The Secret in the Wings (Zimmerman)

I had high hopes for this production: I'm of fan of Yale Summer Cabaret, and Zimmerman seemed like the perfect playwright for the group.

Big disappointment, and I find that YSC was the primary source of that disappointment.

Do not recommend.

Killer Joe (William Friedkin)

I remember when--it must be close to a dozen years ago--Mike saw Tracey Lett's play, Killer Joe, in New York with a friend. I hadn't been able to go, and on his return said it was just as well. As much as he had liked the play, he was certain I would not have.

He was right. I wouldn't have liked it then.

Though I don't believe I become desensitized to violence in the subsequent years, I have learned to disassociate from what's happening on the screen. And in this particular film, that's a good trick to be able to play.

Like so many Lett's dramatic works, Killer Joe is a psychological study, this time in crime-ridden, drug-addled, intelligence-challenged trailer park in Texas. Though he sometimes overplays the stereotypes, by and large he hits the target.

Fantastic performances by Emile Hirsch, Juno Temple, Thomas Haden Church, and Gina Gorshen. And Matthew McConaughey owes the role if Texas lawman.

The scene with the fried chicken leg is a bizarre as any on screen.

Highly recommended: with the caveat that the NC-17 rating is for the graphic violence and explicit rape.

We Need to Talk About Kevin (Lynne Ramsay)

...but, of course, no one ever does.  In fact, no one really even talks to Kevin.  They ask his permission and apologize, but that's just about it.  A maddening film about bad parenting gone bad.  And we're never given reason to understand why Eva, Kevin's mother (Tilda Swinton in an excellent performance), is vilified by her community; instead, we're given every reason to understand why the community might grieve along with her.

Joins Sid and Nancy as one of the great, all-time depressing films.

Caveats.

The Trip

A tedious British travel flick with many, but not nearly enough, humorous sparks. JudgIng by the reactIons of the others in the audience, this film is an accurate generational litmus test.

Do not recommend to anyone over 45.

Delusion (Laurie Anderson)

Disappointing. Recommend (because it's Laurie Anderson) with caveats

As You Like It (Shakespeare)

What a disappointing performance. We are avid devotees of the Aquila Theatre Group, and some of our best theatrical experiences have occured when they are on stage. But not this time.

Doubling, tripling, and even quadrupling parts, they presented As You Like It with seven actors. Until the intermission, I spent too much time trying to determine who the characters were. And I know the play fairly well. I noticed that those around me, who probably were less familiar with the play, repeatedly turned to their program trying to make sense of what they saw on stage.

In short, rather than illuminating the written text, this production obfuscated it.

Caveats. Sadly.

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.

Antichrist, Lars von Trier

Certainly the most difficult movie to sit through that I've seen this year, Antichrist features excellent performances by Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg as an unnamed married couple. The movie opens with the accidental death of their toddler son and thrusts them into the long period of grief and guilt that follow.
Much of the movie's difficulty is emotional, stemming from the movie's tight focus on the couple. Except for the brief appearances of that child, the film depicts no other characters but Dafoe's and Gainsbourg's. Other difficult elements are more physical and require us to anticipate and watch excrutiating acts of torture.
Von Trier explores the inherent evil in Nature, human and otherwise, asking us to consider if human evil is natural or a perversion. Though I was emotionally (and physically) drained after watching the film, I was fascinated by von Trier's efforts to combine a tale of anti-misogyny with those very misogynistic elements it would have us deplore.
We saw the film a 2nd time on 19 November; it holds up well.


Highly recommended--but with caveats.

Funny People, Judd Apatow

To date, I've carefully avoided Judd Apatow films. The premises behind his films sounded juvenile and tedious, and any previews I saw confirmed my suspicions. And as I look over Adam Sandler's filmography, I realize that, except for seeing snippets of Billy Madison when the kids were watching the video, I've managed to avoid him, also.  Based on strong reviews, I decided to go against type and see Funny People.  As MS said: well, it wasn't a complete waste of time.

Sandler plays George Simmons--a successful comedian whose comic persona is very similar to Sandler's--who's been diagnosed with a terminal illness.  Alone, he snatches Ira Wright (played by Seth Rogen) from comedy club and grocery-store deli obscurity.  The reasons for this gesture are unclear, but I think we're supposed to think he's looking to buy a friend. Rather than the usual juvenile grossness shaping the film's primary narrative, the penis and fart jokes get sidelined in the comedy acts embedded within the buddy story of George and Ira.  

The movie's energy comes from this buddy narrative, as well as Ira's friendship with his roommates, Mark and Leo (played by Jason Schwartzman and Leo Koenig); however, the film crawls to a near halt when women (and the subsequent love interest) get introduced into the mix.  

So for now, I've had my Apatow and Sandler fix.  Doubt I'll need another injection any time soon.

Caveats.

Public Enemies

I'm certain that the late hour and the two glasses of wine at dinner contributed to my reaction to this movie, but the movie must bear some of the blame. Unusual for me, I had difficulty following the plot and keeping up with the characters. The female characters were easy to distinguish, but their parts were generally minimal. And I could keep up with the two lead male characters played by Johnny Depp (John Dillinger) and Christian Bale (Melvin Purvis). The rest, however, were indistinguishable. Could it be because they all talked like gangsters and law enforcement officer, barely audible through clenched jaws? Or they all dressed alike? Whatever the cause, it certainly made me sympathize with the FBI officers who let Dillinger walk around, unrecognized, in their midst. And one more thing--and this must be the wine's fault--I blended Pretty-Boy Floyd and Baby-Faced Nelson into one character and couldn't figure out how he came back from the dead.
The depiction of violence and bloodshed didn't surprise me; I would have preferred less lingering, though.
Throughout, the movie teases us with promises of psychological insights into the three lead characters (Dillinger, Purvis, and Billie Frechette, played by Marion Cotillard) yet doesn't really deliver. Especially intriguing is Purvis' gradual disillusionment with J. Edgar Hoover's FBI, culminating (we're made to suppose) in his 1960s suicide. This point, however, seems to be one of the film's many liberties.

Caveats.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

I suspect that Stratford's production of the 1950s musical is as fine as it gets.  Nevertheless, I found the musical numbers tedious. Once again, my dislike for musicals is confirmed.

Obviously, Stratford includes it (along with West Side Story, this year) because it generates large attendance numbers and thus income.  But, why, why, why, must they mic and amplify the performers?  The theater's not that large, and surely the singers have voices large enough to fill the space.  

Caveats.

Cheri, Stephen Frears

A story of a woman in her fifties seducing a man in his twenties? What’s not to like? Lots. Like their affair, this movie is beautiful to behold but boring. Michelle Pfeiffer's efforts aren't enough to make this an engaging film.

Caveats.

Paris 36, Christophe Barratier

An odd, accordian-filled French movie with little point beyond capturing a moment in pre-WWII Paris.

Caveats.

Trojan Barbie, Christine Evans

More interesting in conception than in execution. The script was rough, and something about the acting seemed tonally off kilter.

Caveats.

Watchmen, Zack Snyder

This film is three hours long; the first two hours are all backstory, and still there's not enough information for the narrative to make sense. For instance, as long as Dr. Manhattan is blue, it's okay to show full frontal nudity.

Caveats.

Happy-Go-Lucky, Mike Leigh

Lots of positive reviews of this film--plus the reputation of Mike Leigh--weren't enough to make me like this film.  The tagline, "The one movie this fall that will put a smile on your face," fell flat as far as I was concerned.  Sally Hawkins' character, Poppy, isn't an indefatigably happy person; she's in complete denial about her situation and the other person's need for boundaries.  Despite several good comic moments, her irritating character made the film much too long for me.

 

Endgame, Samuel Beckett

Featuring John Turturro, this production failed to bring any clarity to the play.

Caveats.

The Orphanage, Juan Antonio Bayona

Neither horror nor psychological thriller, this film seems unsure of its purpose.

Caveats.

Whirling Dervishes

What was once fascinating was tedious.

Caveats.

Hairspray

Horrors.

Caveats.