mb palaver

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.

MoviePalaver: Tell No One

 

Looking for a good summertime thriller?  "Tell No One."  Those are the disturbing words that appear on Dr. Alex Beck's computer screen eight years after his wife is killed. I won't say any more -- I hate reading plot summaries before seeing a movie.  The film stars François Cluzet, who seems to be Dustin Hoffman's French identical cousin, and Kristin Scott Thomas, an English actor who does an amazing impression of a French person.

One warning:  there are a couple of quick but brutally violent scenes in the movie, and a close encounter with a rat in an enclosed space.  Another warning:  don't try to figure out the logic of the movie afterward; I'm not even sure the central plot device makes any sense.  But it's great fun to watch (except for the quick brutal violence and rat).

"Tell No One" got an 81 on metacritic, where you can read review blurbs.  I particularly liked the chase scene through Paris's famous flea market, the Marché aux Puces (below, I think), since Mysterywriter and I went through there ourselves back in May, though slightly less quickly and with fewer people in pursuit.

 

MoviePalaver: Mamma Mia?!

Friday night I went to see "Mamma Mia!"  (The exclamation point is in the title, I assure you.)  It was against my better judgment.  But I was being a come-with. And curious.  And I heard Colin Firth is in it.  In turquoise spandex.

I'm not the movie's target demographic.  I'm generally not a fan of musicals, or Meryl Streep (I think she's a great actor, I just don't want to see her cavorting in overalls), or ABBA (though, truth be told, deep down, in places I don't talk about at parties, I find some of their songs nostalgically infectious, at least since seeing "Muriel's Wedding").

I have to say, though, that I liked/hated it. At the same time I was thinking this was the worst movie I've ever paid money to see I was thinking I'm glad I'm here.  Except when Pierce Brosnan was singing, when all I could do was pray that he was in on the joke that he's a bad singer (I don't recall ever before worrying about Pierce Brosnan's feelings, so to this extent I feel I grew as a person).   I found Meryl continuously cringeworthy, the young bride adorable, the young groom too sweet to be wholesome, as my grandmother would say (though that was perhaps influenced by his recent portrayal of Willoughby in "Sense and Sensibility"), Christine Baranski too Christine Baranski, and Colin Firth his usual charming good sport, though I was constantly bracing myself on his behalf.  The movie is not for everyone.  You probably already know whether it's for you or not.  The audience we were with, small though it was, was very into it.  So into it I felt like the resident curmudgeon.

It struck me at some point that I'd missed the chance to create a powerful piece of performance art by positioning a camera for 1 hour 48 minutes to capture my facial expression throughout the movie.  The world will just have to imagine it.

(P.S.  A photo of Meryl Streep cavorting in overalls would have been more representative, but I preferred this one.)

MoviePalaver: Best of the 48 Hour Film Project at AFI Silver Theatre

I regretted in law school that I never took a class with a 24-hour take home exam.  Even if given a month to write a paper I would wait until the last 24 hours to start it anyway, so I figured I'd be at my usual comfort (or agonizingly painful discomfort) level, while most everyone else would be freaking out.  (Actually, I'd be much better off than usual, because I'd be able to forgo the standard "Why did I put this off for so long"/"I hate myself" self-flagellation.)

So if I were to make a film, the 48 Hour Film Project might be just the ticket for me.  Participants are given a character, a prop, a line of dialogue and a genre, and only 48 hours to write, shoot, edit and score a movie based on them. Tonight (Thursday) the AFI Silver Theatre in Silver Spring will show the best of the 2008 Washington 48HFP films.  Different selections of twelve films will be shown at 7:00 and 9:30.  A list of films and other information is available on the 48 Hour website.  Tickets can be purchased online at the AFI website.  (It's a little confusing. Click on "Buy Tickets," then scroll down among the movies and select "The 48 Hour Film Pro," listed alphabetically under "Sync or Swim.")  The 48 Hour website recommends getting there early, saying it is likely to sell out.

MoviePalaver: A Free Pass for Married Life

If you would rather see Chris Cooper try to kill his wife Patricia Clarkson and compete with Pierce Brosnan for Rachel McAdams than to celebrate St. Patrick's Day at E.J. O'Reilly's, you can email the E Street Cinema this morning for a chance to win two free passes to see "Married Life."  Reviews so far are mixed, but hey, Chris Cooper's in it.  Here are the details:

Enter for a chance to win an admit-2 pass to a special advance screening of MARRIED LIFE at E Street Cinema on Monday, March 17, at 7:30 PM.

If you are interested in attending, send an email to WashingtonDCContest@landmarktheatres.com with "MARRIED LIFE" in the subject line. 100 winners will be selected at random from entries received by Wednesday, March 12, at NOON. Winners will be notified with an email on Wednesday which will serve as an admit-2 ticket.

If you do not receive a confirmation e-mail by Wednesday evening, you were not one of the FiLM Club Members to be randomly selected for the screening. Please note that the theatre is overbooked to ensure a full house. Seating is on a FIRST-COME, FIRST-SERVED basis and winning tickets does not guarantee admission. Tickets are not for resale. This film has been rated PG-13.

MoviePalaver: Oscar Shorts, Take 3

One more thought on the Oscar-nominated short films (well, two if you're counting):  If you subscribe to Netflix, you can view "Madame Tutli-Putli," one of the animated shorts, online.  I found it hauntingly beautiful, eerie, and inscrutable.  I imagined Madame Tutli-Putli to be the woman in the cloche hat in Edward Hopper's Chop Suey a few decades down the road. Here's what Andrew O'Hehir says in Salon:

It's been years since any version of old-school cell animation dominated the Oscars, but this year's Academy Award-nominated animated shorts offer a particularly strong sampler of contemporary trends in the genre. As with the live-action shorts, it's not possible for five films to represent all possibilities, but all these are aiming higher than mere amusement, and three of the five are highly impressive. "Madame Tutli-Putli," a distinctive stop-motion film with the undertow of a bad dream, is probably the year's most influential animated short and the likely Oscar winner. But it isn't (in my personal and admittedly peculiar judgment) the best or most memorable movie on the dance card.

Just don't watch it with the kiddies in the room. It's pretty scary at times.  Reminder:  Printable Oscar ballots can be found here.

Finally, when I went to see the live action shorts last weekend, among the annoying things that happened in my one social outing since having knee surgery was that we were stuck in line for a good 20 minutes behind a bunch of pretentious film buffs.  The ringleader of one group, who kept extolling the virtues of "3:10 to Bucharest," ended up in conversation with an even more pretentious man who was rejecting everything Oscar stands for, dismissing the movies they nominated, and faulting them for overlooking superior films.  (And yet, he was there to see the nominated live action shorts.)  All I had to say to my friend J. was "Annie Hall":