LE TEMPS QUI RESTE – Time To Leave – 2005
Directed by Francois Ozon
Starring Melvil Poupaud, Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi & Jeanne Moreau
Francois Ozon has always had a flair for the intriguing whether organizing a seductive all-star cast of France’s best actresses to sing vintage songs throughout a murder mystery [EIGHT WOMEN], or capturing our imagination with SWIMMING POOL and even causing us to smirk with his mean-spirited and fun-as-hell TATIE DANIELLE.
Surprisingly in LE TEMPS QUI RESTE – directly translated to mean THE TIME THAT’S LEFT – Ozon dreams up a very unhappy character in Romain, a fashion photographer diagnosed with a brain tumour, preparing to die. Alienated from those close to him, outwardly insensitive but torn deep inside, Romain’s all self-absorption, cruel out of contention, yet surprisingly treated with sensitivity by director Ozon.
CASSANDRA’S DREAM – 2007
Directed by Woody Allen
Starring Ewan McGregor & Colin Farrell
Woody sets sail in this punchy crime story that has the staccato dialogue of David Mamet and the suspense formula of Hitchcock. Using a striking original soundtrack by Philip Glass – a first time for an Allen film . The theme of premeditated murder has been tried before in his earlier fares, especially good in comical context in MANHATTAN MURDER MYSTERY and even a deeper subplot in CRIMES & MISDEMEANORS. Lately Allen even made it an entire subject out of it in MATCH POINT but here he combines it with a Bergmanesque interest as a guide to conscientiousness.
February 24, 2009
LE TEMPS QUI RESTE & CASSANDRA'S DREAM
LE TEMPS QUI RESTE – Time To Leave – 2005
Directed by Francois Ozon
Starring Melvil Poupaud, Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi & Jeanne Moreau
Francois Ozon has always had a flair for the intriguing whether organizing a seductive all-star cast of France’s best actresses to sing vintage songs throughout a murder mystery [EIGHT WOMEN], or capturing our imagination with SWIMMING POOL and even causing us to smirk with his mean-spirited and fun-as-hell TATIE DANIELLE.
Surprisingly in LE TEMPS QUI RESTE – directly translated to mean THE TIME THAT’S LEFT – Ozon dreams up a very unhappy character in Romain, a fashion photographer diagnosed with a brain tumour, preparing to die. Alienated from those close to him, outwardly insensitive but torn deep inside, Romain’s all self-absorption, cruel out of contention, yet surprisingly treated with sensitivity by director Ozon.
CASSANDRA’S DREAM – 2007
Directed by Woody Allen
Starring Ewan McGregor & Colin Farrell
Woody sets sail in this punchy crime story that has the staccato dialogue of David Mamet and the suspense formula of Hitchcock. Using a striking original soundtrack by Philip Glass – a first time for an Allen film . The theme of premeditated murder has been tried before in his earlier fares, especially good in comical context in MANHATTAN MURDER MYSTERY and even a deeper subplot in CRIMES & MISDEMEANORS. Lately Allen even made it an entire subject out of it in MATCH POINT but here he combines it with a Bergmanesque interest as a guide to conscientiousness.
Directed by Francois Ozon
Starring Melvil Poupaud, Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi & Jeanne Moreau
Francois Ozon has always had a flair for the intriguing whether organizing a seductive all-star cast of France’s best actresses to sing vintage songs throughout a murder mystery [EIGHT WOMEN], or capturing our imagination with SWIMMING POOL and even causing us to smirk with his mean-spirited and fun-as-hell TATIE DANIELLE.
Surprisingly in LE TEMPS QUI RESTE – directly translated to mean THE TIME THAT’S LEFT – Ozon dreams up a very unhappy character in Romain, a fashion photographer diagnosed with a brain tumour, preparing to die. Alienated from those close to him, outwardly insensitive but torn deep inside, Romain’s all self-absorption, cruel out of contention, yet surprisingly treated with sensitivity by director Ozon.
CASSANDRA’S DREAM – 2007
Directed by Woody Allen
Starring Ewan McGregor & Colin Farrell
Woody sets sail in this punchy crime story that has the staccato dialogue of David Mamet and the suspense formula of Hitchcock. Using a striking original soundtrack by Philip Glass – a first time for an Allen film . The theme of premeditated murder has been tried before in his earlier fares, especially good in comical context in MANHATTAN MURDER MYSTERY and even a deeper subplot in CRIMES & MISDEMEANORS. Lately Allen even made it an entire subject out of it in MATCH POINT but here he combines it with a Bergmanesque interest as a guide to conscientiousness.
MAY 2008; HOSTEL PART II - SUPERHERO MOVIE - SMART PEOPLE - IRON MAN - SHEM
Reviews May 2008
HOSTEL PART II
To satisfy my morbid curiousity as well as my fear factor I purchased a copy of HOSTEL PART II in Nassau and forced myself to watch. Well I guess I get what I deserve. Eli Roth loves the set up of characters wandering about and interacting without really much to do. He shows people in their most mundane, trying to relate them to us and only then he comes in for the kill, filming their torment in all its glory. Setting up his victims, as well as their captors, as superficial glossy models and villainous cardboard cut-outs, Roth does not really allow anyone to remotely register beyond the level of pornography before discarding of them in purely awful – even outrageous - outcomes. Gross? Absolutely. Tempting to watch? Without a doubt. A depraved movie that equally condones the murder of children (forget that they are actually thieving gypsies) and the torture of young questionably innocent women, before it has the heroine turn the tables on her tormentors, this upgraded HOSTEL may lack the intensity of its predecessor but in its place offers, even if glossed-over, a glimpse of some much needed commentary over the frenzied mind of men and women who would commit to the destruction of other human lives. Mainly because that is what theses movies are about, killing innocent lives for the sheer thrill of the act. Trying to show life within the world of cold blooded murderers, the movie tries to sell us its conscience by showing us how its antagonists do not have a moral fibre in their body but easily blend as seemingly normal people to the outside world. Wow, how deep for a snuff film. Still, the real mayhem does not come until at least half way through the movie, so expect lots of false exposition, and yet for as little as it is shown in the last half it is, at least to me, quite unbearable. Why I had put myself through this I have no idea but perhaps I was simply testing my threshold and, surprise, survived. By the end, watching Lauren German turn the tables on Roger Bart, normally of the musical comedy variety, is quite the violent act in itself. We see her character lose herself as, in an instinct to survive, she turns into the cold hearted and vicious killer she shunned the entire movie. Is this a trait found in all of us? Can even the kindest of people turn so cruel? The movie begs to question. I beg to differ, even leave it alone.
SUPERHERO MOVIE **
I needed to keep my mind off from the horrors of HOSTEL PART II, so I popped in a really silly comedy called SUPERHERO MOVIE. By silly I do not necessarily mean very funny. In fact, only remotely funny, SUPERHERO MOVIE gets credit for at least trying to patch together a cohesive structured story of Rick Riker, who, much like all superheroes borne out of tragedy, is a young student newspaper photographer by day, whose parents died tragically, he is now living with his uncle and aunt (Leslie Nielson, who is always good for a laugh or two & Marion Ross, of Happy Days), pining for the girl & vying against the boy who’s dad just happens to be the big bad villain. Which comes in handy, as Rick is also Dragonfly by night or at any time of need, which seems to be often the case in this glob of a hybrid of all superhero movies of late. Written & directed by the man responsible for penning SCARY MOVIE 3 & 4, this movie offers up more of the same. I found myself laughing out loud a very few times but did admire the references to other films. Still, I recognize that it is quite difficult to repeat the formula and make it work just as well the nth time around. So watching cheese like this should come without any expectation to be truly appreciated. I, on the other hand, will look forward to a real film this week.
p.s.: The copy I got was filmed on location in a real theatre where silhouettes of audience members getting up, sitting down and tossing popcorn blended in with sounds of chuckles, cellular phones ringing and some serious Spanish conversation. This made for much of the film’s amusement.
SMART PEOPLE *** ½
SMART PEOPLE is a smart movie made for smart people who love their movies smart. While not altogether successful, this very likeable movie despite itself, about people in some kind of emotional rut, is engaging enough. Reminiscent in tone and nature of THE WONDER BOYS, but less refined, Dennis Quaid leads a standout cast that includes an impressive Ellen Page, hot off the heels of her JUNO success. In fact, here Page really fits into her way-too-intellectual-for-her-age character’s skin and steals every scene she’s in. She’s a hoot of complexities. While Sarah Jessica Parker reminds one that she may not be very pretty (and the big screen does her no favours whatsoever) she is at once quite magnetic in personality and full of relatable charm. She’s a treat on screen. Even Thomas Haden Church provides a solid follow up to his Oscar nominated performance from SIDEWAYS (even though it is technically not a follow-up) as a slightly unfocused and lacking direction too-old-to-be-a-child family member. Award winning commercial director Noam Murro helms from an at times witty, cynically-sweet script adapted from a novel by first timer Mark Poirier. It does show that these two are first timers with a feature film, and a hell-of-a-lot of good intentions. Because of this there are
some awkward scene transitions and unclear gaps but otherwise it is a film that owns up to its cynicism with an ultimately optimistic take on life. Like a satisfying class in modern literature, I watched SMART PEOPLE, understanding it fully, grasping at its meaning and relating to its characters. If I surely can relate to a film about angst and still leave the theatre wildly optimistic about its message and my own life it must be a sign, a very good sign. And about Quaid, it has been a very long while since he’s let his hair down, so to speak. Actually he’s let his body go for this one, and although I have been a big fan of his since JAWS 3-D, I must say I have not seen him give this much of himself on screen for as long as I can remember, not even FAR FROM HEAVEN. As a man conflicted with life, and in a self-pity mode with lots of self-motivational work to come he gives perhaps his very best performance in a lifetime of close to fifty films. Surely come Oscar time someone better remember.
IRON MAN ** 1/2
Speaking of WONDER BOYS, in which Jeff Bridges was outstanding, here, too he stands out but for different reasons altogether. From the very start, all decked out in some form of unrecognizable prosthetics, Bridges plays the bald, subtly raving lunatic of a long-bearded villain (can you see it) as if he owned the part, a part he’d surely been waiting to run with all these years. Having done his share of off-kilter roles and, even, baddies on screen, here he fittingly comes across as if he’s owned all the shares of this multi-million dollar movie. A questionable megalomaniac of a character, he plays his meaty, nasty two-dimensional role with all the verve he can muster with a 3-D willingness. And still, like the film itself, he comes across a bit stiff & sedated in all his seriousness.
A Marvel Superhero movie re-imagined from a modern perspective, as directed by actor Jon Favreau, IRON MAN takes on topical current events and uses them as the catalyst to engage in political commentary that is at the heart of this pseudo-entertainment film. A film that will most definitely echo with its young intended urban audiences worldwide, it tends to come off as a preachy, liberal & somewhat anti-American drama with a conscience as a hook. It should do well overseas. And while this a commendable approach in engaging the hipper crowds into theatres today, it also creates a dangerous international perception that may not necessarily fit with the intended big-budget American studio philosophy of turning fantasy action movies into message films, especially of the anti-American variety, and may end up turning off some viewers. Surprisingly, so far the film is a smash hit in its opening weekend and this may be attributed to some impressive special effects hinted from the trailers, luring those seeking such thrills. Setting up the movie in controversy may pay off at first and even get the buy-in from the film critics with ease, especially with their liberal views, but it is not necessarily a responsible approach & IRON MAN may find itself slowly losing viewer-ship. Interestingly enough, Americans should actually be concerned as the film points the large guilty finger at them and blames them for the current so-called war on terror.
From a purely entertainment standpoint, IRON MAN has its share of action sequences – all worthwhile experiencing - but mostly it is filmed with self-involved set-ups showing off its gadgetry and special effects proudly, in case we missed the point of how much money and artistry it took to create such a massive production. Sometimes way too serious for its own good and at other times almost mocking the genre with its self-centred humour Favreau seems unsure of where he wants to take the viewer – most likely to all these places but not altogether successfully. Perhaps due to clout, he also has an impressive all-star line-up but dispenses the talent like very few Superhero movies have ever done and I do not mean of the Marlon Brando eight-minute screen time variety. No, on the contrary, in addition to Bridges, the film also manages to happily, even giddily chew and then spit out the creative likes of Terrence Howard (okay) , Gwyneth Paltrow (weaker) and, of course, its star Robert Downey Jr. In all his eccentricities, Downey Jr sure knows hoe to fit into the role to a tee. He is somewhat repeating his performance from the surreally animated A SCANNER DARKLY where he plays yet another self-involved, half crazed, philosophical anti-hero.
By the end this busy movie starts running out of steam without adding much to neither the superhero franchise nor the present day war cautionary tale that it is trying to sell. Still, if you are in the know you must stay seated until the very end as a surprise awaits, hinting at more of both.
Lost Identity leads to Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves
By Eyal Dattel
SHEM [2004] - The British film SHEM, Hebrew for Name, stars handsome newcomer Ash Newman as lost boy Daniel who has discarded his very sense of name & heritage but, as the film begins, is on the search of rediscovering it; the significance in the title which director Caroline Roboh explores in her own personal narrative.
The hedonistic and wildly sexual young Londoner also happens to be a self-absorbed, arrogant and unhappy individual who we first meet in Paris where beds & feeds off an older woman as well as her son, taking advantage of his living arrangements.
Soon enough, Daniel is summoned back to London. His old, dying grandmother sets him on a mission, a convoluted one, may I add. Thereafter Daniel travels is on a wild goose chase, in search of his late grandfather’s grave with very little information other than his name.
Daniel’s objective is not easily accomplished and the search takes him on a train ride through Vienna, Prague, Budapest, Belgrade and Sofia where Daniel encounters many kind strangers and unusual characters that help shape his character.
As Daniel has no real identity, as both a secular Jew who is very disinterested in his own religion or heritage or as a detached individual who has very little motivation other than engaging in sexual contact with anyone he encounters, he begins to take on numerous spontaneous identities to suit his anonymity: Alfred, David, Alex, he is not inclined to open up but spends most of his time having sex with a variety of men and women, more often than not putting himself into dangerous situations, while trying to live his momentary zest for life’s kinks to the hilt.
In his road to (self) discovery, Daniel’s introspection develops through many revelations that shape his character and allows him onto a road to redemption and Newman does a fine job in carrying the weight. This travelogue-as-drama is noticeably controlled by the self-assured if uneven hands of its artistic writer-director Roboh who allows us to explore a world literally ruled by gypsies, tramps and thieves. Inasmuch that one can sense that the film is a product of a film scholar, one that can be discovered only at international film festivals and art houses.
HOSTEL PART II
To satisfy my morbid curiousity as well as my fear factor I purchased a copy of HOSTEL PART II in Nassau and forced myself to watch. Well I guess I get what I deserve. Eli Roth loves the set up of characters wandering about and interacting without really much to do. He shows people in their most mundane, trying to relate them to us and only then he comes in for the kill, filming their torment in all its glory. Setting up his victims, as well as their captors, as superficial glossy models and villainous cardboard cut-outs, Roth does not really allow anyone to remotely register beyond the level of pornography before discarding of them in purely awful – even outrageous - outcomes. Gross? Absolutely. Tempting to watch? Without a doubt. A depraved movie that equally condones the murder of children (forget that they are actually thieving gypsies) and the torture of young questionably innocent women, before it has the heroine turn the tables on her tormentors, this upgraded HOSTEL may lack the intensity of its predecessor but in its place offers, even if glossed-over, a glimpse of some much needed commentary over the frenzied mind of men and women who would commit to the destruction of other human lives. Mainly because that is what theses movies are about, killing innocent lives for the sheer thrill of the act. Trying to show life within the world of cold blooded murderers, the movie tries to sell us its conscience by showing us how its antagonists do not have a moral fibre in their body but easily blend as seemingly normal people to the outside world. Wow, how deep for a snuff film. Still, the real mayhem does not come until at least half way through the movie, so expect lots of false exposition, and yet for as little as it is shown in the last half it is, at least to me, quite unbearable. Why I had put myself through this I have no idea but perhaps I was simply testing my threshold and, surprise, survived. By the end, watching Lauren German turn the tables on Roger Bart, normally of the musical comedy variety, is quite the violent act in itself. We see her character lose herself as, in an instinct to survive, she turns into the cold hearted and vicious killer she shunned the entire movie. Is this a trait found in all of us? Can even the kindest of people turn so cruel? The movie begs to question. I beg to differ, even leave it alone.
SUPERHERO MOVIE **
I needed to keep my mind off from the horrors of HOSTEL PART II, so I popped in a really silly comedy called SUPERHERO MOVIE. By silly I do not necessarily mean very funny. In fact, only remotely funny, SUPERHERO MOVIE gets credit for at least trying to patch together a cohesive structured story of Rick Riker, who, much like all superheroes borne out of tragedy, is a young student newspaper photographer by day, whose parents died tragically, he is now living with his uncle and aunt (Leslie Nielson, who is always good for a laugh or two & Marion Ross, of Happy Days), pining for the girl & vying against the boy who’s dad just happens to be the big bad villain. Which comes in handy, as Rick is also Dragonfly by night or at any time of need, which seems to be often the case in this glob of a hybrid of all superhero movies of late. Written & directed by the man responsible for penning SCARY MOVIE 3 & 4, this movie offers up more of the same. I found myself laughing out loud a very few times but did admire the references to other films. Still, I recognize that it is quite difficult to repeat the formula and make it work just as well the nth time around. So watching cheese like this should come without any expectation to be truly appreciated. I, on the other hand, will look forward to a real film this week.
p.s.: The copy I got was filmed on location in a real theatre where silhouettes of audience members getting up, sitting down and tossing popcorn blended in with sounds of chuckles, cellular phones ringing and some serious Spanish conversation. This made for much of the film’s amusement.
SMART PEOPLE *** ½
SMART PEOPLE is a smart movie made for smart people who love their movies smart. While not altogether successful, this very likeable movie despite itself, about people in some kind of emotional rut, is engaging enough. Reminiscent in tone and nature of THE WONDER BOYS, but less refined, Dennis Quaid leads a standout cast that includes an impressive Ellen Page, hot off the heels of her JUNO success. In fact, here Page really fits into her way-too-intellectual-for-her-age character’s skin and steals every scene she’s in. She’s a hoot of complexities. While Sarah Jessica Parker reminds one that she may not be very pretty (and the big screen does her no favours whatsoever) she is at once quite magnetic in personality and full of relatable charm. She’s a treat on screen. Even Thomas Haden Church provides a solid follow up to his Oscar nominated performance from SIDEWAYS (even though it is technically not a follow-up) as a slightly unfocused and lacking direction too-old-to-be-a-child family member. Award winning commercial director Noam Murro helms from an at times witty, cynically-sweet script adapted from a novel by first timer Mark Poirier. It does show that these two are first timers with a feature film, and a hell-of-a-lot of good intentions. Because of this there are
some awkward scene transitions and unclear gaps but otherwise it is a film that owns up to its cynicism with an ultimately optimistic take on life. Like a satisfying class in modern literature, I watched SMART PEOPLE, understanding it fully, grasping at its meaning and relating to its characters. If I surely can relate to a film about angst and still leave the theatre wildly optimistic about its message and my own life it must be a sign, a very good sign. And about Quaid, it has been a very long while since he’s let his hair down, so to speak. Actually he’s let his body go for this one, and although I have been a big fan of his since JAWS 3-D, I must say I have not seen him give this much of himself on screen for as long as I can remember, not even FAR FROM HEAVEN. As a man conflicted with life, and in a self-pity mode with lots of self-motivational work to come he gives perhaps his very best performance in a lifetime of close to fifty films. Surely come Oscar time someone better remember.
IRON MAN ** 1/2
Speaking of WONDER BOYS, in which Jeff Bridges was outstanding, here, too he stands out but for different reasons altogether. From the very start, all decked out in some form of unrecognizable prosthetics, Bridges plays the bald, subtly raving lunatic of a long-bearded villain (can you see it) as if he owned the part, a part he’d surely been waiting to run with all these years. Having done his share of off-kilter roles and, even, baddies on screen, here he fittingly comes across as if he’s owned all the shares of this multi-million dollar movie. A questionable megalomaniac of a character, he plays his meaty, nasty two-dimensional role with all the verve he can muster with a 3-D willingness. And still, like the film itself, he comes across a bit stiff & sedated in all his seriousness.
A Marvel Superhero movie re-imagined from a modern perspective, as directed by actor Jon Favreau, IRON MAN takes on topical current events and uses them as the catalyst to engage in political commentary that is at the heart of this pseudo-entertainment film. A film that will most definitely echo with its young intended urban audiences worldwide, it tends to come off as a preachy, liberal & somewhat anti-American drama with a conscience as a hook. It should do well overseas. And while this a commendable approach in engaging the hipper crowds into theatres today, it also creates a dangerous international perception that may not necessarily fit with the intended big-budget American studio philosophy of turning fantasy action movies into message films, especially of the anti-American variety, and may end up turning off some viewers. Surprisingly, so far the film is a smash hit in its opening weekend and this may be attributed to some impressive special effects hinted from the trailers, luring those seeking such thrills. Setting up the movie in controversy may pay off at first and even get the buy-in from the film critics with ease, especially with their liberal views, but it is not necessarily a responsible approach & IRON MAN may find itself slowly losing viewer-ship. Interestingly enough, Americans should actually be concerned as the film points the large guilty finger at them and blames them for the current so-called war on terror.
From a purely entertainment standpoint, IRON MAN has its share of action sequences – all worthwhile experiencing - but mostly it is filmed with self-involved set-ups showing off its gadgetry and special effects proudly, in case we missed the point of how much money and artistry it took to create such a massive production. Sometimes way too serious for its own good and at other times almost mocking the genre with its self-centred humour Favreau seems unsure of where he wants to take the viewer – most likely to all these places but not altogether successfully. Perhaps due to clout, he also has an impressive all-star line-up but dispenses the talent like very few Superhero movies have ever done and I do not mean of the Marlon Brando eight-minute screen time variety. No, on the contrary, in addition to Bridges, the film also manages to happily, even giddily chew and then spit out the creative likes of Terrence Howard (okay) , Gwyneth Paltrow (weaker) and, of course, its star Robert Downey Jr. In all his eccentricities, Downey Jr sure knows hoe to fit into the role to a tee. He is somewhat repeating his performance from the surreally animated A SCANNER DARKLY where he plays yet another self-involved, half crazed, philosophical anti-hero.
By the end this busy movie starts running out of steam without adding much to neither the superhero franchise nor the present day war cautionary tale that it is trying to sell. Still, if you are in the know you must stay seated until the very end as a surprise awaits, hinting at more of both.
Lost Identity leads to Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves
By Eyal Dattel
SHEM [2004] - The British film SHEM, Hebrew for Name, stars handsome newcomer Ash Newman as lost boy Daniel who has discarded his very sense of name & heritage but, as the film begins, is on the search of rediscovering it; the significance in the title which director Caroline Roboh explores in her own personal narrative.
The hedonistic and wildly sexual young Londoner also happens to be a self-absorbed, arrogant and unhappy individual who we first meet in Paris where beds & feeds off an older woman as well as her son, taking advantage of his living arrangements.
Soon enough, Daniel is summoned back to London. His old, dying grandmother sets him on a mission, a convoluted one, may I add. Thereafter Daniel travels is on a wild goose chase, in search of his late grandfather’s grave with very little information other than his name.
Daniel’s objective is not easily accomplished and the search takes him on a train ride through Vienna, Prague, Budapest, Belgrade and Sofia where Daniel encounters many kind strangers and unusual characters that help shape his character.
As Daniel has no real identity, as both a secular Jew who is very disinterested in his own religion or heritage or as a detached individual who has very little motivation other than engaging in sexual contact with anyone he encounters, he begins to take on numerous spontaneous identities to suit his anonymity: Alfred, David, Alex, he is not inclined to open up but spends most of his time having sex with a variety of men and women, more often than not putting himself into dangerous situations, while trying to live his momentary zest for life’s kinks to the hilt.
In his road to (self) discovery, Daniel’s introspection develops through many revelations that shape his character and allows him onto a road to redemption and Newman does a fine job in carrying the weight. This travelogue-as-drama is noticeably controlled by the self-assured if uneven hands of its artistic writer-director Roboh who allows us to explore a world literally ruled by gypsies, tramps and thieves. Inasmuch that one can sense that the film is a product of a film scholar, one that can be discovered only at international film festivals and art houses.
February 22, 2009
WHO MAY WIN & WHO DESERVES IT
Who may win & who may deserve it 16:03
Truth be told, just a couple of hours going into the Academy Awards, those of us who love, know and appreciate film can surely attest that a personal year-end list rarely has anything to do with the actual Oscars nominations. Still we are savvy enough to recognize that the selection of official AMPAS nominees does owe something to our collective opinions. The films most prominently positioned and with the most buzz can certainly secure their best chances of landing on Oscar's final list. It does not mean that these are the best films in any given year but it does suggest that these are the most popular of the films worthy of merit or recognition.
This year I was lucky enough to have seen almost every single film nominated in most categories and I know that while I shall be rooting for some to win, others will not take their glory home while some of my other favourites have been shut out completely will never even be mentioned again.
Recapping my selection of 2008, here's my rundown of a solid but not so glorious year in films. Pay close attention, this is not an Oscar recap but rather a personal list [always subject to revisions].
PICTURE
1 SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
2 FROST/NIXON
3 MILK
4 THE DARK KNIGHT
5 WALTZ WITH BASHIR & THE CLASS [tie]
Obviously I shall be rooting for SM but my feelings for both F/N and MILK are rather strong as well so would not cry if there's an upset. If any film can do it it'll be MILK. I still think it's safe to say that SM will take home the prize.
DIRECTOR
1 DANNY BOYLE - SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
2 RON HOWARD - FROST/NIXON
3 CHRISTOPHER NOLAN - THE DARK KNIGHT
4 ARI FOLMAN - WALTZ WITH BASHIR
5 GUS VAN SANT - MILK
Same is true here, Boyle deserves the win.
ACTOR
1 SEAN PENN MILK
2 FRANK LANGELLA FROST/NIXON
3 MICKEY ROURKE THE WRESTLER
4 JOSH BROLIN W
5 BRAD PITT THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
My year does not include Richard Jenkins [at least not for THE VISITOR] but in my mind, there is no one more deserving than the incredible Sean Penn. If Rourke takes the prize I'll understand the heat of the moment but won't be too impressed, no matter how good he was [and he was]. This year's Oscar belongs to Penn.
ACTRESS
1 KATE WINSLET REVOLUTIONARY ROAD
2 CATE BLANCHETT THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
3 ANN HATHAWAY RACHEL GETTING MARRIED
4 KRISTIN SCOTT THOMAS IL Y A LONGTEMPS QUE JE T'AIME
5 FRANCES MCDORMAND BURN AFTER READING
Winslet was cited for the wrong film, if you ask me. Blanchett was overlooked altogether and although not on my list I just saw Melissa Leo's involving performance in FROZEN RIVER, a deserving nomination for sure. Yet based on how I saw the year of actresses pass me by, strictly based on film merit, Hathaway deserves the prize in an otherwise superficial film trying to come off as authentic. Ultimately, Winslet will win for the wrong film.
SUPPORTING ACTOR
1 HEATH LEDGER THE DARK KNIGHT
2 MICHAEL SHEEN FROST/NIXON
3 BRENDAN GLEESON IN BRUGES
4 DAVID KROSS THE READER
5 JAMES FRANCO MILK
Glad to see James Franco winning the Independent Spirit, sorry to see Sheen overlooked, or even Gleeson for that matter, but this is Ledger's posthumous year - He is clearly going to make a splash that he'll unfortunately never know about. Also, if anything, Jenkins should have been nominated for his pathetically endearing sad sack of a boss in BURN AFTER READING.
SUPPORTING ACTRESS
1 ROSEMARIE DEWITT RACHEL GETTING MARRIED
2 PENELOPE CRUZ VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA
3 MARISA TOMEI THE WRESTLER
4 TARAJI P. HENSON THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
5 AMY ADAMS DOUBT
Clearly Viola Davis has gotten way too much Dench-like attention. Yes she's solid but, come on, Adams certainly carries a certain burdensome weight on her shoulders delivering a misunderstood-by-many performance. At least Academy votes got it. And while Cruz will go home happy, justice was sorely lacking when Rosemarie DeWitt's performance as RACHEL was oversighted.
ENSEMBLE
1 MILK
2 THE DARK KNIGHT
3 SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
4 FROST/NIXON
5 UN CONTE DE NOEL
A Screen Actors Guild category that deserves some attention. I believe that MILK had it on the money. What a picture perfect cast.
NON ENGLISH LANGUAGE FILM
1 WALTZ WITH BASHIR [VALS IM BASHIR] tied with
1 THE CLASS [ENTRE LES MURS]
2 NE LE DIS A PERSONNE
3 THE COUNTERFEITERS [DIE FALSCHER]
4 LEMON TREE [ETZ LIMON]
5 THE SECRETS [HA'SODOT]
I noticed that there are plenty of worthy nominees but it makes sense that I am all for a BASHIR or CLASS win but cannot discount the ones I have not yet seen.
ANIMATED FEATURE (3 films)
1 WALTZ WITH BASHIR
2 WALL-E
3 KUNG FU PANDA
Criminal to know that BASHIR was overlooked in this category. That sector of the Academy has still to get it right. WALL-E wins by default, yes by default. A BASHIR nomination and win could [have] at least right was was wronged when PERSEPOLIS lost a year ago.
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
1 MILK
2 WALTZ WITH BASHIR
3 LEMON TREE
4 VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA
5 IN BRUGES
Why was VCB not nominated? What happened there?
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
1 FROST/NIXON
2 SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
3 THE CLASS [ENTRE LES MURS]
3 THE DARK KNIGHT
4 THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
5 NE LE DIS A PERSONNE
I truly appreciated the F/N adaptation from glorious stage to thrilling screen. Peter Morgan is an ultimate scripter.
The remaining artistic and technical categories speak for themselves. There are some similarities between my list and the actual nominations.
CINEMATOGRAPHY
1 SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
2 AUSTRALIA
3 FROST/NIXON
4 THE DARK KNIGHT
5 MILK
FILM EDITING
1 SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
2 MILK
3 FROST/NIXON
4 THE DARK KNIGHT
5 THE WRESTLER
ART DIRECTION
1 AUSTRALIA
2 SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
3 THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
4 THE CHANGELING
5 MILK
COSTUME DESIGN
1 SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
2 AUSTRALIA
3 THE CHANGELING
4 MILK
5 THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
ORIGINAL SCORE
1 SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
2 THE CHANGELING
3 THE DUCHESS
4 REVOLUTIONARY ROAD
5 THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
ORIGINAL SONG
1 GRAN TORINO GRAN TORINO
2 JAI HO - SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
3 THE WRESTLER THE WRESTLER
4 BY THE BOAB TREE AUSTRALIA
5 DOWN TO EARTH WALL-E
When it comes to songs, this year's most contested category should be noted for all that is missing from its list. How is it possible that THE WRESTLER, GRAN TORINO AND AUSTRALIA got overlooked when there's clearly two more unused spots on this list?
SOUND MIXING
1 THE DARK KNIGHT
2 WALL-E
3 SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
4 QUANTUM OF SOLACE
5 AUSTRALIA
SOUND EDITING
1 THE DARK KNIGHT
2 WALL-E
3 SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
4 QUANTUM OF SOLACE
5 INDIANA JONES AND THE...
VISUAL EFFECTS
1 THE DARK KNIGHT
2 THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
3 SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
4 QUANTUM OF SOLACE
5 AUSTRALIA
MAKE UP
1 THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
2 THE READER
3 THE DARK KNIGHT
4 THE WRESTLER
5 SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK
So let's see what happens and until then enjoy - E
Truth be told, just a couple of hours going into the Academy Awards, those of us who love, know and appreciate film can surely attest that a personal year-end list rarely has anything to do with the actual Oscars nominations. Still we are savvy enough to recognize that the selection of official AMPAS nominees does owe something to our collective opinions. The films most prominently positioned and with the most buzz can certainly secure their best chances of landing on Oscar's final list. It does not mean that these are the best films in any given year but it does suggest that these are the most popular of the films worthy of merit or recognition.
This year I was lucky enough to have seen almost every single film nominated in most categories and I know that while I shall be rooting for some to win, others will not take their glory home while some of my other favourites have been shut out completely will never even be mentioned again.
Recapping my selection of 2008, here's my rundown of a solid but not so glorious year in films. Pay close attention, this is not an Oscar recap but rather a personal list [always subject to revisions].
PICTURE
1 SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
2 FROST/NIXON
3 MILK
4 THE DARK KNIGHT
5 WALTZ WITH BASHIR & THE CLASS [tie]
Obviously I shall be rooting for SM but my feelings for both F/N and MILK are rather strong as well so would not cry if there's an upset. If any film can do it it'll be MILK. I still think it's safe to say that SM will take home the prize.
DIRECTOR
1 DANNY BOYLE - SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
2 RON HOWARD - FROST/NIXON
3 CHRISTOPHER NOLAN - THE DARK KNIGHT
4 ARI FOLMAN - WALTZ WITH BASHIR
5 GUS VAN SANT - MILK
Same is true here, Boyle deserves the win.
ACTOR
1 SEAN PENN MILK
2 FRANK LANGELLA FROST/NIXON
3 MICKEY ROURKE THE WRESTLER
4 JOSH BROLIN W
5 BRAD PITT THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
My year does not include Richard Jenkins [at least not for THE VISITOR] but in my mind, there is no one more deserving than the incredible Sean Penn. If Rourke takes the prize I'll understand the heat of the moment but won't be too impressed, no matter how good he was [and he was]. This year's Oscar belongs to Penn.
ACTRESS
1 KATE WINSLET REVOLUTIONARY ROAD
2 CATE BLANCHETT THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
3 ANN HATHAWAY RACHEL GETTING MARRIED
4 KRISTIN SCOTT THOMAS IL Y A LONGTEMPS QUE JE T'AIME
5 FRANCES MCDORMAND BURN AFTER READING
Winslet was cited for the wrong film, if you ask me. Blanchett was overlooked altogether and although not on my list I just saw Melissa Leo's involving performance in FROZEN RIVER, a deserving nomination for sure. Yet based on how I saw the year of actresses pass me by, strictly based on film merit, Hathaway deserves the prize in an otherwise superficial film trying to come off as authentic. Ultimately, Winslet will win for the wrong film.
SUPPORTING ACTOR
1 HEATH LEDGER THE DARK KNIGHT
2 MICHAEL SHEEN FROST/NIXON
3 BRENDAN GLEESON IN BRUGES
4 DAVID KROSS THE READER
5 JAMES FRANCO MILK
Glad to see James Franco winning the Independent Spirit, sorry to see Sheen overlooked, or even Gleeson for that matter, but this is Ledger's posthumous year - He is clearly going to make a splash that he'll unfortunately never know about. Also, if anything, Jenkins should have been nominated for his pathetically endearing sad sack of a boss in BURN AFTER READING.
SUPPORTING ACTRESS
1 ROSEMARIE DEWITT RACHEL GETTING MARRIED
2 PENELOPE CRUZ VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA
3 MARISA TOMEI THE WRESTLER
4 TARAJI P. HENSON THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
5 AMY ADAMS DOUBT
Clearly Viola Davis has gotten way too much Dench-like attention. Yes she's solid but, come on, Adams certainly carries a certain burdensome weight on her shoulders delivering a misunderstood-by-many performance. At least Academy votes got it. And while Cruz will go home happy, justice was sorely lacking when Rosemarie DeWitt's performance as RACHEL was oversighted.
ENSEMBLE
1 MILK
2 THE DARK KNIGHT
3 SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
4 FROST/NIXON
5 UN CONTE DE NOEL
A Screen Actors Guild category that deserves some attention. I believe that MILK had it on the money. What a picture perfect cast.
NON ENGLISH LANGUAGE FILM
1 WALTZ WITH BASHIR [VALS IM BASHIR] tied with
1 THE CLASS [ENTRE LES MURS]
2 NE LE DIS A PERSONNE
3 THE COUNTERFEITERS [DIE FALSCHER]
4 LEMON TREE [ETZ LIMON]
5 THE SECRETS [HA'SODOT]
I noticed that there are plenty of worthy nominees but it makes sense that I am all for a BASHIR or CLASS win but cannot discount the ones I have not yet seen.
ANIMATED FEATURE (3 films)
1 WALTZ WITH BASHIR
2 WALL-E
3 KUNG FU PANDA
Criminal to know that BASHIR was overlooked in this category. That sector of the Academy has still to get it right. WALL-E wins by default, yes by default. A BASHIR nomination and win could [have] at least right was was wronged when PERSEPOLIS lost a year ago.
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
1 MILK
2 WALTZ WITH BASHIR
3 LEMON TREE
4 VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA
5 IN BRUGES
Why was VCB not nominated? What happened there?
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
1 FROST/NIXON
2 SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
3 THE CLASS [ENTRE LES MURS]
3 THE DARK KNIGHT
4 THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
5 NE LE DIS A PERSONNE
I truly appreciated the F/N adaptation from glorious stage to thrilling screen. Peter Morgan is an ultimate scripter.
The remaining artistic and technical categories speak for themselves. There are some similarities between my list and the actual nominations.
CINEMATOGRAPHY
1 SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
2 AUSTRALIA
3 FROST/NIXON
4 THE DARK KNIGHT
5 MILK
FILM EDITING
1 SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
2 MILK
3 FROST/NIXON
4 THE DARK KNIGHT
5 THE WRESTLER
ART DIRECTION
1 AUSTRALIA
2 SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
3 THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
4 THE CHANGELING
5 MILK
COSTUME DESIGN
1 SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
2 AUSTRALIA
3 THE CHANGELING
4 MILK
5 THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
ORIGINAL SCORE
1 SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
2 THE CHANGELING
3 THE DUCHESS
4 REVOLUTIONARY ROAD
5 THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
ORIGINAL SONG
1 GRAN TORINO GRAN TORINO
2 JAI HO - SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
3 THE WRESTLER THE WRESTLER
4 BY THE BOAB TREE AUSTRALIA
5 DOWN TO EARTH WALL-E
When it comes to songs, this year's most contested category should be noted for all that is missing from its list. How is it possible that THE WRESTLER, GRAN TORINO AND AUSTRALIA got overlooked when there's clearly two more unused spots on this list?
SOUND MIXING
1 THE DARK KNIGHT
2 WALL-E
3 SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
4 QUANTUM OF SOLACE
5 AUSTRALIA
SOUND EDITING
1 THE DARK KNIGHT
2 WALL-E
3 SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
4 QUANTUM OF SOLACE
5 INDIANA JONES AND THE...
VISUAL EFFECTS
1 THE DARK KNIGHT
2 THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
3 SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
4 QUANTUM OF SOLACE
5 AUSTRALIA
MAKE UP
1 THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
2 THE READER
3 THE DARK KNIGHT
4 THE WRESTLER
5 SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK
So let's see what happens and until then enjoy - E
January 28, 2009
25 RANDOM THINGS
This is the finalized version of this article.
Coaxed by Andrea, the singer-actress, all around entertainer who also goes by Aundrea, I was tagged [ and it may have even been self-imposed] and then "forced" to ponder over this little game that someone came up with on Facebook. First were the rigid rules, oh my, and then the attempt to answer them. As always, it takes far longer than one could ever imagine to complete one of these introspective ditties. Still, after my first attempt and six answers into it, my Mac malfunctioned and I lost all my witty words on the screen. Yet my will power to continue this little, fun memory exercise was put to the test and so I restarted . The real reason I did not simply quit was because my tagged list was already made and what my tagged bunch initially got to see was an empty page and it didn't look too good. I felt that I had to make it up to them. Hence, I recreated my list from scratch trying to remember what exact words I initially used, and then restructuring it more or less in some form of chronology. So enjoy it, it should be fun, starting with the prerequisite rules of the game: 
Rules:
Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.
(To do this, go to "notes" under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your 25 random things, tag 25 people [in the right hand corner of the app] then click publish.)
Oh my God, where do I begin? And I am going to have to leave out things [e.g.: first migraine, hitting a pole, bed wetting, Eurovision, bicycles, etc...]
1.
When I was five or six, my grandfather took me to the very first film that left a lasting impression on me. It was not the typical Tarzan matinee with Johnny Weissmuller that I was used to but a vintage Hollywood musical playing at our local repertory house [Cinema Ramat Aviv]. The film was Anni Eshet Lapidot which I later learned was Hebrew for ANNIE GET YOUR GUN [starring Betty Hutton]. I have not seen it since but am very aware of what I have turned into as a result of this programming mishap.
2.
When I was five or six, to see my reaction, my sister Avital, lovingly, pressed the STOP button of an Elevator and watched me in terror, with much glee. I was traumatized for years and thus avoided elevators everywhere, easy in Israel where we lived on the first floor. Once in Canada, having moved onto the 19th floor, at the age of eleven or twelve, my mom grabbed me, [just imagine a hysterical panic-stricken lanky boy], threw me into an elevator and made me go up and down and up and down, several times with her, until my fear dissipated and I finally calmed down. Until then, believe it or not, I walked up all these flights of stairs. I now officially love elevators and will gladly get stuck in one anytime.
3.
When I was eight, my mom took the kids to visit my uncle and aunt in Nairobi for a whole two months. Through my uncle, who lived there for a period of time, I met his pals, the park rangers and Masai tribesmen, I said JUMBO everyday and fell in love with banana milk. I still can't believe that the banana milk concept has not flown off the roof. 4.
We left Israel for Canada on my 9th Birthday and I learned my very first three English words through a picture Dictionary on our CP Air plane ride, with a stopover in Rome. However I found it very limiting to construct any useful sentence using the words APPLE, BABY and CAT. Upon our arrival in Montreal at 00:15 on January 15, 1973, technically a day after my Birthday, I saw snow and ethnic diversity for the very first time. The taxi whisked us straight to our Sheraton hotel downtown, today COURS MONT-ROYAL, and I imagine since I like to talk, that I must have repeatedly told the taxi driver, Apple Baby Cat on several occasions through our ride. 5.
When I was ten, my impressed musically talented uncle took my sisters and me to his recording studio in Tel Aviv where he first listened to me sing two of my original songs and along with my grandfather recorded instrumentation for them. He then had us three record the song in the studio booth. We made several demos and I called the band Eyal and the Mystery Group. I made sure to label the demos with the song titles and proud name of the band. Side A, roughly translated from Hebrew, was IF I WERE A BOY, while side B, a duet with my sister, was called OVER THERE. I still have some of these demos in my storage and, if you'd like, I can sing you the songs anytime. My dad still does.6.
Between the ages of nine and perhaps fourteen I wrote hundreds of song, first in Hebrew but then mostly in English, which I memorized and continuously sang to myself. Some were actually quite good. I also forced my younger sister and her friends to be my audience members in variety shows that conceived, complete with costumes, hand-written programs, scoresheets and, of course, choice seats. The shows were based on influential Song Contests a la Eurovision. Once my sister and company began scoring the exact same thing for every single song, I would have a fit until they finally changed the scores so that I could announce a winner. Must have been traumatizing for her but, based on how she's been raising her own kids, I think she's over the historic assault by now.
7.
When I was most probably twelve, still living at Hill Park, a Montreal high rise that had a protruding exterior garden on its fourth floor [as the building was partly situated on a cliff] my friend Jeffrey and I played with matches next to some shrubs which, in no time, caught on fire. The two of us almost burnt the entire place down but panic and quick thinking [because of the panic] had us running down to the pool, emptying oversized garbage cans, filling them with water and running back to extinguish the fire. 8.
In 1978, I was leaving for Israel for my summer vacation, only two days after the phenomenon GREASE came out in theaters everywhere.. Since my mom did send us to see it at the Westmount Square on the Saturday, the only thing I felt missing was the Original Soundtrack album featuring YOU'RE THE ONE THAT I WANT and SUMMER NIGHTS. Well, thank God for my neighbour Monica, who had just received it as a gift from her mom. I slyly asked to borrow it, having no intention to give it back right away. Instead, I guess you can say I stole it as I took it with me to Israel, where I became very popular with the neighbourhood kids around my uncle's place. You see, I was the only one with a GREASE album in Israel at that time. While the movie had not yet made it to Israel, and was only due there in another six months, the songs became instant hits on the radio and everyone wanted to hear them over and over again. I returned to Montreal in early September without the album. In due time, Monica and I stopped being friends.
9. Despite what you may be thinking, the English language did not come naturally to me. I was challenged phonetically and otherwise and was placed in speciality classes and given lots of extra attention. I don't know why but for the longest time I just couldn't learn it. It took me several years to improve and to, then, realize my full potential but in grade five, Miss Urban, the attractive vice principal, patiently sat me down on a bench and tried arduously to get me to pronounce the H's and to distinguish them from the A's. Let's just say that I ad to ave taken a lot of time before I made it appen.
10.
In Elementary school in Canada, I was not welcomed at first. I looked different, tall and skinny and the kids couldn't pronounce my name. They first called me Eggo Waffles and then teased me and said that my mom was Aunt Jemima. 
In grade three, during my first year in Canada and in an English elementary school, I politely went over to ask my teacher, Mrs. Gilman if I could go for a pee. I thought the word which I overheard being used was buffy. Mrs. Gilman, could not figure out what the heck I was asking from her so she asked the rest of the class to guess along with her which created an uproar. Everyone in class began to laugh. I was absolutely humiliated before leaving for the bathroom. Buffy, the word I thought I knew, turns out, by the way, to be Jody's sister in FAMILY AFFAIR, a show I loved as a kid.11.
In grade five, my beautiful new teacher, Mrs Scully introduced herself to the class and asked that all the boys stand on the right and that the girls were to go to the left. I complied. Mrs. Scully then spotted me on the right and restated, "no, I had asked that all the girls go to the left". I think I cried as a result of this embarrassment. Mrs. Scully later explained to my mom that I was so pretty that she actually thought I was a girl at first. She also later told me that she loved my name and was thinking of naming her child after me but she ended up with a baby girl. Four years later, Mrs. Scully turned up as my high school English teacher where she boasted to all the ladies in the office of just how pretty a kid I was in grade five.
12.
Coming back from Israel in the fall of '78, my father met my sister and I, in Brussels and took us back home via Belgium [he worked for Sabena]. On the plane, a 747, my father took us to meet the pilot in the cockpit. As the captain turned over to chat with us, I got nervous and asked him why he was not looking out the window and making sure that we're okay. He just laughed. Today we all can learn of the importance of looking out for a flock of birds coming your way.13.
Oh yes, when I was twelve, I ran to buy an ABBA album at the Cote Vertu mall [their first greatest hits in 1976] thinking it was an Israeli band named DAD [Aba in Hebrew] and I tried to convince people of that fact until I later realized that they were actually the Swedish 1974 Eurovision winners]. They eventually became my favourite group in the whole wide world and I have even seen them live in concert back in 1979 when they played at the Montreal Forum. Today I own every imaginable ABBA CD known to man, woman and child.
14.
When I was thirteen I purchased a paperback STAR TREK book off its stand at our neighborhood Cantor but, after paying for it, I conveniently replaced it with a very risque paperback novel which my mother found and made me give back. I then went back and "stole" it again. For years I held on to that book for God knows what reason and, funny enough, I remember packing it up and placing it a box in the summer of 2007. Hence, I still have it somewhere in my storage space back in Vancouver.15.
In High School I was such a goody goody even if I had trouble learning. I was so scared that I never ever skipped a class. Even a girl friend of mine, Robin Kinch, tried to convince me to stray but I would have none of that. I just kept on going to classes and learning almost absolutely nothing . Technically I should have been a genius by now.
16.
In Cegep, I was finally trying to learn and taking courses to help me develop and evolve. Thus, at the end of my first semester, my English short story teacher, a good looking young man whose name escapes me now, selected my autobiographical take on my arrival into Canada, which I called THE EGGO HAS LANDED: MEMOIRS OF AN ALIEN, as one of the best works in that class. He read it out loud, but changed my name ever so slightly, thinking that no one would notice, and brought tears of joy to my eyes while in class. No teacher ever before gave me such acclaim for a skill I was so challenged by. It's a darn shame that I cannot remember his name.
17.
In University, I was such a zealous Fine Arts cinema student that, to get rid of my shyness, I started to get involved in every possible student body group imaginable. By the end of my first year, I was voted President of the Fine Arts Student association, became editor of the University's Fine Arts magazine and produced [and co-hosted] the Year End Screening of Student Films three years running. Oh where are those days. They seem so long gone now.18.
In 1979, for the Year of the Child, at the urging of my mom's friend Chava, I joined a theater group called CHILDREN'S CREATION, The troupe was putting up a special original show at a major theatre in Montreal during the summer and I got involved with the project from very early on. I also got my sisters to join in on the fun. Eventually, while my older sister worked on sets and props, it turned out, by this point, that my younger sister was seemingly more talented, and got a better role on stage. I was at first livid but I slowly learned to accept the fact that my performing capabilities had diminished. 19.
I first began to pick up jogging in Cegep by taking it as an elective class. At the time, the wonderful teacher, Deena, had us running around and across Westmount. IT was challenging but fun. Over the years I had started, stopped and restarted running around the city. Most recently, just over five years ago, dealing with my impending break up and its correlated stress, I rediscovered that passion and drive and began on a journey that for the past several years had me running at half marathon distances. I unfortunately stopped several months ago and am now training to regain that conditioning towards my goals once again.20.
In 1986 I went to Israel and spent a whole summer there trying to retrace my past. I toured the country and connected with old friends and family members. I turned the experience into a wondrous journey of self-discovery. I also got myself a lot of Israeli CD's and came home very very satisfied.21.
In 1993, when I was first introduced to John by my neighbour Daniel, at Daniel's urging, I called John up and asked him out. He flat out said NO. Three days later he called me back and asked if the invitation was still standing and we went on our very first date on a Friday afternoon to a bad movie called HEAR NO EVIL starring Marlee Matlin. We also bumped into my friend Doug on the street. Turned out that he was in John's class at the time as well. Our first dinner followed on that same day, at the Faubourg, but John did not let out yet that he could not eat spicy food [meaning garlic, onion, pepper, etc...]. Three weeks later, on our perhaps fifth or sixth date, I ordered spicy Szechuan and invited John over to my place on a Sunday evening. That evening he finally admitted that he cannot eat anything remotely spicy and soon after he leaped over to kiss me. I guess he wasn't that hungry.22.
In 1992, my roommate Rudy and I hosted a massive Disco Inferno Party in our modest 5 1/2 apartment on Cote Saint Luc Road - the place we called Kibbutz 5245 or as others would affectionately call "our very own Melrose Place.". We had a record 148 people at our place that night and the event began spilling into the second floor hall and even into our neighbours apartments on the third floor, as we were smart enough to invite them too. Ten years later many of the very same people were celebrating my twelve-hour long, ever important 40th Birthday bash much to my delight.
23.
In 1988, not too long after university, I was an Editor of a local downtown chic newspaper/magazine, slanted on fashion and entertainment and got VIP treatments from every entertainment and cultural agent in the city. I received free CD's, premiere tickets and oodles of free gifts and was invited to every event, restaurant and opening one can imagine. I lived this grand life for several months before I fell really ill and the Doctor told me that I needed to take a long rest. I eventually had to quit that job and the whole enterprise just folded soon after.
24.
In university I made my first film in 1983, a documentary called GLORIA: LIVING WITH DIALYSIS based on the weekly life of one of my mom's dialysis patients and friends. I followed her at home, at work and at the hospital for an entire week and made my little film which played to great success at the hospital in nursing class. The Jury of professors, however, told me that my film was less a fine arts piece and more CBC television material and that I should be in the communication media program instead. I then responded by making my second year film an artistic, abstract and ambiguous piece called GET OUT OF MY HOUSE, which combined colorful, stark and exciting images to the sounds of Kate Bush. At the third year selection, when presenting HOUSE, that same jury asked me about influence and I seriously answered that Antonioni was the most influential to my work as an artist. That same jury then told me that my film actually looked a lot like a music video and, at the time, I didn't get them at all.
25.
In 1999, with John gone to Greece, I spent a month in New York hoping to best my previous eighteen Broadway-show record from 1997. I ended up checking out a record of 25 Broadway shows during that visit, something I was finally able to repeat once again this past December. I believe that I have now accumulated about 200 Broadway shows over the past twenty years. My first ever was STARLIGHT EXPRESS and my most recent was BILLY ELLIOT. Among the best were CITY OF ANGELS, SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION, KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN and, of course PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, way back in 1988.
DEALING WITH A PAINFUL PAST IN LIFE AND OTHERWISE
THEN SHE FOUND ME [2008] *** ½
Helen Hunt is a genius, not because she made a perfect film - that, she did not do – but because she made a charming film filled with relatable characters that, despite having a hard-hitting edge, owns a warm, even tender centre that grabs a hold of its viewers allowing them to identify with characters that at heart are imperfect but still with hope. From the very start and until the final happy images, yes they are filled with hope, Hunt has you under a spell. Hunt should be commended because she’s working with a sharp but heavy-handed script, that she co-adapted from a recent novel, where conflict is the order the day and still people, as in reality, get on with their lives.
THEN SHE FOUND ME is the story of familial relations and chosen connections observed within the lives of its insecure and uncertain adults. And so the adults in this Manhattan-filled world occupied on screen want children, want to be connected to children but certainly behave just like children all the same. In this pithy examination of immaturity in us all, Hunt has struck gold in some of her casting choices.
And what has Hunt done right? Let’s begin. I can list a few things right off the bat. Casting Bette Midler as her biological mom has undoubtedly given Midler her best role since THE ROSE or at least the most appealing since her film heydays, let’s see, perhaps since BEACHES. So eons later Midler owns the part of selfish, deceitful Bernice Graves who very much wants to reconnect with the daughter she gave up when she was only a teen herself. She is not only convincing in her humorous bits, of which there are plenty, and which she performs with a subtlety missing in many of her previous comedies. Yet in her dramatic scenes she possesses a quiet power that adds depth to her role. Her confrontational scenes with Hunt are quite effective.
Then there’s Colin Firth who truly knows how to play everyman with conviction and has the audience rooting for the guy filled with idiosyncrasies and contradictions. He makes for a convincing partner to Hunt’s angry and stubbornly bitter April searching for a man, a baby and much happiness. Which brings me to Hunt who not only directs this first feature effort with such self-assurance (and only a few MAD ABOUT YOU episodes to her credit) but also co-adapted the material and stars in a role that gives her a few key moments to remind oneself why she did win an Oscar in the first place. This role surely justifies the Oscar clinch without a doubt. In some ways, she’s even better here than in her award-winning AS GOOD AS IT GETS.
So what’s wrong with the entire picture? Why does it work most of the way but is not entirely satisfying? And why is it not the big draw it could have been? Two possible solutions: Perhaps it’s the universal theme of misery that prevails. That would make it the film a way-too-close-to-home downer. Then, just maybe it’s that independently produced films with women as the leads just don’t have enough money for a good publicity campaign. Hence the film is playing to empty screens in more the obscure theatres.
Between you and me, I have someone to blame – and perhaps I am biased. It’s all Matthew Broderick’s fault. Never been a fan, I must admit (only in THE PRODUCERS did I succumb; and that’s because he can actually sing and dance – what he cannot do is act – oh yeah, except in ELECTION which I felt guilty for liking). Here, Broderick gets to chew the scenery (oy vey, more than Midler – that’s a crime in itself) and then if that’s not enough, he plays such an unlovable person from the word go that it is hard to illicit any sympathy for him even when his character goes through difficult times. His small but pivotal role almost spoiled the fun I was having watching characters trying to get out of their self-imposed misery.
At the end, the movie still won me over mostly because I am a sucker for big confrontational scenes, and there are plenty, especially when they are funny, sad, blow-ups reminding one of how just like home and universal the subject matter is.
STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE [2008] ***
The eerie and haunting new investigative documentary by Errol Morris is a heavy-handed, ultimately depressing look at the awfully unremorseful people responsible for producing the photos of prisoner humiliation that took place in the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, an act of atrocity that the world was eventually shown and allowed to judge. The maddeningly irresponsible soldiers who took the photos and participated in the humility of their victims are interviewed just a few years later and what is most striking is that they, for the most part, seem to lack introspection and still hardly accept or even understand accountability, even while sitting in prison all this time after being indicted for their heinous crimes.
Yet what is most noticeable in this film from famed documentary filmmaker Morris is that he is now a very well established director with lots of resources and tools and has somehow managed to pull off every trick in the cinematic technique book to make his movie visually stimulating to its audience. From surreal re-enactments filmed in oblique angles to special visual effects dazzling about the screen and even a gripping original soundtrack by Danny Elfman, no less, Morris has us busily reacting to trickery and illusions. This is perhaps to mask the fact, more so than any other, that his film is, despite its ever-important topic, low on substance.
The effects are used to enhance what is essentially a film that has its subject matters talking directly at the screen and there’s only so much talk that can generate this much interest, especially when it is coming from its seemingly low intellect, trailer trash types that seem to have an excuse and justification for everything they’ve done. They keep repeating how they did not realize that their behaviour was criminal. That only lower ranked soldiers got reprimanded is telling of an unjust political system that does not weigh in responsibility at the very top.
The best scene in the film is the one where one of the key investigators into these crimes describes how he sifted through confiscated photographs to determine which ones constituted a criminal act different from those abhorring ones that are considered Standard Operating Procedure, from which the film stems its title. From all accounts, The President had no choice but to apologize on behalf of the USA for a public humiliation that caused the country socio-political grief but, as seen here, very little else happened other than the fact that ignorant scapegoats got punished and the system itself got away with murder, literally. Appalling whether the film works completely or not.
Helen Hunt is a genius, not because she made a perfect film - that, she did not do – but because she made a charming film filled with relatable characters that, despite having a hard-hitting edge, owns a warm, even tender centre that grabs a hold of its viewers allowing them to identify with characters that at heart are imperfect but still with hope. From the very start and until the final happy images, yes they are filled with hope, Hunt has you under a spell. Hunt should be commended because she’s working with a sharp but heavy-handed script, that she co-adapted from a recent novel, where conflict is the order the day and still people, as in reality, get on with their lives.
THEN SHE FOUND ME is the story of familial relations and chosen connections observed within the lives of its insecure and uncertain adults. And so the adults in this Manhattan-filled world occupied on screen want children, want to be connected to children but certainly behave just like children all the same. In this pithy examination of immaturity in us all, Hunt has struck gold in some of her casting choices.
And what has Hunt done right? Let’s begin. I can list a few things right off the bat. Casting Bette Midler as her biological mom has undoubtedly given Midler her best role since THE ROSE or at least the most appealing since her film heydays, let’s see, perhaps since BEACHES. So eons later Midler owns the part of selfish, deceitful Bernice Graves who very much wants to reconnect with the daughter she gave up when she was only a teen herself. She is not only convincing in her humorous bits, of which there are plenty, and which she performs with a subtlety missing in many of her previous comedies. Yet in her dramatic scenes she possesses a quiet power that adds depth to her role. Her confrontational scenes with Hunt are quite effective.
Then there’s Colin Firth who truly knows how to play everyman with conviction and has the audience rooting for the guy filled with idiosyncrasies and contradictions. He makes for a convincing partner to Hunt’s angry and stubbornly bitter April searching for a man, a baby and much happiness. Which brings me to Hunt who not only directs this first feature effort with such self-assurance (and only a few MAD ABOUT YOU episodes to her credit) but also co-adapted the material and stars in a role that gives her a few key moments to remind oneself why she did win an Oscar in the first place. This role surely justifies the Oscar clinch without a doubt. In some ways, she’s even better here than in her award-winning AS GOOD AS IT GETS.
So what’s wrong with the entire picture? Why does it work most of the way but is not entirely satisfying? And why is it not the big draw it could have been? Two possible solutions: Perhaps it’s the universal theme of misery that prevails. That would make it the film a way-too-close-to-home downer. Then, just maybe it’s that independently produced films with women as the leads just don’t have enough money for a good publicity campaign. Hence the film is playing to empty screens in more the obscure theatres.
Between you and me, I have someone to blame – and perhaps I am biased. It’s all Matthew Broderick’s fault. Never been a fan, I must admit (only in THE PRODUCERS did I succumb; and that’s because he can actually sing and dance – what he cannot do is act – oh yeah, except in ELECTION which I felt guilty for liking). Here, Broderick gets to chew the scenery (oy vey, more than Midler – that’s a crime in itself) and then if that’s not enough, he plays such an unlovable person from the word go that it is hard to illicit any sympathy for him even when his character goes through difficult times. His small but pivotal role almost spoiled the fun I was having watching characters trying to get out of their self-imposed misery.
At the end, the movie still won me over mostly because I am a sucker for big confrontational scenes, and there are plenty, especially when they are funny, sad, blow-ups reminding one of how just like home and universal the subject matter is.
STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE [2008] ***
The eerie and haunting new investigative documentary by Errol Morris is a heavy-handed, ultimately depressing look at the awfully unremorseful people responsible for producing the photos of prisoner humiliation that took place in the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, an act of atrocity that the world was eventually shown and allowed to judge. The maddeningly irresponsible soldiers who took the photos and participated in the humility of their victims are interviewed just a few years later and what is most striking is that they, for the most part, seem to lack introspection and still hardly accept or even understand accountability, even while sitting in prison all this time after being indicted for their heinous crimes.
Yet what is most noticeable in this film from famed documentary filmmaker Morris is that he is now a very well established director with lots of resources and tools and has somehow managed to pull off every trick in the cinematic technique book to make his movie visually stimulating to its audience. From surreal re-enactments filmed in oblique angles to special visual effects dazzling about the screen and even a gripping original soundtrack by Danny Elfman, no less, Morris has us busily reacting to trickery and illusions. This is perhaps to mask the fact, more so than any other, that his film is, despite its ever-important topic, low on substance.
The effects are used to enhance what is essentially a film that has its subject matters talking directly at the screen and there’s only so much talk that can generate this much interest, especially when it is coming from its seemingly low intellect, trailer trash types that seem to have an excuse and justification for everything they’ve done. They keep repeating how they did not realize that their behaviour was criminal. That only lower ranked soldiers got reprimanded is telling of an unjust political system that does not weigh in responsibility at the very top.
The best scene in the film is the one where one of the key investigators into these crimes describes how he sifted through confiscated photographs to determine which ones constituted a criminal act different from those abhorring ones that are considered Standard Operating Procedure, from which the film stems its title. From all accounts, The President had no choice but to apologize on behalf of the USA for a public humiliation that caused the country socio-political grief but, as seen here, very little else happened other than the fact that ignorant scapegoats got punished and the system itself got away with murder, literally. Appalling whether the film works completely or not.
January 27, 2009
HOW DARE YOU, SPIELBERG?
INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL **
Dealing with a dreary line-up of movies in spring is one thing, especially when your time “on land” is limited like mine. Experiencing what turns out to be a mostly dreadful film given the almost twenty years of anticipation is absolutely unfortunate. Twenty-eight years after introducing iconic hero INDIANA JONES to a legion of fans, young and old, including myself, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas have teamed up again – for a fourth time – perhaps to combine their artistry but most likely just to consolidate their coffers – and are hoping to reintroduce our hero to a whole new world of moviegoers, who may be expecting a lot more than an old–fashioned serial adventure retread that was once the staple of expectations from the generation of their now grown up parents and even grandparents. Sad to report that a retread is all they’ll get.
KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL starts off intriguingly enough with the old Paramount logo blending into our very first crisp images of refined, cleverly filmed, action shots by skilled Cinematographer Janusz Kaminski. What a promising beginning just as we’ve expected. Unfortunatley, for the most part, this sets up the rest of the film’s feel and texture, its one true commodity. Once you understand where the movie is heading towards – visually and intellectually - you pretty much have it all figured out. Yes, you can tell from these very scenes that the movie is going to go here, there and everywhere and pretty much nowhere in particular.
The visual flair is clearly Spielberg’s familiar territory and a comfort zone with which much of the time he stays in. Ever the craftsman, the big boy with the toys, or a child in a candy store to be more precise, Spielberg (certainly without any guidance from his immature giddy partner, producer Lucas) cannot help but move us along from one overly and inertly produced set piece to another, just as expected, but this time he has taken in his so-called art form to an elevated level where he cannot even seem to cohesively blend his vision with the content, and many of the scenes suffer as a result and even look cheap despite all the money and top of the line production values. Yes INDIANA JONES should be pastiche, an ode to yesteryears, but not a B movie in itself.
Yet, most of the film is a like train wreck, desperately trying to please its audience with gadgetry and somewhat imaginative ideas that if ever Spielberg and co. actually took the time to notice how badly a solid storyline could have helped, it would have not railroaded this much beloved franchise. Mind you, not that there is no story line. In fact, much to my dismay, there’s plenty of that in store, a lot of what-the-heck-were-they-thinking-of scenes just to get to the point, only to find out that the measly point is way far stretched beyond one’s imagination. Perhaps one grows cynical with age but what once worked in the SINBAD series of the 50’s is simply not going to be as effective in the age of TRANSFORMERS and Wii.
And while my patience was surely tested with every annoying ant (plenty of those), monkey (why monkeys?), groundhog (oh my! For real) and snake (even THAT ONE was enough), nothing quite prepared me for Spielberg’s way-out-there re-imagining of his favourite subject matter – aliens – and when the two genres ultimately combine – and yes, spoiler alert – they do so in an in-your-face matter-of-fact way, for which one has to have much patience and tolerance. The hokum that takes place on screen is beyond conceivable, even for a fantasy of sorts. Kind of reminded me of the final COLBYS episode when Falone is taken onto a spaceship by roadside aliens. Hmm, just like my life. While I am not asking for – or even expecting - realism here but it will help if I can fathom, even swallow, the fantastic premise. Here, it is pretty much no can do.
But how do the real life stars fare in this two-hour Disney-ride of a fantasy? Well, they don’t. First off, Harrison Ford is way too old for this sort of behaviour and it is hard to imagine anyone but a stunt man doubling for his action shots – of which there are plenty. While he still has charisma, there are several uncomfortable references to his age – mostly made by himself - if to constantly remind us that the filmmakers are also in on this anomaly, although I think they meant the joke. Because of this we get a stand-up INDY in the vain of the Hope & Crosby ROAD movies and last I checked, while Henry Jones clearly had a sense of humour, he was no Jerry Lewis, or even Dean Martin for that matter. Well, still he is the best of the part of the film, so go figure.
Now, Karen Allen, on the other hand, to put it mildly and kindly, seems to have been unearthed as an INDY relic herself and in the her time off from the big screen, I imagine that she’s simply forgotten to act, really act. Being herself at fifty plus on such a large screen does not constitute a welcome back to the club designation and does her no favours whatsoever. So uncomfortable on screen, in front of backlit blue projections, her scenes mostly remind me of improvisational-sketch comedy. Her action-romance bits are not quite natural and she seems uncomfortable through most of her screen time.
As Indy’s alleged son, Shia LaBeouf is serviceable but his rebellious Brando persona is more annoying than anything else plus he does stunts that are beyond implausible if uninteresting for much of the film. There are several other prominent actors on display: John Hurt (God help us, he had to play the eccentric), Jim Broadbent (luckily for him, only a minor detail in this film) and Ray Winstone (generic as can be) but the most awaited part belongs to She-wolf of the Russian baddies, Cate Blanchett, who starts off strong, in her villainous Russian accent, vixen outfit, gear and all. Yet soon enough, and for the rest of the film, any interest in her character wanes quickly as her the mystery & ironic charm loses steam. She is clearly having fun in the role but it is not transferable fun, at least not from where I was sitting.
If anything, there are remnants of John Williams once exciting score, reminding one why we fell in love with INDY in the first place. However these original sounds are only intermittent, between a newly orchestrated soundtrack of functional if generic music. Like the KINGDOM, its star and storyline, much of the film is old and worn out; if not sloppy then most definitely clunky. Don’t know about you but I want my INDIANA JONES redux.
Dealing with a dreary line-up of movies in spring is one thing, especially when your time “on land” is limited like mine. Experiencing what turns out to be a mostly dreadful film given the almost twenty years of anticipation is absolutely unfortunate. Twenty-eight years after introducing iconic hero INDIANA JONES to a legion of fans, young and old, including myself, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas have teamed up again – for a fourth time – perhaps to combine their artistry but most likely just to consolidate their coffers – and are hoping to reintroduce our hero to a whole new world of moviegoers, who may be expecting a lot more than an old–fashioned serial adventure retread that was once the staple of expectations from the generation of their now grown up parents and even grandparents. Sad to report that a retread is all they’ll get.KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL starts off intriguingly enough with the old Paramount logo blending into our very first crisp images of refined, cleverly filmed, action shots by skilled Cinematographer Janusz Kaminski. What a promising beginning just as we’ve expected. Unfortunatley, for the most part, this sets up the rest of the film’s feel and texture, its one true commodity. Once you understand where the movie is heading towards – visually and intellectually - you pretty much have it all figured out. Yes, you can tell from these very scenes that the movie is going to go here, there and everywhere and pretty much nowhere in particular.
The visual flair is clearly Spielberg’s familiar territory and a comfort zone with which much of the time he stays in. Ever the craftsman, the big boy with the toys, or a child in a candy store to be more precise, Spielberg (certainly without any guidance from his immature giddy partner, producer Lucas) cannot help but move us along from one overly and inertly produced set piece to another, just as expected, but this time he has taken in his so-called art form to an elevated level where he cannot even seem to cohesively blend his vision with the content, and many of the scenes suffer as a result and even look cheap despite all the money and top of the line production values. Yes INDIANA JONES should be pastiche, an ode to yesteryears, but not a B movie in itself.
Yet, most of the film is a like train wreck, desperately trying to please its audience with gadgetry and somewhat imaginative ideas that if ever Spielberg and co. actually took the time to notice how badly a solid storyline could have helped, it would have not railroaded this much beloved franchise. Mind you, not that there is no story line. In fact, much to my dismay, there’s plenty of that in store, a lot of what-the-heck-were-they-thinking-of scenes just to get to the point, only to find out that the measly point is way far stretched beyond one’s imagination. Perhaps one grows cynical with age but what once worked in the SINBAD series of the 50’s is simply not going to be as effective in the age of TRANSFORMERS and Wii.
And while my patience was surely tested with every annoying ant (plenty of those), monkey (why monkeys?), groundhog (oh my! For real) and snake (even THAT ONE was enough), nothing quite prepared me for Spielberg’s way-out-there re-imagining of his favourite subject matter – aliens – and when the two genres ultimately combine – and yes, spoiler alert – they do so in an in-your-face matter-of-fact way, for which one has to have much patience and tolerance. The hokum that takes place on screen is beyond conceivable, even for a fantasy of sorts. Kind of reminded me of the final COLBYS episode when Falone is taken onto a spaceship by roadside aliens. Hmm, just like my life. While I am not asking for – or even expecting - realism here but it will help if I can fathom, even swallow, the fantastic premise. Here, it is pretty much no can do.
But how do the real life stars fare in this two-hour Disney-ride of a fantasy? Well, they don’t. First off, Harrison Ford is way too old for this sort of behaviour and it is hard to imagine anyone but a stunt man doubling for his action shots – of which there are plenty. While he still has charisma, there are several uncomfortable references to his age – mostly made by himself - if to constantly remind us that the filmmakers are also in on this anomaly, although I think they meant the joke. Because of this we get a stand-up INDY in the vain of the Hope & Crosby ROAD movies and last I checked, while Henry Jones clearly had a sense of humour, he was no Jerry Lewis, or even Dean Martin for that matter. Well, still he is the best of the part of the film, so go figure.
Now, Karen Allen, on the other hand, to put it mildly and kindly, seems to have been unearthed as an INDY relic herself and in the her time off from the big screen, I imagine that she’s simply forgotten to act, really act. Being herself at fifty plus on such a large screen does not constitute a welcome back to the club designation and does her no favours whatsoever. So uncomfortable on screen, in front of backlit blue projections, her scenes mostly remind me of improvisational-sketch comedy. Her action-romance bits are not quite natural and she seems uncomfortable through most of her screen time.
As Indy’s alleged son, Shia LaBeouf is serviceable but his rebellious Brando persona is more annoying than anything else plus he does stunts that are beyond implausible if uninteresting for much of the film. There are several other prominent actors on display: John Hurt (God help us, he had to play the eccentric), Jim Broadbent (luckily for him, only a minor detail in this film) and Ray Winstone (generic as can be) but the most awaited part belongs to She-wolf of the Russian baddies, Cate Blanchett, who starts off strong, in her villainous Russian accent, vixen outfit, gear and all. Yet soon enough, and for the rest of the film, any interest in her character wanes quickly as her the mystery & ironic charm loses steam. She is clearly having fun in the role but it is not transferable fun, at least not from where I was sitting.
If anything, there are remnants of John Williams once exciting score, reminding one why we fell in love with INDY in the first place. However these original sounds are only intermittent, between a newly orchestrated soundtrack of functional if generic music. Like the KINGDOM, its star and storyline, much of the film is old and worn out; if not sloppy then most definitely clunky. Don’t know about you but I want my INDIANA JONES redux.
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