Saturday, December 31, 2011

Performance of the Month: Stockard Channing in "Grease" (1978)



She has a Tony Award (and several other nominations) for her performance in "Joe Egg" from 1984, and a basketful of Emmy nominations for her television work, a pair of Emmy statues for her work on "The West Wing" and the tv film "The Matthew Shepard Story", and even an Oscar nomination, yet as far as leaving her mark on film, perhaps it is inevitable that Stockard Channing will be most remembered for the role of Betty Rizzo in the 1978 musical "Grease".  

Rizzo is a pretty stock character, the tough girl, and a darker alternative to the blond blandness of leading lady Olivia Newton-John as Sandy.  The role gives Channing plenty of opportunity to show off her wit and comic timing (witness the gems tossed off as throwaway lines in the first scene with Patty Simcox at lunchtime), as well as a more mature sensibility (the scene with Jeff Conaway at the drive in).  Channing convinces us that she's in command of not only her abilities as an actress, but as the definite leader of the Pink Ladies in her initial scene.  There's no question that the pecking order in the club is "Rizzo first, then everyone else".  That Rizzo comes off as more than just a stereotype is thanks to Channing.  So, Channing is both an expert verbal comedienne, and then turns on a dime to bring off the more serious moments with Conaway.

She even gets a killer solo number in "There Are Worse Things I Could Do", where the character reveals what we've expected all along, that the 'tough girl' has feelings and can be hurt just as easy as anyone else.  That is evidenced by the wry smile that Channing allows herself at the song's end.  This smile had escaped my notice after numerous viewings of this film until it was pointed out to me by my friend Summer last night, and that smile, was the basis for this entire post.  That moment in the film spoke to me, revealed Rizzo's honesty with herself (and the audience) that she is unable to share with any of the characters in the film, neither her boyfriend or closest girlfriends will ever see her this openly, vulnerabilities exposed.

Granted, Channing was (as was the whole cast) well past her teenage years when she tackled the part of Rizzo, and yet she yields to a youthfulness in her performance that is tangy and spicy (again, some flavor to make up for the plainness of Olivia's lead performance).  It may be far from her most acclaimed performance on film (which was not too shabby at all in 1993's "Six Degrees of Separation"), and it will probably always be the role for which she is most remembered, and whether she appreciates it or not, Rizzo and "Grease" made me a Stockard Channing fan for life, even after "The Big Bus" and "The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh".  Now, how many film fanatics can say that?

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

It's Not Easy Being a Goddess: "My Week with Marilyn" (2011)



On Christmas Day afternoon, I treated myself to a movie, venturing away from all the holiday festivities to take a step back to mid-50's England and explore the story of a young man who wanted to work in films, and landed the once in a lifetime opportunity as an assistant on the set of a film that was to star Sir Laurence Oliver and the one and only Marilyn Monroe.

It can't be an easy task to play someone as iconic as Monroe, for this is a woman whose name is known even by people who've never seen any of her films.  And, as one of the most examined, studied, and researched personalities of the twentieth century, even the strongest performer may shy away from trying to re-capture the magic of such a singular personage on screen.  Luckily, Michelle Williams not only stepped up to the plate but hit an amazing home run as Marilyn.

Williams is an actress whom I have admired since her early years on the teen soap "Dawson's Creek", where I thought she brought a depth and sincerity to the material that some of her unnamed co-stars were unable to do.  She gave a beautiful supporting performance in "Brokeback Mountain" in 2005, earning an Academy Award nomination, and was absolutely heartbreaking in 2008's "Wendy and Lucy".  I wasn't quite prepared for what I can only describe as a transformation in this new film though.  Copying the breathy voice just right is one thing, but seeming to channel the essence of Marilyn Monroe as a whole is an amazing bit of acting.  And, as I've said in prior blogs, calling it acting doesn't quite seem enough.  We can only imagine how the real Marilyn was, from what others have said and written about her, but to me, at times, I would've sworn I was watching Monroe in outtakes from the Olivier film (1957's "The Prince and the Showgirl").

In what is purely a secondary role, Kenneth Branagh likewise does sterling work as British acting legend Sir Laurence Olivier.  Many years after his death, Olivier is still regarded by some as the greatest English actor ever, and to others he is still regarded as one of the greatest overactors.  Branagh is successful at capturing both Olivier's professionalism as well as his ego.

As good as these performances are, I only wish the film had lived up to them.  It's not that the film itself is bad, but that Williams is so good, that her greatness shows weaknesses in the script and direction, as well as how shabbily the film treats other supporting characters like Judi Dench (as Dame Sybil Thorndike) and Julia Ormond (as Vivien Leigh).  It's fine to bring in a character for texture for a scene, but when you have actors the caliber of Dench and Ormond, and don't use them to their advantage, you are clearly showing shortcomings as a director or a screenwriter.

Expect to see both Williams and Branagh on the short list of Oscar nominees next month, and if all the buzz keeps going her way, you just may see Williams holding a golden statuette in a few months, one which Monroe herself was never even nominated for during her career.

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Something Old, Something Offensive: "The General Died at Dawn" (1936)



Gary Cooper was one of the most solid leading men of Hollywood's golden age, giving straightforward performances in films from the 1930's- 1950's, including award worthy work in "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town" (1936), "The Pride of the Yankees" (1942), and "High Noon" (1952).  Cooper never seemed to take acting very seriously, and like Spencer Tracy was a very naturalistic actor.  One of his lesser-known works is the 1936 adventure picture "The General Died at Dawn", which concerns a complicated plot about Chinese warlords, double crossing dames, and a middleman attempting to help the rebels attain the munitions necessary to fight the brutal General Yang.

Cooper plays O'Hara, who is working as an agent to assist the struggling peasants acquire the guns needed to fight against the tyrannical Yang.  Madeleine Carroll is the mysterious blonde, Judy, who derails Cooper's plan, but in the end proves her loyalty to the hero.  Akim Tamiroff earned a Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for his work as Yang, but sadly, it is a somewhat offensive portrayal existing of nothing but an overdone accent and lots of Oriental makeup.  Veteran character actor Porter Hall gives a much more impressive supporting performance as Perrie, Judy's father and an associate of Yang who is looking to double cross the General as well as O'Hara.  William Frawley (the future Fred Mertz of "I Love Lucy") provides some comic relief as an inebriated arms dealer.

Other than some rather imaginative cinematography, and the performance by Hall, there's not a lot to recommend this chestnut.  It's a standard 30's adventure drama, with not a lot of real action when you get right down to it.  And, as I said earlier, Tamiroff's performance is such a stereoyped Oriental character that you wonder how on earth he managed Oscar recognition for the role.

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Dysfunctional Family Dynamics, Southern Style: "Toys in the Attic" (1963)

This blog was originally posted as a review on IMDb on March 14, 2001, and is being recycled here  to pad out my blog for December.  


Lillian Hellman's play "Toys in the Attic" was adapted for the screen in 1963. The story is reminiscent of Tennessee Williams, as it concerns a southern family with lots of hidden secrets. Also, like Williams' plays that were adapted to film, the staginess shows as the majority of the film's action takes place in the Berniers family home.


Dean Martin stars as Julian, a man who's made a career out of losing jobs and making quick money. He returns to the family home in New Orleans with his young bride Lily, played by Yvette Mimieux, with a plan to make a quick fortune. Martin was never known for being a heavy duty actor, and he is merely adequate in this role, while Mimieux plays her part as a childlike, naive bride very well; almost too well.  But the real reason to see this is the powerful acting of the two ladies who play Julian's sisters: Oscar winners Wendy Hiller (Anna) and Geraldine Page (Carrie) give very differing yet very interesting performances and are quite great in this picture.


Anna is the more mature, careful sister, while Carrie is emotional and dramatic. Carrie's obsession with her brother is unhealthy, and Anna realizes this, and tries her best to keep the peace in the family.  Anna's years of dealing with the reckless Julian and the histrionic Carrie show in the actress' body language, and she has a "matter-of-fact" quality to her vocal performance that gives some of the dialogue more depth and texture than it probably deserves.


The role of Carrie is one of the very rare lead roles that amazingly talented Geraldine Page had in films, and though she seems to sometimes be playing to the second balcony, or is overacting, it fits the role.  Carrie is a character who acts out and is a big old drama queen.  She goes from acting like a flirty little girl to bitter, volatile harpy, to indignant self righteousness.  It is a rich character to play and Page sinks her teeth into it as if it were a juicy apple.  Honestly, unless Geraldine Page or Wendy Hiller are onscreen, this film bores me.


Fading Hollywood beauty Gene Tierney is impressive in a couple of small scenes as Lily's mysterious mother, as is Larry Gates as the vicious businessman Julian is attempting a deal with.  And despite the fact that Dean Martin got top billing, this is a show for the talents of two gifted actresses, with Geraldine Page and Wendy Hiller making the most of this Southern gothic melodrama.

Monday, December 5, 2011

Just Because a Room is Empty Doesn't Mean No One's There: "Session 9" (2001)

A single image that sends chills up my spine, from the 2001 film "Session 9"

This blog was originally posted on MySpace on June 10, 2008, and I am too lazy to write any more new ones tonight, so I'm reposting it here for your enjoyment.

Danvers State Hospital is a real place, and was closed by the state of Massachusetts several years ago.  Long before I heard of this movie, I had seen pictures of the abandoned building on websites that feature photography like that (I'm weird like that, I love pictures of deserted and abandoned places).  In the movie "Session 9", a Haz-Mat crew is hired to remove asbestos from the abandoned building, and each member of the crew seems to have their own issues which are made worse by the creepy atmosphere inside the walls of the place, which is still littered by relics of the former patients, as well as the equipment used in their treatment.

I have a thing for movies that play with your sanity, and this one certainly fits the bill.  It is all about the eerie building and what went on there, especially as heard on the tape recordings of a former patient which are discovered by one of the crew.  As he listens to these tapes (the last one is, of course, session 9) we are exposed to what may be a falsely repressed memory, a serious case of schizophrenia, or perhaps even demonic possession).  The tension builds up and though there is some (typical) blood and gore in the last fifteen minutes or so (which seems out of place after everything else that has all been so internal), the main feeling that stays with you after the movie is one of unease.  After all, isn't the mind really the scariest place of all?

I know that the sound of a strangely calm voice saying "Hello Gordon" will stay with me for years, coming to visit me in the middle of sleepless nights along with other pieces of memorabilia that I've collected over the years: the hearse driver with the leering grin in "Burnt Offerings", the woman with long red hair rising out of a pond in her Victorian-era wedding dress in "Let's Scare Jessica to Death", the stick men hanging in the trees in "the Blair Witch Project", the floating vampire boy scratching at the window in "Salem's Lot" and that quick as a flash deathmask face from "The Exorcist".  I'm 37 years old.  And these things all still have the power to make me feel like a 5 year old, with the covers pulled up over my head, so whatever is there in the room with me, just maybe, won't be able to get me.  Sleep tight!!!

The Real Monsters are Us: "The Mist" (2007)

Marcia Gay Harden cannot keep her craziness to herself in "The Mist" (2007)


This blog was originally posted on MySpace on April 9, 2008, and in the interest of being environmentally friendly, I am reposting it here in its entirety:



Sunday afternoon, after Shaun and I got back from Charleston, we watched the movie "The Mist", which I expected would be the standard horror film.  I soon realized that I was mistaken.  Shortly into the film, I began to see that it was operating on more than one level, and was somewhat of an allegory.  I was impressed by the writing, direction, and visual effects, and especially so with the acting, which was of a higher quality usually found in horror films. 

What happens is fairly simple to explain, and occurs in a small Northeastern town (as typical of Stephen King stories).  Following an intense and violent electrical storm, a group of townspeople find themselves trapped inside a grocery store by an ominous mist that seems to appear from out of nowhere.  There is the usual cross section of people thrown together (a format that goes back to such classic disaster films as "The Poseidon Adventure" and "The Towering Inferno"), with our stalwart hero, the doubter, the unexpected hero, the spunky old people, an innocent child, and of course, the villain of the the piece.

Soon it turns out that the mist holds otherworldly dangers, although the trapped citizens are just as threatened by the fear, paranoia, and confusion going on inside the store.  Toby Jones, who was so good in "Infamous" (the other movie about Truman Capote), made a very disarming, unexpected little hero, and Thomas Jane, whose work I was not at all familiar with, stayed centered and grounded as the main character, around whom the story and more vivid supporting characters swirled.  Veteran character actress Frances Sternhagen (she’s won Tonys for Broadway and been on everything from "Cheers" to "Sex and the City" on television) won our laughter when she stands up to religious fanatic Mrs. Carmody (Former Oscar winner Marcia Gay Harden in the film’s best performance).  Harden’s character believeably goes from slightly off-center but still sympathetic, to downright frightening and vicious.

The film, which is already very dark in mood, takes a turn toward even more disturbing territory when we learn the truth about "the mist", and Mrs. Carmody becomes more unhinged, demanding Old Testament-style retribution from some of the other characters.  The movie may appear to be attacking or mocking religion, but what it actually is focusing on is the danger of fanatacism, and how in a confusing, scary situation the crowd can be whipped into a frenzy by one person with a charasmatic speaking style.  I was reminded of the single-minded posse from the classic "The Ox-Bow Incident", who are determined to host a hanging, whether the suspects are guilty or not.

As the movie rollercoastered to its ending, it again climbed to another level not usually found within the horror genre, putting the audience on the edge of a moral dilemmna faced by the characters.  The truly shocking ending surprised me, much more than such familiar "twist-ending" movies as "The Sixth Sense" and "The Usual Suspects"; I just did not see it coming.  I applaud the filmmakers for ending the movie in such a manner, and must admit that although I thought it was an extremely well made film, I don’t think I could ever sit through it again.

Cotton Candy for the Movie Lover's Soul: "Mamma Mia!" (2008)

Brand new Kennedy Center Honoree Meryl Streep leads a chorus of ladies to the strains of ABBA's 70's classic "Dancing Queen" in a scene from 2008's "Mamma Mia!"



The following post was originally posted on MySpace on July 18, 2008, but I am reposting it here since I just watched the movie again recently, and this post still reflects my feelings about the film:

I did something last night that I haven't done since 2002- no, it wasn't sexual in nature, but it did require being awake for the better part of the night.  That actually doesn't bother me, since I spend every other month working all night, but this was for pure pleasure.

I went to the midnight showing of "Mamma Mia!" at the Spartan 16, where, among a handful of sold out showings of "The Dark Knight", myself and five other people took a little trip to the Greek coast, heard some good (not great) and some not-so-good (not horrible) singing, watched a very talented mix of actors appear to be having a ball while keeping the pretty flimsy plot aloft between the gloriously cheesy 70's era Scandanavian pop lyrics of ABBA.

Despite what "Entertainment Weekly" may have thought, I found the cinematography to be beautiful, and if the Greek islands are that photogenic then book me for the next flight/cruise/whatever to get over there!  Meryl Streep probably won't garner Oscar 3 for her work here, but it is one of the most enjoyable performances I've ever seen her give.  Granted, she earned her reputation as a dramatic actress of the highest caliber playing tragic heroines, but to see her looking disheveled, rolling around on the roof of a goat house was a delight, and she seemed to be enjoying the experience as well.  Although the vocal "talents" of co-stars Pierce Brosnan, Stellan Skarsgard, and Colin Firth may never win them any success on the pop charts, each of them created a distinct character, and each acted (if not sang) their role with the ability they are noted for.

Christine Baranski and Julie Walters provided wonderful backup to Streep (musically as well as dramatically), added to the comedy of the film, and were each rewarded with a song that showcased them.  Baranski's "Does Your Mother Know?" sung amidst a beachful of strapping young men, and Walters' "Take a Chance on Me" performed during a wedding reception were two of my favorite numbers.  The highlight for me however, was definitely the "Dancing Queen" number.  Performed with practically the entire female populace of the island, the scene was joyous and infectious, and left me with a big goofy grin for the remainder of the entire film.

The younger cast members, Amanda Seyfried and Dominic Cooper looked lovely, but never seemed convincing as a real couple.  Seyfried's handled her songs better than I expected, and was even supplied with her own back-up girls (the bridesmaids) who served as a neat parallel to Streep, Baranski, and Walters.  I really can't tell you much about Cooper's singing or acting, but I can tell you that the man was born to wear swimming trunks. 

One fantasy sequence seemed a little out of place, but if you consider the whole movie a fantasy, then it was entirely appropriate.  I won't spoil anyone's fun by mentioning any of the (fairly predictable) plot twists, except to say that I loved that the finale was very inclusive, and also seemed appropriate for the whole movie.  Also, the fact that there was a Greek chorus (literally!) made me happy like a snowcone does on a hot summer day. 

It's not a grand piece of filmmaking that will go down in history- but hey, it was never meant to be.  It's an enjoyable piece of sweet summertime fluff that I thoroughly enjoyed, and will enjoy again sometime soon.  And really, for the cost of a movie ticket, isn't that really a bargain? 

Too Much of a Good Thing: “Pollock” (2000)

Ed Harris, proving that he's a better supporting actor than  a lead in his 2000 film "Pollock".
I start by saying that I know practically nothing of the life or work of Jackson Pollock, except that I have heard of him, and that he was a well-regarded painter.  I must also add that I have mixed feelings about films that feature tortured artists.  Some, like “Frida” from 2002 about Frida Kahlo, have been worth watching, mainly for the impressive performances by Salma Hayek and Alfred Molina, and the impressive art direction and musical score.  Others however, like the 1956 Van Gogh biography “Lust for Life“ can often seem too worshipful or too ’artistic’ in tone themselves.  Despite the fact that Kirk Douglas gave a hell of a performance as Vincent Van Gogh, and probably should’ve won an Oscar for it, the film itself is an overlong depressing affair, which I don’t think I could force myself to sit through again.

Ed Harris, who has had a successful middle-aged career as a sort of go to supporting actor in a wide variety of films, directed and starred in “Pollock” about a specific period of time (the 1940’s and 1950‘s) during Jackson Pollock’s life, centering on the time he was partnered with fellow artist (and wife) Lee Krasner.  As I said, Harris has been a dependable supporting actor in film since the early 1980’s, earning a handful of nominations for films such as “Apollo 13” (1995), “The Truman Show” (1998), and “The Hours” (2002), and also giving impressive performances in films stretching from “The Right Stuff” in 1983 all the way through 2005’s “A History of Violence”.  

Harris gives a showboating lead performance (and was nominated for the only time so far as a Lead Actor), and though he is usually quite effective in supporting roles, here Harris the director indulges Harris the actor by letting him overact his way through numerous drunken outbursts and psychotic episodes throughout the film.  It is in his quieter moments, however, when he isn’t trying to impress us with “performance”, that Harris the actor shines.  In the film’s other lead role, Marcia Gay Harden is solid as Lee Krasner, even if the accent is a little grating, and she has a couple of over the top scenes as well.  Harden's performance is more believable though, and it deserved recognition, yet giving her a Supporting Oscar seems a little bit of category fraud since she’s such a major part of the film.  

A true supporting performance is given by Amy Madigan (Harris’ real-life wife) as art collector Peggy Guggenheim.  Madigan plays this difficult woman with just the right shades of anger, irritation, and class that add a lot to the texture of the film, as do the gallery (pun intended) of other familiar faces in small roles (including Jennifer Connelly, Val Kilmer, and Jeffrey Tambor).  

Overall, Harris the director has a pretty straightforward style.  There aren’t any huge “wow” moments in the picture, yet it is a solidly constructed film that is respectful of it’s screenplay and of it’s actors.  If Director Harris had toned down Actor Harris just a  bit, the film might’ve had more of an impact.  Ultimately, as far as tortured artist movies go, “Pollock” belongs more to the “Lust for Life” side of the tote board than the “Frida” side.

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Performance of the Month: Matt Damon in “The Talented Mr. Ripley” (1999)

Matt Damon, ignored by the Oscars, but utterly fascinating in "The Talented Mr. Ripley"

Matt Damon has the very good fortune to be not only a bankable movie star, who’s starred in the hugely successful Bourne franchise, but also a talented actor, given his Oscar-nominated performances in “Good Will Hunting” and “Invictus”.  And even now, as the handsome boy grows older, but more textured as an actor, solidly supporting in films like “True Grit” and “Contagion”, I wonder if he will ever give a performance more impressive than that in Anthony Minghella’s “The Talented Mr. Ripley”.

The most impressive quality about Damon’s work in the picture is that he’s always performing more than one role, sometimes juggling multiple roles at once, in playing a character who is never quite who he is pretending to be, since he’s being someone else at the same time.  (If that sounds confusing, consider that I wrote it after re-watching the film at 4am.  As Tom Ripley himself says “I always thought it was better to be a fake somebody than a real nobody”, and there are several different Tom Ripleys just as there is no Tom Ripley.

His entire performance works on the premise that he’s a chameleon, who with a borrowed jacket becomes a Princeton alumnus, fast friends with some free living American expatriates in Italy, a murderer, the person whom he killed, and so forth and so on.  If you work on the presumption that Tom Ripley doesn’t exist, but rather becomes whatever persona the situation requires, then the film is a multi-layered meditation on identity.  For Tom’s identity is as fluid as the sea where he first meets Dickie Greenleaf.

He constantly reinvents himself, and the viewer is never sure if they are ever seeing any of the real person- that is, if there is a real person there to begin with.  As the film progresses, Damon’s work becomes a Rubix Cube of constantly turning sides.  There is a different Ripley for every other character in the film, and this is one very well-cast film, with heavy hitters like Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Cate Blanchett, and Phillip Seymour Hoffman playing opposite Damon.  But Damon’s main co-star is himself.

What begins as an attempt to insinuate himself into Dickie’s life becomes an absorption of Dickie’s lifestyle; an intensity that builds to a romantic attraction to Dickie, which to me reads as the major crisis of Tom’s identity.  The initial murder is in fact provoked because Tom’s affections are rejected; he acts like a spurned lover, and we recall the intimacy and not at all subtle hints of homoeroticism from earlier scenes between Tom and Dickie (the duet of “My Funny Valentine” and the bathtub chess game).  And yet Tom glides from this to an attempted seduction of Dickie’s fiancée Marge (Paltrow), but this again is the absorption of Dickie’s life into his own.  Then there is the flirtation with Meredith (Blanchett), and the jealousy of Dickie’s friendship with Freddie (Hoffman), and finally the “is he or isn’t he” game with Peter (Jack Davenport), who probably gets closer to the enigma of Tom Ripley than anyone else in the film, and pays the price for it.  It matters very little to me whether Tom is or isn’t gay, because I think his motive is ultimately to be anything to anyone, at any time.

The complexity of the role had to be a big attraction for Damon, who was just coming off the success of “Good Will Hunting” when this film was released in 1999, because the dark nature of the material doesn’t seem to be the obvious choice for someone concerned with being golden boy at the box office.  It is a complex juggling act, and Damon never once drops a ball.  He keeps the different Toms/Dickies/Whoevers in constant motion, with the possibility of seduction or murder coexisting at every moment.  It is a brilliant performance and quite an achievement for the young Mr. Damon.  And I’m not certain, but I’d be willing to bet that Tom Ripley was a Scorpio.

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Time Passes By: “Another Year” (2010)

Lesley Manville in what should've been an Oscar nominated performance in Mike Leigh's 2010 film "Another Year".
Mike Leigh’s “Another Year” was one of the pictures that I really wanted to see last year, especially after the performance by Lesley Manville began picking up critical buzz and award recognition, but, alas, it slipped through the cracks of my viewing schedule until now, since it has finally aired on the Starz channels.

I’ve thought highly of previous Leigh films like “Life is Sweet“ (1992), “Secrets & Lies” (1996), and “Vera Drake” (2004), (note I said I thought highly of them, not that I enjoyed them), but his films aren’t really about enjoyment.  They’re seriously constructed character studies, with real actors as opposed to movie stars, and generally they can deal with some rather unpleasant subject matter, or at least, something other than a carefree night at the movies.  In other words, Leigh makes films for adults, with mature subject matter, and his films remind me sometimes of the best works of Robert Altman (about the highest praise I can give to a filmmaker), in that they often appear cluttered with too much (too much talk, too much going on, etc.), when in reality what they are is an approximation of the clutter of real life: things are complicated, people have issues, and problems are not always neatly solved during the course of two hours.  I think that it’s this realism in his films that makes Leigh such a great filmmaker, whose works, as I said, may be a bit on the depressing side, but are worth a viewing.  For “Another Year”, he earned an Academy Award nomination for the Best Original Screenplay, but lost to “The King’s Speech”, which is a shame.

“Another Year” follows, through the course of four seasons, an older middle-aged couple, their family and friends.  On paper, that doesn’t sound like much, and it’s true that Leigh’s films are better than a simple description of them could ever be.  His characters reveal themselves through their own words and actions, through their relationships with others, and also through how well identifiable they are with the audience.  The central characters are Tom (Jim Broadbent) and Gerri (Ruth Sheen), and it is through this couple and their circle of family and acquaintances that we move over the course of the picture.  Tom is a geologist and Ruth is a counselor, and the pair share a very active gardening hobby on the side.  The other major character, and the standout performance in the film is Mary, played by Lesley Manville, in a role that won  her the National Board of Review’s Best Actress award last year.  Mary is a co-worker of Ruth, and though she appears a friendly chatterbox, she is in reality a desperately unhappy woman who seeks to drown her loneliness in the nearest available bottle of wine.  Manville’s character is so uncomfortably real that at times she is difficult to watch, especially if you’ve had real life experience with a ‘Mary’ of your own.  Her overbearing flirtation with Tom and Gerri’s son Joe is also embarrassing to watch, as he is nearly half her age, and has no interest whatsoever in  Mary.  A latter scene where she is introduced to Joe’s girlfriend shows her clearly having a meltdown in full view of everyone, which she blames on problems with her car.

Manville may be the film’s standout performer, but that is to take nothing away from the solid work done by Jim Broadbent and Ruth Sheen who anchor the story and provide a calming center that comforts the viewer.  Their characters have accepted their movement into older middle-aged, while Mary and another friend Ken rail against their lost youth, and fight the passage of time and their own aging.  Exceptional work is also done by noted actress Imelda Staunton (Oscar nominated for her work in Leigh’s “Vera Drake” and more popularly known as Dolores Umbridge in the Harry Potter universe.  Staunton has a small role as a depressed woman who Ruth is treating.  Her character, like Mary, is so painfully real that we feel we are invading this poor woman’s privacy by watching her two brief scenes.  

Not a lot happens in “Another Year”, at least not on the surface.  But underneath, the ebb and  flow of human emotion, the passing of time, and the life experience itself go about like they do.  We glimpse these characters for a single year, and in that span of time, quite a lot actually does happen, as it does every year.  Reflection on mortality, and the passage into older middle-age, which is rarely, if ever examined in American films is done so masterfully in “Another Year”, one of the quiet cinematic treasures of  2010.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

That Old-Time Religion: “The Apostle” (1997)



If there were a competition for the greatest living American actor, I’m sure that devotees of Jack Nicholson, Al Pacino, and Robert DeNiro would all make compelling arguments for their candidates.  But for my money, the title belongs solely to Robert Duvall, who has been giving unforgettable film performances since his debut in 1962’s “To Kill a Mockingbird”.  He’s been honored for his work in films like “Tender Mercies” (Best Actor Oscar- 1983), “The Great Santini (Best Actor Nomination- 1980), “The Godfather” (Supporting Actor Nomination- 1972), “Apocalypse Now” (Supporting Actor Nomination- 1979), and “A Civil Action” (Supporting Actor Nomination- 1998).  Additionally, he’s given wonderful performances without Oscar recognition in such films as “M*A*S*H” (1970), “Network” (1976), and even as recently as last year, he deserved a nomination for his work as an elderly hermit in the independent comedy-drama “Get Low”.

The crown jewel of Duvall’s career, however, was another low-budget film, one that Duvall raised the money to make, wrote the screenplay and directed, and gave the performance of a lifetime, as Sonny AKA ‘The Apostle E.F.“ in 1997’s “The Apostle”.  In a year of such honored and in some cases over-honored films like “Titanic”, “L.A. Confidential”, “Boogie Nights”, “Jackie Brown“, “The Full Monty”, “Ulee’s Gold”, “As Good as It Gets”, “Mrs. Brown”, and “The Sweet Hereafter”, none has had the effect on me in quite the way Duvall’s film does.  Now perhaps, if you were (as I was) brought up with a clearly  defined sense of religion, beliefs in God, the Devil, Heaven, and Hell, the film will resonate on levels that may not have the same reaction in other viewers.  In any event, a  viewer can appreciate the labor of love quality of “The Apostle”, with the knowledge that the  film was indeed Duvall’s baby, and that he has an appreciation for the subject matter, unlike many films which take a superior, intellectual pleasure in mocking religion or religious people.

This is not to say that the film is without flaws, but they don’t detract from the success of the picture overall.  Though he has directed before, perhaps Duvall was too close to the material to realize that certain shots seem redundant, and certain scenes don’t quite fit the feel of the picture.  The locations add much texture to the picture: the dirt roads, croaking bayous, and makeshift roadside churches are as much characters in the film as are the actors, and for the most part, Duvall the director has cast his film well, with a mixture of talented actors and believable, fresh nonprofessionals.  Among the known actors, John Beasley does fine, quiet work as Reverend Blackwell, Walton Goggins, long before his career-defining work in television shows like “The Shield” and “Justified”, is a naïve young man who falls under Sonny’s charismatic spell, and Billy Bob Thornton has two scenes as a troublemaking local who falls to Duvall both times, but in completely different ways.  The freshest female performances in the film were by the two nonprofessional women that Duvall cast as the friendly-rival queen bees of his church., but the professional actresses were failed unfortunately, either by Duvall the director or Duvall the screenwriter.  The late Farrah Fawcett plays Sonny’s unhappy wife Jesse, whose actions set the real story into motion, and, not to speak ill of the dead, but I find it a very flat, lifeless performance.  Now, I realize that the character of Jesse has a lot of repressed emotions, and has been unhappy and perhaps even lifeless in her marriage, but I expected to see at least a moment or two of spark from Fawcett.  Even more disappointing was the misuse of Miranda Richardson as Toosie, the secretary at a radio station The Apostle broadcasts over.  Richardson is a brilliant actress, but here her character is never developed enough beyond a potential love interest for Sonny, and we’re never clear on what her motivations are.  

But when the film is in the church, and Duvall is in ‘preacher’ mode, it soars.  It has a power, and a realism that touch me to my core.  And yes, Duvall is impressive when he’s ‘onstage’ before his congregation, delivering the well-rehearsed monologues of a lifetime of a traveling country preacher.  But they never sound rehearsed, and even when we hear snatched of dialogue repeated in different sermons, Duvall still makes them compelling.  He’s a bundle of charisma, religion, and control, and yet still has the nerve to play Sonny as a real person, with concerns, troubles, and his own persecutions that he knows will eventually find their way to him.  Duvall is just as watchable in the scenes where he’s not preaching, because even in quieter scenes, with June Carter Cash as his loving mother, or Billy Joe Shaver as an old confidante, he’s still in character- but not as a preacher, simply as Sonny.  

For many, I suppose the big emotional moment of the film concerns Thornton’s second and final appearance at The Apostle’s church, and it is a scene that gives me a chill; it’s that real, and honest a piece of filmmaking.  For me though, it is Duvall’s final sermon, knowing that his past has found him, church building surrounded by the blinking lights of police cars that cuts into my heart.  Duvall (as Sonny) knows that this is his final ‘performance’, and so Duvall (as The Apostle E.F.) gives the sermon of a lifetime.  And as many times as I’ve seen the film, I never failed to be moved to tears by the scene where a character that has been an enigma during much of the film stands up in his pew.  Just writing about it gives me a jolt.  It feels too personal, too intimate a thing to be watching, and yet, during my childhood, I frequently saw the same thing happen on many a Sunday morning, and I myself did that on a Sunday morning in the summer of 1980.  

The Apostle’s exit is by no means a downer, but rather a triumphant continuation of the journey he’s been on.  The roaring sound of his church’s choir calling out their encouragement as he leaves his church for the last time is thrilling, and a final coda over the credits shows that The Apostle is true to himself (as Duvall is true to the character) no matter where he is or what he’s doing.  And despite the fact that my personal beliefs, views, and attitudes have changed immensely since that summer of 1980, there is something in this film that moves me.  And this my friends, is exactly why I love the movies.

Monday, November 21, 2011

She worked hard for the money: “The Help” (2011)



I’ve tried a couple of times to get through the novel “The Help”, but never quite been able to complete it. But, being Southern, and generally loving things concerning Southern women, and, too thinking that Viola Davis is one of the greatest and most underrated actresses working today, I was thrilled to hear quite a while back that a film was made of the book, and that Davis played one of the primary roles.  That film opened about four months ago, and, as excited as I was about it, I have just now gotten around to seeing it.  That’s not a measure of my interest in the film decreasing, but rather the business of my own life increasing, and so often, life does get in the way of things like seeing new movies, or unloading the dishwasher, or remembering to record the new episode of “Modern Family”, so I hope that I may be excused by whatever diety is in charge of the picture business: hopefully the ghost of Bette Davis.

“The Help” isn’t a bad movie, but it is a very familiar stew, made up of a a little of “The Color Purple”, mixed with a dash of “Fried Green Tomatoes”, a bit of “Steel Magnolias”, and other, earlier Southern women flicks.  The script wants to be taken seriously as a period piece, but undercuts this intent with cardboard cutout characters, and moments of almost slapstick comedy that don’t fit the general tone of the film.

Viola Davis as Abilene Clark, should certainly earn her Best Actress nomination, if for only the scene where she tells Skeeter (Emma Stone) about how her son died, and Octavia Spencer’s Minny will be a strong Supporting Actress contender for her scenes with Celia (Jessica Chastain), the outsider desperate to fit into the cream of Jackson, Mississippi society circa 1963.  Only a curmudgeon like myself would object to the Johnny Cash & June Carter duet of “Jackson” being played during the film, if only because I know it wasn’t recorded until much later in the 1960’s.

Stone’s Skeeter is the only one of her girlfriends who hasn’t married or started breeding, and it’s apparently because she’s the only one with any ambition, despite the efforts of her cracked belle Mama (Allison Janney) to make her be the perfect little Southern lady.  Stone surprised me here, because I was afraid she might be out of her league working with some of these other performers, but she handles the role well, and combined with her comedic work in “Easy A” mark her as a young actress with a truly special range.

Chastain as well is very touching as the vulgar girl who got pregnant before she married (the grand bitch’s ex boyfriend, of all people), and her desire to be a good wife and a member of the social set in town is a valid supporting plot to the main story of the domestics’ desires to improve their quality of life.

Sissy Spacek, still with some of the spit and vinegar she had way back in “Coal Miner’s Daughter” has a lovely small role as the grand bitch’s mother, whose mostly off her rocker but still has moments of clarity where Spacek proves she’s still a hell of an actress.

Now, to the low point of the film’s performances; the previously mentioned ‘grand bitch’ Hilly Holbrooke played by Bryce Dallas Howard.  Howard acts like she’s in a cartoon, and she never moves from the single note of hysteria that she finds in her character, and keeps on pounding away on that note throughout the entire movie.  Granted, the character wasn’t developed, but Bryce’s performance didn’t help matters at all.  Neither did some of the more uncomfortable moments of unconscious cruelty displayed to various members of the serving class, most of which were put into motion by Hilly herself.

Overall, I enjoyed “The Help”, mainly for showcasing a (mostly) fine group of actresses in (mostly) decent roles with depth and texture that is often lacking when an actress finds herself playing “Hooker #2” or “Ex-wife of the Star” in whatever big-scale action movie has just opened.  Now I just need to get around to reading that book!

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Big Screen Sitcom: "Harper Valley PTA" (1978)



There must've been a lot of need for drive-in type family fare in 1978.  That's the only explanation I can come up with for the production of the 1978 comedy "Harper Valley PTA".  First off, the film was based on a clever novelty song from a full decade earlier that won the Country Music Association Award for Single Record of the Year, and was also such a huge crossover hit that it spent a week at #1 on the Billboard Pop Chart in late 1968 as well.  And three years after the film's release, there was even a short-lived (two seasons) television spinoff that appeared on NBC, all of which either proves the power of a well-crafted piece of music that stands the test of time, or that the tastes of the American public have been somewhat questionable for quite some time now.

There's really no need to discuss anything as technical as directorial style, character development, or other such terms when discussing "Harper Valley PTA".  The direction (by Richard Bennett) is on par with most of the television sitcoms of the era, but not nearly as stylish as milestone 70's sitcoms like "M*A*S*H", "Taxi", or "All in the Family".  The set-ups are in place, the jokes are predictable, the characters are cardboard with mostly a single defining trait to differentiate them from the others in the film.  If the film had been made with a giggling laugh track, it wouldn't seem as out of place as it does on the annoyingly bad NBC sitcom "Whitney".

Briefly, the plot revolves (as does the song) around widow Stella Johnson, who enjoys having her friends over, drinking a few beers, and wearing the miniskirts that show off middle-aged Barbara Eden's still impressive figure.  Stella's daughter Dee faces expulsion from school by the hypocritical PTA members, who are memorably "socked" by Stella during an open meeting (conveniently held that same day).  While the song ends with the group receiving their comeuppance from the feisty Stella, the film takes off into various scenes of revenge against the various PTA snobs, engineered by Stella and nutty sidekick Alice (a delightful performance by Nanette Fabray, and the brightest one in the film).  The punishments fit the crimes in each case; i.e. the lecherous realtor is beaten up by a woman he tries to seduce, and the town drunk sees real-life pink elephants marching through his house.  Some misplaced subplots show up and are dealt with rather swiftly: Dee's crush on schoolmate Carlyle, and Stella's romance with rebel PTA board member Will Newton (Ronny Cox, realizing his career has nosedived from "Deliverance" to this) seem just scenes to add length to the film until we get to the next unbelievable act of vengeance committed by Mrs. Johnson.

It may not sound like I think very highly of "Harper Valley PTA, but actually, it is one of my favorite guilty pleasure movies.  It reminds me of childhood, when I'm sure I must've seen it at the old Duncan Theater, or perhaps even the Sunset Drive-In.  And like old sitcom reruns, it is familiar.  It's humor never gets mean-spirited, and for the most part, the cast plays along with the joke.  The best thing about the whole project might be that Jeannie C. Riley's original Grammy winning title song plays in it's entirety over both the opening and end credits, and that during the film, instrumental versions of the song are played during various scenes.  For example, there is a 'sad' version, a 'romantic' version, and even a carnival version played on the merry-go-round at a fairground scene.  And despite all the Collector's Editions, and Criterion Discs in my personal library, "Harper Valley PTA" remains one of the most prized DVDs in my collection.  Go ahead and call me crazy.  It's been said by more qualified people than you!


  

Monday, November 7, 2011

Oh, the Horror...of a truly bad movie: "Horror House" (1969)





Showtime aired this howling dog of a flick Monday afternoon, and like a car accident, I knew I shouldn't look, but I couldn't turn away. It aired under it's alternate title "Haunted House of Horror", yet the house itself doesn't seem haunted, and the horrors (both of them) are not very horrifying. Despite some other comments about this movie, these characters are NOT teenagers! Frankie Avalon is already fighting middle age spread as the sole American in a cast of British never-heard-of's who split from a groovy mod party to a dusty deserted old house where naturally, a murder happens. And later another, and another...ending with a resolution that feels like the writer thought it up on the last day of filming.

The spookiest things in this movie don't even happen at the old house, and most involve the female cast. At the party, glum, chubby, bucktoothed Madge dances around with a feather boa, nicely displaying a big bruise (or birthmark) on her arm. Grim Suzanne, who's ended an affair with a strange older man, can't stay at the old house because she simply must go for coffee, and spends the entire movie looking disinterested (or perhaps constipated). Dorothy, the blonde with the panda eye makeup, and Sheila, the blonde with the massive hair are respectively the sweet waif and the cunning minx. Both are horribly miscast, although both Dorothy and Madge get nice little breakdown scenes. Madge's is especially moving. In a move that I'm sure won her a few supporting actress votes that year, she weeps, gnashes her teeth, lets her stringy hair fall into her face, and nearly rends the fringed hem of her blue party dress. Despite this glut of talented ladies, most of the supporting male cast are interchangable, in their staggering assortment of mismatched clothes, the exception being Gary, who forgets what movie he's in and seems to be auditioning for the road company of "Equus".

And then there's Frankie. What on earth possessed Frankie Avalon to ditch Annette on the beach and journey to England for this film? He even brought his 'Beach Party' hair with him. He sticks out like a sort thumb, and there's never a reason given for why these cool Brits hang out with this goon. I kept waiting for one of them (preferably Madge) to accidentally call him 'The Big Kahuna'.

The set designer for this film deserves a special honor for the sequential throw pillows that appear in Sheila's apartment. Each has a different design on it and when placed beside each other, they form a lovely image.

This movie is laugh-out-loud funny...too bad it's supposed to be a suspenseful horror film

A hidden gem disguised as a 70's drive-in flick!: "Crazy Mama" (1975)





Cloris Leachman was spinning off from a supporting role on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" to headlining her own series "Phyllis" in 1975, the same year this goofy road movie was released. Leachman stars as Melba Stokes, who runs a beauty parlor in Long Beach, California with her mother Sheba (Ann Sothern) and her daughter Cheryl (Linda Purl). When the shop is repossessed by banker Jim Backus aka Thurston Howell III (a great little cameo) Leachman and ladies head back to Arkansas and the family farm which was stolen away from them when Melba was a girl. Along for the ride is Cheryl's boyfriend, surfer boy Donny Most aka Ralph Malph who finds out he's going to be a daddy thanks to Cheryl. The ladies knock over a filling station, which sets about their plan to rob their way back to Arkansas earning the money to buy back the farm.

Stopping over in Las Vegas, Melba hooks up with Jim Bob Trotter (Stuart Whitman). Cheryl falls for greasy biker Snake (Bryan Englund, Leachman's real life son), and Sheba makes a friend in elderly Bertha (Merie Earle) who believes that the secret to casino winning is to spout cliches before she pulls the handle on the slot machine. Jim Bob and Melba decide to have a phony wedding so the makeshift gang can rob the chapel, and then it's back on the road!

The ladies continue their crime spree, knocking over a grocery store and a bank. Meanwhile, back in Texas, Jim Bob's depressing wife (Sally Kirkland) is startled to hear that he's been kidnapped. Another plan by Melba and company to raise money, this one turns out in a bad way for the group. When Melba and her gang finally return to Jerusalem, Arkansas they are disappointed to see that the farmland of their youth has been turned into a country club. Needless to say, there is a hijacked wedding and more car chases.

This is a funny movie (with a GREAT final scene) that is given spirited performances by Leachman, Sothern, and especially Merie Earle as the nursing home escapee who finds a few thrills in her last days. There is some surprising violence, an eclectic 50's soundtrack, and control over the whole crazy-quilt through the direction of Jonathan Demme. The most touching scene in the film is when the weary travellers stand under a tree and remember their fallen friends by "shouting them into Heaven".

Monday, October 31, 2011

Performance of the Month: Deborah Kerr in “The Innocents” (1961)



Henry James’ “The Turn of the Screw” is one of the classics of ghost story literature, and when director Jack Clayton filmed his version, titled “The Innocents” in 1961, he created one of the classic ghost story films, due in no small part to the incredible performance by acclaimed British actress Deborah Kerr.

It can be argued that every aspect of filmmaking was working in just the right way for the production of this film, for I cannot find a fault with it.  From Clayton’s direction to Freddie Francis’ cinematography, to the screenplay by Truman Capote, and the dazzling work by child actors Martin Stephens and Pamela Franklin, and the haunting musical theme that runs through the film, and yet I’ve always felt that the uncertainty of Kerr’s Miss Giddens is what makes the film truly remarkable.

Kerr was a bit long in the tooth for the role, at least as conceived by James, but it is the very fact that Miss Giddens is a spinster in early middle-age that makes her more susceptible to the supernatural goings on at the spooky old country manor where she’s been employed to care for young Miles and Flora, the niece and nephew of a disinterested London uncle.  Discovering the truth about the sadomasochistic relationship between previous governess Miss Jessel and gamekeeper Peter Quint, both of whom have died prior to the story beginning fuels her repressed longings, which she has previously submerged in religious fervor, as the daughter of a country parson.

With only the friendly, well-meaning cook (Megs Jenkins) as an ally, Miss Giddens begins to believe that the spirits of Jessel and Quint are coming back through the bodies of young Flora and Miles, who, to put it mildly, are most unusual children.  The question of whether Giddens is losing her mind or genuine hauntings are occurring seem rather plainly stated by Clayton.  He shows us the evil, leering face of Quint peering in through a window, and a gorgeously melancholy shot of the ghostly Miss Jessel dressed in black, standing at the edge of a marsh during a rainstorm.  But no one else seems to see these visions, only Miss Giddens.

Her fervor to save the children from these demons becomes an obsession with the woman, and Kerr plays her going off the deep end slowly and steadily.  Perhaps most obviously in her relationship with Miles, who speaks in an odd rhythm and says things like “my dear” to the governess, more like a suitor than a child.  And there is a very disturbing scene of an embrace between the two that is genuinely uncomfortable to watch.

Through it all though, Miss Giddens never loses her conviction, and Kerr never falters in her performance.  How she neglected to even earn an Oscar nomination for this amazing performance baffles me, even though 1961 was a fairly strong year for lead actresses.  I’ve seen all five of the nominated performances, and I’d rank Kerr (and the also un-nominated Shirley MacLaine from “The Children’s Hour” and perhaps even the non-nominated Claudia McNeill from “A Raisin in the Sun” as more worthy of nomination than either Piper Laurie in “The Hustler” or Geraldine Page in “Summer and Smoke”.  It’s one of Oscar’s embarrassments that Kerr went home empty handed on six different occasions, though they did manage to give her one of those lifetime achievement (aka Oops, we forgot about you) awards a few years back.  In fact, the lack of any nominations for this very worthy film just goes to show what a snobby attitude the Academy had towards the entire horror genre, a prejudice which has pretty much continued to the present day with only a few minor exceptions.

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Oscar Rewind: Best Supporting Actor nominees of 1938

Over the past couple of days, I've watched the five films that were nominated in the Best Supporting Actor category for the 1938 Oscars.  Rather than record individual posts about each film, I've decided to make it a single blog entry and hope to continue to blog in this style in the future, focusing on the specific nomination that was earned, and discuss the merits of each.  At the end, I will offer my rankings of the five nominees, and also discuss some worthy non-nominees. 

And the nominees were:

WALTER BRENNAN AS PETER GOODWIN IN KENTUCKY
“Kentucky” was a 20th Century Fox picture that starred Loretta Young caught up in a love story complicated by a family feud that dated back to the Civil War days. The feud is shown as a prologue, before the action of the picture moves to the present day (1938). As her crotchety Uncle Peter, Walter Brennan gives more of a cartoon caricature rather than an actual performance; it’s like an elderly, real-life version of Looney Tunes’ “Yosemite Sam”. Peter, who was a small boy in the prologue, carries on with the feud, and rather than being an entertaining old coot, he’s really an annoying old cuss. He talks louder than everyone else in the movie; he hollers and growls and gives a really over the top performance that wasn’t really worthy of a nomination. Of the three Oscars he received during his career, this is the one that was the least deserved.

JOHN GARFIELD AS MICKEY BORDEN IN FOUR DAUGHTERS
“Four Daughters” was a Warner Brothers release that was at heart a fancy soap opera about the troubled love lives of the title characters, all members of a musical family, the Lemps. there is a kindly widowed father, his elderly sister (all crusty on the outside, but gooey on the inside), and the four daughters of the title: Ann, Emma, Kay, and Thea. The picture is pretty slow going until the arrival of cynical, hard-living musical prodigy Mickey Borden, played by Garfield. Mickey may have talent, but he’s determined to waste it on reckless living, which includes upsetting the plans of recently engaged Ann. Their marriage is troubled from the start, but as Garfield’s character goes downhill, his acting becomes even better. He gives a fresh performance, that adds energy to what is for the most part, a pretty picture-book of a movie.

GENE LOCKHART AS REGIS IN ALGIERS
“Agiers” concerned the lives of a group of con artists and thieves who turn on each other with speed and no loyalty to anyone except themselves. Regis, played by Gene Lockhart, is envious of the fame and success of his companion Pepe Le Moko (Charles Boyer), and hatches a plan with the police to catch the notorious Pepe by luring him out of the impenetrable Casbah. Regis is a professional weasel and stool pigeon, and thinks he has the upper hand, but Pepe traps the rat in his own game and employs a slow torture to make Regis completely aware of just how much trouble he’s in. Lockhart gives a good performance in what is a fairly interesting supporting role, but there’s really nothing special here that other actors couldn’t have done just as well.

ROBERT MORLEY AS KING LOUIS XVI IN MARIE ANTOINETTE
“Marie Antoinette” was a grand MGM spectacle of the famed French Queen and her various scandals. Though the film was built around (and showcases very well) the talents of leading lady Norma Shearer, Robert Morley is a standout in the role of Dauphin (and later King Louis XVI). Morley plays him as a backward, somewhat slow-witted man child more interested in tinkering with clocks than with either being married or occupying a throne. Morley has some wonderful scenes: his introduction to Marie, where he tries to remember a hopelessly memorized greeting, then later standing up to his father (the King) when the plans for his marriage to be annulled and for Marie to be sent back to Austria, and a well-played scene with his young son the night before his execution.  The moon-faced Morley was a gifted character actor, and he succeeds in making Louis a complex character, as opposed to a caricature.

BASIL RATHBONE AS KING LOUIS XI IN IF I WERE KING
As French poet turned political activist Francois Villon, Ronald Colman is dashing and suave as he helps the starving peasants of Paris by stealing from the storehouses of King Louis XI (Rathbone).  If this sounds slightly Robin Hood-esque, it's probably intentional.  And the reason Colman rather than Errol Flynn played the part of Francois was because Flynn was already playing Robin Hood in Warner Brothers 1938 classic version of the famous legend.  Rathbone's nomination was earned for a quirky, eccentric performance as the king.  He cackles so much he seems to be auditioning to play the Wicked Witch in "The Wizard of Oz", and his inspired luncay makes up for Colman's noble gallantry.  And though the king may indeed be crazy, he's no fool, as he makes Francois Grand Constable after he helps reveal a traitor in the court.  But Louis plans to set up Francois and make him pay for his own crimes against the crown. 

Sadly Overlooked:

Lew Ayers gave a splendidly witty performance as Katharine Hepburn's perpetually tipsy brother Ned in Columbia's 1938 production of "Holiday".  He holds his own with these acting pros, and his scenes are a delight to watch. 

My Ranking:

Of the five official Academy nominees, my choice for the winner would be Robert Morley for "Marie Antoinette".  Morley gave a complex, sympathetic performance in the film and showed his range as an actor in a variety of scenes.  In second place, I'd choose Basil Rathbone for "If I Were King".  It's a hammy performance, yes, but it's so out-there that you can't help but notice and be entertained by it.  John Garfield in "Four Daughters" comes in third, and would probably have been rated higher if the film itself weren't so sappy.   Original winner Brennan is my fourth choice, and as I said earlier, the award was not deserved for a performance like this.  His acting was just as overdone as Rathbone's was, but to me Brennan's work distracted me from the movie; it was just too much.  In fifth place I'll leave Gene Lockhart, who was good in his part in "Algiers" but in the end, nothing very special or especially memorable.  Had he been nominated at all, I'd have ranked Ayers in second place behind Morley, who really deseved to be an Oscar winner for this role.

Friday, October 21, 2011

Not So Nasty Girls: “Bridesmaids” (2011)


The idea of “Bridesmaids” intrigued me a lot: a raunchy, “Hangover” style comedy but with women as the lead characters. Ultimately though, the movie hedged its bet and relied on some overused and uninspired chick flick clichés that couldn’t even be saved by the comic talents of Kristin Wiig and Melissa McCarthy.

Wiig is Annie, and has, for several years now, been the shining star of Saturday Night Live, and McCarthy (as Megan) seemingly burst out of nowhere onto the sitcom “Mike & Molly” (stealing Amy Poehler’s Emmy in the process), and these two are the comic highlights of the picture, which also include such familiar faces as Maya Rudolph (another SNL alumni, currently doing an only occasionally funny Oprah impression in the only occasionally funny sitcom “Up All Night”) as Lillian, the bride to be, Ellie Kemper (The cute as a button receptionist, Erin, from the quickly declining “The Office”) as sweet newlywed Becca, Rose Byrne (the young attorney from “Damages”) as Helen, the perfectly sweet bitch, and the late Jill Clayburgh in one of her final roles as Annie’s common-sense mom. A face I didn’t recognize, but which made a big impression anyway was Wendi McLendon-Covey as the salty Rita. Rita gets some of the film’s best, dirtiest lines, but there is way too little of her in the film.

When Lillian announces her engagementto longtime boyfriend Dougie, she asks longtime best friend Annie to be her maid of honor. Annie is a pretty pathetic character though: her business failed, her roommates are an odd English man and his even odder sister, and the closest thing to a relationship she has is with a guy she sleeps with but who won’t let her spend the night. The wedding is something that Annie can completely throw herself into, despite the machinations of Helen, the rich wife of Dougie’s boss, who is trying to worm herself into best friend position over Annie. Dougie’s sister Megan is a firecracker of a gal, built like a fireplug, and her willingness to take on extreme physical, slapstick style comedy marks her as an heiress to the Lucille Ball school for comediennes. The only character traits left over for the other two bridesmaids are sweetness (Becca) and saltiness (Rita), so that is pretty much the only development their characters get.

Annie’s attempts fail miserably almost from the beginning, when a bridesmaids luncheon turns into a smorgasbord of food poisoning in a chic bridal shop, and the totally appropriate shower she plans for Lillian is immediately thwarted by Helen’s more grandiose ideas, and so the ladies take off for Vegas. Annie ends up sitting in coach by herself, and her attempts to get to Lillian and friends in first class show what a brilliant comic Wiig is. She gives such pathos and lunacy to a single line of dialogue “Help me, I’m poor”, that it made me laugh myself into tears.

Unfortunately, the Vegas part of the story ends quickly (thanks to Annie), and this is where we delve into familiar chick flick territory: there are incidents involving Annie’s completely worthless ‘boyfriend’, a quirky cop that has a crush on her, misunderstandings and hurt feelings between old friends Annie and Lillian, and finally a beautiful wedding that has everything including a cameo by the ultimate early 90’s pop divas, Wilson Phillips. “Bridesmaids” was funny, but never as funny as I wanted it to be. Wiig gave it a valiant effort, but her talents as a performer were outdone by her shortcomings as a writer.