mb palaver

MoviePalaver: Bridesmaids

Despite the rave reviews, I thought there was a 50/50 chance I'd come out of "Bridesmaids" saying it was too gross and/or dumb and/or cliched, but it was none of those (well, it was gross at times, whole-audience-laughing/yelling-out-loud gross in more than one scene).   It was seriously funny and, though over-the-top in some scenes, also realistically touching at times.  And cringe-inducing:  I adopted the same hands-over-eyes crouch while watching the engagement party toast scene above as I did watching a little dog attack a rat in "The Wire."  And it included a sweet romance to boot.  And John Hamm as a jackass.  It was written by women -- Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo (friends from The Groundlings, an L.A. improv group) -- which likely accounts for its grasp of the nuances of female friendships.  And though the promos emphasize that it was produced by Judd Apatow of "Knocked Up" and "The 40 Year Old Virgin," it's telling that it was directed by Paul Feig, Apatow's sometime collaborator who, among other things, created "Freaks and Geeks."  So I don't create overly high expectations, I should say that "Bridesmaids" isn't a GREAT movie -- but it made me both laugh out loud and tear up.  That's a pretty good way to spend two hours on a Friday night.

I just finished listening to Tina Fey's memoir, Bossypants, in which she talks about a director at The Second City saying that the audience doesn't want to see a sketch with two women in it.   Assuming "Bridesmaids" does well at the box office (it came in second on opening night, after "Thor"), I  hope it leads to more intelligent movies written by (and how about directed and produced by?) and about women, and not just more movies that add gross-out humor to chick-flick appeal to try to get both sexes in the seats.

MoviePalaver: Win Win

I've been meaning for weeks to rave about the movie "Win Win," and now need to do so before it leaves your local theater (if it's too late, save it at netflix.com).   If you loved "The Station Agent," you'll love "Win Win."  If you didn't see "The Station Agent," see it.  If you saw it and didn't like it, you are dead to me.   Both movies, and the also excellent movie "The Visitor," were written and directed by Tom McCarthy (not to be confused with any of the Tom McCarthys I went to college with).  He's got to be my favorite screenwriter at the moment -- his movies depict life as it is, with all its strangeness, anxiety, and humor.

I won't say much about "Win Win," because I hate knowing too much about a movie myself before going in, other than to say it's warm and funny, and it intelligently portrays moral ambiguity in every day life.  I laughed out loud every time Bobby Cannavale appeared, as I did in "The Station Agent," and his rapport with Paul Giamatti was great.   Wrestling (the high school, not Hulk Hogan, variety) is a bit of a mystery to me (I can't even tell who's winning), but if you're into it's an added bonus.  As is being from New Providence, NJ, McCarthy's home town and where the film is set.  It also stars Amy Ryan (from "The Office," "The Wire," and "Gone Baby Gone" -- you can appreciate her versatility from just those film titles), Jeffrey Tambor, and Burt Young (whom I recognized, but I didn't figure out until this minute that he played Paulie in "Rocky").

Photo from Win Win page on Fox Searchlight website.

MoviePalaver: 2011 Oscar Picks

My pick for best picture is "The King's Speech."  But before I get to my thoughts on the Oscar nominations, did anyone else find it depressing that Mr. Darcy is nominated for an Oscar for his lead role in "The King's Speech," whereas Lizzy played Geoffrey Rush's wife?  Tomorrow I will write a starring vehicle for Jennifer Ehle.  After I do my Italian homework.

Putting that aside, here are my brief reactions to this year's Best Picture nominees, for what they're worth, if anything.

• Black Swan
  Can I judge a movie if I fainted and missed the last 10 minutes and had to rely on Dubliner to act it out?  (Honorary Oscar goes to Dubliner, whose performance as Nina more closely resembled Jim Carrey's than Natalie Portman's.)
• The Fighter
  Surprisingly good -- more about family dynamics than boxing; made me want to hug my whole family.
• Inception
  I didn't expect we'd get through more than one hour of this long movie when we popped the DVD in last weekend, but it was captivating --though I expected another twist at the end (is it crazy to complain this movie wasn't confusing enough?).
• The Kids Are All Right
  Overrated.
• The King's Speech
  Superbly written, acted, and shot, though there wasn't really much to the story.  If it were a book, it would be a novella rather than a novel.
• 127 Hours
  I'd rather cut my own arm off with a dull knife than see this movie; see note above re fainting in the ballet movie.
• The Social Network
  Well written and acted, but when it was over I thought "so what?"
• Toy Story 3
  Didn't see it.  Kids' movie.
• True Grit
  I dragged my feet about seeing this (another western?), but it turned out to be excellent.
• Winter's Bone
  If you haven't seen this movie, keep in mind that Lent is coming up.  Definitely held our interest, but made "Frozen River" look like "Caddyshack."  Unremittingly bleak.

One other thought, about "Animal Kingdom," which I just watched last night.  Wow.  Really disturbing crime movie set in Australia.  Pervasive feeling of menace.  I would not want to run into Uncle Pope alone in a dark alley.  I would not want to run into Uncle Pope if I were flanked by a dozen body guards.  And the mother of these miscreants (played by Jacki Weaver, who's nominated for best supporting actress) made the mother in "The Fighter" (played by the also nominated Melissa Leo) look like Clair Huxtable.  By the way, has anyone ever seen a movie set in Australia that made life look anything but grimy and bleak?  I am on the lookout for a cheery Australian movie.

MoviePalaver: Swooning Over "Black Swan" (or More Than You Ever Wanted To Know About My Fainting Incident)

In December I mentioned that I fainted during "Black Swan."  A lot of people have asked me if it's really that gory or scary.  It's not, really.  Both "True Grit" and "The Fighter" were more violent, but I stayed seated upright throughout both of them.  It's hard to explain why "Black Swan" disturbed me so much.  It was dark and claustrophobic and creepy, what with Nina's mother (Barbara Hershey) winding Nina's music box and tucking her in at night, with Nina (and us) unable to tell what's real and what's not, and therefore knowing anything can happen, the self-inflicted violence, mirror images moving on their own . . . .  Trust me, it's creepy.

But the scene in the lobby of the Arena Grand Movie Theatre in Columbus, Ohio was pretty funny.  Normally when I get faint in a movie (and yes, it has happened before) I have the good sense not to get out of my seat.  (Though as I recall I was escorted to the bathroom in the Reiss science building at Georgetown on Halloween 1981 by a nursing student when a hospital scene in "The Exorcist" involving the insertion of a needle into Linda Blair's neck made me lightheaded, leading to some alarm when I saw myself in the bathroom mirror, having forgotten I was dressed like Keith Richards, dyed black hair and excessive eyeliner and all.  And the last time I almost fainted I was on crutches and under strict orders not to put any weight on my just-operated-on leg, so did not try to navigate the stadium seating stairs in the dark.)  Anyway, in "Black Swan" I got hot, and nauseated, and lightheaded, but hadn't heard the fatal szhuszhing noise in my ears yet, so decided it was wise to step into the lobby and get some air.  I didn't tell Dubliner, who just assumed I went to the rest room, as he had done earlier in the movie.

I stepped out into the lobby, realized I wasn't fit to walk, and noticed that people were giving me a wide berth as I staggered toward them.  Unfortunately, there was no place to sit in the lobby, so I approached the ticket counter and asked if there was some place I could sit.  Next thing I knew I was flat on my back with my eyes closed.  I thought, vaguely, "Am I at home in bed, dreaming this, or am I in that movie theater in Columbus that I vaguely recall from some time ago?"  I then noticed someone was holding my hand, and people were hovering above me talking about me.  I knew they wanted me to open my eyes, but all I could think was "I am so comfortable."  But I did open my eyes, and the kind people seeing to me got me to my feet.  Then the paramedics arrived, which is when my horror story turned into a sitcom.  (There were 3 paramedics at this point, though I can't remember who said what.)

Paramedic 1:    Ma'am, do you know what caused you to pass out?
Me:                  It was the content of the movie.
Paramedic 1:    Disney movie?
Me:                  [Laughing] It was the ballet movie.
Paramedic 2:    Too many pliés?
Paramedic 1:    Look at you with the ballet terminology.
Paramedic 2:    [Defensively] My daughter does ballet.

Then a fourth paramedic came to take my blood pressure.  When he started taking the cuff off one of the other guys said "it's okay?"  And the cuff guy said "No, I couldn't get a reading."

Whaaaaaaat?

When Dubliner came out to the lobby 10 or 15 minutes after I left the theater, the paramedics were gone, as was security, who arrived afterward.  (This led my sister to wonder whether this whole story was an example of Münchausen syndrome.)  Dubliner informed me that he made his earlier trip to the men's room to splash water on his face.  There's some comfort in knowing it runs in the family.

Sunday night, think of me stretched out on the floor when Natalie Portman wins her best actress award.  I'm sure there are several Arena Grand employees who will.

 

Photo from foxsearchlight.com.

MoviePalaver: "Black Swan" -- Movie Review Haiku

 

Fainted in "Black Swan."

Paramedics on the scene.

Missed end.  What happened?

MoviePalaver: Irish Popcorn -- Free Monthly Screenings of Irish Films

Solas Nua, the DC-based Irish arts organization, is screening Irish films for free every fourth Monday in their "Irish Popcorn" series.  This Monday, January 25, they offer "Short Order" (pictured above), directed by Anthony Byrne, with John Hurt and Vanessa Redgrave (among others).  You can see a trailer at Solas Nua's website.  Screenings take place at Flashpoint, 916 G Street, NW, Washington, DC, at 7 pm.  Doors open at 6:30, and they don't take reservations, so you can just show up.  Upcoming screenings include:

February 22:  "Breakfast on Pluto"

March 22:  "The Tiger's Tail"

April 26: "Cinegael Paradiso"

May 24:  "A Song for Rebecca"

June 28:  "Tara Road"

July 26:  "When Brendan Met Trudy"

MoviePalaver: Angels, Demons, and the Swiss Guard

I went to Angels & Demons with low expectations, looking forward less to the story than to the shots of Rome, where I'm heading tomorrow.  I ended up finding it quite entertaining, give or take some gruesome violence.  And it brought back memories of when I infiltrated the Swiss Guard in 2001.  I only wish we had video of the elaborate ritual they performed when I uncharacteristically brazenly marched up the steps at the Vatican to ask for directions to the entrance to the tour of the necropolis under St. Peter's.  It was quite a spectacle.

MoviePalaver: Adventureland

I am a variation on a perpetual motion machine.  Once put in motion it seems I can't be stopped; but once stopped, it's hard to get me moving again.  As a result, it's been a month since my last post.  A corollary principle is that the longer I go without a post the more pressure I feel to write something profound, which becomes a paralyzing force.  I will break the cycle with a very nonprofound movie recommendation.

Based on the ads for "Adventureland," I thought it was another movie aimed at the dumb guy set.  (Not to be judgmental or anything.)   For one thing, the ads say "from the director of 'Superbad' . . . ."  (I didn't see "Superbad," so I don't mean to cast aspersions blindly, but it does conjure up an image.)  They didn't say "from the writer and director of "The Daytrippers," which would have caught the attention of the smaller, less young demographic that were fans of that 1996 Hope Davis/Liev Schreiber/Anne Meira/Stanley Tucci/Parker Posey movie by Greg Mottola.  I can't blame their marketing choice, but I'm just glad I checked the reviews on metacritic, which gave it a 76, before rejecting it out of hand.

It's a coming-of-age story set in the summer job world of an amusement park near Pittsburgh.  (It was filmed at Kennywood, where I went my own self as a youth.)   It has a sweet, realistic, "Freaks and Geeks" sort of feeling to it.  And yes, that's Martin Starr, aka Bill from F&G, above on the right.  On the left is the movie's star, Jesse Eisenberg, who played a similar nerdy, likable character in "The Squid and the Whale." In fact, "Adventureland" is what you might get if you crossed "The Squid and the Whale" with "Sixteen Candles" (though "Adventureland's" family dysfunctionality is entertaining, not spirit-crushing).  The movie is set in 1987 -- seven years after F&G -- and part of the fun lies in the 1987 details, from Lisa P's Madonna-inspired look, to James's childhood friend's Loverboy headband, to "Rock Me Amadeus."  It seemed strange to watch 22-year-olds going through life without cell phones or iPods.  When James made a call from a pay phone I wondered whether the teenagers in the audience recognized the sound of the coins dropping.  My one criticism was that I thought the female love interest, played by Kristen Stewart, seemed like many stock male love interests in these kinds of movies:  attractive, mysterious, and brooding, and if you stop to think about it you wonder what he sees in her.  But really, who needs to think about it that much?

MoviePalaver: Cramming for the Oscars 2009, or Do I Really Want To See These Movies?

 

Usually when the Oscars roll around I've seen most of the movies nominated. About a month ago I realized I'd only seen "Slumdog Millionare," "The Dark Knight," and "The Visitor," so was going to have my work cut out for me.  Then I decided it would be silly to try to rush to see all these other movies.  Then recognized that if I didn't start seeing them soon I'd panic at the end and decide I had to see them after all.  Finally, I decided the reason I hadn't seen most of these movies was that I wasn't that thrilled about seeing them, so I should let it go.  I'm letting it go.  I'm not going to E Street later this afternoon.  Really.

I'm pretty bad at Oscar predictions (though last year I did win my friend J's pool, though was punished when I put the bottle of Prosecco she presented me with in the backpack I was carrying because I was on crutches and cracked the screen on my cell phone, proving that I truly can't win).  So in lieu of predictions here are my random thoughts on the films I've managed to see.  Please don't taunt me on the absence of "Milk," and "The Curious Case of Gilbert Grape," and "Vicky Cristina Barcelona." I'm not going to any movies this afternoon.

• "Slumdog Millionaire":  I loved this movie, but it was not just the sweet romance I expected from the previews.  It contains some really brutal scenes.  Just be sure to stay for the Bollywoodesque dance scene in the train station at the end.  It was a good palate cleanser for rejoining society.
• "Frost/Nixon":  Interesting story, great performance by Frank "Dracula" Langella, who is from Bayonne, New Jersey, my home as a tot.  But since when is David Frost a young, hipster, lightweight ladies man?  That blew my mind.
• "The Reader":  Excellent acting by Kate Winslet.  But I couldn't shake the feeling that this was a movie with a made-for-tv plot and lots of inappropriate sex.  Perhaps it should win for that category.
• "The Visitor":  I agree that Richard Jenkins deserved a nomination for his role, but the movie left me feeling a bit disappointed.  Perhaps largely because Tom McCarthy also wrote and directed "The Station Agent," one of my favorite movies in recent years, so my expectations were high.
• "The Wrestler":  I watched this -- with the shaky camera work, staple-gun wrestling, loud Guns n' Roses, and bad hair -- from the third row.  And lived to tell about it.  I'm glad I saw it -- I've never before looked at life from a perspective quite like Randy "The Ram" Robinson's.  I told my hairstylist that I was seeing it with a friend who was crazy about Mickey Rourke twenty years ago. He replied, sadly, "that man is gone."  Well put, Eric.  But he did do a fine acting job.  And if he wins the acceptance speech will likely be entertaining.
• "Tropic Thunder":  Had some laughs, but a bit long for essentially a one-joke movie.  Robert Downey, Jr. was funny, but Oscar worthy?
• "The Dark Knight":  I'm not a big action movie fan, but I saw this at the IMAX theater at the Natural History Museum and it felt like being on a roller coaster ride (albeit a long one).  I thought Heath Ledger was creepy, and menacing, and unhinged as the Joker.  But it seems like a shame to give a posthumous Oscar, when the main effect of the award (other than to help people win money (or Prosecco) from their friends) is to boost an actor's career.  But if the Hollywood insiders who vote are more high-minded and less mercenary then I, who am I to criticize?
• "Changeling":  Yegods.  I knew the material was tough because it's based on a true story of a mother whose nine-year-old son went missing in 1928.  But so many horrific things happen in this movie -- well, I won't divulge them, but consider yourself forewarned. The period setting is amazing, and the story is riveting, but as for Angelina Jolie's performance, it seemed more about her striking -- and period-appropriate -- facial features than anything else.  But then, I have an attitude, and am bracing myself for the cameras to go to Brangelina every chance they get.
• "Frozen River":  I still have a half hour to go in this DVD.  I turned it off yesterday afternoon when the first horrible thing that I feared would happen due to bad decision on top of bad decision seemed about to happen.  It's one of those movies where you keep saying "no, don't!"  But they don't listen.  Melissa Leo (nominated for leading actress) is great.  Even though she doesn't listen.  I'm hoping everyone winds up happy and dancing Bollywood style across the ice at the US-Canadian border.  I'm not optimistic.

MoviePalaver: Karen's Movies, or Which Women To Watch

Occasionally friends will tell me they've let their Netflix memberships lapse because they can't think of enough movies to rent.  As someone with 115 movies in my queue, I can't quite relate, but I do have a suggestion, at least for fans of old movies.  My friend Karen, a/k/a The Queen of All Media, started a blog highlighting movies everyone should see.

Karen's current post, on the 1939 film "The Women," is quite timely, because a much-promoted remake opens tomorrow.  The original starred Norma Shearer, Rosalind Russell, Joan Crawford, and Paulette Godard. The new one, as you know if you've turned on a television in the last two weeks, stars half the women working in Hollywood today (Meg Ryan, Annette Bening, Eva Mendes, Debra Messing, Jada Pinkett Smith, Bette Midler, Candice Bergan, Carrie Fisher, Cloris Leachman . . .).

Karen says:  "If the reviews for the new one are good, you may want to wait before you rent this. If they are bad, however, as most remakes are, I strongly recommend renting [the original] instead."  Given that the one opening tomorrow currently has a 34 on metacritic, you might want to look for the original.  (It doesn't appear to be available on Netflix at the moment, but you can find it at blockbuster.com if that's your thing.) Then again, Roger Ebert gave the remake a good review, so your mileage may vary.

To read Karen's review of "The Women, and for more classic movie recommendations, visit Karen's Movies.