusted. This is no costume party with cigarette paper games but a time travel mystery, Pender has slipped back in time and is now hobnobbing with Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, being crooned at by Cole Porter and receiving literary advice from Hemingway and Gertrude Stein.
In the hands of a less self-assured writer the mechanics of the sci-fi premise may be explored and investigated, but the physics of this don't matter to Allen, even surrogate Pender is only mildly flabbergasted, stuttering and confused but not beyond asking Hemingway to read his manuscript. Instead his main concern is the feeling of escape inherent in the concept, Pender is obsessed with the past, his novel is set in a nostalgia shop, he yearns openly to have experienced the roaring 20's. His obsession comes from a need to escape the present, whether it's the vague distrust of modern US politics or the insufferable circumstances of his life, and it's no wonder that he seeks to escape.
In his trips to the past he falls for the luminous Marion Cotillard, shot in the style of romantic Hollywood, lit perfectly with soft focus she bursts from the screen, an untouchable beauty. But secretly she yearns to be equally transported back, wishing to revisit the Belle Epoque, Allen wants us to know that wishing for the past is fine, but there too nostalgia for bygone eras is rife and inescapable.
The film soars in it's time bending passages, whether it's Corey Stoll's machismo laden line-readings as Hemingway, or the farcical discussion between Pender and the Surrealists, with Adrien Brody squeezing every syllable of rhinocerous to great comic effect, or the gorgeous costuming and the plaintive musical cues, however in the modern world the movie misfires. McAdams' shrill performance, backed by her grotesquely rich republican parents and pedantic college alumni Michael Sheen, makes you wonder why the outwardly personable Pender would associate with any of these people let alone consider marrying them. Inez is the kind of horrific stereotype that lurches from blatant mistrust of the working classes to open disloyalty about her partner's work. The resolution of that aspect of the the story seems false and rushed, which perhaps might have worked better if Inez was a more sympathetic character.
I also find Allen's recent tendency to judge his characters and his non-audiences off-putting. It's fine to describe the Tea Party as crypto-fascist zombies, I may even agree with that assessment, but it's no way to win an argument against their policies. Equally Sheen is loathed for his pseudo-intellectual oratory, the low-point being when he tries to correct Carla Bruni's tour guide, but the audience cheer when Pender uses the same trick in giving background to a Picasso, quoting Kathy Bates' Gertrude Stein as if that's the only opinion that matters and smacking down Sheen with a description of it's lineage. If it's not about the rudeness of the act then it must be about the accuracy of the opinion, therefore it's fine to be a prick if you're right and you share the intellectual insight of Stein.
I disagree with Allen, to value one artistic interpretation over another is unbearably snobbish, the appreciation of art is purely subjective and whilst understanding the background and influences may aid in the discussion of form and content the feelings inspired are equally valid whether the audience is aware or not.
That probably sounds like a rant, and possibly that's undeserved. I really liked Woody Allen's latest, and I would recommend it to anyone, it's a lovely little piece that will transport you back to a gentler time, but I doubt it's anything more than that.
Wednesday, 12 October 2011
Midnight in Paris
Saturday, 5 February 2011
Eye of the Tiger (Out this week - 04/02/11)
Really quiet week with only five releases, however it's still been tough choosing the top film due to the competitive nature at the top of the tree. With top Oscar nominated films vying for the title I think I've naturally imagined the two heavy hitters in the ring and with that sort of attitude it's no surprise that The Fighter is the film of the week.
The Fighter
David O. Russell has proven to be a quality director several times before (even if his methods can be questionable) but this is the first time his movies have made it to the Oscars with his true-life boxing fable.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●●●●●○
Rabbit Hole
Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart try to rebuild their lives following he untimely death of their four year old son, based on David Lindsay-Abaire's award winning play.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●●●●●○
Brighton Rock
Grahame Greene's gangster novel gets it's second big screen treatment, and unfortunately can't seem to get out of the shadow of it's 1947 counterpart. Helen Mirren and JOhn Hurt provide support to Sam Riley as Pinkie.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●○○○○○
Little Bit of Heaven
Kate Hudson falls in love with Cancer specialist Gael Garcia Bernal as he tells her she's dying. Not sure if that sunds at all workable as a premise. Kathy Bates and Whoopi Goldberg (as an angel?) turn up in minor roles.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●○○○○○○
Sanctum
James Cameron puts his 3D producer name on the poster for this familiar looking disaster movie with a bunch of b-list actors caught in a big cave as it floods and desperately fight to escape. Trailer looks OK.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●○○○○○○○
And naturally I missed one last week:
Men on the Bridge
Three men working and waiting on the Bosphorus bridge in Istanbul find their lives intersecting in this slice of life European drama which uses non-professional actors.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●○○○○○○○
Tuesday, 18 January 2011
20 for 2011: 11 - Midnight in Paris
Holding steady at number 11 is Woody Allen with this years entry of Midnight in Paris.
I'm like a puppy, I keep returning to my master even though he ignores me and gives me rubbish to eat. Every time Woody makes an appalling film I give him the benefit of the doubt and think the next one will be a return to form. So whilst Whatever Works was one of the biggest disappointments of 2010 and with You will meet a Tall dark Stranger getting warm but not effusive reviews I look to his next film as being the next great one.
Like most of Allen's work the premise is both simple and surprisingly complex. In this case we have a romantic comedy set within a group of tourists in Paris, where one engaged couple will have their eyes opened to new ways of experiencing happiness in a relationship. Allen's had a few open relationships in his moves recently so I wonder if that's where it's going.
As always he's managed to net a great cast including Marion Cotillard (pictured above), Michael Sheen, Rachel McAdams, Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody and Kathy Bates, so all in all I think I'm ready to forgive him once again.
Monday, 28 June 2010
Kathy Bates
Happy Birthday to
Kathy Bates
62 today
It's hard to believe now but there was a time when Kathy was being passed over time and time again when her stage performances were being developed for the big screen. Sissy Spacek and Michelle Pfeiffer both got the chance to steal her roles. Luckily she was cast as Annie Wilkes in Misery which led to the first her Oscar nods and began her high profile career. Her last film was Valentine's Day but I won't hold that against her if the France set Woody Allen pic Midnight in Paris turns out to be at all good.
Wednesday, 17 February 2010
Valentine's Day
2010. Dir: Garry Marshall. Starring: Ashton Kutcher, Jennifer Garner, Julia Roberts, Jessica Biel and Jamie Foxx. ●○○○○
I'm thinking perhaps the rating is a little harsh. Valentine's Day, for all it's many faults, did not make me angry. I did not consider asking for my money back, nor was I shouting at the screen at the iniquity of it. Unlike one film I went to see this year I was not seething afterwards. However it is a really bad movie - utterly inedt - to call it amateur would be an insult to amateur productions.
Let me explain: Valentine's Day follows an inderterminable group of LA'ers as they make their way through the romantic entanglements during the feast of St. Valentine. Naturally, as is always the case with large cast dramas, they all interlink on at least a superficial level (sometimes the level of co-incidence is unbearable) and they all have different feelings or experiences that relate to love. When taken as a whole we, as an audience, are meant to better understand the meaning and consequences of that four letter word. This movie ultimately wants to be an American Love, Actually and at this it fails spectacularly.
If you read on, please not this review has many many spoilers...
Why? Well I re-watched Richard Curtis' film to try and understand why one is charning, if lightweight, and the other is charmless. Here are the reasons I can find:
1. Passage of time. Whereas Love Actually (herein referred to as LA) takes place over a month Valentine's Day (VD, chuckle chuckle) crams the entire process within approximately 18 hours. Characters therefore have no time to consider things and grow, relationships don't develop they just happen. For instance Ashton Kutcher proposes to girlfriend Jessica Alba before breakfast, but they've split by the end of the working day. On hearing his wife has had an affair Hector Elizondo is so cut up it takes all of three hours to forgive her.
2. Thematic consistency. At the beginning of LA it sets up the airport arrival gate as a place to see love, then ends by showing that. In VD there doesn't really seem to be any flow. Events just happen at random. The only difference between the beginning and the end is that the scenes are shorter and the cuts quicker.
3. Demographics. I'm not so concerning about the ethnicity of the protagonists, as LA was virtually all white too (and this could have been easily fixed) but I did notice how beautiful everyone was. Essentially if you're not thin, silky haired and young you're doomed to spend VD alone. Where were the people like us? With a few extra inches on the waist and a few more grey hairs that we once had? I know Hollywood is always obsessed with beautiful people but when they're being paraded one after another it gets too much.
4. Unhappy endings. There shouldn't be many, but in a multi-character drama some stories will end badly. In LA Laura Linney and Andrew Lincoln do not get to experience a fulfilling and complete love. VD doesn't dare to give any major characters anything other than the type of happiness they want. Nobody really ends up alone (except for Patrick Dempsey's cheating doctor but he does deserve it for being a love cheat). This is dramtically uninteresting.
5. Set your jokes up. All of the jokes in VD are one line zingers (and nearly all of them appear in the trailer). Lines like "Young Love, full of promise full of hope ignorant of reality" are OK but it's nothing compared to the set up and then pay-off of Kris Marshall stateside holiday or even the goofball pidgeon Portuguese that Colin Firth launches into in LA. By slowly developing towards a punchline then the jokes will be funnier and we will remember them better - trust me.
6. Make it for adults. Why make a film about love and sex and make it PG-13? Why why why. It limits the jokes and the situations. If a scenario is meant to appeal to adults make a film for adults to enjoy and not one for kids.
7. Believeability. If you're going to have a situation that doesn't seem very likely make it completely off the wall (such as a Prime Minister caught kissing at a school nativity or a faded rock star having a Christmas number 1). Don't have a florist which appears to employ over 15 people (I've been to lots of florists and I've never seen one with mre than 3 staff) - and on that why were there Nuns buying flowers on VD? I would also like to object about the Football stars coming out, but more on that later*.
I could go on.
There were some minor elements I enjoyed. Jessica Biel is a surprisingly nice comic actress and I hope she gets a decent film to show that off in (was Nailed ever completed?) and Hector Elizondo stood out for me (his reaction to Emma Roberts annoucement is priceless).
The flowers were also generally gorgeous and well chosen to go with the giver and the given, so thanks to whoever sourced those.
In spite of not hating the film with so much wrong with it all I can do is give Valentine's Day, a well deserved 1 out of 5 rating.
*Please see next post.
Tuesday, 19 May 2009
Chéri
2009. Dir: Stephen Frears. Starring: Michelle Pfeiffer, Kathy Bates, Rupert Friend, Felicity Jones and Frances Tomelty. ●●●●○
Still naff all coming out in June, and I'm still behind on the reviews, so here's one for the latest collaboration between Michelle Pfeiffer and Stephen Frears.
Plotwise the film covers the relationship between Pfeiffer's ageing courtesan (Lea) and Rupert Friend callow youth (known affectionately as Cheri), the son of Kathy Bates. The film does this in four sections; the courting, the arranged marriage for Cheri, the pretending that's everythings fine and the conclusion. Throughout this it is worth remembering that the trailer highlights the comic elements of the film but it is not a comedy. You will laugh but you will also cry, and at the end stare at the final frames in shocked bewilderment.
Cheri opens with a jolly voiceover by the director giving a potted history of the courtesans and some of the more infamous among them (missing out Nicole Kidman in Moulin Rouge!) and soon we're zipping through the streets of Paris meeting the characters. These early scenes are played lighly with loose editing and gentle soundtrack. In fact all elements of the film work together all the way through. As the affair ends the pacing slows and the tunes become more ponderous.
Each member of the technical crew is working at the top of their game, but it's Frears incredible touch in the directors chair that must be responsible for the keeping together of the feelings.
Michelle Pfeiffer is perfectly cast, aloof and upright, but clearly melting behind the eyes. If she gets an Oscar nod this year (not as unlikely as I had thought going in) it'll be the moments she doesn't speak that will play in any clips. Bates almost steals the show mind, giggling and gossiping her way through scenes with malevolent intent. Friend comes off as a bit of an enigma, but that's in perfect keeping with the role.
Whilst the acting noms may be in the balance, Consolata Boyle's (The Queen) costumes must be guaranteed to get her second nod. Dresses and hats so exquisite you want to reach out and grab them.
Overall this is a great little gem of a movie, watch it glisten as soon as you get a chance.
Friday, 27 June 2008
Kathy Bates
Happy Birthday to
Kathy Bates
60 today
Kathy was a hard-working successful stage actress, until one small little film made her a hard-working sucessful film actress.
Kathy is much more than a knife wielding monster though. As well as having a talent for swinging a mallet later this year we'll be seeing her selling houses to Kate and Leo in Revolutionary Road, helping Michelle Pfeiffer let go of her younger man in Cherie and remainly perfectly stationary in The day the Earth Stood Still.
Klaatu Barada Nikto, indeed.
