Saturday, January 30, 2010

Crazy Heart (Scott Cooper)

Ocassionally, we see a film in a crowded theatre, and the unusual circumstance always thrills us. Crowds are good for the theatres, and they made the film-watching experience better. Tonight was one of those nights. The small theatre was filled with viewers from a very narrow demographic, one into which we fit very nicely: 50+ couples. Interesting to think what appeal this film's promotions presented that so many braved wind-chill factors falling below 10 degrees in order to see it.

All I can say is that the film made the effort worthwhile.

Jeff Bridges plays a washed up, alcoholic c&w performer who, after some moments of undeserved grace, hits bottom, sobers up and begins to make his way back. Bridges provides an excellent performance, as do Maggie Gyllenhaal, Robert Duvall, and Colin Farrell.

Great soundtrack.

Highly recommended.

Friday, January 29, 2010

Lil's 90th (Darci Picoult)

A fine production of a play that takes a gentle, but uncompromising, view of families, aging, and marital love.

Recommend.

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Orlando (Sarah Ruhl from Virginia Woolf)

A visually interesting production of a play that could use some tightening up.

Recommend.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Nine (Rob Marshall)

So, you'd think the fantasies of a 1960's Italian type-A male would be highly entertaining. Think again. Daniel Day-Lewis' fine acting cannot overcome the clumsy editing of this final product.

Caveats.

Brothers (Jim Sheridan)

From the first scene, as we watch Sam (one of the two brothers, played by Tobey Maguire; the other brother is played by Jake Gyllenhaal) prepare to be deployed to Afghanistan, until the last, when he begins to reveal to his wife what he saw and did there, this movie is emotionally wrenching. And yet it makes few easy moves. Interestingly, much of the emotional core of the movie is conveyed not by the two brothers but by two sisters, Sam's two daughters (astonishingly played by Bailee Madison and Taylor Geare).

Highly recommend. But be prepared.

Sunday, January 17, 2010

A Single Man (Tom Ford)

An exquisite meditation on loss, memory, and desire, this film plumbs the depths of despair without indulging in the maudlin. Maintained at an adagio throughout, the film's tempo left me breathless. Colin Firth and Julianne Moore provide fine realizations of their characters; Tom Ford's eye never blinks.

Highly recommend.

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Carmen (Bizet)

The Met has a new production of Bizet's Carmen, and it is worth seeing--even if you think you've seen Carmen one time too many. Elina Garanca is sexy, provocative Carmen, and under Richard Eyre's stage direction, the sexual intensity never falters.

Recommend.

The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus (Terry Gilliam)

For good or ill, I'm always ready to be surprised by Terry Gilliam. Tonight I was surprised in a good way. With it's torrent of imaginative elements, this film could easily dissolve into boring nonsense. Instead, it cohered! it sustained my attention! Hallelujah!

Highly recommend.

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Fantastic Mr Fox (Wes Anderson)

We loved this terrific animated version of Roald Dahl's children's book. The laughs targets multiple age groups, and the production values are outstanding.

Highly recommend.

Where the Wild Things Are (Spike Jonze)

Twenty years ago, Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are was an essential component to my sanity--and to my son's. A youngster with a great curiosity and very high energy levels, he turned to the picturebook as a way for me to understand him; moreover the book provided me a way to channel his energy. Were there any more important words for us than "Let the wild rumpus start!!" or "I want to eat you up I love you so"?

Jonze's film captures the exuberant energy of childhood. Just as I know we read the book over and over, I can imagine parent and child watching this film together. In my heart, though, it can never replace the magnificent book.

Highly recommend.

Saturday, January 9, 2010

Der Rosenkavalier (R. Strauss)

Although the eponymous character of today's opera is a young man, this opera is really about women. Not only is the role of Octavian (Der Rosenkavalier, played by Susan Graham) a trouser role, but the young courtier's love is split between two women, Therese (the older, more experienced Marchionesse played by Renee Fleming) and Sophie (a young woman about to be betrothed to an older count, played by Christine Schafer). Before the end of the first act, the Marchionesse realizes that her young lover will soon abandon her for a young wife. Dumping him him before he can abandon her, she sends Octavian away. A comic, not very interesting second act and the comic, not very interesting first half of the third act, follow. The final half of the third act--nearly four hours into the production--is worth the long wait, as Fleming, Graham, and Schafer trade solos, duets, and a glorious trio.

By pairing Graham and Fleming, this production further emphasizes the opera's interest in women.

Highly recommend.

Friday, January 8, 2010

The Young Victoria (Jean-Marc Vallee)

Though a very predictable costume drama, this film held my interest because I knew nothing about either the political intrigue surrounding Victoria's ascension to the British throne or the turbulent first years of her reign. The basic outlines of those years seem to be fairly accurate.

Recommend--if you like costume dramas.

Sunday, January 3, 2010

The Road (John Hillcoat)

I read Cormac McCarthy's novel, The Road, when a friend was a day late arriving for a visit because he couldn't leave his house until he finished the novel. It was so engaging he couldn't put it down. He passed his copy to me, and I, too, read it straight through. Once I emerged from the book, the world looked different and I was off-balance. I ate differently and could not waste a drop of water. When I taught the novel a few semesters later, it had the same effect on me again. (In so many ways, it was an effective novel to teach.) But that's not why The Road is one of my favorite novels of the decade. I like how it explores the moral symbiosis of the parent-child relationship without ever casting a sentimental eye on the subject. I especially like that it examines the relationship through the lens of loss and hardship, with the parent (and the reader) always wondering if the child has been failed by the parent’s efforts.

Not surprisingly, I came to the film with low expectations.

As many reviewers have noted, the film is not as bleak as the novel. That's not to say it is upbeat. No, much of the novel's desolation and terror comes from McCarthy's slow, patient narration. In the film, as the man and boy progress along the road, each of their encounters is truncated, less suspenseful, less desperate than in the novel. Nevertheless, the film captures the bond uniting the father and son, allowing the moral issues to dominate the film.

Highly recommend. But read the novel first.

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Police, adjective (Corneliu Porumboiu)

In this Romanian film, the police stake out meets the post-modern obsession with the pliability of language. Without a doubt the slowest film I've seen, and yet the pace was essential to creating the bloodless tedium associated with a bureaucratic police state.

Recommend. Just don't expect any chase scenes.

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