BERNIE 6/9/12

Finally left the house and saw a surprisingly wonderful performance by Jack Black in the film BERNIE directed by Richard Linklater - really good director of Slacker and Dazed and Confused. This film is set in Linklater's home state of Texas and his familiarity with the hometown characters are therefore beautifully individuated - but yet so familiar. Based on the true story of Bernie Tiede, Assistant Funeral Director who genuinely loved his job - opened my eyes to the rituals of funeral services and their importance for family and friends who mourn the death of a loved one.

Bernie, a good "Christian" community man who is driven to compromise his deepest moral values in a relationship with someone (Shirley McLaine) who is very different from him. This is a comedy but a dark one of good/generosity of spirit vs. a meanness of spirit but there are many gray areas to ponder.

Jack Black uses his body to flush out this character and i love when actors do that. The way they walk, move their arms, and with the slightest turn of the head can give the audience insight into a character.

DAMSELS IN DISTRESS 4/22/12

Saw Whit Stillman's "Damsels in Distress" with friends and I was the only one who really liked this funny, charming film - precisely because of its wonderfully, self-consciously spoken dialogue, and the eccentricity of Stillman's characters. Always a surprise to hear language that is so original - even if intentionally stilted. I was constantly aware that this is theater giving homage to 50's film even to the unflattering "cinch belt" the main character Violet wears with her dresses.

The film is set in a College environment but there is not much studying going on and the war between the sexes is carried on with many original parries and thrusts. Tap Dancing and "scents - like smells" among other forms of dance craze's are the answer to life's "tailspins." The musical numbers are delightful despite the awkwardness of the participants - these dances do not have Fred and Ginger's graceful mobility. But never mind!

A SEPARATION 1/29/12

Some people wrote that Iran's repressive regime was an element in this film, but I disagree and do not believe that Iran's system of justice was depicted unfairly, and that is why it was not censored. All films made in other countries, if good give you a glimpse into their culture. AND A Separation is a strong, wrenching film about interpersonal divisions and the way a society deals with conflict.

To quote Roger Ebert:
"The movie takes place in present-day Iran, a modern nation that attempts to live under Islamic law. The film's story has no quarrel with Islam, but it demonstrates that the inflexible application of the letter of the law may frustrate the spirit of the law. This is true in all nations under all religions and all laws. Laws are an attempt to regulate hypothetical situations before they may arise. If laws were replaced by principles, they might be a better fit with human nature...

"...A Separation" provides a useful portrait of Iran today. Some inflamed American political rhetoric has portrayed it as a rogue nation eager to start nuclear war. All too many Americans, I fear, picture Iranians as camel-riding harem-keepers. Certainly some of Iran's punishments for adultery that we read about seem medieval. But this film portrays a more nuanced nation, and its decent characters are trying to do the right thing. To untangle right and wrong in this fascinating story is a moral challenge. I'd love to see the film with wise judges from American divorce courts and hear their decisions. Sometimes the law is not adequate to deal with human feelings..."

I thought it was interesting to see the way everyone was forced to compromise some principals and not others. There was a powerful ethical/religious compulsion to tell the "truth" and we
are shown in the film how often a personal crisis can trump one's most devoutly held beliefs.

All societies have their economic pressures, laws and ways of meting out justice. This movie deals with a very personal story of two people who could not solve their difference in a society that also has religious and class distinctions. The husband was choosing between his father who has Alzheimer's and needs 24 hour care and his wife and daughter; the daughter was asked to choose between parents. And the married couple are both devoted to their daughter who is torn between them and basically to each other.

Questions of arrogance, pride and justice prevail in this film, where all the characters are basically decent people trying to live their lives in as uncomplicated a way as they can; and how chance occurrences can disrupt that very fabric.

TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY 1/14/12

Pay CLOSE ATTENTION to Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy as it is complicated; even if you don't "get" most of it, one can enjoy this film anyway for the dark, haunting cinematography, and the stoic performance by that excellent actor Gary Oldman as George Smiley, and a great performance by John Hurt as his boss whose weary face reveals the horrors and strain of the job and all that that he has seen and experienced.

My friends and I were riveted to the screen, though not always sure where we were in time and place. I was not bored at all, but drank in the cold-war atmosphere and the spy game - where everyone is suspect and every look is filled with suspicion. No James Bond antics - fast cars, womanizing and gadgets - just plain old digging into files, and other quiet, albeit tedious grunt work with Smiley's sharp intellect putting the puzzle all together - often with bloody and dangerous consequences.

THE ARTIST 12/29/11

Saw The Artist today and thought it was a beautifully directed, delicate film which was also conceptually fascinating - playing with silent film allusions and the beginning of talkies. There are many historical references, yet it had an interesting contemporary feel which made the film non-conventional. The acting was superb. Jean Dujardin - the male lead who reminded me of a cross between David Niven and Clark Gable, had a smile that epitomized the term dashing and was also very contagious - I waited for that smile and gushed whenever I saw it. Berenice Bejo, the female lead moved her body and limbs in ways that might have been a caricature of a silent film vamp - but was lithe and poignant - so here again the idiosyncratic nature of the movie quelled its sentimental tale. I could feel the chemistry between the performers and their love story was rare in our age of short-term faithfulness and commitment. Supporting actors- a slimmed down John Goodman, James Cameron and UGGIE the wonderful Asta-type terrier contributed to the Chaplin-esque mood of the film.
Shot in black and white there was not a murmur in the movie house. Just wonderful and a film I will definitely see again.

THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO (AMER. VERSION) 12/28/11

2009 Swedish version of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo was MUCH MUCH better than this one. I have seen all 3 of the Swedish series. The 2009 acting was edgier - the pacing much more intense and the woman who played Lisbeth - Noomi Rapace was an actress who I could not take my eyes off and wanted to see in every scene. she was transfixing. The snow and light of Northern Sweden was unforgettable - and the villains were nastier and also memorable.
David Fincher the director of this version kept jump-cutting from Lisbeth's story to his own story so I could predict - like with my soap operas - at what point they would switch over. Very obvious.

I actually almost fell asleep and was secretly chomping on dark chocolate hoping the caffeine would keep me up

WAR HORSE 12/26/11

My sister and her hubby drove me to see WAR HORSE - Spielberg's new film. Well I gave it a rating of B-/C+. Best actor in film was the horse. It is Horsie Come Home through the minefields of war and surviving because of the kindness of strangers. The cinematography as well as the plot was predictable and conventional. An old-fashioned film and the crowds at the 12:00 noon show loved it. Now why don't they love the anti-war message which did not come across too loud and clear to me despite what NY Times A.O. Scott wrote. It is ambitious going through pre-WWI through 1918 armistice but you would not learn much history about why, what and where of this - another unnecessary war.