Posts published under “Rebecca’s Favorites”
Our Best of the Year: the 2010 SMLys!
On this last week of 2010, Year of the Franco, enjoy a trip down memory lane with SML. We’ve compiled some of our favorite films and posts of the year. Remember that movie? And that festival? Oh, how we laughed/cried/rolled our eyes! Anyhoo, here they are, in alphabetical order by editor. See you in 2011, and don’t forget to shake that thing!
Brian:
Totally Bitchin’ Dead Guys: Leo McCarey & Charles Laughton
Totally Bitchin’ Dead Guys: Leo McCarey & Bing Crosby
On Location: The Music Box Theater, Chicago
Picture Books: Who the Devil Made It
Ebertfest: 12th Annual Roger Ebert’s Film Festival series
Kimberly:
“Be Yourself” (A Woman Under the Influence)
Let’s Talk About…Jennifer’s Body
Let’s Talk About…Morning Glory
Two Oscar Contenders Are the Bread for a Delicious Despair Sandwich (Rabbit Hole, The Fighter)
Let’s Talk About…What We Do Is Secret
Wasted Weekend: Underwater Makeout Session Edition
Rebecca:
A Single Man…Beautiful, Bittersweet Gem
Broken Embraces…Penelope Cruz Will Mesmerize You
Exit Through the Gift Shop…the Title May Say It All
Oscar Buzz for The Social Network
The Beat Generation in Court (Howl)
An Evening With Sam Shepard…Fabulous
Movies Under the Stars…Great Summer Fun! (Star Trek [2009])
Sarah:
We’ll Eat You Up We Love You So (Where the Wild Things Are)
Top Ten Favorites of the Decade!
A Single Man…Beautiful, Bittersweet Gem
Colin Firth in A Single Man.
A SINGLE MAN (2009/IN THEATERS) Colin Firth won the Acting Award at the Venice Film Festival in September for his portrayal of the “single man” of the title—George, a 60s gay college professor who has lost his partner of 16 years– in this stunning first feature directed by Tom Ford, famous fashion designer known for his classic and clean lines. Not a film for everyone, A Single Man is Ford’s first film and focuses on one particular day in George’s life. According to numerous reports, Ford put his own money up and wrote the screenplay (with David Scearce) from the novel of the same name by Christopher Isherwood. The film is sleek and beautiful—visually stunning—not unlike a gorgeous fashion ad that has come to life. The cinematography makes use of color to black and white as well as slow motion/ almost still frames giving the film a first person point of view—allowing us to see this day and related incidents through George’s eyes. Jullianne Moore is perfect as George’s boozy buddy. The sets are perfect as well with fabulous attention to detail; no surprise, the same team who create Mad Men’s sets are credited here. In fact, it’s Jon Hamm’s voice on the phone at the opening of the film—delivering some very bad news. This is the kind of film that was definitely buried, no matter its nominations, at yesterday’s Golden Globe celebration of big box office winners. No matter. It’s up for 3 Independent Spirit Awards: Best Male Lead, Best First Feature and Best First Screenplay. Let’s hope something comes its way.
Grade: A
Last Look…Personal Favorites of the Decade by Year
2000 Almost Famous
2001 Gosford Park
2002 Igby Goes Down
2003 Lost in Translation
2005 Brokeback Mountain
2006 The Lives of Others
2007 Juno
2008 In Bruges
2009 A Serious Man
This Land is Your Land…Up in the Air from Jason Reitman Scores Big
UP IN THE AIR (IN THEATERS/2009) Loads of great reviews have been written about Up in the Air, which boasts a 91 rating on Rotten Tomatoes, is already an award winner, and now is up for no less than 6 Golden Globes and 3 SAG awards. The GG nominations are for all the big ones: Best Picture, Best Director (Jason Reitman), Best Screenplay (Reitman and Sheldon Turner), Actor (George Clooney), Actress (Vera Farmiga) and Supporting Actress (Anna Kendrick). And the Oscar noms will be coming. Kudos to Reitman who based his screenplay on a book of the same title written back in 2001 by Walter Kim — who, according to Wikipedia, wrote the book after meeting a fellow passenger in a first class cabin who enjoyed being on the road more than 300 days a year and was literally living out of an airport locker. Though Reitman began working on the screenplay in 2002, he is ironically fortunate to have brought the film out in 2009—when the theme of corporate downsizing really hits home with the audience. But the bigger theme involves the main character’s philosophy of life—cleverly presented in his “What’s in Your Backpack” corporate seminars. I will not detail the plot of this movie (it’s covered everywhere, literally) but SPOILER ALERT: if you have seen the film and want to discuss the near-final plot twist and the last shot of Ryan Bingham (Clooney) in the film, logon to http://popwatch.ew.com/2009/12/17/up-in-the-air-twist-ending-polls/ and cast your vote! And don’t miss Jason Reitman’s own take on that ending. It’s here ….and it’s a wonderful read.
Grade: A Excellent and worth more than one viewing for sure.
Our Holiday Favorites…Bergman’s The Magic Flute
THE MAGIC FLUTE (Trollflöjten, 1975, Swedish TV) Ingmar Bergman creates a light-hearted, beautiful and very sweet version of Mozart’s The Magic Flute in this lovely film from 1975. I saw it in the theater around Christmas when it first came out and so I remember it fondly as a holiday film. When my children were young, I rented it and made them watch it (opera! horrors!) on New Year’s Eve one year. I think they liked it. Bergman, who evidentally loved this opera as a youth, offers it to us through the eyes of a young boy in the audience. There is a stage and it is absolutely the opera. If you like The Magic Flute, you’ll love this cast. Papageno will remind you of Sam Gamgee the Hobbit—loveable and huggable. Tamino is very handsome, making the perfect hero of the piece. And the Queen of the Night is not only an incredible soprano, but she is beautiful—stunning, in fact.
Available from Amazon (Criterion Collection). Also available on Netflix. A great holiday treat. Enjoy!
The Maid…Hide Your Cats!
THE MAID (“LA NANA”) (2009/IN THEATERS) is one to catch, if it comes to a theater near you. Catalina Saavedra’s fabulous portrayal of the family maid, Raquel (affectionately known as Raqu), in an upscale Chilean family won her a Special Jury Prize for Acting at this year’s Sundance. The movie itself (by director Sebastián Silva) won the Grand Jury Prize for World Cinema—the equivalent of Best Foreign Feature—also at Sundance—and has garnered other awards in its home turf. The movie is funny and poignant at the same time– the main character’s passive-aggressive behavior will definitely make you laugh and shake your head simultaneously. Be sure to stay to the end to see the two Nana’s to whom the film is dedicated. Suggested pairing for a fabulous and also funny contrast: LIVE-IN MAID (“Cama Adentro,” Argentina, 2004)
Grade: A. Highly recommended.
Getting Serious…Coen Brothers’ Style
This man is serious.
A SERIOUS MAN (2009/ IN THEATERS) I’ve now seen it twice. Joel and Ethan Coen’s much admired—and deservedly so—new film which is partly a modern version of the Book of Job, partly a tribute to their suburban Minnesota Jewish up-bringing, and totally a Coen film. It’s funny, dark, well written, beautifully shot, tightly edited and impossible to forget. The acting is superb and the attention to detail is fantastic. The ending has spawned an ongoing discussion over the network–just Google “A Serious Man Ending” and stand back–there are a lot of opinions. Roger Ebert calls this a “wince-wince” comedy. A. O. Scott of the New York Times says “You don’t have to be Jewish to like this movie, but it will hurt more if you are.” Suggested pairing: Crimes and Misdemeaners (1989, Woody Allen)
Grade: A+
