mb palaver

MoviePalaver: Oscar Pix 2014

Alright, alright, alright.  It's pretty sad when Matthew McConaughey makes more movies in a year than I write blog posts.  Here are my speed comments on the best picture nominees.  You can find the ballot here, and everything you want to know about the coverage here.

 

• American Hustle:  Entertaining, but I looked at my watch 4 times.  (I give it 4 watches.  My new scale.)
• Captain Phillips:  Didn't see it.  I watched the entire run of "Dexter," but this looked too scary.
• Dallas Buyers Club:  I should know better than to see disturbing movies about illness in the theater.  At least I learned from my Black Swan experience and, instead of trying to escape to the lobby, I struck the fetal position on the floor in front of my seat for the last half hour of the movie.  I would like to thank the janitorial staff at the E Street Cinema for their fantastically clean floors (I hope).  So I think this was a great movie, and I know Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto were great in it, but I have to sum up by saying that I saw it on a small screen in Canada.
• Gravity:  It was fun to see what it would be like to be in space, but did the director of "To Fly!" get a Best Director Oscar?
• Her:  I found this interesting and mostly entertaining, but I went in with low expectations after a friend said she hated it.  At the beginning of the movie I thought it might be fun to have a friendly OS in my ear 24/7, but by the middle I was sick of pretending to hear him.  Maybe that's a metaphor for the movie.  Or my life.
• Nebraska:  I thought this might be kinda dull, but I didn't look at my watch once (no watches!).  Really great slice-of-life movie.  Made me want to hug my outgoing family.
• Philomena:  Good movie, but too heartbreaking. I overheard someone at E Street refer to it as a "fun" movie. Really?
• 12 Years a Slave:  Phenomenal movie, phenomenal performances.  I hope it wins.
• The Wolf of Wall Street:  Reasonably entertaining for a three-hour movie seen at the West End Cinema (seated in something akin to a folding chair), but I'm not sure what the point was.

One more thought about Matthew McConaughey (which I've now learned to spell, I think).  Everyone keeps talking about the McConaissance -- the actor's recent move from pretty boy roles in lightweight movies  to challenging roles in serious ones -- but I haven't heard much mention of Lone Star, the 1996 John Sayles movie McConaughey was in with Sayles regular Chris Cooper.  If you want to have a McConaughey marathon, I reocmmend you start with that.  Have fun watching tonight!

 

 

 

 

 

 

MoviePalaver: A Few Words about Oscar, 2013

The Oscars are as good a reason as any to dust off mbpalaver after several months of absence.  Red carpet coverage starts at 7 pm ET on ABC; the award show itself doesn't start until 8:30.  You can find a printable ballot here.  "Lincoln" and "Argo" were my two favorites.  Here are some quick thoughts on all the best picture nominees:

• Amour:  I decided to skip this one.  Here's part of what Mick LaSalle of the SF Chronicle said:  "'Amour' is an extraordinary experience and some variety of good movie, but no one should see it without a few words of warning. It is cinematic boot camp. It is not enjoyable and only sporadically entertaining. When director Michael Haneke isn't boring the audience, he is torturing it. The film is bleak and hopeless, and to call it 'depressing' would be to make it sound like a peppy, MGM musical compared with the misery of what is onscreen. Yet "Amour" is also unforgettable and one of a kind, two hours of torment that, in the end, you will probably not regret."  I will take his word for it.
  
• Argo:  It's not just due to my outstanding ability to forget historical events that I was on the edge of my seat.
• Beasts of the Southern Wild:  Amazing movie.  Available on DVD.  Rent it.
  
• Django Unchained:  I'd almost steeled myself to see this, but then a friend told me about a scene I wish I hadn't even heard described.  Maybe I'll rent the DVD and make ample use of the FF button.
• Les Miserables:  Looooooooong into the movie I checked the time to see if it was almost over.  There was still an hour and a half to go.  I was despondent.  (On a tangential note, my favorite "Les Miserables" association is that my high school French teacher, Mrs. Wainwright, called in to a TV station in PIttsburgh to complain that Rege Cordic, the host of the Sunday Afternoon Movie,  mispronounced the title (he said "less miserables").  The next week he said on the air that "an irate French teacher" called in to correct his pronunciation.  We were impressed at Mrs. Wainwright's power.)
• Life of Pi: I couldn't bring myself to go see this.  It looked like one big special effect.  Did I miss out?
• Lincoln:  Wonderful movie, and Lincoln was great in it.
• Silver Linings Playbook:  Am I the only one who didn't love this movie?  Question two:  Can Bradley Cooper play someone likable?  (If you found him likable in this, please refer back to question one.)
• Zero Dark Thirty:  I found the ending, in particular, riveting, but am troubled by reports of its playing fast and loose with vitally important facts.  (On a more mundane note, I spent the first hour trying to figure out who was playing Jessica (one of the CIA agents), until it hit me:  Jennifer Ehle in American accent!)

MoviePalaver: Oscar Ruminations 2012

 

 

A few last-minute thoughts about the best picture nominees.  As you can tell, I wasn't wild about this crop.  And expanding the list beyond five movies is terrible.  Why didn't they ask me?

• The Artist:  Thought I'd see it and think "brahvo."  Instead I found it delightful.  Just a plain old-fashioned enjoyable movie, with two charismatic stars.
• The Descendants:  Good movie, and I do love George, but I just didn't really care about anyone.
• Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close:  Didn't see it.  The critics led me to believe it was terrible. Were they wrong?
• The Help:  Didn't see it.  Didn't read the book. I am out of it.
• Hugo:  Didn't see it.  Thought it was a kid's movie.  Is it?
• Midnight in Paris:  Didn't see it.  Looked annoying.  Was it?
• Moneyball:  Saw it. If it hadn't been nominated I'd have forgotten I saw it months ago.
• The Tree of Life:  Mesmerizing!  Comprehensibility is overrated.
• War Horse:  Didn't see it.  Did anyone?

Given my lack of enthusiasm for most of the best picture nominees, a few thoughts about other movies that received nominations (or not):

• Bridesmaids:  Really enjoyed this movie, as I've said before, and it would be fun if it won for best screenplay (Kristen Wiig & Annie Mumolo) or best supporting actress (Melissa McCarthy), but what are the chances?
• A Separation:  This Iranian movie about a legal battle between a man whose wife has just left him and the caretaker he hired to watch his father, who has Alzheimer's, is up for best foreign language movie and best original screenplay.  It was excellent, though difficult to watch.  I'll assume it will win best foreign language film since it's the only one I saw.
• Win Win:  This movie was nominated for no Oscars, as far as I can tell.  I'd have nominated Tom McCarthy for best screenplay.  I like everything he does (except his bad behavior on "The Wire").  But nobody asks me.
• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo:  I liked the Swedish version, but liked the American one even better.  I wish there were awards for best title sequence.

 

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.