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shadowkatSaw three movies over the weekend with my folks. The first of the three was in the movie theater, and the movie theater was an experience in of itself. Never in my life have I had that comfortable a movie-going experience. If I'd known how comfortable that movie theater was - I'd have insisted on seeing more movies, particularly the Hobbit. But oh well. Walking on the beach with my Dad, shopping at the outlets, and enjoying the lovely lagoon was probably a better expenditure of my time.
The movie seats in this quaint and rather small movie theater in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, which is located in a strip mall of all things, are recliners. They are comfortable, reclining armchairs, complete with foot rests, and lit cup holders. Plus enough leg room between rows to allow people to walk unencumbered in front of your recliner to get to their seat. Only draw-back was the lit cup containers on the arms, which have these annoying little blue lights that you can't turn off and I found distracting. Well, that and the fact that my 71 year old mother had troubles getting out of the recliner after the movie was over - I had to help her.
Anyhow, movie reviews:
1. American Hustle by David O. Russell, which has already made most critics end of year best lists. There's a reason for that, it's brilliant. And possibly amongst the best films I've seen in a while. (Granted I haven't seen that many good films. The last one in a theater was Man of Steel, which unless you have a thing for Henry Cavill, isn't exactly all that interesting. Plus, while that theater was mildly comfortable - it didn't come close to the one in Hilton Head.)
The story, in case you aren't into reading critical movie reviews like I am, is based rather loosely on real events. In fact, the movie starts with the disclaimer: "And some of these events actually happened". (Which should give you an idea of the tongue firmly in cheek tone). And in some respects is this year's Argo, although I actually think it may be a much better movie than Argo. It's about the ABSCAM Scandal. In 1978, the FBI hired a convicted con artist named Irving Rosenfield, played by an almost unrecognizable Christian Bale in the film, to fabricate a sting or scam to catch a bunch of politicians.
That's the historical perspective. The movie version is rather hilarious and oddly touching in places. Despite my better judgement, I found myself liking Irving and Sydney, and rooting for them to succeed.
The cast is brilliant. Russell basically grabbed his favorite stars from the last two movies he made - Bale and Addams from the Fighter, and Lawrence and Cooper from Silver Linings Playbook. I believe Lawrence co-produced the film.
Christian Bale, who is rapidly becoming the man of many body types, gained over 200 pounds to play Rosenfield, and has a cross-over bald spot. His Rosenfield is grotesque, charming and compelling. Bale manages to convey a vulnerability along with a sharp intelligence that explains why Addams character is attracted to him. Amy Addams portrays his partner and lover, Sydney Prosser, who is the consummate con artist, pretending to be a Brit, named Edith, with London Banking connections. Sydney and Irving bond over their mutual love of Duke Ellington amongst other things. They are forced to fabricate a scam by a wild FBI Agent attempting to make it to the big time (Ritchie), portrayed by Bradley Cooper, complete with permed hair. All the while attempting to get around Rosenfield's manipulative and somewhat crazy wife Roslyn, portrayed by Jennifer Lawrence. Jeremy Renner portrays the likable Mayor of Cambden, New Jersey - who really just wants to help his community, even if it is through casino gambling and illegal money laundering, and Louis CK plays Ritchie's reluctant boss, who attempts, unsuccessfully, to reign him in. Robert Deniro makes an almost unrecognizable guest appearance as an aging Miami mobster.
This is one of those films in which the action is propelled forward by dialogue and weirdly the soundtrack. Crafty, clever, dialogue. With a fantastic 1970s musical score. There's one scene in which Jennifer Lawrence's Roslyn, madly cleans her house lip-syncing to Wing's Live and Let Die, while her husband fights for his life due to her manipulations.
Russell plays homage to and pokes fun at the films, political scandals, and styles of the 1970s. While at the same time, managing to tell a gripping, often funny, and ultimately touching human story about a pair of con artists stuck in a government scam gone awry.
Overall rating? A+
2. Nine - directed by Rob Marshall. How's this for a movie adaptation? In 1982, Arthur Kopit and Maury Yeston wrote the musical "Nine" based on Federico Fellini's famous semi-autobiographical film 8 1/2 which was released in 1963. The movie "Nine" is an adaptation of the stage musical.
8 1/2 refers to the number of films Federico Fellini had made up to that point.His previous directorial work consisted of six features, two short segments, and a collaboration with another director, Alberto Lattuada, the latter three productions accounting for a "half" film each.
Guido Anselmi (Marcello Mastroianni), a famous Italian film director, is suffering from "director's block". Stalled on his new science fiction film that includes veiled autobiographical references, he has lost interest amid artistic and marital difficulties. As Guido struggles half-heartedly to work on the film, a series of flashbacks and dreams delve into his memories and fantasies; they are frequently interwoven with reality.
That's 8 1/2.
Nine is more or less the same story, except the film is called Italia and Guido is based closer on Fellini. Also the emphasis is on the women in his life or his relationships with each of them and what they mean to him.
This is what Maury Yeston states in regards to Nine, or rather what he based it on:
Nine was the thing I really desperately wanted to write—never thinking for a minute that it would ever be produced. The movie had a phenomenal impact on me when I saw it as a teenager when it first came out. I was fascinated with Guido who was going through a second adolescence when I was going through my first! As I grew I began to realize that there was room to explore the reactions of the inner workings of the women in Guido’s wake. I think that’s what opened the gateways of creativity for Nine—to hear from these extraordinary women. The great secret of Nine is that it took 8 1/2 and became an essay on the power of women by answering the question, “What are women to men?” And Nine tells you: they are our mothers, our sisters, our teachers, our temptresses, our judges, our nurses, our wives, our mistresses, our muses." - http://www.speakeasystage.com/_pdf/nine_yeston.pdf
Having seen the film, I'd have to state that yes, it is about that. But filmed in a rather fascinating cinematographic style - which in some respects improves upon the original. I hate to say this? But I preferred Nine to 8 1/2 which I found rather slow and sleep inducing. Nine alternates between black and white and color, with the color acting often as Guido's dream sequences. The musical numbers all take place inside Guido's head and are all sung by the various women in his life, from his confidante/costume designer (Judi Dench), muse/lead actress (Nicole Kidman), wife (Marion Cotillard), Mistress (Penelope Cruz), journalist/fan (Kate Hudson), first crush/boy hood sexual obsession (Fergie), and mother (Sophie Loren). Guido is played and rather convincingly by Daniel Day Lewis (who much like Christian Bale, can pretty much play anything). Some are better than others, and they don't use all the numbers from the musical. The movie is shorter than the musical and ends on a brighter and more upbeat note.
It's more feminist than you might expect. [An odd bit about feminism in novels and cinema, sometimes male authors/artists write the female gender better than female artists/writers.
I think it may have something to do with romanticizing or idealizing the opposite gender? (ie. whatever gender, I'm not, must be more interesting and more clever.) Both sexes appear to do it, or so I've discovered. I think there's a human tendency to disparage ourselves?]
At any rate, the women more or less sing the same thing to Guido - they are tired of being his obscure object of desire or being in love with him, but getting little in return.
There's a rather insightful number entitled My Husband Makes Movies - where Cotillard's Louisa sings that movies is his life, everything else comes after. Guido is portrayed as a somewhat self-absorbed, but charming narcissist. A Spengali who makes love to the women in his life, but sees them as merely an extension of himself. Losing them, when they realize it, and wisely step away.
He's not able to break his block, until he lets them go, and reconnects with the boy inside, the boy who loves to make the movies.
I found it haunting in places, and slow in others. My attention did wander at times. That said, it is recommended to fans of surrealistic cinema, and film scholars. It does some interesting things.
3. Gaslight - this is the famous film noir by George Cukor, starring Charles Boyer, Ingrid Bergman, (a 19 year old Angela Langsbury) and Joseph Cotton. Oddly, only Ingrid Bergman and the art direction won oscars, even though it received nominations for best picture and best actor.
The film is amongst the few that resulted in a word being added to our lexicon. "Gaslighting" - came directly from the film's title and did not exist prior to it.
"gaslighting" has come to describe a pattern of psychological abuse in which the victim is gradually manipulated into doubting his or her own reality. This can involve physical tactics (such as moving or hiding objects) or emotional ones (such as denying one's own abusive behavior to a victim). The effect is to maintain the abuser's image as a sympathetic person, while simultaneously priming the disoriented victim to believe that he or she is to blame for the (potentially escalating) mistreatment. -http://emanuellevy.com/review/gaslight-6/ via Wiki.
The film falls into the "Don't Trust Your Husband" paranoia trope of the 1940s film noir. It started with Hitchcock's Rebecca, Suspicion, and Shadow of a Doubt, followed by Gaslight, Jane Eyre, Dragonwyke, The Spiral Staircase, The Two Mrs. Carrolls, Sorry, Wrong Number, and
Sleep My Love. All of these films were effectively shot in black and white. Film noir works better in black and white - because the shadows are emphasized.
In Gaslight - the trope is at its purest. Sheltered and wealthy young woman falls in love with mysterious man, marries him, and becomes trapped in a creaky house, with the man desiring her demise. Boyer played the role dead-pan, which helped the suspense. Arching an eyebrow, or tilting his head. It's a restrained performance. Boyer's husband doesn't desire his wife's demise, so much as he desire's her aunt's jewels, which he searches for at night in the attic. The gaslights are turned up while he searches - to provide light, and down when he returns. But he denies knowledge of the lights, or that anyone is in the attic rummaging around. To add credence to his denial, he does things to make his wife doubt her own senses and memory. Hence the title, "Gaslight", and later the phrase - "gaslighting".
Many television series, books and films have long since copied the trope...but here is the original idea. It's a good film, but knowing the story sort of hampered my enjoyment. I can't help but wonder what I'd have thought of it - if I'd seen it blind or without any knowledge of the plot or themes?
The movie seats in this quaint and rather small movie theater in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, which is located in a strip mall of all things, are recliners. They are comfortable, reclining armchairs, complete with foot rests, and lit cup holders. Plus enough leg room between rows to allow people to walk unencumbered in front of your recliner to get to their seat. Only draw-back was the lit cup containers on the arms, which have these annoying little blue lights that you can't turn off and I found distracting. Well, that and the fact that my 71 year old mother had troubles getting out of the recliner after the movie was over - I had to help her.
Anyhow, movie reviews:
1. American Hustle by David O. Russell, which has already made most critics end of year best lists. There's a reason for that, it's brilliant. And possibly amongst the best films I've seen in a while. (Granted I haven't seen that many good films. The last one in a theater was Man of Steel, which unless you have a thing for Henry Cavill, isn't exactly all that interesting. Plus, while that theater was mildly comfortable - it didn't come close to the one in Hilton Head.)
The story, in case you aren't into reading critical movie reviews like I am, is based rather loosely on real events. In fact, the movie starts with the disclaimer: "And some of these events actually happened". (Which should give you an idea of the tongue firmly in cheek tone). And in some respects is this year's Argo, although I actually think it may be a much better movie than Argo. It's about the ABSCAM Scandal. In 1978, the FBI hired a convicted con artist named Irving Rosenfield, played by an almost unrecognizable Christian Bale in the film, to fabricate a sting or scam to catch a bunch of politicians.
n 1978 the FBI launched a major investigation into federal corruption. In an effort to weasel out the less than ethical politicians working in Washington, the FBI hired convicted con artist Melvin Weinberg, named Irving Rosenfeld and played by Christian Bale in the film, to come up with the ultimate scam.
The FBI launched a fake corporation called Abdul Enterprises, Ltd. to serve as a front for the investigation, with a number of agents posing as Karim Abdul Rahman, the fictional sheik who owned the company. The agents then held a series of meetings with prominent Senators and Representatives at a Georgetown townhouse located at the 4400 block of W Street. The FBI rented the home from Lee Lescaze, a Washington Post editor. During the filmed meetings, the agent posing as Rahman would offer the politicians money in exchange for political asylum and help in illegally transferring money.
Of the 31 members of Congress targeted by ABSCAM, one Senator and six Representatives were convicted of bribery and conspiracy in 1981. Senator Harrison Williams of New Jersey received three years in federal prison for agreeing on tape to take a share of stock in the FBI's fake company and to use his position in the Senate to steer contracts to the company. He was the first U.S. Senator to be imprisoned in over 80 years. Representatives John Jenrette of South Carolina, Richard Kelly of Florida, Raymond Lederer of Pennsylvania, Michael Myers of Pennsylvania, Frank Thompson of New Jersey and John Murphy of New York were also all found guilty and each served less than three years in jail.
Following the ABSCAM scandal, Congress held a number of hearings into the tactics used in FBI sting operations. There was a great deal of criticism of the agency's choice to hire a known con artist to set up the parameters of the operation, as well as questions regarding whether or not the set up of the scam could have been considered entrapment. Afterwards the Justice Department issued a number of guidelines for the FBI regarding undercover operations.
That's the historical perspective. The movie version is rather hilarious and oddly touching in places. Despite my better judgement, I found myself liking Irving and Sydney, and rooting for them to succeed.
The cast is brilliant. Russell basically grabbed his favorite stars from the last two movies he made - Bale and Addams from the Fighter, and Lawrence and Cooper from Silver Linings Playbook. I believe Lawrence co-produced the film.
Christian Bale, who is rapidly becoming the man of many body types, gained over 200 pounds to play Rosenfield, and has a cross-over bald spot. His Rosenfield is grotesque, charming and compelling. Bale manages to convey a vulnerability along with a sharp intelligence that explains why Addams character is attracted to him. Amy Addams portrays his partner and lover, Sydney Prosser, who is the consummate con artist, pretending to be a Brit, named Edith, with London Banking connections. Sydney and Irving bond over their mutual love of Duke Ellington amongst other things. They are forced to fabricate a scam by a wild FBI Agent attempting to make it to the big time (Ritchie), portrayed by Bradley Cooper, complete with permed hair. All the while attempting to get around Rosenfield's manipulative and somewhat crazy wife Roslyn, portrayed by Jennifer Lawrence. Jeremy Renner portrays the likable Mayor of Cambden, New Jersey - who really just wants to help his community, even if it is through casino gambling and illegal money laundering, and Louis CK plays Ritchie's reluctant boss, who attempts, unsuccessfully, to reign him in. Robert Deniro makes an almost unrecognizable guest appearance as an aging Miami mobster.
This is one of those films in which the action is propelled forward by dialogue and weirdly the soundtrack. Crafty, clever, dialogue. With a fantastic 1970s musical score. There's one scene in which Jennifer Lawrence's Roslyn, madly cleans her house lip-syncing to Wing's Live and Let Die, while her husband fights for his life due to her manipulations.
Russell plays homage to and pokes fun at the films, political scandals, and styles of the 1970s. While at the same time, managing to tell a gripping, often funny, and ultimately touching human story about a pair of con artists stuck in a government scam gone awry.
Overall rating? A+
2. Nine - directed by Rob Marshall. How's this for a movie adaptation? In 1982, Arthur Kopit and Maury Yeston wrote the musical "Nine" based on Federico Fellini's famous semi-autobiographical film 8 1/2 which was released in 1963. The movie "Nine" is an adaptation of the stage musical.
8 1/2 refers to the number of films Federico Fellini had made up to that point.His previous directorial work consisted of six features, two short segments, and a collaboration with another director, Alberto Lattuada, the latter three productions accounting for a "half" film each.
Guido Anselmi (Marcello Mastroianni), a famous Italian film director, is suffering from "director's block". Stalled on his new science fiction film that includes veiled autobiographical references, he has lost interest amid artistic and marital difficulties. As Guido struggles half-heartedly to work on the film, a series of flashbacks and dreams delve into his memories and fantasies; they are frequently interwoven with reality.
That's 8 1/2.
Nine is more or less the same story, except the film is called Italia and Guido is based closer on Fellini. Also the emphasis is on the women in his life or his relationships with each of them and what they mean to him.
This is what Maury Yeston states in regards to Nine, or rather what he based it on:
Nine was the thing I really desperately wanted to write—never thinking for a minute that it would ever be produced. The movie had a phenomenal impact on me when I saw it as a teenager when it first came out. I was fascinated with Guido who was going through a second adolescence when I was going through my first! As I grew I began to realize that there was room to explore the reactions of the inner workings of the women in Guido’s wake. I think that’s what opened the gateways of creativity for Nine—to hear from these extraordinary women. The great secret of Nine is that it took 8 1/2 and became an essay on the power of women by answering the question, “What are women to men?” And Nine tells you: they are our mothers, our sisters, our teachers, our temptresses, our judges, our nurses, our wives, our mistresses, our muses." - http://www.speakeasystage.com/_pdf/nine_yeston.pdf
Having seen the film, I'd have to state that yes, it is about that. But filmed in a rather fascinating cinematographic style - which in some respects improves upon the original. I hate to say this? But I preferred Nine to 8 1/2 which I found rather slow and sleep inducing. Nine alternates between black and white and color, with the color acting often as Guido's dream sequences. The musical numbers all take place inside Guido's head and are all sung by the various women in his life, from his confidante/costume designer (Judi Dench), muse/lead actress (Nicole Kidman), wife (Marion Cotillard), Mistress (Penelope Cruz), journalist/fan (Kate Hudson), first crush/boy hood sexual obsession (Fergie), and mother (Sophie Loren). Guido is played and rather convincingly by Daniel Day Lewis (who much like Christian Bale, can pretty much play anything). Some are better than others, and they don't use all the numbers from the musical. The movie is shorter than the musical and ends on a brighter and more upbeat note.
It's more feminist than you might expect. [An odd bit about feminism in novels and cinema, sometimes male authors/artists write the female gender better than female artists/writers.
I think it may have something to do with romanticizing or idealizing the opposite gender? (ie. whatever gender, I'm not, must be more interesting and more clever.) Both sexes appear to do it, or so I've discovered. I think there's a human tendency to disparage ourselves?]
At any rate, the women more or less sing the same thing to Guido - they are tired of being his obscure object of desire or being in love with him, but getting little in return.
There's a rather insightful number entitled My Husband Makes Movies - where Cotillard's Louisa sings that movies is his life, everything else comes after. Guido is portrayed as a somewhat self-absorbed, but charming narcissist. A Spengali who makes love to the women in his life, but sees them as merely an extension of himself. Losing them, when they realize it, and wisely step away.
He's not able to break his block, until he lets them go, and reconnects with the boy inside, the boy who loves to make the movies.
I found it haunting in places, and slow in others. My attention did wander at times. That said, it is recommended to fans of surrealistic cinema, and film scholars. It does some interesting things.
3. Gaslight - this is the famous film noir by George Cukor, starring Charles Boyer, Ingrid Bergman, (a 19 year old Angela Langsbury) and Joseph Cotton. Oddly, only Ingrid Bergman and the art direction won oscars, even though it received nominations for best picture and best actor.
The film is amongst the few that resulted in a word being added to our lexicon. "Gaslighting" - came directly from the film's title and did not exist prior to it.
"gaslighting" has come to describe a pattern of psychological abuse in which the victim is gradually manipulated into doubting his or her own reality. This can involve physical tactics (such as moving or hiding objects) or emotional ones (such as denying one's own abusive behavior to a victim). The effect is to maintain the abuser's image as a sympathetic person, while simultaneously priming the disoriented victim to believe that he or she is to blame for the (potentially escalating) mistreatment. -http://emanuellevy.com/review/gaslight-6/ via Wiki.
The film falls into the "Don't Trust Your Husband" paranoia trope of the 1940s film noir. It started with Hitchcock's Rebecca, Suspicion, and Shadow of a Doubt, followed by Gaslight, Jane Eyre, Dragonwyke, The Spiral Staircase, The Two Mrs. Carrolls, Sorry, Wrong Number, and
Sleep My Love. All of these films were effectively shot in black and white. Film noir works better in black and white - because the shadows are emphasized.
In Gaslight - the trope is at its purest. Sheltered and wealthy young woman falls in love with mysterious man, marries him, and becomes trapped in a creaky house, with the man desiring her demise. Boyer played the role dead-pan, which helped the suspense. Arching an eyebrow, or tilting his head. It's a restrained performance. Boyer's husband doesn't desire his wife's demise, so much as he desire's her aunt's jewels, which he searches for at night in the attic. The gaslights are turned up while he searches - to provide light, and down when he returns. But he denies knowledge of the lights, or that anyone is in the attic rummaging around. To add credence to his denial, he does things to make his wife doubt her own senses and memory. Hence the title, "Gaslight", and later the phrase - "gaslighting".
Many television series, books and films have long since copied the trope...but here is the original idea. It's a good film, but knowing the story sort of hampered my enjoyment. I can't help but wonder what I'd have thought of it - if I'd seen it blind or without any knowledge of the plot or themes?