Category: Actors
GREAT Films about the Immigrant Experience
Avalon (1990)
This is a gorgeous film directed by Barry Levinson (Diner, Homicide, Liberty Heights, etc.) It’s a talent-laden (Armin Mueller-Stahl, Aiden Quinn, and a very young Elijah Wood play the male leads) drama set in ’50s Baltimore. The film explores 3 generations of a tightly-knit, middle-class, Jewish-American family. My dad really liked this story; it’s suitable for all ages!
Mississippi Masala (1999)
I tell all my desi friends (and anyone who likes good films) about this one! I first saw it as an undergrad. This small-budget/educational/realistic film was directed by Mira Nair; she also plays a small role as a catty auntie. The screenwriter, Nair’s close friend/collaborator Sooni Taraporevela, said the basis for the love story between Meena (Sarita Choudhury) and Demetrius (Denzel Washington) was partly inspired by a fellow Indian gal pal at Harvard who fell in love with a black (Jamaican) man. The dialogue is spot-on and the sweet romance between Meena and Demetrius is as hot as the setting (small towns of Mississippi). There is another kind of love in this story- Jay (veteran Indian actor Roshan Seth), Meena’s father/lawyer-turned-motel manager, desperately trying to get back property/citizenship in his native Uganda (scenes were filmed in Nair’s own Kampala house).
Sidenote: I saw Sarita at a staged play reading in NYC (back in 2006). Film does NOT do her justice; she’s stunning in real life!
My Family/Mi Familia (1995)
Unfair deportation, police aggression, gangs/crime, Catholicism, and the ties that bind families are explored in one of my all-time favorite films. I saw this first during my 12th grade American History class; later I saw it w/ my family (they all liked it a lot, too). It was directed superbly by a Californian of Mexican heritage, Gregory Nava (Selena, Frida). The music is an integral part of the story, as is the moral compass/strength of matriarch Maria Sanchez, who is played by Jennifer Lopez (younger) and Jenny Gago (older). The male leads are played by Jacob Vargas (Jose), Esai Morales (Chucho), and Jimmy Smits (Jimmy). Edward James Olmos plays the aspiring writer, also the narrator. Scott Bakula plays the husband of Toni (Constance Marie). The setting is primarily East L.A. (a long-established Latino neighborhood).
Nuovomundo/Golden Door (1996)
Don’t let the language (primarily Italian) deter you from this unique/educational film; it contains some magical realism. It was produced by the famed Martin Scorcese, himself a proud Italian-American. The (nearly unspoken) love story in the film is between kind-hearted Italian peasant Salvatore (Vincenzo Amato) and mysterious/redheaded Englishwoman Lucy (Charlotte Gainsbourg). Salvatore decides to sail to the U.S. so his family, which includes two teen sons and mother, can survive. Crops won’t grow on his land, and his brother is already settled in NYC. However, after their ship lands on Ellis Island, there are more tests/tribulations ahead!
Liberty Heights (1999)
Another of Levinson’s fine films- this time focusing on brothers who live in a Jewish-American enclave of ’50s Baltimore. The narrator, 17 y.o. Van (Ben Foster), and his college-going brother, Ben (Adrien Brody) are good kids trying to figure themselves out. You will relate to this film, especially if you are a 1st generation American, as the Kurtzman brothers navigate around heritage, parents, and wider racial issues of the ’50s. Van befriends Sylvia (Rebekah Johnson), the only black girl in his class. Ben makes new friends at a party and eventually falls for Dubbie (Carolyn Murphy), a gorgeous/troubled WASP. Yussel (David Krumholtz), Ben’s best pal/smart-aleck, provides a lot of the comedy. The parents in the film are portrayed by Joe Mantegna and Bebe Neuwirth.
The Namesake (2006)
This is the first film exploring two generations of an Indian-American family (Bengali in heritage); it is based on Jhumpa Lahiri’s novel and directed by Mira Nair. I saw it in 3 different theaters w/ different groups of family/friends (who all loved it). Gogol/Nikhil (Kal Penn) and his little sister, Sonia, grow up on Long Island, the children of successful/overprotective immigrant parents, professor Ashok (Irrfan Khan) and homemaker Ashima Ganguli (Tabu). Though the novel’s main focus was Gogol, Nair takes a deeper focus into the slow-burn love story between Ashok and Ashima (I enjoyed their scenes most). Irrfan Khan is amazing; too bad he decided not to come to Hollywood!
Criss Cross (1949)
Tagline: The savage drama of an amazing double double-cross!
This meaty film noir is a follow-up to The Killers (1946). It reteams German director Robert Siodmak with star Burt Lancaster (age 35 here), who once again finds himself in a deadly love triangle. Lancaster, cast against type as a loser, Steve Thompson, a man who returns to his native LA after a year of wandering about the country. He doesn’t call up his ex-wife, Anna (Yvonne De Carlo), but they bump into each other. Steve still “has her in his blood,” much to the dismay of his mother. Maybe it was bad luck? Or fate?
She’s all right, she’s just young. -Steve
Hah! Some ways, she knows more than Einstein. -Mrs. Thompson
Anna and Steve rekindle their relationship for a time, but then she sneaks off to marry gangster Slim Dundee (Dan Duryea), who operates out of a local bar/nightclub. Steve almost can’t believe his ears when the sympathetic bartender breaks the news. Does Anna only care about money?
This is also the film debut (not credited) of Tony Curtis, who dances in the rhumba scene. Later, Curtis and Lancaster would costar in Trapeze and Sweet Smell of Success.
I should have been a better friend. I shoulda stopped you. I shoulda grabbed you by the neck, I shoulda kicked your teeth in. I’m sorry Steve. -Pete
This film is unusual for the genre, because Steve is not a loner, with no one to look out for his well-being. He has a loving family- mother, jovial little brother, and future sister-in-law. He has a good friend in Lt. Pete Ramirez, a cop he’s known since childhood. The many minor characters lend flavor to this film.
In time, he draws himself into Slim’s sphere, proposing an armored car heist. This heist involves a elderly co-worker who’s seeing his widowed mother. The main action scene was very well-done, as it looked quite modern.
Love… love! You’ve got to watch out for yourself! -Anna
He [Siodmark] fragments the narrative through flashbacks, counterposing the hopes of Lancaster’s return home with the desperation into which he has fallen. He also slows down for virtuosic sequences that only a great director could bring off: a long scene when the heist is being plotted, with the bored DeCarlo smoking cigarettes (“It passes the time”) while the railway criss-crosses the window behind her; and an equally long one in the hospital, involving a cranked-up bed, a tilted mirror on the bureau, and a visitor in the corridor- a good Samaritan who turns out to be his worst nightmare. -IMDB review excerpt
Anna is not like a typical femme fatale, as she’s not the planner. Steve takes agency in the robbery, though he never wanted anyone to be killed, if possible. He thinks naively, as he “wasn’t born into this” (Pete comments). He cared about love, not the money. The last quarter of the film is atmospheric, intense, and very well done. Anyone can become a fool for love, even Lancaster. Look at how young/sad/lost Steve looks when he sees Anna in the club (dancing carelessly) after so long. This is a fine performance, layered yet accessible.
Phillip Seymour Hoffman (1967-2014): Thoughts on the “flawless” actor
Study, find all the good teachers and study with them, get involved in acting to act, not to be famous or for the money. Do plays. It’s not worth it if you are just in it for the money. You have to love it. -Advice to young actors
One afternoon several years ago, I was bored and flipping through channels for something to watch, when I first came across Phillip Seymour Hoffman (PSH) in the indie drama Flawless (1999). He plays flamboyant (loud/proud) drag queen Rusty Zimmerman who lives on the same floor as Walt (Robert DeNiro), a cranky/homophobic ex-cop. Since Walt has suffered vocal chord damage, his doctor (Madhur Jaffrey) recommends singing lessons. Of course, Rusty loves singing, and herein begins the (unlikely) friendship. I was on the edge of my seat, wondering how these two opposites would get along! There was humor, too, as the two hard-headed men launched insults (many quite funny) at each other. PSH brought such a fire to Rusty. Who is this guy, and why didn’t I know more about him!?
PSH took on a totally different role in Magnolia (1999)- he was Phil Parma, a nurse who took care of a dying man. This wasn’t a big role, and the film was confusing/annoying to many people. However, the kindness and quiet dignity of Phil stayed with me. Here I discovered one of the recurring themes of PSH’s career- turning the notion of traditional masculinity on its head.
I’m waiting for somebody to say I’m at least cute. But nobody has. -On Hollywood’s view of his appearance
PSH was a pale blonde, stocky, and not very tall- lacking the looks of a typical leading man. However, this became an advantage to PSH, who immersed himself into each role (unencumbered by vanity).
Actors are responsible to the people we play. I don’t label or judge. I just play them as honestly and expressively and creatively as I can, in the hope that people who ordinarily turn their heads in disgust instead think, ‘What I thought I’d feel about that guy, I don’t totally feel right now.’ – On his responsibility as an actor
How many actors can steal a few scenes from Matt Damon!? PSH did just that in Anthony Minghella’s The Talented Mr. Ripley (one of my favorite films), playing yuppie snob/jazz lover, Freddie Miles. He was shallow, but no dummy, so had to be dealt with by Damon’s character. PSH only needed a few lines/moments to establish his character.
PSH played Joseph Turner White, a humble/somewhat befuddled novelist/screenwriter in David Mamet’s sly comedy State and Main (2000). It was a rare role- he got a love interest. Joseph was dealing with the fact that Hollywood producers had a very different view of the story he created. He was making money because of the film, but felt uneasy about being a sellout.
The much-respected character actor finally achieved leading man status with “Capote” (2005). I didn’t know much about Truman Capote, but thought the film was quite atmospheric. I especially liked the scenes were PSH was working alongside Catherine Keener (who played writer Harper Lee, Capote’s close gal pal).
I really loved PSH’s role in Charlie Wilson’s War! He plays Gust Avrakotos, a brash/whip-smart CIA agent and first gen Greek-American. Some in the agency have questioned his loyalty, due to his ethnic background, we learn in one scene. PSH and Tom Hanks make a dynamic duo. Below is my brief review (from earlier blog post):
I also saw Charlie Wilson’s War (over in Lincoln Center area). It was GREAT!!! There were MANY laughs, as well as things we can relate to (in our time). Tom Hanks was EVEN better than usual, but Phillip Seymour Hoffman was TERRIFIC! Honestly, whenever I see that guy, I wonder how he gets so deep into character! He is not even middle-aged yet… WOW!
The theatrically-trained actor got to marry his first love with film in Doubt (2008), based on the stage play by John Patrick Shanley, who grew up attending Catholic school in 1960s Bronx. PSH worked with rising star Amy Adams and the fabulous Meryl Streep- one of the highest points in any actor’s career. (Shanley wondered who was an actor who could “stand up to Meryl Streep?”) Here is my review of the film.
I’m probably more personal when I’m acting than at any other time. More open, more direct. Because it allows me to be something that I can’t always feel comfortable with when I’m living my own life, you know? Because it’s make- believe. -On his process
PSH consolidated his rep as one of the finest actors under 40 with Capote (2005). He won the Los Angeles Film Critics Award as Best Actor. In 2006, he was awarded the Best Actor Oscar. When I heard (on NPR) that he had died, I didn’t think it was true! How can someone his age die without any warning? I didn’t know about his personal life or struggles with addiction (alcohol at a young age, then heroin). Sadly, the flaws were offscreen, and couldn’t be edited out.
Dallas Buyers Club (2013)
Matthew McConaughey (transformed physically) disappears into his role of real-life ’80s AIDS crusader, Ron Woodruff. This film was made with a very small budget, and directed by a French-Canadian, Jean-Marc Vallee (The Young Victoria). I never heard of this story until my friends and I went to see it (just before the holidays)!
Ain’t nuthin’ out there can kill Ron Woodruff in 30 days!
Ron is an electrician by trade, but (part-time) bull riding is his real love. Drinking and hooking up with random women (many of whom follow the rodeo) is also part of his dangerous lifestyle. When Ron gets injured at a jobsite, he’s taken to the local hospital. The attending doctor (matter-of-factly) tells him that he has HIV and only 30 days to live. Yes, it’s a very serious/heavy film!
Ron is initially very angry and in denial that he would have a disease that only gay men have. Upon quick reflection, he comes to the realization that the diagnosis is probably true. (He’s no dummy!) Ron starts reading up on HIV/AIDS, which (at that time) seems to be most effectively treated by AZT, which was only in clinical trials.
Ron can’t get into the clinical trials, he learns from a sympathetic doctor, Eve (Jennifer Garner), a woman he mistakes for a nurse. So, he goes searching for meds on his own. Ron goes to a doctor in Mexico. He even flies to Japan to meet with a bigwig in the drug industry. In time, Ron forms an alliance with Rayon (Jared Leto), a transvestite who is on and off the wagon (struggling with heroine addiction). Rayon is in the clinical trial, and also shares a childhood connection with Eve. In one of the film’s most revealing scenes, Rayon puts on a suit to settle monetary concerns with a banker (also his father).
This film is educational, not merely entertainment. It was a big labor of love for all involved, including Brad Pittt and Ryan Gosling. Check it out before the Oscars!
