The basu! Guide to the Oscars 2004
Well kids, it’s that time of the year again. And what’s that you say, no Miramax film was nominated for Best Picture this year? Well, guess again my lovelies. If you look closely at the Executive Producer credits of the two epics on that list, you shall indeed see the name “Harvey Weinstein.” After all, this may be Peter Jackson’s year, but it’s Harvey’s world – we just live in it.
Best Picture
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Lost in Translation
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Mystic River
Seabiscuit
Who Will Win: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
Who Should Win: I really want to say Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. However, if you look at what a monumental achievement the three films are taken together, well it’s hard not to give The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King a “golden” pat on the back.
(Im)Possible Upset: Mystic River. Apparently the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is mostly made up of old codgers who just don’t get this whole fantasy “thing.” However, the chances of any other film winning this are slim to none, at best. However, in the (unlikely) event of an upset, expect Mystic River to be the winner.
Possible Dark Horse: Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Most Out-of-left-field Nomination: Seabiscuit aka The Little Movie That Could.
Most Notable Omission: This would most definitely have to be Cold Mountain. You take Miramax, a celebrated director, previously Oscar-nominated stars, a December release date, and you should have an automatic nomination. This omission, coupled with the surprise wins The Pianist had least year at the expense of Chicago, and methinks that there seems to be a backlash brewing against Harvey Weinstein’s heavy-handed ways.
Shoulda Been Here: American Splendor. What an amazing little movie. What an amazing leap of faith the co-directors took from the world of documentaries. What amazing inventiveness, especially when compared to the over-praised Lost in Translation. I have to admit that I did really like Translation, but Splendor was so much more inventive that it kills me that it was so roundly dismissed by the Academy.
Best Director
Peter Jackson – The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Sophia Coppola – Lost in Translation
Peter Weir – Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Clint Eastwood – Mystic River
Fernando Meirelles – City of God
Who Will Win: Peter Jackson.
Who Should Win: Peter Jackson. This is a tough one. In any other year I would have said Peter Weir, or even Fernando Meirelles. Weir did an incredible job in breaking the mold of the action-adventure film, sprinkling little details that truly lifted his film out of the ordinary. Meirelles, a veteran ad director, tears through the screen with the bloody, vibrant, ultimately life-affirming City of God. He displays enough directorial flamboyance to make even Michael Bay jealous. What Meirelles does masterfully, however, is keep the human element front and center, making us so enmeshed with each character that we need to find out what happens to them as if they were real people (and in most cases, they were). Ultimately, though, there is no denying that The Lord of the Rings trilogy has to go down as one of the greatest artistic achievements of our time. Jackson has to be rewarded for pulling this mind-boggling feat off.
(Im)Possible Upset: Clint Eastwood. It would give the academy no greater pleasure than to reward a fellow old-timer who decided to take such a huge risk so late in his career. Plus, there are murmurs about most people not being able to look beyond the special effects in Jackson’s films.
Most Out-of-left-field Nomination: Fernando Meirelles – more on him later.
Possible Dark Horse: Peter Weir.
Shoulda Been Here: Anthony Minghella. Robert Pulcini and Shari Springer Berman. Say what you will about Cold Mountain (too long, the love story was weak, Jude Law looked too young, Nicole Kidman looked too old, Renée Zellweger was way over-the-top, etc.), Minghella brought an artful, melancholy touch to what could have been an overwrought “epic” (see The Last Samurai). Unfortunately, he got caught in the middle of what could (hopefully) be a Harvey Weinstein/Miramax backlash. Pulcini and Berman, meanwhile, were completely overshadowed by all the attention paid to Francis’s little daughter, and her little movie. Since Lost in Translation filled the quota of the small, “independent” film, a true original like American Splendor was summarily dismissed. Too bad, just too d**n bad.
Best Actor
Johnny Depp – Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Ben Kingsley – House of Sand and Fog
Jude Law – Cold Mountain
Bill Murray – Lost in Translation
Sean Penn – Mystic River
Who Will Win: Bill Murray. Wow, imagine the choice before the academy: Bill or Sean (two of their least favorite people)? This time, though, Bill decided to show up at the parties, and was actually on hand to receive some awards. Sean, on the other hand, has not only been decidedly MIA, but has also further dug himself in a hole with his vociferous anti-war protests.
Who Should Win: Bill Murray. Again, normally I would have said Ben Kingsley, who was absolutely mesmerizing in the mostly forgettable House of Sand and Fog. But Bill has been so good for so long, and has been passed over so many times (Groundhog Day, Rushmore, Ghostbusters II) that he is due. Sean will get many more chances to win this thing, I am afraid this is going to be Bill’s best chance. I mean, we want Bill to continue to do good work right? Let’s not drive him to projects like Larger Than Life.
(Very) Possible Upset: Sean Penn. Well, Sean was finally convinced to trot along to the Screen Actors Guild awards only to see the most unlikely winner anyone could have imagined. I hear that Clint is making a real push for Sean, and the latter seems to be finally working the circuit. This one is close folks, very close.
Wha?!: Johnny Depp. C’mon mate, did you really think that Capn’ Jack Sparrow would be up for this award?
Possible Dark Horse: Johnny Depp. Then again, he did win the Screen Actors Guild award, and the actors make up the largest voting bloc in the academy. Now that, my friends, would be a real upset.
Shoulda Been Here: Billy Bob Thornton for Bad Santa. Don’t laugh man, he was great, just great. The person who should win this award, and is not even nominated, is Paul Giamatti. He was absolutely brilliant in American Splendor; granted he had a lot to work with. He found the morbid humor, and the humanity, in a role that in lesser hands could have become a walking cartoon, in the less flattering sense of the word here. Still, the film opened Hollywood’s eyes to what he is capable of, and here’s hoping he gets that much-deserved nomination with the Alexander Payne (Election, About Schmidt) film he is working on now.
Best Actress
Keisha Castle-Hughes – Whale Rider
Diane Keaton – Something's Gotta Give
Samantha Morton – In America
Charlize Theron – Monster
Naomi Watts – 21 Grams
Who Will Win: Charlize Theron, duh. This is the one sure thing this year. 100% guaranteed or your money back. Free shipping…sorry, been writing way too much ad copy.
Who Should Win: Charlize Theron. Amazing, simply amazing. I mean, who knew? I certainly didn’t, but man oh man, does she literally jump off the screen as Aileen Wuornos. Incredible.
Possible Upset: None, absolutely none. No chance whatsoever. Nada. Nil. Zero.
Most Out-of-left-field Nomination: Little Keisha from the delightful Whale Rider. She gave a performance well beyond her years, and her nomination, well-deserved as it was, took everyone by surprise. Hopefully the youngest Best Actress nominee in Oscar history will spur more people to catch this beautiful little film on DVD.
Possible Dark Horse: Diane Keaton. After all, it’s not everyday that an actress past the age of 35 gets to headline a $100 million-grossing film and steal the spotlight from Jack Nicholson.
Shoulda Been Here: Hope Davis from American Splendor. Like Giamatti, she turned what could have been a brittle caricature into a complex, layered performance. Plus, spare a thought for Jamie Lee Curtis, who was absolutely excellent in the terribly underrated Freaky Friday. No really, watch the film – like me you will be surprised. Guaranteed! Free shipping…
Best Supporting Actor
Alec Baldwin – The Cooler
Benicio Del Toro – 21 Grams
Djimon Hounsou – In America
Tim Robbins – Mystic River
Ken Watanabe – The Last Samurai
Who Will Win: Tim Robbins. While the showy Sean Penn got all the attention, Tim Robbins was the one turning in the truly great performance. Wounded, psychologically volatile, and the emotional core of a very bleak film – Tim turns in a career-defining turn. Usually I would say that his outspoken liberalism would work against him, but since there is no serious competition, he should finally win the one that got away (Best Director for Dead Man Walking). I wonder if he will actually say something inappropriate during his acceptance speech, or if he has mellowed with age (Susan and him were banned from presenting when they had the temerity of bringing up the Haitian refugee crisis – which did a fat lot of good given what’s happening over there now…I keed, I keed).
Who Should Win: Tim Robbins, for exactly the reasons outlined above. But please, spare a thought for the great, great Alec Baldwin, who is finally beginning to get his due. Unfortunately, The Cooler was seen by way too few people to have a real shot here.
Unlikely Upset: Benicio Del Toro. He, along with Naomi Watts, were by far the best things in the most overrated movie of the year.
Most Out-of-left-field Nomination: Djimon Hounsou. His fine performance had completely flown under the radar before this surprise nomination. Hopefully, this will catapult his career to bigger and better things.
Possible Dark Horse: Ken Watanabe. Only because Alec Baldwin is not very well liked.
Shoulda Been Here: That weird guy from American Splendor; which pretty much covers all the supporting actors from that film. Peter Sarsgaard from the one-of-those-little-seen-but-really-good-movies-you-have-to-catch-on-DVD Shattered Glass. Albert Finney. Wasn’t he absolutely brilliant in Big Fish? At the end, when he was being carried down to the river, and he saw all his friends, and he then he finally sees his beautiful wife waiting for him…I…choked…up…d**n, can’t let anyone see me like this.
Best Supporting Actress
Shohreh Aghdashloo – House of Sand and Fog
Patricia Clarkson – Pieces of April
Marcia Gay Harden – Mystic River
Holly Hunter – Thirteen
Renée Zellweger – Cold Mountain
Who Will Win: Renée Zellweger. She’s been up for this before, and since Cold Mountain failed to get too many other nominations of note for Harvey (apparently he doesn’t consider Jude Law’s nomination as important), he’s put all his marketing muscle behind her. To wit: the television ads for the film that pretty much trick you into believing that it’s all about her.
Who Should Win: Shohreh Aghdashloo. The quiet, dignified heart and soul of an overwrought film.
Unlikely Upset: Patricia Clarkson. She has been ignored for her fine work in too many small films. The Academy might want to reward for her years of hard work.
Most Out-of-left-field Nomination: Marcia Gay Harden, who played a one-note role pretty much…in one note. Maybe the Academy wanted to give her something for being a film that portrayed all its women in a very dim light. Also, let’s not forget that Shohreh Aghdashloo had not been up for any award of any consequence before her nomination was announced. You go girl!
Possible Dark Horse: Shohreh Aghdashloo. I think this Harvey Weinstein/Miramax backlash may be for real. And just imagine what a bold, liberal, politically-correct statement it would make if the Oscar were to go to an Iranian-feminist-dissident-in-exile! Imagine!
Shoulda Been Here: Maria Bello from The Cooler.
Best Original Screenplay
Denys Arcand – The Barbarian Invasions
Steven Knight – Dirty Pretty Things
Andrew Stanton, Bob Peterson and David Reynolds – Finding Nemo
Jim Sheridan, Naomi Sheridan and Kirsten Sheridan – In America
Sofia Coppola – Lost in Translation
Who Will Win: Sophia Coppola. This is a very common tactic to give a pat on the back to the director of a small film which has no chance in he..sorry heck, of winning Best Picture (a la, Jane Campion for The Piano; Quentin Tarantino for Pulp Fiction etc.)…
Who Should Win: …which is too bad, since Francis’s daughter may have directed the film quite beautifully, but the weakest link, by far, was her alleged screenplay (apparently only 80 pages long – which means that Bill deserves his Oscar more than ever). Steven Knight should win for the criminally underappreciated Dirty Pretty Things (bad speech at the end of the movie notwithstanding).
Unlikely Upset: The cute Sheridan clan. A former nominee directs a lovely little ode to America, written with his daughters, based largely on personal experiences, and it gets four (mostly surprising) nominations. I think I can begin to hear Jim’s gentle brogue at the podium.
Most Out-of-left-field Nomination: Denys Arcand, for a French film! Maybe that Harvey Weinstein/Miramax backlash has been overstated. Great film though, and it was a well deserved break for a respected veteran.
Possible Dark Horse: Steven Knight.
Shoulda Been Here: Gurinder Chadha, Paul Mayeda Berges, and Guljit Bindra for the not-that-good-but-fun-nonetheless Bend It Like Beckham. I really thought they would fill that My-Big-Fat-little-ethnic-comedy-that-could quota.
Best Adapted Screenplay
Robert Pulcini and Shari Springer Berman – American Splendor
Braulio Mantovani – City of God
Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, and Peter Jackson – The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Brian Helgeland – Mystic River
Gary Ross – Seabiscuit
Who Will Win: The Hobbits.
Who Should Win: Robert Pulcini and Shari Springer Berman. There’s no question that Philippa, Peter, and his “partner” Fran did an amazing job condensing Tolkien’s works into three wonderful fims. But American Splendor was one of my favorite films of the year, and I think it deserves this award as a validation for trying to do something completely original. Add this to the fact Pulcini and Berman were making the leap from the world of documentaries, and hands down they should be the ones accepting the trophy.
(Not That Im)Possible Upset: Brian Helgeland. Like I said, the codgers really want to reward Clint, and this might be the perfect way to do it. And, as wretched a director as Helgeland is (A Knight’s Tale, The Order), he is that fine a writer (LA Confidential).
Most Out-of-left-field Nomination: Braulio Mantovani, for a Brazilian film, that was actually released in 2002! Man, maybe I am overstating that supposed Harvey Weinstein/Miramax backlash.
Possible Dark Horse: Pulcini and Berman – after all, they did win the WGA award. Keep hope alive!
Shoulda Been Here: Anthony Minghella for Cold Mountain. How is it that Harvey could swing a nomination for a Portuguese-language film released in 2002, but couldn’t swing one for academy fave Minghella?
Best Animated Feature
Brother Bear
Finding Nemo
The Triplets of Belleville
Who Will Win: Finding Nemo.
Who Should Win: The truly remarkable The Triplets of Belleville.
Very Unlikely Upset: The Triplets of Belleville. Remember last year when the amazing Spirited Away stole the Oscar from right under the nose of Disney’s Lilo & Stitch? Well, Disney is probably not going to let something like this happen again, but it would be great if it did. Still, I really loved Finding Nemo and would not be crushed if it won.
Most Out-of-left-field Nomination: The mediocre Brother Bear.
Possible Dark Horse: The Triplets of Belleville, if only Brother Bear was so…mediocre.
Shoulda Been Here: Uh, can’t think of any off the top of my head.
Cinematography
Cesar Charlone – City of God
John Seale – Cold Mountain
Eduardo Serra – Girl with a Pearl Earring
Russell Boyd – Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
John Schwartzman – Seabiscuit
Who Will Win: Russell Boyd, for the really-good-film-that-in-another-year-would’ve-won-a-lot Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. This will be the only way the Academy will see fit to reward the film…
Who Should Win: …which is ironic since I think this is the one award that another film should win. Eduardo Serra has done some truly astonishing work in getting Girl With a Pearl Earring to actually look like a Vermeer painting. Truly amazing stuff. Too bad it does not translate well to the small screen, which is probably how most of the Academy saw the film – if it all.
Possible Upset: John Seale, hey they might want to throw Harvey a bone.
Most Out-of-left-field Nomination: Cesar Charlone for the quite amazing City of God. Very flashy stuff, and I am glad it has been recognized in a category not often associated with foreign films. Man was the film slick. First world technology, third world brutality – sounds like the perfect combination to me.
Possible Dark Horse: John Schwartzman, for the little-movie-that-could Seabiscuit.
Shoulda Been Here: Duh, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Of all the nominations, in all the Oscars, it had to bumped from this one, the one nomination that almost every epic can depend on. Things are getting crazy in therre (and by therre I mean normally-so-set-in-its-ways-it-should-be-a-wax-museum Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences)!
Best Documentary Feature
Balseros
Capturing the Friedmans
The Fog of War
My Architect
The Weather Underground
Who Will Win: My Architect. This is a touching story about the most primal of adult familial relationships (fathers and sons). Also, it certainly does not hurt that the subject of the documentary, the ground-breaking architect Louis Kahn, is Jewish. My own pick for movie of the year (documentary or otherwise), Capturing the Friedmans, has been under fire of late, with many people attacking its veracity (which is harmful, considering that it is, well, a documentary). Its unseemly subject matter makes it an even harder sell for the blue-haired crowd. Which is a real pity…
Who Should Win: …since like last year, there is a real potential for some fireworks if it were to win. Friedmans is a deeply unsettling movie, that has polarized audiences everywhere. It gets the kind of reaction that most fiction films would kill for, and it stays with you for days after you see it. There are no easy answers in this film, and it most definitely should be rewarded for taking the risks that it did. This is a tough one, because (is this a running theme or what?) in any other year, I would say that the documentary that deserves to win is…
(Quite) Possible Upset: …The Fog of War. Errol Morris is probably the most respected documentarian out there. A true original in a field that plays it way too Ken-Burns-by-way-of-Biography safe, he has been passed over numerous times in the past. His nomination gives the Academy the chance to right these previous wrongs.
Most Out-of-left-field Nomination: Balseros.
Possible Dark Horse: Capturing the Friedmans.
Shoulda Been Here: Los Angeles Play Itself. Mayor of the Sunset Strip. Power Trip.
Original song
"Into the West" from The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Fran Walsh, Howard Shore and Annie Lennox
"A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow" from A Mighty Wind, Michael McKean and Annette O'Toole
"Scarlet Tide" from Cold Mountain, T Bone Burnett and Elvis Costello
“The Triplets of Belleville" from The Triplets of Belleville, Benoit Charest and Sylvain Chomet
"You Will Be My Ain True Love" from Cold Mountain, Sting
Who Will Win: “Into the West.”
Who Should Win: “Into the West.” While “A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow” is a beautiful little number, and a perfect capper for the deadpan comedy, the Annie Lennox tune is a beautifully elegiac coda for the entire trilogy. Annie has been passed over by the Grammys many times, hopefully an Oscar can right those wrongs.
Quite Possible Upset: Sting. The Academy loves non-threatening, extremely rich, boomer rockers who write songs for nominated films (a la Bruce Springsteen for Philadelphia)…
Possible Dark Horse: …though this formula did not quite work for Paul McCartney or Paul Simon. Instead, T. Bone Burnett’s surprise Album of the Year Grammy for the O Brother Where Art Thou? soundtrack might still be fresh in the Academy’s minds. His is the better song nominated from Cold Mountain, and it’d be a kick to see the former angry-young-man Costello give an acceptance speech to the ultimate establishment.
Most Out-of-left-field Nomination: “The Triplets of Belleville" from the stunning film of the same name. I know you’ve heard this tune during the trailers, and I know you’ve been humming it long after.
Shoulda Been Here: Eddie Vedder/Pearl Jam for “Man of the Hour” from Big Fish.
Foreign Film
The Barbarian Invasions
Evil
The Twilight Samurai
Twin Sisters
Želary
Who Will Win: The Barbarian Invasions.
Who Should Win: The Barbarian Invasions.
Quite Possible Upset: Uh, I dunno.
Possible Dark Horse: Ditto.
Most Out-of-left-field Nomination: No idea at all.
Shoulda Been Here: Osama! What were they thinking? Here is a movie made with blood, sweat, and tears in country ravaged by many ills. Just imagine what a boost it would have been if a film from Afghanistan had been nominated for Best Foreign Film. Think of how this film represents the hopes and dreams of a nation of broken-spirited people. It makes me mad just thinking about it. And, even if you do not take into consideration the political implications of such a nomination, the film has been very warmly received by critics around the country. The Academy has been guilty of many oversights before (Hoop Dreams, Startup.Com), but this is the one I personally find most egregious. They really missed a tremendous opportunity with this one, a tremendous opportunity.
The Rest
Achievement in art direction: Grant Major, Dan Hennah and Alan Lee, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
Achievement in costume design: Ngila Dickson and Richard Taylor, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
Best documentary short subject: Ferry Tales.
Achievement in film editing: Jamie Selkirk, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. But please, spare a thought for the great Walter Murch, nominated for Cold Mountain.
Achievement in makeup: Richard Taylor and Peter King, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Though, I cannot believe that Monster failed to score a nomination in this category. I think most of the bespectacled Academy-members did not even realize that it was Charlize Theron underneath all that skillfully applied latex.
Original score: Howard Shore, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
Best animated short film: Destino. Disney + Dali = Oscar.
Best live action short film: Two Soldiers. Support our troops!
Achievement in sound: Christopher Boyes, Michael Semanick, Michael Hedges and Hammond Peck, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
Achievement in sound editing: Richard King, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. Yea, Master and Commander wins another one. Though, you can never count out the genius of Gary Rydstrom, who is nominated for Finding Nemo with Michael Silvers.
Achievement in visual effects: Jim Rygiel, Joe Letteri, Randall William Cook and Alex Funke, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
Wrap-Up
Long live the King!
Till next year…
basu!’s Top Ten Films (and Beyond) of 2003
The Top Ten
1. Capturing the Friedmans
2. American Splendor
3. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
4. My Architect: A Son’s Journey
5. Tully
6. Monster
7. Lost in Translation
8. Swimming Pool
9. Whale Rider
10. Irreversible
I Really Wish I Could Put This Film in the Top 10, But it Came Out in 2002
City of God
(Okay, here it goes: Brazil designated this film as its entry into the Best Foreign Film pool in 2003, as the film was released in 2002. The Foreign Film Committee, in all its wisdom, decided not to nominate it – typical. However, this being one of Harvey Weinstein’s pet projects, he realized that there was a loophole in the Academy bylaws. It seems that if film is entered by country into the Best Foreign Film pool, but is not nominated, it may be nominated in every other category the following year. Enter Harvey Weinstein, and voila! The rest, as they say, is Oscar history.)
Almost Top 10
Freaky Friday
Finding Nemo
Raising Victor Vargas
Dirty Pretty Things
Cold Mountain
13
The Good Thief
Big Fish
Elf
Bad Santa
Check Out On DVD
Mystic River
Down with Love
A Mighty Wind
X2: X-Men United
Shanghai Knights
The Italian Job
Pirates of the Caribbean
T2: Rise of the Machines
Identity
Bend It Like Beckham
Hulk (A noble failure…but that’s a story for another day)
In a Class by Itself
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
The weekly movie guide to beat all movie guides. Let me know what you think: email me: basublog@gmail.com
Friday, February 27, 2004
Friday, February 20, 2004
The basu! Guide to the Movies
The Weekend of February 20th, 2004
The Big One (Opening Ash Wednesday, February 25th)
The Passion of the Christ
Directed by: Mel Gibson
Starring: James Caviezel, Monica Bellucci
Plot: A young Jewish man decides to stand up to his Roman rulers and the rest, as they most decidedly say, is history…
The Buzz: Oh boy! I cannot think of a movie in recent history that has inspired so much self-righteous anger/defense before it even opened. Oh wait, there was that little movie that Martin Scorsese made a few years ago about this very same subject… In any case, with rumblings of anti-Semitism surrounding the film almost from its very first day, it has been awash with the kind of free publicity that most other studios would kill for. Definitely one of the most anticipated movies of all time, this is going to be a huge event, and you might as well get on board for the ride.
Bottom Line: Theatre, First week
New Movies
Welcome to Mooseport
Directed by: Donald Petrie
Starring: Ray Romano, Gene Hackman, Maura Tierney
Plot: An ex-president runs against the local handyman in a small-town Mayoral race. Complicating matters is the fact that they are both in love with the same woman.
The Buzz: A slight, completely predictable comedy, the film coasts by largely on the performances of Hackman and the stellar supporting cast. Romano is probably wise to stick pretty closely to his popular sitcom persona. And, just like on his hit TV show, he leaves the heavy lifting to those that are more talented than him. Smart move, Ray, smart move.
Bottom Line: DVD
Against the Ropes
Directed by: Charles S. Dutton
Starring: Meg Ryan, Omar Epps, Tony Shalhoub, Charles S. Dutton
Plot: Based on a true story. A young woman finds herself way in over her head when she decides to become the first ever female boxing manager.
The Buzz: I can just see the pitch: “Hey, let’s take ‘Erin Brockovich’ and set in the world of boxing, instead of Julia we’ll get Meg Ryan and bam! Box-office gold baby, pure gold!” Unfortunately, this flat, hackneyed movie fails to excite any real rooting interest. Epps, Shalhoub and Dutton (ironic, since he directed the film) are all uniformly good, but Ryan struggles mightily. Dressed in tight blouses, talking in a dis-dem-dose Mid-west-by-way-of-Brooklyn accent, Ryan’s Jackie Kallen is a walking caricature who knows only two modes – annoyingly grating or melodramatically teary-eyed. This is too bad, since there really was a kernel of a good idea here.
Bottom Line: Pass
Eurotrip
Directed by: Jeff Schaffer
Starring: Scott Mechlowicz, Michelle Trachtenberg, Jacob Pitts
Plot: A young boy decides to set things right after blowing of his German e-mail pen-pal, and goes looking for her with his three friends.
The Buzz: As the advertising campaign so succinctly puts it: “No wonder they hate us.” This xenophobic, sexist comedy wears its incompetence on its sleeve, and is still painful to sit through. The film wallows in the worst stereotypes that the producers harbor about people that dare to live outside of this country. Possibly more troubling than this is the fact that the basic crux of most of the alleged comedic situations stem from a deep fear of homosexuality. This coupled with the endless shots of a then 17-year-old Trachtenberg in various stages of undress make it a particularly odious proposition. Don’t be fooled by the “From the producers of ‘Road Trip’ and ‘Old School’” tag line – to paraphrase another critic, those movies may have been dumb, but they certainly weren’t stupid.
Bottom Line: Pass
Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen
Directed by: Sara Sugarman
Starring: Lindsay Lohan, Adam Garcia, Glenne Headly
Plot: A young girl suddenly has to fight for her rightful place in the spotlight when her mother moves her form Greenwich Village to, horror of horrors, New Jersey.
The Buzz: The normally charming Lohan (who was absolutely sparkling in last year’s “Freaky Friday”) falls flat in this grating ode to conspicuous consumption. These movies aimed at the tween set are usually shallow showcases for their soon to be multi-hyphenate young stars (Hillary Duff, Amanda Bynes, et al), but every once in a while an intelligent, surprisingly well made film sneaks through (“The Princess Diaries” and “Freaky Friday”). This, unfortunately, is most definitely not one of them.
Bottom Line: Pass
Kitchen Stories
Directed by: Bent Hamer
Starring: Joachim Calmeyer, Tomas Norstrom
Plot: A Norwegian researcher decides to study the kitchen habits of an exceptionally eccentric Norwegian bachelor.
The Buzz: Not sure what happened, but we seem to be caught in the middle of a deadpan-Scandinavian-comedy renaissance (see last week’s “The Seagull’s Laughter”), and this is not a bad thing at all. A finely detailed little tone poem, this odd, extremely original, ingratiating film certainly puts American independent films to shame. Instead of following the patterns of all the other films out there, this one manages to surprise you at almost every turn. Since there is absolutely no hope of it playing down here in the OC, I’ll catch after I make it through the 315-odd films in my Netflix queue.
Bottom Line: New York and LA – Eventually; Everywhere else – DVD
Lost Boys of Sudan
Directed by: Megan Mylan and Jon Shenk
Starring: Peter Kon Dut, Santino Majok Chuor
Plot: This documentary follows the incredible journey taken by two Sudanese refugees from their homeland to the United States.
The Buzz: A sad, sad story about what the promise of America holds for those that dream of coming here, and what the reality turns out to be. The film delicately unfolds the story of these young men, who come carrying with them the hope and dreams of their families back home. What could have been a didactic, heavy handed treatise instead ends up being a bitter-sweet meditation on what is increasingly becoming a universal immigrant experience. Once again, this will never make it down here, so I guess I will have to wait for it on DVD; and I suspect that I might see it before I make it through the 316-odd films in my Netflix queue.
Bottom Line: New York and LA – Theatre, First Week; Everywhere else – DVD
Crying Ladies
Directed by: Mark Meily
Starring: Eric Quizon, Sharon Cuneta
Plot: A comedy about three professional funeral mourners who are called to cry at the funeral of a prominent Filipino businessman.
The Buzz: A slight, if engaging Filipino comedy.
Bottom Line: DVD
DVD That Confirms That This Really is the Best Movie of the Year
Capturing the Friedmans (Be warned that this is a troubling, provocative film about a pretty taboo subject matter. However, if you are willing to take that risk, then I guarantee that you will not be disappointed.)
Yes She Is That Good
Monster (Charlize Theron is so much more than her makeup that it’s scary. After her less-than-stellar turns in pretty forgettable movies, this one is most definitely a shock. The film, though not quite as polished as “Boys Don’t Cry” is nonetheless ultimately heartbreaking. It may not be an easy movie to sit through, but it does mark the incredible debut of the young director Patty Jenkins, fresh out of NYU. Good for her, man, good for her.)
Sometimes the Mark of a Good Director is What They Do with a Genre Piece
In the Cut (Jane Campion brings such verve and style to this film that it almost makes you forget about the ludicrous plot. Lost in the Meg Ryan nudity hullabaloo is another fine performance from co-star Mark Ruffalo. Will someone please make this kid a star already?)
Film I Really Wish I Could Put In My Top 10 List
Freaky Friday
Top 10 Films Out Right Now That I Positively Have to See
The Triplets of Belleville
The Fog of War
City of God
Touching the Void
In America
The Dreamers
Miracle
Osama
The Barbarian Invasions
Monsieur Ibrahim
Top 10 Movies of the Year (2003)
Capturing the Friedmans
American Splendor
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
My Architect: A Son’s Journey
Lost in Translation
Irreversible
Whale Rider
Tully
Swimming Pool
Monster (new entry – what, did you think I would go against conventional wisdom?)
In a Class by Itself
The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
The Weekend of February 20th, 2004
The Big One (Opening Ash Wednesday, February 25th)
The Passion of the Christ
Directed by: Mel Gibson
Starring: James Caviezel, Monica Bellucci
Plot: A young Jewish man decides to stand up to his Roman rulers and the rest, as they most decidedly say, is history…
The Buzz: Oh boy! I cannot think of a movie in recent history that has inspired so much self-righteous anger/defense before it even opened. Oh wait, there was that little movie that Martin Scorsese made a few years ago about this very same subject… In any case, with rumblings of anti-Semitism surrounding the film almost from its very first day, it has been awash with the kind of free publicity that most other studios would kill for. Definitely one of the most anticipated movies of all time, this is going to be a huge event, and you might as well get on board for the ride.
Bottom Line: Theatre, First week
New Movies
Welcome to Mooseport
Directed by: Donald Petrie
Starring: Ray Romano, Gene Hackman, Maura Tierney
Plot: An ex-president runs against the local handyman in a small-town Mayoral race. Complicating matters is the fact that they are both in love with the same woman.
The Buzz: A slight, completely predictable comedy, the film coasts by largely on the performances of Hackman and the stellar supporting cast. Romano is probably wise to stick pretty closely to his popular sitcom persona. And, just like on his hit TV show, he leaves the heavy lifting to those that are more talented than him. Smart move, Ray, smart move.
Bottom Line: DVD
Against the Ropes
Directed by: Charles S. Dutton
Starring: Meg Ryan, Omar Epps, Tony Shalhoub, Charles S. Dutton
Plot: Based on a true story. A young woman finds herself way in over her head when she decides to become the first ever female boxing manager.
The Buzz: I can just see the pitch: “Hey, let’s take ‘Erin Brockovich’ and set in the world of boxing, instead of Julia we’ll get Meg Ryan and bam! Box-office gold baby, pure gold!” Unfortunately, this flat, hackneyed movie fails to excite any real rooting interest. Epps, Shalhoub and Dutton (ironic, since he directed the film) are all uniformly good, but Ryan struggles mightily. Dressed in tight blouses, talking in a dis-dem-dose Mid-west-by-way-of-Brooklyn accent, Ryan’s Jackie Kallen is a walking caricature who knows only two modes – annoyingly grating or melodramatically teary-eyed. This is too bad, since there really was a kernel of a good idea here.
Bottom Line: Pass
Eurotrip
Directed by: Jeff Schaffer
Starring: Scott Mechlowicz, Michelle Trachtenberg, Jacob Pitts
Plot: A young boy decides to set things right after blowing of his German e-mail pen-pal, and goes looking for her with his three friends.
The Buzz: As the advertising campaign so succinctly puts it: “No wonder they hate us.” This xenophobic, sexist comedy wears its incompetence on its sleeve, and is still painful to sit through. The film wallows in the worst stereotypes that the producers harbor about people that dare to live outside of this country. Possibly more troubling than this is the fact that the basic crux of most of the alleged comedic situations stem from a deep fear of homosexuality. This coupled with the endless shots of a then 17-year-old Trachtenberg in various stages of undress make it a particularly odious proposition. Don’t be fooled by the “From the producers of ‘Road Trip’ and ‘Old School’” tag line – to paraphrase another critic, those movies may have been dumb, but they certainly weren’t stupid.
Bottom Line: Pass
Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen
Directed by: Sara Sugarman
Starring: Lindsay Lohan, Adam Garcia, Glenne Headly
Plot: A young girl suddenly has to fight for her rightful place in the spotlight when her mother moves her form Greenwich Village to, horror of horrors, New Jersey.
The Buzz: The normally charming Lohan (who was absolutely sparkling in last year’s “Freaky Friday”) falls flat in this grating ode to conspicuous consumption. These movies aimed at the tween set are usually shallow showcases for their soon to be multi-hyphenate young stars (Hillary Duff, Amanda Bynes, et al), but every once in a while an intelligent, surprisingly well made film sneaks through (“The Princess Diaries” and “Freaky Friday”). This, unfortunately, is most definitely not one of them.
Bottom Line: Pass
Kitchen Stories
Directed by: Bent Hamer
Starring: Joachim Calmeyer, Tomas Norstrom
Plot: A Norwegian researcher decides to study the kitchen habits of an exceptionally eccentric Norwegian bachelor.
The Buzz: Not sure what happened, but we seem to be caught in the middle of a deadpan-Scandinavian-comedy renaissance (see last week’s “The Seagull’s Laughter”), and this is not a bad thing at all. A finely detailed little tone poem, this odd, extremely original, ingratiating film certainly puts American independent films to shame. Instead of following the patterns of all the other films out there, this one manages to surprise you at almost every turn. Since there is absolutely no hope of it playing down here in the OC, I’ll catch after I make it through the 315-odd films in my Netflix queue.
Bottom Line: New York and LA – Eventually; Everywhere else – DVD
Lost Boys of Sudan
Directed by: Megan Mylan and Jon Shenk
Starring: Peter Kon Dut, Santino Majok Chuor
Plot: This documentary follows the incredible journey taken by two Sudanese refugees from their homeland to the United States.
The Buzz: A sad, sad story about what the promise of America holds for those that dream of coming here, and what the reality turns out to be. The film delicately unfolds the story of these young men, who come carrying with them the hope and dreams of their families back home. What could have been a didactic, heavy handed treatise instead ends up being a bitter-sweet meditation on what is increasingly becoming a universal immigrant experience. Once again, this will never make it down here, so I guess I will have to wait for it on DVD; and I suspect that I might see it before I make it through the 316-odd films in my Netflix queue.
Bottom Line: New York and LA – Theatre, First Week; Everywhere else – DVD
Crying Ladies
Directed by: Mark Meily
Starring: Eric Quizon, Sharon Cuneta
Plot: A comedy about three professional funeral mourners who are called to cry at the funeral of a prominent Filipino businessman.
The Buzz: A slight, if engaging Filipino comedy.
Bottom Line: DVD
DVD That Confirms That This Really is the Best Movie of the Year
Capturing the Friedmans (Be warned that this is a troubling, provocative film about a pretty taboo subject matter. However, if you are willing to take that risk, then I guarantee that you will not be disappointed.)
Yes She Is That Good
Monster (Charlize Theron is so much more than her makeup that it’s scary. After her less-than-stellar turns in pretty forgettable movies, this one is most definitely a shock. The film, though not quite as polished as “Boys Don’t Cry” is nonetheless ultimately heartbreaking. It may not be an easy movie to sit through, but it does mark the incredible debut of the young director Patty Jenkins, fresh out of NYU. Good for her, man, good for her.)
Sometimes the Mark of a Good Director is What They Do with a Genre Piece
In the Cut (Jane Campion brings such verve and style to this film that it almost makes you forget about the ludicrous plot. Lost in the Meg Ryan nudity hullabaloo is another fine performance from co-star Mark Ruffalo. Will someone please make this kid a star already?)
Film I Really Wish I Could Put In My Top 10 List
Freaky Friday
Top 10 Films Out Right Now That I Positively Have to See
The Triplets of Belleville
The Fog of War
City of God
Touching the Void
In America
The Dreamers
Miracle
Osama
The Barbarian Invasions
Monsieur Ibrahim
Top 10 Movies of the Year (2003)
Capturing the Friedmans
American Splendor
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
My Architect: A Son’s Journey
Lost in Translation
Irreversible
Whale Rider
Tully
Swimming Pool
Monster (new entry – what, did you think I would go against conventional wisdom?)
In a Class by Itself
The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
The basu! Guide to the Movies
The Weekend of February 13th, 2004
50 First Dates
Directed by: Peter Segal
Starring: Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore, Sean Astin
Plot: A playboy veterinarian in Hawaii falls in love with a girl suffering from short-term memory loss, causing her to forget who he is every time she wakes up in the morning. So, he has to convince every single day, that they are, in fact, dating.
The Buzz: Yes, this is most definitely a dumbed-down version of the much underrated “Groundhog Day” (the first in an admittedly short line of Oscar snubs for Bill Murray, something that hopefully will be redressed this year). And yes, with Adam Sandler you know what you are going to get – very basic “comedies,” with many pratfalls, many shots of Sandler losing his temper, and finally, some lame romantic subplot in order for him to show off his “softer” side. Every movie then, ultimately, starts feeling the same, no matter what the premise. However, this time, Barrymore and him share such amazing on-screen chemistry, that they almost save the whole, overly-familiar affair. Certainly not a great film, but when your benchmarks are films like “Big Daddy,” “The Waterboy,” “Mr. Deeds,” and other such blights on cinematic history, you tend to be more forgiving. I will definitely catch this after I get through the 311-odd DVDs in my Netflix queue.
Bottom Line: DVD
After the Life
Directed by: Lucas Belvaux
Starring: Gilbert Melki, Dominique Blanc, Lucas Belvaux
Plot: The final film of Belvaux’s ambitious “Trilogy (where the same event is played out in three different film genres – as a thriller in “On the Run” and as comedy in “An Amazing Couple”). Here it is played as melodrama – a dishonored policeman seeks salvation by trying to arrest a criminal with odd connections to his own heroin-addicted wife.
The Buzz: Like I said before, this is an ambitious, if gimmicky project. This, however, happens to be the best of the three films. Oozing melancholy ennui, Belvaux coaxes heartfelt performances from his cast while creating a brooding, dreamlike atmosphere. Measured and unsentimental, the film completely transcends both the heavy-handedness of the conceit, and the somewhat self-conscious showmanship of Belvaux. Since it is unlikely this film is going to cross the Orange Curtain, I will catch it on DVD after I get through the 312-odd films in my Netflix queue.
Bottom Line: DVD
Charlie: The Life and Art of Charles Chaplin
Directed by: Richard Schickel
Starring: Charlie Chaplin
Plot: A documentary detailing the life of screen legend Charlie Chaplin
The Buzz: Though I have never been much of a fan of film critic Schickel’s stolid writing, I have to admit that his love for all things film before 1973 comes in handy here. He dissects Chaplin’s film career (and some of the more scandalous episodes from his personal life) with the same dogged professionalism he brings to his criticism. This amounts to well-made, insightful film that makes you look at a beloved screen idol in a whole new light. Since this film will most probably play out its entire run in Manhattan, the rest of us will have to catch it on DVD – in my case after I make it through the 313-odd films in my Netflix queue.
Bottom Line: Manhattan: Theatre, First Week; Everyone else – DVD
Robot Stories
Directed by: Greg Pak
Starring: Tamlyn Tomita, James Saito, Wai Ching Ho
Plot: An anthology of four films that details the ways robots have impacted human lives.
The Buzz: This is a beautiful, if slightly detached, film, which signals the arrival of an exciting new talent in director Pak. Each story is a beautifully detailed cinematic haiku – elegant, spare and emotionally evocative. The performances from the mostly no-name cast are all uniformly good. I shall most definitely catch this on DVD after I get through the 314-odd film sin my Netflix queue.
Bottom Line: DVD
The Seagull’s Laughter
Directed by: Agust Gudmundsson
Starring: Margret Vilhjalmsdottir, Eyvindur Erlendsson, Kristbjorg Kjeld
Plot: An Icelandic fishing village is thrown into turmoil when a prodigal daughter returns after a feckless romance with an American soldier.
The Buzz: A welcome breath of deadpan comedy, this film follows in the stylistic footsteps of other Scandinavian comedies like the underappreciated “Italian for Beginners.” Stylishly directed by Gudmundsson, the film breezes along, confidently underplaying the comedy so it rolls over you, not hit you over the head (like the films of a certain Messer. Sandler). The beautiful Vilhjalmsdottir steals the film with her bravura performance as the prodigal daughter, and could be well on her way to Hollywood.
Bottom Line: DVD
La Mentale the Code
Directed by: Manuel Boursinhac
Starring: Samuel Le Bihan, Samy Naceri
Plot: An ex-convict, reformed after his stint in prison, tries to make a new life for himself; but is drawn back into life of a crime by his childhood friend.
The Buzz: Who says that only Hollywood can make derivative knock-offs of its past cinematic achievements? After all, anything we can do, the French can certainly do better – and they “succeed” in spades here. Stale, unoriginal, and utterly generic, this film tells us a story we have seen many, many times before. And it definitely tells us this story in a way we have seen many, many times before.
Bottom Line: Pass
WHA?!
City of God (Didn’t it come out last year? This, and many other mysteries will be unraveled in my third annual Oscar guide – coming soon to an inbox near you!)
Film I Wish I Could Put In My Top 10 List
Freaky Friday
Top 10 Films Out Right Now That I Positively Have to See
Monster
The Triplets of Belleville
The Fog of War
Touching the Void
In America
Miracle
The Barbarian Invasions
Monsieur Ibrahim
Top 10 Movies of the Year (2003)
Capturing the Friedmans
American Splendor
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
My Architect: A Son’s Journey
Lost in Translation
Irreversible
Whale Rider
Tully
Swimming Pool
Dirty Pretty Things
In a Class by Itself
The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
The Weekend of February 13th, 2004
50 First Dates
Directed by: Peter Segal
Starring: Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore, Sean Astin
Plot: A playboy veterinarian in Hawaii falls in love with a girl suffering from short-term memory loss, causing her to forget who he is every time she wakes up in the morning. So, he has to convince every single day, that they are, in fact, dating.
The Buzz: Yes, this is most definitely a dumbed-down version of the much underrated “Groundhog Day” (the first in an admittedly short line of Oscar snubs for Bill Murray, something that hopefully will be redressed this year). And yes, with Adam Sandler you know what you are going to get – very basic “comedies,” with many pratfalls, many shots of Sandler losing his temper, and finally, some lame romantic subplot in order for him to show off his “softer” side. Every movie then, ultimately, starts feeling the same, no matter what the premise. However, this time, Barrymore and him share such amazing on-screen chemistry, that they almost save the whole, overly-familiar affair. Certainly not a great film, but when your benchmarks are films like “Big Daddy,” “The Waterboy,” “Mr. Deeds,” and other such blights on cinematic history, you tend to be more forgiving. I will definitely catch this after I get through the 311-odd DVDs in my Netflix queue.
Bottom Line: DVD
After the Life
Directed by: Lucas Belvaux
Starring: Gilbert Melki, Dominique Blanc, Lucas Belvaux
Plot: The final film of Belvaux’s ambitious “Trilogy (where the same event is played out in three different film genres – as a thriller in “On the Run” and as comedy in “An Amazing Couple”). Here it is played as melodrama – a dishonored policeman seeks salvation by trying to arrest a criminal with odd connections to his own heroin-addicted wife.
The Buzz: Like I said before, this is an ambitious, if gimmicky project. This, however, happens to be the best of the three films. Oozing melancholy ennui, Belvaux coaxes heartfelt performances from his cast while creating a brooding, dreamlike atmosphere. Measured and unsentimental, the film completely transcends both the heavy-handedness of the conceit, and the somewhat self-conscious showmanship of Belvaux. Since it is unlikely this film is going to cross the Orange Curtain, I will catch it on DVD after I get through the 312-odd films in my Netflix queue.
Bottom Line: DVD
Charlie: The Life and Art of Charles Chaplin
Directed by: Richard Schickel
Starring: Charlie Chaplin
Plot: A documentary detailing the life of screen legend Charlie Chaplin
The Buzz: Though I have never been much of a fan of film critic Schickel’s stolid writing, I have to admit that his love for all things film before 1973 comes in handy here. He dissects Chaplin’s film career (and some of the more scandalous episodes from his personal life) with the same dogged professionalism he brings to his criticism. This amounts to well-made, insightful film that makes you look at a beloved screen idol in a whole new light. Since this film will most probably play out its entire run in Manhattan, the rest of us will have to catch it on DVD – in my case after I make it through the 313-odd films in my Netflix queue.
Bottom Line: Manhattan: Theatre, First Week; Everyone else – DVD
Robot Stories
Directed by: Greg Pak
Starring: Tamlyn Tomita, James Saito, Wai Ching Ho
Plot: An anthology of four films that details the ways robots have impacted human lives.
The Buzz: This is a beautiful, if slightly detached, film, which signals the arrival of an exciting new talent in director Pak. Each story is a beautifully detailed cinematic haiku – elegant, spare and emotionally evocative. The performances from the mostly no-name cast are all uniformly good. I shall most definitely catch this on DVD after I get through the 314-odd film sin my Netflix queue.
Bottom Line: DVD
The Seagull’s Laughter
Directed by: Agust Gudmundsson
Starring: Margret Vilhjalmsdottir, Eyvindur Erlendsson, Kristbjorg Kjeld
Plot: An Icelandic fishing village is thrown into turmoil when a prodigal daughter returns after a feckless romance with an American soldier.
The Buzz: A welcome breath of deadpan comedy, this film follows in the stylistic footsteps of other Scandinavian comedies like the underappreciated “Italian for Beginners.” Stylishly directed by Gudmundsson, the film breezes along, confidently underplaying the comedy so it rolls over you, not hit you over the head (like the films of a certain Messer. Sandler). The beautiful Vilhjalmsdottir steals the film with her bravura performance as the prodigal daughter, and could be well on her way to Hollywood.
Bottom Line: DVD
La Mentale the Code
Directed by: Manuel Boursinhac
Starring: Samuel Le Bihan, Samy Naceri
Plot: An ex-convict, reformed after his stint in prison, tries to make a new life for himself; but is drawn back into life of a crime by his childhood friend.
The Buzz: Who says that only Hollywood can make derivative knock-offs of its past cinematic achievements? After all, anything we can do, the French can certainly do better – and they “succeed” in spades here. Stale, unoriginal, and utterly generic, this film tells us a story we have seen many, many times before. And it definitely tells us this story in a way we have seen many, many times before.
Bottom Line: Pass
WHA?!
City of God (Didn’t it come out last year? This, and many other mysteries will be unraveled in my third annual Oscar guide – coming soon to an inbox near you!)
Film I Wish I Could Put In My Top 10 List
Freaky Friday
Top 10 Films Out Right Now That I Positively Have to See
Monster
The Triplets of Belleville
The Fog of War
Touching the Void
In America
Miracle
The Barbarian Invasions
Monsieur Ibrahim
Top 10 Movies of the Year (2003)
Capturing the Friedmans
American Splendor
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
My Architect: A Son’s Journey
Lost in Translation
Irreversible
Whale Rider
Tully
Swimming Pool
Dirty Pretty Things
In a Class by Itself
The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
Sunday, February 08, 2004
The basu! Guide to the Movies
The Weekend of February 6th, 2004
One to Watch
The Dreamers
Directed by: Bernardo Bertolucci
Starring: Michael Pitt, Eva Green, Louis Garrel
Plot: An American in Paris (and we are a long, long way from Gene Kelly here) gets caught up in popular protests as well as a reckless romantic “triangle.”
The Buzz: You would think that with all the flap over a certain body part inadvertently displayed during the Super Bowl, and its ensuing fallout, popular culture would be beaten back all the way to the Hayes Code. Well, apparently not. “The Dreamers” is the first film in a long while to be released with the dreaded NC-17 rating (kudos to Fox Searchlight). Bertolucci (“The Last Emperor”) works with the excitement and fervor of a man half his age in fusing together his love of Paris, cinema, the 60s, and finally, lovely, decadent youth. Bursting at the seams with the life sorely missing from the self-serious Oscar contenders that have been shoved down our throats over the last couple of months; this film commands your undivided attention from the very first frame. There is a certain naiveté in display here, but given the current climate, this is a more than a welcome change. You may as well see it for the young, up-and-coming cast: Green will next be seen in Ridley Scott’s opus “Kingdom of Heaven” with Orlando Bloom; and Pitt (that creepy kid from “Murder by Numbers”) is in M. Night Shyam-a-lama-ding-dong’s “The Village.” God bless Bertolucci!
New Movies
Miracle
Directed by: Gavin O’Connor
Starring: Kurt Russell, (Oscar nominee) Patricia Clarkson, and a cast of young unknown.
Plot: Pratik manages to hang on in Corporate America for more than five months…No, no. Apparently this film dramatizes the greatest moment in all of sports history.
The Buzz: For those unfortunate to have been born outside the United States, let me qualify this by calling it the greatest moment in American sports history. A bunch of misfit underdogs (are there ever any other kind) come together to upset the heavily-favored behemoth that was the Soviet (ice) hockey team at the 1980 winter Olympics. [Truth be told, this was one of those rare occasions when sports did transcend the playing field (or in this case, the ice hockey rink) and manage to soothe a nation battered by oil shortages, the Iran hostage situation, bad economy, and the downward spiral of the Cold War.] Luckily, Disney went and got themselves a smart, indie director in O’Connor (the lovely “Tumbleweeds”) who keeps the schmaltz in check as much as he can. Clarkson, fresh off her Oscar nomination for “Pieces of April” does what she can with her thankless role, and the young men who make up the hockey team (a lot of them non-professional actors) are real fun to watch. Of course, it is the terminally under-appreciated, underrated Russell who makes the film worth watching. He gives a real edge to the character, taking him out of the stock, gruff-but-loveable coach that we have seen so often. So, I will be out there with the rest of the guys, cheering my little Indian head off, and then crying like a little girl when Al Michaels makes his immortal call: “Do you believe in miracles?” Yes I do Al, yes I do. I still have a job.
Barbershop 2: Back in Business
Directed by: Kevin Rodney Sullivan
Starring: Ice Cube, Cedric the Entertainer, Eve
Plot: A barbershop in Chicago faces competition when a large national haircut chain opens up shop next door.
The Buzz: Because one “Barbershop” was not enough. The first one was a surprise hit that featured some charming performances, and some surprises (it had the temerity to poke very gentle fun at revered figures in the Civil Rights movement). This one, however, has the same hastily-put-together, completely unoriginal, feel of the terrible advertising campaign MGM is running to promote the film. Me, I am still waiting for Netflix to send me that other great Ice Cube film: “Friday.”
Catch That Kid
Directed by: Bart Freundlich
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Sam Robards, Jennifer Beals
Plot: A 12-year-old girl tries to rob a bank to help her ailing father.
The Buzz: The tween action film genre peaked with Robert Rodriguez’s inventive “Spy Kids” and died with its tired retread of a sequel, “Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams.” Luckily, Frankie Muniz is nowhere to be found (though there seems to be that same icky feeling we got watching him lust after a very grown-up Angie Harmon). The kids are annoying, the action flat, and the entire premise (as well as the execution of it) seems somewhat disturbing. If you want a fun kids to watch this weekend, rent “The Goonies” instead, and watch the full-length video of Cyndi Lauper’s “Goonies ‘R Good Enough.” Fun!
Osama
Directed by: Siddiq Barmak
Starring: Marina Golbahari, Arif Herati
Plot: A young woman poses as a man in order to work in Afghanistan, when it was still under the rule of the Taliban.
The Buzz: I bet everyone was surprised when this little film won the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Film, and it was well deserved (unfortunately, the idiot Oscars shamefully failed to nominate it). I don’t think we have even begun to realize just how terrible things were under that hateful regime, and this film could have certainly devolved into a didactic, angry diatribe. Instead, the graceful Barmak keeps a clear eye, and even manages to inject small doses of humor in this otherwise bleak story. Just getting this film made (with donated equipment and non-professional actors literally plucked from the streets of Kabul) should be cause for celebration; the fact that it manages to be both heart-breaking and life-affirming, without dropping into sentimentality through the sheer power of its lyricism, should be cause for great hope. I will most definitely watch this movie, if it ever makes it down here to the OC.
The Return
Directed by: Andrey Zvyagintsev
Starring: Vladimir Garin, Ivan Dobronravov
Plot: Two brothers have to come to terms with the return of their father, and the threat he poses when he takes them on a fishing “trip.”
The Buzz: Winner of last year’s Venice Film Festival, this is an amazing debut for the 39-year-old director (39?! There is hope for us yet!). Not only are the tenuous, yet inescapable, bonds between the children and their father explored in a complex, unsentimental way; but the film also manages to make its naturalistic settings mirror the abstract emotions on display. I will definitely catch this on Netflix (since its unlikely to make down to the South Coast Plaza – crazy Russian films do not mesh well with copious amounts of conspicuous consumption) after I make it through the 309-odd films already in the queue.
An Amazing Couple
Directed by: Lucas Belvaux
Starring: François Morel, Ornella Muti
Plot: The same event is played out in three different film genres (as a thriller in “On the Run” and as melodrama in “After the Life”); all part of Belvaux’s “Trilogy.” Here it is played for laughs; as a wife suspects her husband of having an affair when he tries to hide his surgery from her.
The Buzz: This is an ambitious, if gimmicky project. Luckily, this part of the trilogy manages to avoid the latter, while aspiring for the former. The best of the three films; it features some amazing performances, and the farce is played with a cool, collected sense of timing that makes the compounding complications a pleasure to savor. And of course, it is absolutely great to see the grand dame of Italian cinema – Muti – in fine form. Since it is unlikely this film is going to cross the Orange Curtain, I will catch it on DVD after I get through the 310-odd films in my Netflix queue.
Most Unexpected Discovery
My Architect: A Son’s Journey (man, is it me, or have the documentaries completely blown away their fiction counterparts over the last couple of years?)
Most Foregone Conclusion
Charlize Theron winning the Best Actress Oscar for “Monster.”
I Still Cannot Believed I Missed This Film on the Big Screen
Winged Migration
Films I Suspect Are Really Good and I Should Have Seen in the Theater, That Most Critics Have Forgotten About
In This World
Elephant
Other Films I Am Mildly Piqued About Missing in the Theaters
Intolerable Cruelty
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
Bubba Ho-Tep
Casa de los Babys
In the Cut
Top 10 Films Out Right Now That I Positively Have to See
The Fog of War
Monster
In America
Paycheck
The Station Agent
Monsieur Ibrahim
Top 10 Movies of the Year (so far – and yes, “Mystic River” is no longer on my list)
Capturing the Friedmans
American Splendor
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Lost in Translation (new entry – finally!)
Irreversible
My Architect: A Son’s Journey (new entry)
Whale Rider
Tully
Swimming Pool
Dirty Pretty Things
In a Class by Itself
The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
The Weekend of February 6th, 2004
One to Watch
The Dreamers
Directed by: Bernardo Bertolucci
Starring: Michael Pitt, Eva Green, Louis Garrel
Plot: An American in Paris (and we are a long, long way from Gene Kelly here) gets caught up in popular protests as well as a reckless romantic “triangle.”
The Buzz: You would think that with all the flap over a certain body part inadvertently displayed during the Super Bowl, and its ensuing fallout, popular culture would be beaten back all the way to the Hayes Code. Well, apparently not. “The Dreamers” is the first film in a long while to be released with the dreaded NC-17 rating (kudos to Fox Searchlight). Bertolucci (“The Last Emperor”) works with the excitement and fervor of a man half his age in fusing together his love of Paris, cinema, the 60s, and finally, lovely, decadent youth. Bursting at the seams with the life sorely missing from the self-serious Oscar contenders that have been shoved down our throats over the last couple of months; this film commands your undivided attention from the very first frame. There is a certain naiveté in display here, but given the current climate, this is a more than a welcome change. You may as well see it for the young, up-and-coming cast: Green will next be seen in Ridley Scott’s opus “Kingdom of Heaven” with Orlando Bloom; and Pitt (that creepy kid from “Murder by Numbers”) is in M. Night Shyam-a-lama-ding-dong’s “The Village.” God bless Bertolucci!
New Movies
Miracle
Directed by: Gavin O’Connor
Starring: Kurt Russell, (Oscar nominee) Patricia Clarkson, and a cast of young unknown.
Plot: Pratik manages to hang on in Corporate America for more than five months…No, no. Apparently this film dramatizes the greatest moment in all of sports history.
The Buzz: For those unfortunate to have been born outside the United States, let me qualify this by calling it the greatest moment in American sports history. A bunch of misfit underdogs (are there ever any other kind) come together to upset the heavily-favored behemoth that was the Soviet (ice) hockey team at the 1980 winter Olympics. [Truth be told, this was one of those rare occasions when sports did transcend the playing field (or in this case, the ice hockey rink) and manage to soothe a nation battered by oil shortages, the Iran hostage situation, bad economy, and the downward spiral of the Cold War.] Luckily, Disney went and got themselves a smart, indie director in O’Connor (the lovely “Tumbleweeds”) who keeps the schmaltz in check as much as he can. Clarkson, fresh off her Oscar nomination for “Pieces of April” does what she can with her thankless role, and the young men who make up the hockey team (a lot of them non-professional actors) are real fun to watch. Of course, it is the terminally under-appreciated, underrated Russell who makes the film worth watching. He gives a real edge to the character, taking him out of the stock, gruff-but-loveable coach that we have seen so often. So, I will be out there with the rest of the guys, cheering my little Indian head off, and then crying like a little girl when Al Michaels makes his immortal call: “Do you believe in miracles?” Yes I do Al, yes I do. I still have a job.
Barbershop 2: Back in Business
Directed by: Kevin Rodney Sullivan
Starring: Ice Cube, Cedric the Entertainer, Eve
Plot: A barbershop in Chicago faces competition when a large national haircut chain opens up shop next door.
The Buzz: Because one “Barbershop” was not enough. The first one was a surprise hit that featured some charming performances, and some surprises (it had the temerity to poke very gentle fun at revered figures in the Civil Rights movement). This one, however, has the same hastily-put-together, completely unoriginal, feel of the terrible advertising campaign MGM is running to promote the film. Me, I am still waiting for Netflix to send me that other great Ice Cube film: “Friday.”
Catch That Kid
Directed by: Bart Freundlich
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Sam Robards, Jennifer Beals
Plot: A 12-year-old girl tries to rob a bank to help her ailing father.
The Buzz: The tween action film genre peaked with Robert Rodriguez’s inventive “Spy Kids” and died with its tired retread of a sequel, “Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams.” Luckily, Frankie Muniz is nowhere to be found (though there seems to be that same icky feeling we got watching him lust after a very grown-up Angie Harmon). The kids are annoying, the action flat, and the entire premise (as well as the execution of it) seems somewhat disturbing. If you want a fun kids to watch this weekend, rent “The Goonies” instead, and watch the full-length video of Cyndi Lauper’s “Goonies ‘R Good Enough.” Fun!
Osama
Directed by: Siddiq Barmak
Starring: Marina Golbahari, Arif Herati
Plot: A young woman poses as a man in order to work in Afghanistan, when it was still under the rule of the Taliban.
The Buzz: I bet everyone was surprised when this little film won the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Film, and it was well deserved (unfortunately, the idiot Oscars shamefully failed to nominate it). I don’t think we have even begun to realize just how terrible things were under that hateful regime, and this film could have certainly devolved into a didactic, angry diatribe. Instead, the graceful Barmak keeps a clear eye, and even manages to inject small doses of humor in this otherwise bleak story. Just getting this film made (with donated equipment and non-professional actors literally plucked from the streets of Kabul) should be cause for celebration; the fact that it manages to be both heart-breaking and life-affirming, without dropping into sentimentality through the sheer power of its lyricism, should be cause for great hope. I will most definitely watch this movie, if it ever makes it down here to the OC.
The Return
Directed by: Andrey Zvyagintsev
Starring: Vladimir Garin, Ivan Dobronravov
Plot: Two brothers have to come to terms with the return of their father, and the threat he poses when he takes them on a fishing “trip.”
The Buzz: Winner of last year’s Venice Film Festival, this is an amazing debut for the 39-year-old director (39?! There is hope for us yet!). Not only are the tenuous, yet inescapable, bonds between the children and their father explored in a complex, unsentimental way; but the film also manages to make its naturalistic settings mirror the abstract emotions on display. I will definitely catch this on Netflix (since its unlikely to make down to the South Coast Plaza – crazy Russian films do not mesh well with copious amounts of conspicuous consumption) after I make it through the 309-odd films already in the queue.
An Amazing Couple
Directed by: Lucas Belvaux
Starring: François Morel, Ornella Muti
Plot: The same event is played out in three different film genres (as a thriller in “On the Run” and as melodrama in “After the Life”); all part of Belvaux’s “Trilogy.” Here it is played for laughs; as a wife suspects her husband of having an affair when he tries to hide his surgery from her.
The Buzz: This is an ambitious, if gimmicky project. Luckily, this part of the trilogy manages to avoid the latter, while aspiring for the former. The best of the three films; it features some amazing performances, and the farce is played with a cool, collected sense of timing that makes the compounding complications a pleasure to savor. And of course, it is absolutely great to see the grand dame of Italian cinema – Muti – in fine form. Since it is unlikely this film is going to cross the Orange Curtain, I will catch it on DVD after I get through the 310-odd films in my Netflix queue.
Most Unexpected Discovery
My Architect: A Son’s Journey (man, is it me, or have the documentaries completely blown away their fiction counterparts over the last couple of years?)
Most Foregone Conclusion
Charlize Theron winning the Best Actress Oscar for “Monster.”
I Still Cannot Believed I Missed This Film on the Big Screen
Winged Migration
Films I Suspect Are Really Good and I Should Have Seen in the Theater, That Most Critics Have Forgotten About
In This World
Elephant
Other Films I Am Mildly Piqued About Missing in the Theaters
Intolerable Cruelty
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
Bubba Ho-Tep
Casa de los Babys
In the Cut
Top 10 Films Out Right Now That I Positively Have to See
The Fog of War
Monster
In America
Paycheck
The Station Agent
Monsieur Ibrahim
Top 10 Movies of the Year (so far – and yes, “Mystic River” is no longer on my list)
Capturing the Friedmans
American Splendor
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Lost in Translation (new entry – finally!)
Irreversible
My Architect: A Son’s Journey (new entry)
Whale Rider
Tully
Swimming Pool
Dirty Pretty Things
In a Class by Itself
The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
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