Category: 2000-2010

“Pride & Prejudice” (2005)

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Running Time: 127 minutes

Starring: Keira Knightley, Matthew Macfadyen, Brenda Blethyn, Donald Sutherland, Rosamund Pike, Carey Mulligan, Jena  Malone, Simon Woods, Tom Hollander, Rupert Friend,  and Judy Dench

We all know that the camera loves Keira Knightley, just like Michelle Pfeiffer.  But Keira’s not just a pretty face.  “She worked like a dog,” then first-time director, Joe Wright, says on the fun/informative commentary track of the DVD.  Wright’s version of the P&P story (that many know and love) is a must-see!  (When I saw it in the theater, I wasn’t very impressed.  I think it takes a second look to appreciate all that’s going on under the surface.)

The Bennet parents are humanized by Blethyn and Sutherland.  Pike is the perfect Jane.  Malone (who’s American like Sutherland) does a terrific British accent and plays the flighty Lydia w/ gusto.  The adorable Carey Mulligan makes her film debut as Kitty.

I think looking at it now, Darcy would seem much more snobbish in our understanding of the word than he would then. To somebody like Darcy, it would have been a big deal for him to get over this difference in their status, and to be able to say to Lizzie that he loved her.  –Matthew Macfadyen

Macfadyen (a theatrically-trained actor) is a terrific Mr. Darcy- tall, slim, subtle, and not too much of a pretty boy.  He looks posh and elegant in all the costumes, but never overly imposing.  Darcy’s feelings are reigned in tightly, but his eyes are expressive.  And don’t forget that voice– one of the most gorgeous in all of show business!

 

“They just fancy each other,” Wright comments, noting the deep physical attraction between Lizzie and Darcy.  When she follows Jane to Netherfield Hall on foot, Lizzie’s hair gets mussed and her hem gets muddy.  Darcy is shocked, like best pal Bingley and his sis Caroline, but also intrigued.  He has never met a woman like her before!

When Jane gets over her bad cold, and she and Lizzie have to leave, Darcy helps Lizzie onto the carriage.  This is the first time they touch, and he’s very affected by it.

For the Netherfield ball, Lizzie makes a special effort to look cute, hoping to meet the dashing Wickham.  To her surprise, Darcy asks her to dance!  This dance sequence is one of the best moments of the film.  (Dances were very important in Austen’s time; it was one of the few times young, single people could meet, chat, and hold hands.)

This film was almost entirely shot on location- in Derbyshire, Kent, Lincolnshire, etc.  Pemberly in this version is actually the house of the Duchess of Devonshire.  (Interestingly, Keira played the role of Georgiana in The Duchess in 2008.)

We can’t overlook the rainy scene!  Toward the end, Darcy leans in close and almost kisses Lizzie.  Wow…

Check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1R-Zg5es7mg

“Wide Sargasso Sea” (2006)

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Running Time:  84 minutes 

Starring: Rebecca Hall, Rafe Spall, Victoria Hamilton, and Nina Sosnaya

In this prequel to Jane Eyre (based on the novel by Jean Rhys), youthful Englishman and second son, Edward Rochester (Rafe Spall), travels to the West Indies (Jamaica to be precise) for a possible arranged marriage with Creole plantation owner, Antoinette Cosway (Rebecca Hall), the step-niece of his friend Richard Mason.  (You may recall that in Bronte’s tale, she is called Bertha Mason.)  Society will deem it a good match- he has the good English family name and she has the land/cash. 

Edward feels a strong attraction to Antoinette, but is anxious about being tied to a woman he knows very little about.  He’s also uncomfortable in the heat and culture of Jamaica.  But Antoinette makes friends with Edward, not totally against the match.  She is an orphan who feels a deep connection to her homeland, while England “seems like a dream.”  Edward thinks that’s ridiculous- England is the real world for him. 

Antoinette’s attitude makes her Aunt Cora (Victoria Hamilton) nervous; she comments that a girl w/ her qualities doesn’t have to settle for the first man she meets.  Antoinette (a very intriguing character) has a mix of innocence and openness about her.  Though she looks delicate, she’s not afraid to express herself, unlike the repressed Edward.  Perhaps he is a little bit afraid of her?  Also, there are rumors about her “mad mother.”   

There are many layers to this story, but at the heart of the matter are two people who fail to understand each other.  The man seeks to control the woman, who has a heritage and identity of her own- not to mention feelings.  He is afraid of the power she holds over him w/ her beauty, sensuality, and mysterious past.   

In one crucial scene, Edward even insists that his new bride change her name, as “it doesn’t sound English.”  She’s shocked by his words.  “My name is Antoinette!” she cries out.  (Sorry ladies, this is not the Rochester you loved in Jane Eyre.)

Three Reviews: “Paris Blues” (1961), “He Knew He Was Right” (2004), & “Two Lovers” (2008)

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Paris Blues (1961)

This is a TERRIFIC, though lesser-known, Paul Newman-Joanne Woodward film.  (It was made after their marriage and birth of their first child.)  Trombone player Ram Bowen (Newman) and saxophonist Eddie Cook (Sidney Poitier) are expatriate American jazz musicians living in Paris.  They have a regular gig at a small/artsy/popular club, though Ram has a dream of being a serious composer.  Also, Ram is in a (friends w/ benefits) relationship w/ the singer/owner of the club, Marie.

The guys meet two beautiful American tourists- straight-talking jazz lover Lilian (Woodward) and socially-conscious teacher Connie (Diahann Carroll).  After Ram meets his old friend “Wild Man” Moore (Louis Armstrong) on a train, he confidantly approaches Connie.  This must’ve raised some eyebrows in ’61- a white man hitting on a black woman.  Of course, it was no big deal in France.  Ram invites her to hear him play at the club.  Connie brushes off his come-on and comments that she has a white friend with her.  Soon Lilian arrives to meet Connie; we see her keen interest in Ram.

Though Connie is suspicious of guys like Ram (“I know these jazz musicians…”), Lilian convinces her to go to the club that night.  When she hears Ram play, Lilian is visibly moved by the music.

Aside from romance, this film deals head-on with serious issues- ambition, racism, and drug abuse (one of the musicians at the club is addicted to cocaine).  The costumes, scenery, lighting, music, and dialogue are pitch perfect.  Newman and Poitier seem like two old friends; the chemistry between the two couples is almost palpable.  (As you may know, Poitier and Carroll were romantically involved at this time.)

Newman, who plays an anti-hero here, has some very good lines.  “Look, you don’t want me for what you want,” he tells Lilian directly when she shows interest in going out after a gig.  Lilian calmly comments that she’ll decide what she wants.  This is a grown-up look at love, not a fairy-tale story.  Check it out ASAP!

 

He Knew He Was Right (2004)

 

I watched this BBC miniseries for the second time recently.  Novelist Anthony Trollope was inspired to write the book by Shakespeare’s tragedy, Othello.  The main character, irrationally jealous husband Louis Trevelyan is also based on the author’s (often temperamental) father.

Louis (young Brit Oliver Dimsdale), a posh London gentleman, goes to the Canary Islands and falls quickly in love with Emily (Scotswoman Laura Fraser), the lovely daughter of the governor.  Though she is young and has never been in British society, he proposes marriage.  “He looks like a man who likes to have his way,” her father comments, though he feels it will be a very good match.  “Emily likes to have her way, too,” her concerned mother adds.

Emily and Louis settle in London and have a son.  Emily’s gorgeous young sis, Nora (Christina Cole) lives w/ them; she’s much admired by the bachelors in their circle.  But she falls for Louis’ best pal- young journalist Hugh Stanbury (Stephen Campbell Moore).  They can’t marry right away, as Hugh doesn’t come from money, is just getting started in his career, and has a mom and sisters to support out in the country.

To their friends, the Trevelyans seem to be the perfect marrieds.  But things start to go sour when Emily’s father’s old friend, and reputed playa, Colonel Osborne (Bill Nighy) enters the picture.  At a party, an older lady comments on his bad boy ways, alerting Louis.  Osborne visits Emily at the house; Louis doesn’t like this, as it could expose his wife to rumor and innuendo.  Emily, who is innocent/unspoiled like Desdemona, wonders why she shouldn’t see an old family friend.  “But I won’t see him if you forbid me to,” she eventually promises.

Osborne is refused entry to the house, but he approaches the couple while they’re out on a stroll in the park.  When the older man calls Emily by her first name, Louis gets visibly angry.  (In Victorian society, if a man called a woman by her first name, it could be inferred that he had intimate knowledge of her.)  Emily pulls Louis away, rushing towards home.  Finally, Louis decides to send Emily, his boy, and Nora to live in the country w/ the Stanbury ladies.  He rationalizes this decision by saying they’ll be “safe” there from Osborne.  Emily is stunned, but goes along w/ the plan.  (What other choice does she have?)  Her friends and family believe that Louis will soon come to his senses.

Aside from the main (dark/serious) storyline, there are several lighter ones to keep you entertained.  Nora and Hugh share a very tender love.  The eligible, soon to be titled Mr. Glascock (Raymond Coulthard), is intrigued by a forthwright American woman he meets while traveling in Italy.  Hugh’s sister, plain/serious Priscilla Stanbury (Amy Marston) doesn’t expect any beaus to come her way, but wants her kindly younger sis Dorothy (Caroline Martin) to marry.  When their rich/elderly aunt (Anna Massey) asks Dottie to become her companion, the world opens up for the good-hearted girl.

The flirtatious Reverend Gibson (Scotsman David Tennant) can’t seem to choose between three women in his town- Dottie and two vain, eager-to-marry sisters (character actresses Claudie Blakely and Fennella Woolgar).  Hilarity ensues when he decides on the wrong woman.

 

Two Lovers (2008)

Leonard Kraditor (Joaquin Phoenix), having survived heartbreak and suicide attempts, lives with his watchful (yet kindly) parents in the predominantly Russian Jewish ‘hood of Brighton Beach, Brooklyn.  He also helps out at the family laundromat, though he’s not very interested in his work; photography is his passion.  Though Leonard takes medication, we don’t know his exact illness.

One night, Michael Cohen, the man who’s going to buy the Kraditor’s business, comes over for dinner with his family.  When they are left alone, the elegant/single daughter, Sandra (Vinessa Shaw), confesses that she wanted to meet Leonard.  When she explains that she works for Pfizer, Leonard jokes that he “knows all about that.”  Sandra admires his photos; we can also tell that she’s very interested in him.  She comes across as a capable woman who could take care of the sensitive Leonard.

Leonard also happens upon his  new neighbor Michelle (Gwenyth Paltrow), who ducks into his place to escape the rebuke of her angry father.  What was he mad about?  It turns out that Michelle has an older, married lover (played by Elias Koteas).  Though we (and his observant mom, played by Isabella Rosselini) can see that Leonard has an instant crush on her, Michelle quickly comes to rely upon him.  It turns out that Michelle need a good friend- she’s battling tremendous insecurity and a drug habit.  When she calls or texts, Leonard goes running.

Leonard, Sandra, and even the troubled/rootless Michelle, will seem quite real to viewers.  They are not stereotypical Hollywood versions of people.  Often, the demons within us are worse that those found in the outside world.  We have to choose to be happy, as my mom says.

What I watched recently…

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Casa de los Babys (2003)

Motherhood can be one of life’s joys, but it is also fraught with trials and tribulations.  But what about the path to motherhood itself?  It’s not always smooth and easy.  This film (written, directed, & edited by indie filmmaker John Sayles) concerns a modern/controversial issue- foreign adoption.  As with Sayles’ other films, Casa de los Babys is for thinking people.  No character is one-sided.  Each actor gets a scene (or two) to shine.

Somewhere in Latin (or South) America, 6 women wait in the same hotel (nicknamed by locals as la casa de los babys) for their chance to be a mother.  (This film was shot in Acapulco, Mexico.)  The women don’t have much in common, hailing from different states and backgrounds.  But the women hang out at the beach, shop in the bazaar, see the sights, and share meals together.  They discuss future plans for their babies.  Who has the best ideas on how to raise a child?  Who has the most potential to be a positive/nurturing mother?

Skipper (Daryl Hannah) is a statuesque/serene woman from Colorado who works out often and speaks little.  Gayle (Mary Steenburgen) is a soft-spoken/born-again Christian/Southerner who seeks to mediate conflicts between the group members.  Jennifer (Maggie Gyllenhaal) is a wealthy 24 y.o. from DC who’s nervous and missing her husband terribly.  Eileen (Susan Lynch) is a sweet/thoughtful Irish immigrant to Boston who’s pinching pennies b/c her hubby is out of work.  Nan (Marcia Gay Harden) is a Kansan who holds strong (and often offensive) opinions.  She’s ticked off b/c she’s beein waiting longer than the rest (2 mos.) for her baby.  Leslie (Lily Taylor) is a single, 30 y.o. editor from NYC  who speaks Spanish and is brimming w/ sarcarstic humor.  Though still young, she’s “done the relathionship thing,” and wants to “get on with the kid thing.”

Besides the Americans, there are several other interesting characters.  Senora Munoz (Rita Moreno) is the tough/determined owner of the hotel who worries re: her ex-con son.  Senora Munoz’s brother Ernesto (Pedro Armendariz) is the forthright lawyer who helps the Americans w/ their adoption paperwork.  Asuncion (Vanessa Martinez; the teen Pilar in Sayles’ Lone Star) is the hardworking young maid at the hotel who supports her younger siblings; they are orphans who live in the mountaineous region above the beach.  Diomedes is a gentle/educated man who wants to go to the US b/c there is no work locally.  He gives Skipper and Jennifer a little tour, as he has nothing else to do.  A little homeless boy (around 7 or 8 y.o.) wanders the streets of the town washing windshields and looking to make money.  (To me, he is a sad reminder that older kids are rarely adopted.)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0303830/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casa_de_los_Babys

 

Law & Order: UK (Season 1)

Dick Wolf has transported his successful NYC-based Law & Order TV series “across the pond” to London.  All of the Season 1 episodes (13 on 3 discs) were based on shown-on-TV L&O episodes.  (Long-time fans will recognize this right away!)  The producer took various scripts and modified them to fit UK law.  This show looks wonderful (high production value- like a big-screen movie), is fast-paced, and has top-notch (subtle) acting.  The veteran actors have terrific chemistry w/ their younger partners.  Some eps are more exciting than others, as w/ other L&O shows.

The Brit detectives are DS (Detective Sergeant) Ronnie Brooks (Bradley Walsh), “a gentle man and gentle cop” who’s a recovering alcoholic/street food lover.  Ronnie has a sympathetic ear, talks often re: his 2 exes, and is VERY likeable.  His partner is DS Matt Devlin (Jamie Bamber from Battlestar Gallactica), a young man of Irish parentage who worked his way up from humble roots.  He’s charming and eager to please.  While the experienced Ronnie sees a case from many perspectives, Matt is more quick to judge.

The lawyers (called Crown Prosecutors) are James Steel (Ben Daniels), a highly principled/sharp-dressed barrister from the upper crust (w/ posh accent).  His intensity, height, and sharp blue eyes may bring to mind actor Michael Moriarty, who played ADA Ben Stone.  James wears a wig in court, as is the custom.  Judges are referred to as “my lord” or “my lady.”  His is supported by Alesha Phillips (Freema Agyeman from Dr. Who), a young woman who has worked her way up from a council house (like the inner-city projects in US).  She performs research and goes through a mountains of paperwork (everything needs to be on hard copy).  Alesha is very passionate about the law, like her boss.

London is itself a character in this series.  Issues of class, race, and poverty are dealt w/ directly (perhaps more so than in the US).  One’s class is usually denoted by one’s accent.  (Not all English accents are the same!)

You will see a few British Asian (South Asian/desi) guest actors on L&O: UK.  In fact, the CPS barrister who consults on this show is British Asian- Nazir Afzal, director of CPS London South, is well-known for cracking down on “honor” crimes.  He has been awarded the OBE (Order of the British Empire).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_and_Order_UK

http://www.cps.gov.uk/london/

 

Two Movie Reviews

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Michael Clayton (2007)

This thriller is a vehicle for George Clooney, though it has terrific performances from Sydney Pollack, Tilda Swinton, and Tom Wilkinson.  The boy who plays Henry, Michael’s young son, does a fine job as well.  Unlike many child actors, he is natural, likeable, and believable.   Clooney almost disappears into the role of a self-loathing and disappointed lawyer, Michael Collins.  But Michael is not your typical lawyer- he’s labled a “fixer.”  To put it bluntly, he’s helped a lot of wealthy clients cover up misdeeds.  (I’m not going to give away many details.) 

  

When a close friend, litigator Arthur Edens (Tom Wilkinson), becomes unhinged during a deposition in Milwaukee, the firm sends in Michael.  (Arthur was defending UNorth, a huge corporation embroiled in a class-action lawsuit, for the firm of Kenner, Bach, and Odeen.)  But Arthur (the heart of this movie) will not be controlled- he’s had an epiphany and wants to do the right thing.  He refuses to be “an accomplice” in a cover-up. 

Sydney Pollack (in his last role) is pitch-perfect as one of the founding partners of the firm, Marty Bach.  Is he a villain, or just trying to represent his client?  You will have to decide.

            

The villain in this film is Oscar winner Tilda Swinton, who takes on the role of Karen Crowder, the top attorney for UNorth.  She is the opposite of Michael Collins-  she stands up very straight and doesn’t doubt/regret her decisions.  Karen will go to extremes to protect UNorth and her boss/mentor.  Her suits are likened to “armor” by director Tony Gilroy. 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0465538/

 

The Full Monty (1997)

I think this comedy is a fitting one for our tough economic times.  The Full Monty is a hilarious, touching, and well-acted British film (that I wanted to see for a long time)!  It centers on a group of unemployed steel workers in Sheffield, an industrial city in Northern England.  (It may take some time to get accustomed to their accents and slang.  You can turn on subtitles, if needed.) 

The main character, nicknamed Gaz (Robert Carlyle), has lost his job, wife, and is about to lose custody of his adolescent son, Nathan.  Gaz can’t cover the child support, so he hatches a drastic plan to earn some fast money.  If the foreign male dancers/strippers (Chippendales) can make big bucks off the Sheffield ladies, then why can’t local blokes?  Nathan isn’t sure this will work, but he goes along to help his dad.

Gaz is (reluctantly) joined by his best mate Dave (Mark Addy), an overweight, self-conscious, yet sweet man who feels unworthy of his wife.  Eventually, Gaz and Mark find a few more down-on-their-luck men to join their endeavor.  The guys pester their former supervisor Gerald (Tom Wilkinson) to teach them to dance.  At first, the upwardly-mobile Gerald doesn’t want to help the men.  But he relents when he sees their desperation.  (And he’s jobless, too.)     

Along the way, this misfit bunch have to overcome clumsiness, improve body-image, and summon up loads of courage.  From their eyes and expressions, we see that they are not doing this “as a lark” (for fun), but for survival.  They rent out a local pub for a one-night performance.  Will the ladies buy tickets to see ordinary guys?  Will the guys be able to go “the full monty?”   

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119164/