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It goes without saying that I am a huge fan of the Coen brothers. Fargo is a brilliant film, their best in my opinion, and No Country for Old Men was a wonderful turn from black comedy to suspense. The newest film, A Serious Man, seems to have opened in theatres without much fanfare. Last year's Burn After Reading also opened at the Toronto International Film Festival, but had much more publicity. This is probably due to the fact that Richard Kind (or Adam Arkin) are the biggest names featured in this new film. A Serious Man was the best reviewed film at TIFF and after seeing the film I can see why. Todd McCarthy, film critic at Variety, said of the film: "This is the kind of picture you get to make after you've won an Oscar." It is a fiercely funny film that has drawn numerous comparisons to Woody Allen due to its Jewish main character's religious quest for holy guidance. Maybe that is why I enjoyed it so much! Immediately after the film ended all I wanted to do was sit back down and see it again.
Michael Stuhlbarg stars as Larry Gopnik, a physics professor and father of two in suburban Minnesota. His wife Judith has just told him that she wants a divorce so that she can marry his friend Sy. His daughter Sarah is only interested in going out and is always annoyed by Larry's brother Arthur, who is constantly draining his cyst in the washroom. Danny, his son, is about to have his bar mitzvah, but prefers listening to Jefferson Airplane and getting high. Larry's spiritual well-being is further compromised by a student's bribes, his less-than-comfortable living arrangement, his application for tenure at the university, and his quest to find a rabbi who will help him through the tough times.
The film is enjoyable to watch and the pacing is perfect. The film flows with such ease that after the film ends you can not believe that time has passed. The actors, all relatively unknown, have created such memorable characters that it is easy to find sympathy. I did watch the film and hope that Larry would overcome his obstacles. The way the film ended was as unexpected as it was refreshing, and it really left me with many questions. I guess that means that there is just more to talk about!
My rating: 4 stars out of 4.
I have only seen Audrey Tautou in a few movies (Amélie, Dirty Pretty Things, and Auberge Espagnole), but she is a wonderfully actress. In Amélie she gives a wonderful performance and uses her awkward facial features to create a fantastically memorable character. In Coco avant Chanel, Tautou plays the French fashion icon Coco Chanel. Anne Fontaine's film depicts the life of Coco Chanel from her youth until she became a prominent figure in haute couture. Other than knowing that Chanel is a revered fashion house established by Coco Chanel in the 1920s, so admittedly I knew nothing about her life prior to viewing the film. There is a striking resemblance between Audrey Tautou and Coco Chanel, yet throughout the whole film I was expecting her to give an Amélie-esque wink (maybe due to me watching Amélie the night before). The film's emotion rests heavily on the fact that viewers understand that the young Gabrielle will one day become Coco Chanel. You watch Coco avant Chanel and anticipate a huge reward for suffering though Coco's young life... except it never happens.
Gabrielle Chanel and her sister Adrienne (Marie Gillain) were orphans who earned a living as seamstresses. The two girls also worked in a nightclub, singing one song a night, called Coco. Adrienne met a man and soon moved to Paris. His friend, the Baron Balsan (Benoit Poelvoodre), becomes quite amorous of Gabrielle and begins to call her Coco. After Adrienne moves to Paris, Coco finds it quite difficult to establish herself on the nightclub scene as a solo act. She ends up on the doorstep of Balsan and soon becomes an uninvited house guest. Coco remains a hidden guest in his house until he discovers that she can be used to entertain his party guests at night. She befriends an actress Emilienne (Emmanuelle Devos) and eventually creates hats for her and her socialite friends to wear. While Coco and Balsan do not have a formal relationship, he treats her as his property. She meets a young business associate of Balsan, an Englishman named Arthur Capel (Alessandro Nivola--a dead ringer for Joseph Fiennes). As their relationship grows, so does her need to work and the woman named Gabrielle will eventually become Coco Chanel.
I had high hopes for Coco avant Chanel and ended up being quite disappointed once the film ended. Throughout the entire film I was waiting for the moment when Gabrielle would suddenly realize that she was Coco Chanel and that she had a passion for fashion... and this never happened. There were scenes where Coco showed a distaste for women's fashion and the film did demonstrate that she was quite a hat maker, yet it all seemed to lead to nowhere. Audrey Tautou was wonderful in the role, but the film would have worked a lot better if a significantly greater amount of time was allotted to Coco's life as a fashion icon. There was such great promise during the beginning of the film and as the film slowly continued, almost laboriously, I realized there would be no payoff.
My rating: 2 stars out of 4.
Since it is October and film studios are about to shove Oscar bait down our throats, I present my list of the ten films I am most eagerly anticipating!
10. Precious
I remember hearing about this film when it was earning praise at Sundance. According to all early reviews it is worthy of all its accolades. Its only downfall: having Oprah Winfrey attached as producer (and can that fact please include an asterisk that lets people know that she only became the film's producer after seeing the finished product?).
9. The Lovely Bones
I may be in the minority among those who have read this book, and although I know nothing about the story beyond the simple facts, how can you not be excited about a film starring Rachel Weisz and Susan Sarandon? I'm also excited to see what Peter Jackson has done in terms of direction after The Lord of the Rings since his film Heavenly Creatures was pretty special (it doesn't hurt that it starred a young Kate Winslet).
8. It's Complicated
Meryl Streep. Does anything else need to be said? Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin are accomplished comedians, and it will be exciting to see how Meryl Streep mixes with them. Nancy Myers' film Something's Gotta Give was surprisingly enjoyable, which makes me eager to see this film. The trailer certainly makes the film look quite funny.
7. An Education
I know next to nothing about this film beyond the basics. I have read numerous articles about Carey Mulligan, and how this film will be her coming out performance. It certainly helps that Sally Hawkins has a supporting role--she was Oscar-worthy in Happy-Go-Lucky.
6. The Men Who Stare At Goats
George Clooney is not my favourite actor, but this film looks nothing short of hilarious. Even though this film seems to be based on a true story, the trailer looks great.
5. A Serious Man
The Coen brothers have made so many great films, and after No Country For Old Men they created Burn After Reading, which was quite funny but lacked a lot of the innovation the Coen brothers are known for. The film does not have any A-list names, and has been getting great early reviews. It was the best reviewed film at TIFF.
4. Fantastic Mr. Fox
Wes Anderon's previous films (The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou, The Darjeeling Limited) were all fantastic, but he ventures into the world of stop-motion animation with his new film. It is based off the book by Roald Dahl and Anderson co-wrote the screenplay with Noah Baumbach (The Squid and the Whale). My only disappointment is that Cate Blanchett, originally cast as Mrs. Fox, had to drop out... only to be replaced with Meryl Streep!
3. Los Abrazos Rotos (Broken Embraces)
I disliked Penélope Cruz for years until I saw her in Pedro Almodovar's Volver. She was a relevation in that film, and I have loved her ever since. She was brilliant in Woody Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona and deservedly won an Academy Award. Her new film with Almodovar is advertised as a noir, which is one of the reasons it excites me.
2. Where The Wild Things Are
The previews bring me close to tears, that is how bad I want to see this movie! The book was one of my favourites growing up and there is probably no better director than Spike Jonze (Being John Malkovich) to bring the two worlds in the story to the screen.
1. Up In The Air
Hard to believe that there are already two George Clooney movies in my list, and he's at the top of the list, too. I remember buying Walter Kirn's novel when it was first published. I am very excited to see what Jason Reitman has done post-Juno and I think that Clooney might just be perfect for the role of Ryan Bingham. The previews look fantastic and I think this film will live up to the hype.
Drew Barrymore, at only 34, has been starring in films for longer than I have been alive. She has come so far in recent years that her so-called rebellious adolescent years no longer taint her star power. She has starred in a number of very enjoyable films (E.T., Never Been Kissed, and of course one of my favourite films, Everyone Says I Love You), and after a number of years acting as a producer, she has finally transitioned to director. It is a film that straddles two genres: the light-hearted coming-of-age teenage film and the aggressive sports film. Barrymore definitely finds her own niche right in the middle and has created a film that is as touching as it is enjoyable. Roller derby is not a sport that is well known and Whip It showcases the excitement and the women of this contact sport. Whip It is definitely a girl power movie. For her directorial debut, Barrymore has cast a handful of strong actresses: Ellen Page continues to show she is an actress beyond her years, Kristin Wiig and Zoe Bell are delightfully hilarious in supporting roles, and Marcia Gay Harden is wonderful as an overbearing mother. The film, set in Austin, Texas and its suburbs, is about finding that one thing you are really great at and not letting anything stop you. This is something we can all relate to.
Ellen Page stars as Bliss Cavendar, a high school senior whose mother (Marcia Gay Harden) insists that she compete in beauty pageants. Bliss has never enjoyed these pageants and only competes because she has no other passions. This all changes on day, when shopping in Austin, she finds a flyer for a roller derby exhibition. After she and her friend Pash (Arrested Development's Alia Shawkat) sneak off to Austin to see the competition, Bliss falls in love with the sport. She tries out for the team and is given a chance to play for the Hurl Scouts, the league's worst team. With the help of her teammates, Maggie Mayhem (Wiig), Smashley Simpson (Barrymore), Bloody Holly (Bell) and Rosa Sparks (Eve) she becomes more confident and becomes a rising star in the league. Bliss helps the succeed and eventually rival the league's undefeated champions, much to the chagrin of Iron Maven (a superb Juliette Lewis). Bliss' involvement in roller derby is completely unnoticed by her parents, and her mother is eagerly anticipating the Bluebonnet pageant. As Bliss becomes more confident and independent, her desire to compete in beauty pageants wanes as her two lives begin to collide.
Whip It is a lot of fun, even though it follows a predictable formula. Ellen Page is fantastic as Bliss, a teenage girl who wants to please her mother but also wants to find a passion to call her own. As director and producer, Drew Barrymore acts in a much smaller role and lets her fellow actresses own the film. While Whip It will not go down in history as Drew Barrymore's finest film, it is a great first effort and makes me excited for her next project.
My rating: 3 stars out of 4.
As I said earlier, Everyone Says I Love You is not my favourite Woody Allen film. It is a fantastic film, but there is another film that I believe to be pure perfection: Hannah and Her Sisters. This film came out in the middle of Woody's more dramatic period in the 1980s. A lot of people wished that he would revert back to his comedy roots and create films that were more like Sleeper or Annie Hall (another brilliant Woody Allen film), but I have to admit that many of my favourite Woody Allen films were from the mid-80s to the mid-90s, I am a sucker for the dramatic. Hannah and Her Sisters is both witty and emotional, which is a credit to Allen's screenplay and the marvelous cast. The film stars Mia Farrow as the eponymous Hannah, with Barbara Hershey and Dianne Wiest co-starring as her sisters. Michael Caine and Allen himself play supporting roles as Hannah's husband and ex-husband, respectively. The film was nominated for seven Academy Awards, winning three for Original Screenplay, Supporting Actor, and Supporting Actress. Woody Allen is my favourite all-time director and although he has made some below-average films in his five decades as a director, Hannah and Her Sisters is above and beyond his best film, and is therefore my number one favourite film.
The film begins and ends on Thanksgiving, two years apart, at a party hosted by Hannah. We learn that Hannah's husband Elliot (Michael Caine) has been harbouring romantic feelings towards his sister-in-law Lee (Barbara Hershey). He finds Hannah too self-sufficient and is drawn to Lee's frag
ility. The two eventually begin having an affair, which all passes without Hannah ever believing that her husband is being unfaithful. Mickey (Woody Allen) plays Hannah's ex-husband, a television executive who quits his job due to his hypochondria. He contemplates religious conversion and we watch as he considers Catholicism and the Hare Krishna movement. Holly (Dianne Wiest) is an unsuccessful actress who constantly changes careers and often borrows money from Hannah. She starts a catering company with her friend April (Carrie Fisher) and they meet a man (Sam Waterston). Both women are instantly attracted to him and Holly is devastated when he chooses April. The film progresses through the months and we see the characters change. After two years, when Thanksgiving comes again, the characters have had new revelations and their lives are completely different from who they were at the start of the film.
Hannah and Her Sisters is a film that belongs to its cast. The wonderful actors in this film brings Woody Allen's words to life. Dianne Wiest was completely deserving of her Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role of Holly. The first Woody Allen film I ever saw was Bullets Over Broadway, which also won Dianne Wiest an Oscar. That film, which would be my third favourite Woody Allen film, introduced me to his films and to her amazing talent. To this day I am still drawn to films that she is in, regardless of the size of her role. I started to watch In Treatment because she had a supporting role. I must also talk about Michael Caine's brilliant performance. Watching his character Elliot, as he begins an affair with Lee in the scene entited "nobody, not even the rain, has such small hands" shows such a range of emotions that I find it uncomfortable to watch, each and every time. Finally, it is wonderful to watch Maureen O'Sullivan in the role of Hannah's mother, watching Mia Farrow interact with her real life mother. It is a beautiful film to watch. Hannah and Her Sisters is such a perfect film that it will be next to impossible for another film to surpass it.
Secrets & Lies is the only film that is guaranteed to make me cry every single time that I see it. Writer and director Mike Leigh has crafted a perfect film, with vibrant characters and real dialogue. Mike Leigh is a noted British director whose other films include the intense Vera Drake and the wonderfully funny Happy-Go-Lucky. His films are created without an original script, he builds the dialogue with the actors with the characters developed. This creates some very wonderful and emotional scenes in the film, especially a heartbreaking scene between the two leading actresses that was unscripted and done on one take. The film stars Brenda Blethyn as Cynthia Purley, a woman whose family is so torn up by secrets and lies. This performance won Brenda Blethyn the Best Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival, the BAFTA award and an Academy Award nomination (the Oscar went to Frances McDormand for Fargo). The film is a beautiful and touching story of how years of secrets can tear a family apart and how difficult it can be to rebuild the trust. Anyone who has ever had even an argument with a family member will be touched by this astonishing film.
Cynthia Purley is factory worker and single mother living in a shitty apartment in London with her soon-to-be twenty-one year old daughter Roxanne (Claire Rushbrook). Her brother Maurice (Timothy Spall) lives with his wife Monica (Phyllis Logan) in a new house in an affluent neighbourhood. He rarely sees his sister, mostly due to Monica's tense relationship with Cynthia. Hortense (Marianne Jean-Baptiste) has just lost her adoptive mother and has decided to find her birth mother, Cynthia. Roxanne has never been told that her mother had a baby when she was sixteen, and this fact angers Monica because she believes that Roxanne has every right to know. As Cynthia and Hortense attempt to build their relationship, years of secrets and lies are revealed. This story of wounded hearts leads to a painful climax during Roxanne's twenty-first birthday party.
Secrets & Lies
tells the story of a family who has spent so much time apart that they are unable to function as a family. As an audience we are able to fully relate to the characters on the screen because they are real. These characters have faults and are not perfect, and we watch this film, often stunned, as more and more secrets are revealed. It is refreshing to watch a film where the characters act and react in a natural manner, in ways that we would react. The acting is impeccable, each actor brings commitment and passion to the role. Brenda Blethyn's performance as the fragile Cynthia Purley is completely deserving of any and all accolades, and her performance alone is enough to rank Secrets & Lies number two on my list.
No, this is not my second favourite film, it just happens to be the first new film I have seen since starting my blog!
The Informant! is a film by Steven Soderbergh, starring Matt Damon. Soderbergh has directed some very well known American movies in the past decade (the Oceans 11 films, Erin Brockovich, Traffic), and I would not call this his best film. Traffic will stand as his best directorial effort for some time, I believe. The Informant! has received an awful lot of buzz in the past month due to its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival and its screening at the Toronto International Film Festival. My desire to see this movie, which was pretty dismal to begin with, lessened with each news article I read and with each viewing of the trailer on television. I feared that the film would be too lowbrow for my taste, and I have never been a fan of films that advertise themselves as true stories. Sorry, I just have little desire to go watch a film based on the life of a real person. I am the same with books, I prefer fiction over non fiction.
In the film, Matt Damon plays Mark Whitacre, a vice-president of a large corporation who begins working with the FBI as an informant in an attempt to bring down the company. The film works as a dark comedy and there are many elements of the film that are quite humorous and unique. There are many times when Damon's character is in the midst of a conversation and we begin to hear the character's thoughts through the use of narration. It is quite clever and gives the audience more insight into the character. Whitacre's personal life begins to suffer due to his role as informant and he tries to get the FBI to shut down their investigation. Brian Shepard (Scott Bakula), the FBI agent in charge of Whitacre's case, tells him that the U.S. Government has expressed interest in going after the company and that the only way to protect himself is to continue to work as an informant. What follows is a bizarre turns of events that are so unbelievable (as the film's poster reads) that it is hard to believe that it is based on real events.
I really enjoyed the film until about the halfway point, after that the pace slowed down and it felt like it was a chore to enjoy the rest. There were so many twists and turns at the end that I feel like Steven Soderbergh spent too much time setting up the film. Matt Damon is a good actor, but not a great one, and he played the role of Mark Whitacre well, but neither the film nor the role will go down in history as his greatest accomplishments. It also seems like so much emphasis was placed on Matt Damon's role that the other characters come off as one-dimensional. I do not know if I would go as far as to say it is a black comedy, but it has its comedic elements and is enjoyable for the most part.
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4.
And to the bitches sitting behind me in the theatre, next time you want to talk through a movie SHUT UP.
It goes without saying that I am a huge fan of the Coen brothers. Fargo is a brilliant film, their best in my opinion, and No Country for Old Men was a wonderful turn from black comedy to suspense. The newest film, A Serious Man, seems to have opened in theatres without much fanfare. Last year's Burn After Reading also opened at the Toronto International Film Festival, but had much more publicity. This is probably due to the fact that Richard Kind (or Adam Arkin) are the biggest names featured in this new film. A Serious Man was the best reviewed film at TIFF and after seeing the film I can see why. Todd McCarthy, film critic at Variety, said of the film: "This is the kind of picture you get to make after you've won an Oscar." It is a fiercely funny film that has drawn numerous comparisons to Woody Allen due to its Jewish main character's religious quest for holy guidance. Maybe that is why I enjoyed it so much! Immediately after the film ended all I wanted to do was sit back down and see it again.
