When in Rome (India and Bali too)
Soul searching for the rich and beautiful
EAT PRAY LOVE (2010/IN THEATERS) Everyone knows someone who loves this book and everyone knows someone else who hated it and/or couldn’t finish it. As a movie viewer who had not read the book, one of the big problems I experienced with the film came right out of the gate: what is SO BAD about the main character’s marriage? And a related question…what the hell is she looking for? I gather the book answers both these questions quite well and presents a real-life accounting of a three-year-painful-ending to a ten-year-unsatisfying-marriage, which inspires the author to travel the world for a year in search of spirituality and herself. But we get none of this deep background in the movie. Instead we get her husband, portrayed very briefly at the start of the film (by Billy Crudup—one of my faves, I confess) being goofy and unfocused and not interested in globe-trotting with his famous author-wife. Later, in a pivotal scene, he makes an argument for commitment and tolerance. “I took a vow,” he says. “Work with me, don’t run away,” or words to that effect.
But Liz Gilbert, the wife and author in real life, played here by Julia Roberts, comes off as a person who always runs away…and keeps looking for….what exactly? The movie is hard pressed to answer that question. Liz runs from her marriage to a new boyfriend, an actor in her God-awful play, but so attractive—hey, he’s James Franco after all. She runs from him as well…straight to Italy. Why Italy? We have no idea but she sure does enjoy the food and the company and the cinematographer has a field day. Liz admires the Italian ability to take pleasure from doing very little and enjoying life as it comes, but she still sits outside looking in. Next up is India, where she experiences the rigors of religious practice in an ashram (an experience inspired by her James Franco actor boyfriend whom she has dumped via email while in Italy). Here she meets Richard from Texas (Richard Jenkins) who speaks in aphorisms—very irritating—and works up to his big confessional scene. But…not to worry–the ashram soon gives way to a gorgeous house in Bali, where Ms. Gilbert reconnects with a toothless wiseman played with real charm by Hadi Subiyanto (just to be clear, the film opens with this same character predicting the future for Ms. Gilbert—a future which, of course, has come true). And here she meets Javier Bardem, who portrays the world’s most sensitive and attractive man ever. Naturally, her instincts tell her to run away again, but ultimately thanks to some good advice from the wiseman, she sails away with him on the boat to happiness, a scene intercut with shots of her actor boyfriend happy on stage in New York and her husband now happily remarried with a baby. Good grief.
Javier Bardem
The movie is not as bad as this review makes it seem but on the whole it is tedious. Could it have been shorter somehow? I’m sure the filmmaker (Ryan Murphy) felt he owed it to all those fans of the book to show as much as possible and heaven knows the scenery is beautifully shot. Julia Roberts is actually good in the role (really) and shows some range, but ultimately I think we get tired of her character’s endless soul searching. Great travelogue though.
Grade: C+ Nice try and some scenes really work. But ultimately hard to stay engaged or feel sympathy for this self-centered person.
BTW: So convenient to have the right wardrobe for each country!! You do wonder where her money is coming from, but then, perhaps the dollar was strong when Ms. Gilbert was really traveling.
Queue Query: Pervs and “Entourage” Fans Edition
We stole this idea from Slate because we think it’s fun. Sue us. (Please don’t sue us.) Without any advance reordering to save face, we present to you the first five entries* in Kimberly’s (and, to a lesser extent, Brian’s) Netflix queue, along with some brief commentary utilizing the royal “we.” Judge if you must.
1. Dark City: Director’s Cut (1998). Sometimes Brian rearranges the queue—we strongly discourage this. We vaguely remember seeing Dark City in the theater and nodding off, although the stills are very creepy! The director’s cut features a commentary by Roger Ebert, American Hero, which may explain its inclusion. Though Jennifer Connelly is always a pleasure to watch and we have new love for Rufus Sewell after seeing “Père-Lachaise,” the Wes Craven–directed segment of Paris, je t’aime, we will not be watching this. You can’t make us.
2. The Company (2003). We had forgotten about this Altman film until an Over/Under segment on the late, very lamented “At the Movies.” (Sadly, these are not archived online. Buena Vista, you gargle our mayo.) It stars Neve Campbell (who also co-wrote/produced—knock us over with a feather) as a member of Chicago’s Joffrey Ballet. James Franco is also in it because James Franco is in everything now. Sometimes he just stands in the background of CW shows and winks. Read more »
On Location: No Country for Sure! Las Vegas, New Mexico
LAS VEGAS, NEW MEXICO
Numerous famous villains and heros including Jesse James, Billy the Kid, Doc Holliday, Dick Liddell, the coward Robert Ford and even Wyatt Earp once walked the streets of Las Vegas, New Mexico, which is located roughly one hour and ten minutes due east of Santa Fe and only 75 miles from Taos . Among the 74 (count ‘em, 74!) movies that have been shot in Las Vegas, No Country for Old Men is certainly a standout. Standing in for Texas, the film was shot almost entirely here over a two month period—even the border crossing into Mexico (so realistic in the film) was recreated using the Interstate highway (I-25) overpass and the Galinas River. The still beautiful Plaza Hotel looks just as it appeared in the movie, complete with the poor desk clerk who meets his demise thanks to Anton Chigurh.
If you manage to visit, be sure to stop into Popular Dry Goods, which will also look very familiar! It’s here that Josh Brolin visits—not just once, but twice—first for those camping poles and later for some clothes!! Also shot in Las Vegas for No Country: the car that blows up in front of the drug store (and the windows that blow out) plus at least two motel scenes. When I asked where everyone stayed, no one seemed to know. Their attitude in town about films: fun, but really, no big deal.
Be sure to check out all the films shot here—quite a list! Thanks IMDB.
Let’s Talk About…What We Do Is Secret
WHAT WE DO IS SECRET (2007/DVD)
To: Nestle Crush (Brian)
From: Fig Newtron Bomb (Kimberly)
Thank you, Nestle, for watching this silly, shallow biopic with me. It is so much more fun to be appalled with a pal! So WWDIS tells a much abbreviated version of the Germs story (a seminal hardcore punk band that played in LA in the late ‘70s), focusing on Darby Crash, the singer/songwriter. What a lame, spineless tribute to someone who, while presumably pretentious and insufferable (because duh, he was the songwriter/singer in a hardcore punk band) was surely a little more multidimensional than he is portrayed? The deepest we get is in an unintentionally comical flashback: a 10-ish-year-old Crash being shooed away by his mother as she gets drunk in a diner, then sitting down to read Nietzsche. Baby genius alert!
Movies like this make the “punk lifestyle” seem totally achievable and palatable—just dye your hair, say a few positive things about Hitler, abuse some instruments, and you’re in! What a glamorous way for a bored teen to spend a few years. I am sure the people portrayed had it a little rougher than the well-pressed clothing and fashionably messy hair (OK, hilarious wigs) in WWDIS suggest. Read more »
The Devil Wears…Simple Chic Dresses Actually
The Devil herself.
THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE (2009/DVD) With September right around the corner and Project Runway back with a seriously talented and bitchy bunch (unfortunately airing on the Lifetime Channel—who can ever remember where that is!), it seemed like the perfect time to watch this fabulous documentary about the real-life “Devil” Anna Wintour, Editor-in-Chief of Vogue (U.S.), as she creates the largest-ever issue of the magazine—September 2007, weighing in at 840 pages (100 pages larger than September 2006) and featuring Sienna Miller on the cover. This 90 minute film is really fun to watch—a fabulous Netflix rental. The filmmakers do a good job of NOT demonizing Ms. Wintour while still showing her as the cold but very effective executive that she undoubtedly is. And, BTW–she is nowhere near as glamorous as her Devil Wears Prada counter-part Meryl Streep–she is a tiny little person, with her signature severe haircut and dark glasses who wears simple but chic dresses and the same simple jewelry over many days. She does however, seem to drink Starbucks all the time and the “book” of movie fame is real. And her underlings clearly are always nervous when they’re in front of her. All except Grace Coddington, Creative Director at Vogue (and former Vogue model prior to a car wreck that caused her to lose an eyelid—ouch!) who is also featured in the film and who has the creative balls to stand up to Anna. They struck me as having something like a working marriage—they have been together over 20 years and have enormous respect for each other, even while getting so angry (quietly angry, mind you) that we can feel it coming off the screen. What fun this movie is! Add this to your queue right away.
Grade: A
P.S. Very interesting soundtrack also….maybe worth owning.
Let’s Talk About…Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD (IN THEATERS/2010)
BASS BATTLE!
From: Brian McClelland
To: Kimberly Faulhaber
So…Scott Pilgrim vs. the World! Having never been much of a gamer OR or comic book (ha, I called it a comic book, Kim) fan, I wasn’t expecting this film—touted as pretty much targeted to those precise demographics—to connect much with me. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Edgar Wright’s third film—following the excellent horror/comedy hybrid Sean of the Dead and the fun but slightly overcooked Michael Bay buddy cop tribute Hot Fuzz—is a hilarious and rollicking good time on par with his smashing debut. I smiled through through every frame of this thing.
Making Canadians cool: Michael Cera and Co. in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.
Although the irreverent story—taken from Bryan Lee O’Malley’s manga-inspired series of graphic novels (Scott Pilgrim [Michael Cera] must defeat his new love’s seven deadly exes in order to continue dating her. What?)—is very silly and often quirky for the sake of being quirky, Wright’s sharp cast handles O’Malley’s cleverly absurd dialogue masterfully, grounding what is a fantastical premise with ease.
It’s to Wright’s credit that the cast remains in focus here, while inhabiting a hyperspace, visually explosive manga-infused universe. My fave visual element is when Scott’s band plays and their awesome rock power is seen as a visible, tangible element, flying off and over the band into the audience as if bursting forth from some awesome volcanic force. I found the visuals to be consistently and exhilaratingly kinetic without fatiguing my eyes, or my nerves, for that matter. I was pleased it wasn’t released in 3D—with this much action in the frame, it would likely have only served to distract from the quick and witty dialogue and just-quirky-enough performances from this shit hot ensemble of young actors. Read more »
Duvall and Murray Pitch Perfect in Get Low
GET LOW (2009/IN THEATERS) Shown last year in Toronto and a hit at this year’s Sundance, Get Low is finally appearing in selected theaters across the country, featuring a wonderful plot about a man who wants to have his funeral party (emphasis on the word party) before he dies. Who can resist a cast that includes Robert Duvall as Felix Bush—the hermit in question who has lived 40 odd years in the back woods of Eastern Tennessee– and Bill Murray as Frank Quinn–former Chicago salesman now owner of a local Funeral Parlor that’s going broke. ( Of note, Duvall is also listed as one of the film’s executive producers, as he was for Crazy Heart.) Also doing a great job are Sissy Spacek as Mattie, a face out of Felix’s past, Bill Cobbs, excellent as the Black preacher who Felix says is the only guy who can say “something nice about me” and Lucas Black, Murray’s honest and innocent Southern assistant who becomes Felix’s day to day link to the outside world. The story is based on a true story (or legend depending on your source) from the late 1930’s about an old hermit—Felix Breaseale– who really did put on his own funeral party before dying. First time director Aaron Schneider keeps a steady and enjoyable pace to the film and really gives us a great period look and feel. (BTW: Schneider was a cinematographer first and it shows.) The dialogue is good, with some really great zingers—mostly delivered by Murray and Duvall. The movie at first gives the impression that it will be a black comedy when Felix says he wants to hear stories about himself and offers to hold a drawing for his 300 acres at the event for anyone who sends $5 to Quinn. But toward the middle of the film, we head in a more serious direction which leads to the final moving scenes as Felix, with the help of his preacher friend Charlie, tells his own story at the party—with plenty of drama (and no doubt an Oscar nod in Duvall’s future). No problem really…although I for one was looking forward to all those funny stories and Duvall’s reactions to them. Maybe next time….
Grade: A-
For a real life photo of Felix, click here.
For a lovely portrait of Robert Duvall at 79 going on 80, check out this piece from a recent NYT Sunday edition.
Picture Books: Who the Devil Made It
WHO THE DEVIL MADE IT (1997/KNOPF) by PETER BOGDANOVICH Director/writer Peter Bogdanovich’s conversations-with-directors tome, Who the Devil Made It, is a spectacular achievement—and one hell of a gossipy beach-ready paperback. Collecting a lifetime’s worth of revealing and often quite personal conversations with an amazing array of nearly every great early-to-mid-20th century Hollywood filmmaker, PB is in giddy film historian mode here—and just as enthusiastic as the movie-crazy, star-struck kid he used to be.
The book’s best conversations are often just as much about the writer’s own personal experience with the subjects as the subjects themselves. While most film nerds are familiar with PB’s long and fruitful friendship with Orson Welles (read his 1992 gem This is Orson Welles), his long personal relationship with gadfly raconteur Howard Hawks is less well known. The longest chapter by far, Hawks is brimming with dishy dirt about everybody, period (Howard Hawks did not give a shit, yo!), and it is he who provided the book’s title, remarking on his preference that a director make his style known through his pictures so viewers will recognize a director’s work even if they arrived after the opening credits have rolled, never needing to ask, “Well, who the devil made it?”
Check out this roster of Totally Bitchin’ Dead Guys: John Ford, Howard Hawks, Allan Dwan, Alfred Hitchcock, George Cukor, Leo McCarey (on his death bed, basically), Fritz Lang, Josef von Sternberg…and this is only a portion of the great directors featured in the book. In this captivating collection (and his stellar follow-up companion piece focused on actors, Who the Hell’s in It) PB has given a priceless gift to future generations of film enthusiasts—you-were-there glimpses into the lives, works, triumphs, and tragedies of these trailblazing pioneers. Who the devil made it, indeed.
Grade: A+
One of Our Favorites…All the President’s Men
Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford as Bernstein and Woodward, respectively.
ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN (1976/DVD) In the middle of WikiLeaks and endlessly depressing Mid-Year Election news, it’s great to look back to the Watergate era and to remember just how shocked we were by the revelations uncovered by young reporters Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward of the Washington Post. Wonderfully played by a very young looking Dustin Hoffman (Bernstein) and a smooth Robert Redford (Woodward), filmmaker Alan J. Pakula (Klute and Sophie’s Choice, among many others) builds suspense as the two reporters doggedly uncover the depth and height of the Nixon administration’s corruption. Hal Holbrook plays Deep Throat, standing in the shadows and leading the boys to look ever higher in that administration for culpability. Jason Robards (Oscar winner for Supporting Actor for this pic) is perfect as Ben Bradlee whose gutsy support of his reporters basically resulted in Nixon’s impeachment and resignation. Wow. I remember when this was all coming down. The movie is closely based on the best-selling book by Woodward and Bernstein and is filled with wonderful performances–Jack Warden and Martin Balsam as senior editors and Jane Alexander who, for her eight minutes on screen, earned an Oscar nomination. Speaking of which, this movie garnered 8—count ‘em—8 nominations and 4 wins in 1977, among them a win for screenplay (William Goldman) and a nomination for Best Picture. But who won the big prize that year? Rocky!! Proof that Stallone never dies, what with Expendables just released last weekend and topping the box office. Ha! Also passed over for the Best Pic Oscar in 1977: Taxi Driver. Some things never change.
Grade: A+ Love this movie.
BTW: Be sure to watch as the intrepid reporters actually use books and paper files for research! No Google! They type on typewriters! They dial rotary phones! And they still manage to unearth the sordid truth about the Watergate break-in. Most impressive.
On Location: The Music Box Theatre, Chicago
THE MUSIC BOX THEATRE, CHICAGO
A recent trip to Chicago led me and my teen traveling companions (two short people that look and behave eerily like yours truly) to this charmingly creepy gem of an art house in the Southport neighborhood. Pleased to have stumbled in on their Monday Special, we found shockingly affordable tickets ($5 for a 5:30pm showing of the hilarious [and teenager enthusiastically approved] doc Best Worst Movie) and sweet concession prices (a two-for-one deal of a pair of pops and ginormous bags of popcorn came to $11). Also welcoming was the staff, who didn’t mind us sprawling out on the lobby couch for an hour or so before showtime. Which was nice, because that couch was of a particular interest to us, as it is a key element of a certain bit of the theater’s lore. Read more »
