SEX & DRUGS & ROCK & ROLL

This unlikely film is about an unlikely Punk musician who was an eccentric and wild performer and whose music with its bizarre lyrics was an unforgettable presence on the Brit music scene until his untimely death at the age of 57 in 2000. Ian Dury’s childhood polio my have left him physically disabled but it seemed to strengthen his resolve to both rebel and succeed in life.  Sadly, it’s not really clear from this somewhat confusing biopic if he actually did.  True his larger than life personality combined with a remarkable talent eventually gave him hit records and a lavish lifestyle, but he was so dysfunctional that he was unable to forge any sort of meaningful relationship with his wife, girlfriend, son or even his many band members.

The movie is too patchy to do this fascinating man justice.  I am the least likely punk rock fan ever, but I do remember Mr. Dury’s manic appearances on Brit TV at the time with great affection and admiration: he was wonderfully unique, and in the words of one of his songs, he was in fact some ‘Reasons to Be Cheerful.’

The redeeming feature of the movie is the sublime performance by Andy Series (yep, the same guy who plays Gollum in 'The Lords of The Rings’).  His insightful portrayal is totally electrifying, and makes an otherwise somewhat middle of the road movie a joy to watch.   Who knew he could act as brilliantly as this outside that tiny rubber suit?

★★★★★★★

GESHER

Sometimes I sit through excruciatingly painful boring movies so that you don’t have too.  To be totally honest I will ‘fess up that I don’t do this deliberately, but it’s just the downside of trying to want to push the envelope with my viewing choices.

The blurb from Miami International Film Fest Schedule ‘a portrait of life’s difficulties in modern day Iran’ intrigued me sufficiently, but once the opening credits rolled I very quickly sort of lost it. I was never ever sure if it was meant to be a documentary on these 3 migrant workers desolate lives, or a very sad narrative where nothing much happened at all.  It wasn’t helped by the fact that every single shot was from a fixed camera, often in the distance, and that stayed on that one scene for an excessively long time. The snail-like pace of all the (in)action was unendurable

The men were so poor that they were forced to make makeshift homes in disused sections of pipe in the Oil Refinery (I think) they worked. But none of the facts were clear at all in this totally bizarre movie, except that one of the men’s job was unblocking the hole-in-the-floor toilets.  The director found it necessary to show him doing this on three different occasions. It was totally disgusting esp. when his pump breaks down, and I know that this should not be the one element that sticks in your memory afterwards,  but trust me it does.  It gave rise to a number of very in-appropiate puns  : a sh-t movie about sh-t, or A Kurd with Some T … , well you get the drift.

Evidently it won an Award at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival, somehow I cannot see it repeating that here.  

IMELDA

Sometimes even obsessed cine-philes let a wee gem slip past them, and this is one from 2004 that I was so thrilled to catch up with.

This Sundance award winning doc. about the infamous former First Lady of the Philippines is a sheer delight and shows what a consummate actor Imelda Marcos is.  She believed if she behaved like royalty then people would treat her as if she were. Naturally this was not at all selfish as she kept asserting,  she only acted like a star cos it made all the poor people in her country very happy.  Hmmm!

The film follows her from her youth as a glamorous Miss Philippines beauty queen. Well, she actually came in 2^nd but bullied the judges into reversing the decision: so she sort of started as she meant to go on.  She wed handsome Senator Ferdinand Marcos after an 11-day courtship, and their marriage suited each other for different reasons.  But one of the undisputable facts in the story is that without Imelda, Ferdinand would never have won the Presidency at the early age of 36.

The movie doesn’t attempt dig up any new dirt about the corruption and intrigue that has filled her later life because it is already so well documented.  And frankly there would be little point as Imelda is THE Queen of Denial: sitting as cool as a cucumber she calmly refutes anything and everything as mere rumors and gossip without blinking an eyelash. It is a wonderfully delicious performance and you never ever get a glimmer or hint to see if she is the ultimate self-delusionist or the world’s most accomplished liar.  For example, her couturier talking to camera about how demanding and unreasonable Imelda was, mentioned that most of his atelier had to work 24 hours per day to finish the intricate hand embroidery on all her many dresses, so much so several went blind. The next frame Imelda bursts into her usual mantra about ‘love’ ‘beauty’ and ‘truth’ without any hint of irony.  And as to the tragedy regarding the Film Festival Center  that she ordered to be built to rival that of Cannes in such a hurry that it the different layers of cement  never settled and at least 20 workers died when their scaffolding collapsed AND were left buried in the cement in the finished building.  Never happened said The First Lady, but the building has never ever been occupied as the locals fear there are souls that are not at rest there.

A totally fascinating enigmatic megalomaniac who was responsible for so much corruption, and even more importantly, abuse to human rights, and yet I was completely mesmerized and in awe of this magnificent over-dressed creature on the screen.  Even by giving the filmmakers unparalleled access to follow her (almost) everywhere, you were always aware that the pro in her must have manipulated them to ensure that each frame flattered her perfectly.  In the same way that she carefully considered everything she said even though so much of it were all her clichéd mantras.

Imelda loved the fact that after the matter of her shoe collection hit the tabloids around the world, a poster appeared all over New York with a pile of shoes on it.  It said ‘There’s a Little Bit of Imelda in All of Us’.  In my case I will admit its sort of true, but I know my limits. Unlike the ex First Lady I will not build a Shrine for my death that is dedicated equally to Her and Jesus.  I mean, why share the billing?

P.S. If you like movies like ‘The Eyes of Tammy Faye’ you’ll love this one.  They are similar high-drama queens, except one used to have more shoes

★★★★★★★★

IN A BETTER WORLD

I thought I had experienced everything I could in a movie theater already, that is until last night.  How often would I ever get to sit behind (not literally) the film’s director as she clutches the Oscar that tonight’s movie won her?

‘She’ is of course the renowned Danish filmmaker Susanna Bier, and the occasion is Miami International Film Fest honoring her with a Lifetime Achievement Award, and the East Coast Premiere of ‘ In A Better World’.  And after last’ weeks win, it is also something of a celebration too.

This gripping heartbreaking drama of two broken families deals with the very topical theme of bullying and retaliation, and how it affects us all.  It opens with Anton, a divorced father,  in the African refugee hospital he runs and who is eventually pushed hard enough after the violence he witnesses to break his   Hippocratic oath and allow a brutal warlord to die.  Back home in Denmark his teenage son Elias is the victim of school bullies, a situation left unchecked until Christian, a new boy, arrives and befriends him and violently attacks the perpetrator on his behalf.

Anton attempts to teach the boys that violence is wrong, but fails to convince them when they are all out together and he has an encounter with Lars an adult bully.  Christian, driven by the anger he has after the recent death of his mother and his distant and absent father, decides that he will avenge Anton, and all of them, by an extreme measure of making a homemade bomb to plant under Lars’s car.

This beautifully crafted film that centers on these two young boys tells this substantial story with intelligence and real warmth as it tackles issues of courage and honesty head on.  It’s extremely intense, completely unpredictable and acutely believable.  Ms Bier’s familiar stunning intimate close-ups add a perfect dimension to the high drama …. but then again all the camerawork is superb, especially of  the scenes set in Africa.

As Ms Bier acknowledged to us in her Introduction (clutching the Oscar still!) she is blessed with working regular with many craftsmen that have worked on several of her previous movies, including writer Anders Thomas Jensen, and the main acting ensemble too. And it really shows, as they work so well as a cohesive team.  Christian and Elias are however played by two amazing talented young newcomers who have never ever acted before.

R.T.V. In all honesty this movie took me by surprise.  I knew it would be good, but I was still shocked actually how excellent it really is. Emotionally draining, but totally satisfying, this is as near perfect as movies get.

P.S. IF the Academy had allowed me to vote I would have plumped for Biutiful to win Best Foreign Language Film.  But that was before I saw In A Better World.

★★★★★★★★★★
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CHICO AND RITA

To select a Animated Movie for the Opening Night Gala of an International Film Festival is a brave decision, and in Miami it almost worked. 

The movie was Chico & Rita, a delightful narrative that traced the whole incredible culture of Cuban music over the past 60 years and the major influences it had on musicians in the US and indeed all around the world.  Told as a love story between two struggling musicians each battling their own demons and also fighting the deeply inbred racism of the period, it is a magnificent showcase of some incredibly wonderful music.  Totally visually stunning with some magnificent art direction, it‘s sad then that the story line lacks real clarity and fails to really engage one’s attention sufficiently.

Worth viewing for the artwork and music alone, and even though unlike  many of my neighbors here, I am a ‘gringo’, as I watched the movie, I too had this over-whelming desire to want to go back in time to the Havana of those days.

★★★★★★★
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POTICHE

Any new movie from Francois Ozon, one of my favorite directors, is something that I always eagerly anticipate.  And true to form his latest one that I have just watched at the Miami Film Festival was classic Ozon, and a real treat.

Set in 1977 it’s the story of Suzanne a sadly put-upon trophy wife (potiche) of Robert a tyrannical little man who runs the family owned umbrella factory.  Hated by all his employees, barely tolerated by his wife, ignored by his children, and his reign of terror comes screeching to a halt when his striking workers hold him hostage.  Suzanne pays a visit to M. Babin who is not only the Mayor and Local Communist MP but once had a fling with Suzanne in their very distant pasts.  With all the stress Robert has a heart attack and Suzanne takes over the business and discovers to everyone’s sheer surprise  (especially her own) that she actually is a confident and competent woman who excels at being a fair minded and efficient Boss.

This truly delightful movie probably reads like a classic French boulevard comedy on the page but in the talented hands of M. Ozon it becomes a deliciously hilarious and extremely camp comedy.  It’s made so watchable primarily because Suzanne is played by the grande dame of French Cinema Catherine Deneuve, who’s captivating performance here makes all the somewhat silly twists and turns of the plot almost believable.

A delectable treat, with a very distinct old-fashioned feel to it, that is quintessentially French. Where else would the winning candidate in an election burst into song?  And for really silliness, picture this:  the elegant Ms Deneuve as Suzanne and a fiercely overweight Gerard Depardieu as M. Babin in a nightclub doing the ‘Night Fever’ dance routine together…hmm!

R.T.V. If you loved M. Ozon’s  '8 Women’ then you will adore this.  It’s no masterpiece, but still a great deal of silly fun.

★★★★★★★
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CARLOS

For the best part of 25 years Ilich Ramirez Sanchez was one of the world’s most wanted fugitives as he, and his gang, wreaked havoc and a whole trail of death and destruction as possibly the most pernicious terrorists of the last century.  Infamously known as ‘Carlos The Jackal’ he achieved notoriety with his audacious raid on an Oil Ministers Meeting at OPEC Headquarters in Vienna, which killed 3 people.  This was followed by a string of attacks, some successful, and some completely bungled, against various Western targets allegedly to further the cause of the Palestine people.

A great deal of myth and legend was built up about Carlos throughout the 1980’s and he almost rivaled Elvis in the number of ‘sightings’ and claims that filled the newspapers at the time. So much so that this movie carries a very definite statement that is purely a fictionalized account of the story: after all Carlos himself was only ever charged with very few crimes and is currently languishing in a French Jail for the murder of (only!) 3 people.

Judging it then as work of fiction, this is a powerful film of an intriguing and fascinating man who is somewhat abstruse and enigmatic. Perhaps it was the sublime performance of Edgar Ramirez, or the underlying intent of Oliver Assayas the director/co-writer, but one cannot nevertheless sympathize with Carlos and actually admire the man.  It’s a total illogical to respond like that as even as a private person, Carlos was undoubtedly a real piece of work to anyone that crossed his path esp. women who he had an insatiable sexual appetite for.  What’s to like about a man like that, but we do mostly up until the end of his ‘career’ when he seems to lose all pretence of any morals and political convictions and just becomes a hired assassin for who ever will pay the most money.

R.T.V. Carlos’s run was long, as is this movie.  Released in theaters in various different versions, and also as television mini-series, the full version lasts a tad over 5 hours.  BUT you never ever even notice the time: its fast-paced, action packed, a veritable geography lesson as it continually flits from country to country, and a wonderful insight into the underbelly of the political extremes of that period.  It took me time to free my schedule see it all in almost one go, and I am so pleased I did, cos I really would not have wanted to miss this amazing cinematic experience.

The movie won a Golden Globe, and a Nomination for Mr. Ramirez. Not for the fact he speaks 5 languages and acts in a great deal more, but because he so shines out with his electrifying passion and makes this so immensely watchable. I hope we see more of him (and not just physically, he's done that all ready … I mean do all terrorists get naked so often as he did?)

P.S. This movie could win yet another award for having the most cigarettes smoked ever.  They never ever stopped whether in bed, in a plane, in the bath ….did we really all smoke that much back then?

★★★★★★★★★
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KINGS OF PASTRY

If watching grown men burst into tears over a tart that can ruin their lives is your idea of fun, then this is the movie for you.

This truly captivating movie from award winning filmmakers D. A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegadus ('The War Room' 'Moon Over Broadway') follows three Pastry Chefs as they go into training to prepare for  an extremely stressful three-day somewhat scary competition that looks more grueling than the Tour De France.  It’s all about the ultimate recognition of their profession of winning one of the highly privileged collars awarded to the winners of the Meilleur Ouvrier de France (Best Craftsman in France).  They do of course have to create far more than tarts and the seemingly endless list of confectionery culinary masterpieces they are required to make includes delicate chocolates to precarious six foot sugar sculptures that could easily end up being their downfall.

Right up to the competition, which is only held every four years, it is obvious that this is not just a dream and ambition but an absolute obsession of all the Chefs taking part.  As well as their extraordinary skills and passion, they need nerves as steel…. as did I just watching as I ended up a total nervous wreck worrying if they, and their delicate sculptures, would end the day in one piece.

Nail biting to the very end, but I wouldn’t have missed it even for the very large chocolate gateau I was gagging for by the end.   My tip for a successful viewing of this movie is eat first and then ensure you have a large bottle of vodka (or whatever) to steady your nerves.

P.S. And if you had thought from my opening paragraph that I was referring to the other kind of tarts that have no morals and wear short skirts, then you would have been in good company. I mean why else did President Sarkozy turn up at the end to present the Awards, because we know that he’s not known to hang around bakeries!

★★★★★★★★

RESTREPO

This extraordinary documentary is the ultimate in cinema verite and is the work of two intrepid and fearless filmmakers who chose to live through a grueling 14-month tour of duty with a company of American solders in one of the most dangerous parts of Afghanistan.  They witness and record everything that happens: reconnaissance missions, constant gunfights, backbreaking manual work, the unceasing hours of grinding boredom, the unfettered camaraderie of all these very young men who could have their lives cut short at any given moment.

Based in Korangal Valley in a sparsely inhabited mountainous region considered by the Army of vital strategic importance,  so the solders had to endure the daily attacks by the Taliban (euphemistically called ‘engagements with the enemy’) and simply try to stay alive. Some didn’t manage that (their Outpost 'Restrepo' is named one) and witnessing the men’s impassioned emotions when one of their comrades is killed is a powerful heartbreaking reminder that this is not a movie, but a real war in real life.

When the Tour is over the two filmmakers Sebastian Junger & Tim Heatherington interview each of the soldiers who are all trying to make sense of what they have done and seen.  As we too are, as mere observers.  Credit to the filmmakers for avoiding political discussions or making any judgments on this war, or war in general.  That reality of watching young man willing to sacrifice their own lives in the name of their country defending a part of a foreign region that the Army withdraws from a few months later, is something we cannot avoid questioning ourselves.

R.T.V. I am in total awe of the brave young men who chose to risk everything for us all, as I also am of the filmmakers who’s own intrepidness ended up with this exceptional and stunning piece of journalism which may have been pipped at the post for an Oscar, but should be compulsory viewing for everyone.  It’s a rare film that I give a perfect score too : and this is one such movie.

★★★★★★★★★★

THE CONCERT

Thirty years ago Andrei Fillipo was the renowned director of the Bolshoi Orchestra when his starry career was abruptly cut short and he was dramatically fired mid concert for hiring Jewish musicians.  He has now been reduced to being a janitor at the Bolshoi Theater and when he’s cleaning the Director's Office one day a Fax comes in from the prominent Chatelet Theater in Paris inviting the Bolshoi to play there.  Filipov steals the fax and decides to re-form his old orchestra to perform in their place and so sets about gathering together an odd assortment of rather scruffy musicians from his Gypsy and Jewish friends to pay his beloved Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto once again.

He demands that the Chatelet Management hire the star violinist Anne-Marie Jacquet to be the Soloist but we discover that his reasoning for this choice is not just based on her talent and fame but on a dark and hidden secret that is in fact the whole impetus of the Concert.

Part farce, part melodrama this charming French movie by Romanian director Radu Mihaileanu is a real ragbag like the Orchestra itself.  It milks every drop of the dramatic schmaltz music of the Concerto (wonderfully filmed) with some unashamedly tear-jerking moments, but then slips in some unnecessary ridiculous comic scenes that bring you up short. However there are also some wonderful inspired farcical moments that are completely hilarious.

The Russian actor Alexei Guskov gives a remarkable sorrowful performance as Filipov, but the highpoint for me is probably Melanie Laurent as Anne-Marie, and just as with her turn in ‘Inglorious Bastards’ she is so radiant on screen she adds a crucial dimension to the emotional drama, as well as totally convincing us that she really is playing that violin!

Far from perfect, but most enjoyable.

★★★★★★★

CLIENT 9 : THE RISE & FALL OF ELIOT SPITZER

After watching ‘INSIDE JOB’ the Oscar nominated Documentary that tales a really close look at what brought about the global financial meltdown I really wanted to know more about Eliot Spitzer who, as New York State Attorney General had been the ONLY single person to actually do anything about curbing all the excess, malpractices and fraud on Wall Street. 

Written and directed by award winning Alex Gibney ('Taxi To The Dark Side’, ‘Enron, The Smartest Guys In The Room'), it follows the strange tale of how Eliot Spitzer an agressive reforming popular Democrat Governor was brought down and ultimately resigned when the FBI exposed a high class Escort Agency that he had been using on a regular basis.  The fact that Spitzer was guilty of a moral lapse and deceit was never denied by him, and he speaks frankly on camera in some detail about the situation.  The real question that the movie raises was the concept of a conspiracy by all the embittered tycoons who he had the courage to investigate and, in some cases institute criminal charges.  Nothing is totally proven, but its difficult not to reach the same conclusion that Gibney’s movie does, and that there were undoubtedly some powerful people out to get Spitzer.

What I admired about the film was the fact it took great strides not to be piece of propaganda, and I came way feeling that the country had lost a great politician simply because of sex.  After all, as the film points out President Clinton not only survived getting a b.j. in the Oval Office but he is today one of the most popular politicians in this country.

Spitzer is a very likable man and the only thing I found discomforting was that his favorite word that he repeats all the time is hubris, and yet something I think he was being slightly arrogant himself thinking he would never ever get found out.


Unmissable.


★★★★★★★★
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MISSISSIPI DAMNED

This rather harrowing narrative about an extended black family in the 8os’ & 90’s in semi rural Mississippi was an inspired choice for the opening movie of ‘O’ Cinema, Miami’s newest edgy Art House Theater. A deeply disturbing debut film from writer/director Tina Mabry, which is even more disturbing on reflection when I discovered after viewing that the story is totally autobiographical.

It follows three children struggling to grow up in households where a parent is trying to make ends meet on the meager pay of a low-skilled job, and the obstacles that exasperate their daily lives.  There’s addiction, violence and abuse and denial about it all, which leads to such despair that blights the children’s lives despite the early hope that, unlike their parents, they would rise above it all.  One of them actually does, and she is the bright hope that gives a much-needed glimpse of optimism to this sad picture.

As dark and depressing as the story is, its still rather compelling viewing due to an amazing ensemble of talented actors who make this a powerfully gripping experience.

As part of the Programming Committee of MGLFF in 2009 I (we) thought it unsuitable for our particular audience and we never showed it.  It went on to win 2 major Awards at other Gay & Lesbian Festivals, so maybe I (we) was wrong.  Wearing no hats but my own this time, I found this very disquieting film emotionally draining by all the issues it confronts, but I am extremely glad I did watch it again. 

If our new indie  ‘O” Cinema gives a home to stunning wee movies like this, then maybe they will have a chance to reach the audiences that they so deserve.


★★★★★★★

THE AMERICAN

This movie didn’t really appear on my radar when it opened in the US in September 2010.  It was after all a small film with a Big American Star with an unknown, but pretty cast, with unpronounceable names.  However I had one of those ‘Kevin Bacon 6 Degrees’ moments on the plane yesterday and suddenly was intrigued to watch it.  The screenplay was by Rowan Joffee, who directed and wrote ‘Brighton Rock’ which I so enjoyed in London last week.  ‘Brighton Rock’ starred Sam Riley who had given his breakout performance in ‘Control’ the movie based on The Joy Division which Anton Corbijn directed.  Mr Corbijn also directed ‘The American’.  And there we have it.

Beautifully shot on location in the very picturesque Italian countryside, this is one of those thrillers where everybody chases each other in cars and carries a gun and shoots strangers dead before they even chat to them which kind of makes it tougher to work out who’s a goodie and who’s a baddie , but more importantly, what the frigging plot  is actually about.  George Clooney seems to just sail though it being George Clooney, and as always being distracted by a pretty girl, and the only difference being that in this movie he orders his daily espresso in Italian (complete with a bad accent).

It’s intense and tricky, and maybe a tad too clever for it’s own good.

★★★★★★

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BARNEY'S VERSION

Barney seems to sail precariously through his drama-packed life, but we are never sure how or why.  At the reception party for his second marriage his falls head over heals for a total stranger after one breathtaking glimpse and pursues her recklessly and persistently for months until she caves in just when he manages to get un-wed again.  The fact that Miriam is played by the sublime Rosamund Pike makes sense, but why a beauty should fall for an unkempt overweight vulgar un-attractive mess like Barney doesn’t. But they do marry, make a life together, have two children and live happily for years until Barney blows it all and even Miriam’s seemingly endless patience can take no more.

I’ve skipped through what is rather a lengthy plot which starts with a young Barney sowing his wild oats in the 1970’s to the present time when is grappling with the onslaught of Alzheimer’s.  Despite all the detail, and the fact that he is essentially a very likable character, we never get to really know who Barney is.  Paul Giametti is in his element playing yet another irascible excessive oddball man who both irritates and intrigues us at the same time and who we cannot fail to like (think Harvey Pekar in ‘American Splendor’, and Miles in ‘Sideways’).  His energetic and intense performance makes this rambling and slightly confusing comic drama based on Mordecai Richter’s best selling novel well worth watching. 

R.T.V. Mr. Giametti’s star turn may have won him a Best Actor Golden Globe, but if there was another award for scene stealing, I would un-hesitantly give it to Dustin Hoffman who is superbly funny as Barney’s father.  However I would reserve the main prize to remarkable talented Brit actor Rosamund Pike who’s quiet understated performance as the put-upon wife was a sheer joy to watch in this her first , hopefully of many, Hollywood leading roles.

★★★★★★★
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BRIGHTON ROCK

It’s so hard to avoid not being more than a tad suspicious when some bright spark decides to remark a classic film noir, esp. when they turn out to be such insipid copies of the original.  Think the stunning ‘Plein Soliel’ turned into ‘The Talented Mr. Ripley’.  Remember? I rest my case! 

So I was more than a little concerned when I read that writer Rowan Joffe, on a high after his very successful screenplays  for ‘Control’ & ‘The American’, chose to adapt Graham Greene’s classic novel ‘Brighton Rock’ for his movie-directing debut.  For the 1947 movie Greene co-wrote the screenplay with none other than Terrance Rattigan, and with Richard Attenborough giving a breakout performance it is treasured Brit movie.

Joffe has transposed this story of small league gangsters in this seaside town from the 1930’s to the mid 1960’s and enhanced the period piece by invoking the social unrest between the youth factions of Mods and Rockers of the time. Brighton Rock is a great wee story about a young socio-path Pinkie who is hell-bent on clawing his way to becoming the boss of one of the crime gangs who are running the town.  Trying to cover his tracks on a couple of bungled murders and exerting his own eye for an eye justice, he crosses swords with both Mr. Colleioni … the local Mr. Big … and the police.  Pinkie’s one ace is the meek impressionable waitress Rose who is an inadvertent witness. and he manipulates her affections to keep her quiet.  It is however Rose, and her unconditional devotion, that ends up putting their lives at risk.

R.T.V. We Brits do excel at period pieces and this is no exception.  An exhilarating fast paced drama that is an impressive directing debut.  Sam Riley, who we first really noticed on our screens  as as a superb Ian Curtis in ‘Control’, is a pitch-perfect Pinkie with his scar and scowl and has a real edge that nice Dickie Attenborough never had.  And what a delight young Andrea Riseborough is as Rose .. I loved the one scene where she hollered out the top of her voice, totally out of character  ' I Wanna Be Bad!’  Me too.

Such a pity these two young leads were so poorly served by Helen Mirren, who I thought could never do wrong, but was so uncomfortably miscast as a 50 year old Restaurant Manager/Really-A-Good-Woman, and John Hurt, who was indescribably bad as a Turf Accountant/Bookmaker.

Even so, I still think this is on my ‘un-missable’ list.  And have I changed my minds about re-makes?  I have to confess that I need to re-watch the 1947 movie again as I don't remember all the details that much.  Trouble is I may have difficulty doing so back in Miami as the movie was only released for a couple of weeks in the US as recently as 2007  (re-titled 'Young Scarface').  Why?  I have absolutely no idea. 
 
P.S. Available now (2013) on Amazon VOD

★★★★★★★★

THE COMPANY MEN

The company in question is in fact a corporation called GTX which once  made things that were real like ships but now it just makes money, bucket loads of it.  And it  did this very well until the credit crunch of 2008 happened and suddenly everyone started to feel the pinch.  Evidently the stockholders felt it most and to appease them and keep the stock price high, the CEO, without a moment's hesitation, instructs his lawyers to lay off several thousands of people at a time with scant regard of the consequences on any of their lives.  The fact that the Company Men in this case are not blue-collared manual workers but wealthy and privileged executives earning 6 figure salaries and driving Porsches and living in fancy houses, means that I guess in the bigger scheme of things one really should not feel that sorry for them.  After all they may be jobless, and the Porsche may have to go, but they are not exactly on welfare.  But somehow I did.  Just a tad.  Care that is.

Could be cos the fact that life-altering situations such as this do impact all ‘victims’ and their families on a major scale regardless of the size of their (last) pay packet.  Some people never ever recover, but others like 2 of the main protagonists here, actually come through it having reclaimed some of their ideals and principles that they had sacrificed clawing their way up the company ladder.

Could be also that this is a really well crafted movie that has been made by some very powerful talent both sides of the camera.  It’s the feature film directing debut of John Wells the multi-Emmy winning main man behind such mega TV hits such as ‘ER’ and ‘West Wing’ .  And his most impressive cast of acting heavyweights includes no less than 4 Oscar winners viz. Ben Affleck, Timmy Lee Jones, Chris Cooper and Kevin Costner.  It was the reason that I saw the movie, and I’m glad I did as it was at least entertaining.  And it made me think too.  Just a tad.

★★★★★★★
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BLUE VALENTINE

Last January at my first Sundance I discovered movie fatigue.  Well, that’s what I thought at the time when I came out of a screening of ‘Blue Valentine’ extremely under whelmed, yet seemingly everyone else there was raving (!) about the film.  Flash forward to now when the movie  is on the big screen at the Multiplex and I felt the need to revisit it to see what, if anything, I missed.

Dean and Cindy are a young working-class married couple working hard simply to keep afloat.  Dean was a high school drop out from a broken home whose ambition never exceeded beyond anything other than marrying Cindy who he fell in love with at first sight. That, and a few beers, maybe too occasionally. Cindy, also from a dysfunctional home, is a nurse  but believes life has more to offer, which kind of sets at odds with her hubby.  The movie flashes back and forth between the start of the relationship, and the 6 years in between, until the present time as if it is trying to remember what went wrong.  It’s never really clear why they fell out of love, as it isn’t often in life off the screen, but they do, and that’s it , it’s over.

R.T.V.Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling are a truly delightlful couple of very talented actors who make these characters their own, and with  a real, sizzling chemistry between them.  I guess Dean ( aka Ryan) is meant to be the villain of the piece, or the scapegoat for the failure of this marriage, but somehow to me it didn’t feel so. 

I remember too why I reacted so at Sundance. I found as the movie constantly flashed between the past and the present its storytelling lost some of it clarity.  This time it made more sense, but still a tad confusing, and it makes me upgrade my view of this charming wee movie, but I still wouldn’t ever have considered it as an Oscar Best Movie potential.

★★★★★★★

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BIUTIFUL

If I were a member of the Academy I would give the Best Actor gong to Javier Bardem for his heart-wrenching performance as Uxebel in ‘Biutiful’.  It’s not that I do not appreciate Mr. Firth’s stunning stammering turn which will inevitably get him the Oscar, its just watching Mr. Bardem intriguingly peel back all the different layers of his complex character really transports you to such a high.  He is unquestionably the consummate actor: one of the very finest of this generation. 

This being an Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu movie (‘Babel’,  'Amores Perros') it is naturally quite complicated to say the least.  So here are the mere bones.  Uxbel is a chancer.  He acts as a go-between for the Chinese sweatshops that make fake designer accessories in Barcelona and the illegal immigrant Africans who hawk them in the street,  and he also pays off the Police to keep them of all their backs. None of that turns out well; in fact the outcome becomes fatal.  And playing against stereotype this tough criminal is the most devoted father to his two young children, which is kind of helpful as his estranged wife is bipolar plus and some.  Added to that is the fact that Uxbel is some sort of Medium that can talk to the recently deceased to see if they are happy about leaving, which is a mixed blessing when he discovers that he has terminal cancer himself and his days are numbered.  Still with me?

It all gels together and you are soon drawn in and engaged (thanks mainly to Mr. Bardem) as this complex drama unfolds.  It mixes toughness with tenderness, and despite the sheer wretchedness of operating in the seedy shadows of society and the ultimate tragedy that is to befall him there is no trace at all  of melancholy in Uxebel.

A powerful and compelling movie that even as I write I know I need to go back to watch it all again.  For me BIUTIFUL is near-prefect, and easily one of THE best movies of the year.

★★★★★★★★★★

ANOTHER YEAR

Tom and Gerri have been together since they met at University and now, nearing retirement age, are that rare breed of being a truly happily married couple. In their idyllic life, which seems to revolve a lot around gardening together, their geniality makes them a magnet for some very unhappy people.  There is Ken an overweight very old friend whose depression makes him manically continuously eat, drink and smoke; and Mary who’s a work colleague of Gerri, who’s lonely, terrified of losing her youth and drowns her sorrow in drink and is oblivious to the fact that she stretches their usually unlimited patience almost to breaking point.  

The movie follows another year in Tom & Gerri’s seemingly blissful life where they work, garden, feed their friends, pray that they very well-adjusted 30 yr. old son will find a girlfriend  (and he does).  But among all this positive energy of life moving forward there is Mary whose delusions are regularly shattered one by one and seems to be rapidly spiraling downwards.

R.T.V. This immensely enjoyable very human comedy/drama works on every level because as in every Mike Leigh film these are well-constructed characters who are very real and that we can relate to warmly (except Mary …. esp. as we may all see a part of ourselves in her).  And without exception they are played by the caliber of fine actors that Mr. Leigh always casts; Jim Broadbent and Ruth Sheen as the leads are unquestionably brilliant but this is very much Lesley Manville’s picture: her superlative turn as Mary is sparingly spot on and totally wonderful.

P.S. It always brings me up sharp when I sit in Miami and watch a Mike Leigh movie as they are so quintessentially English and it reminds for moment that I am too.

★★★★★★★★★
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