Category: 2000-2010

Movies I’ve seen recently…

Emma1 Comment

An Education (2009)

I saw this smart indie movie over Thanksgiving break w/ my mom in Indy; we both liked it very much.  The writing is terrific, and the actors fit their roles perfectly.   Jenny (24 y.o. rising Brit Carey Mulligan) is a pretty, intelligent, and wise-beyond-her-years schoolgirl in early ’60s suburban London.  Her ambitious parents, esp. father Jack (Alfred Molina), are prepping her to attend Oxford the following year.  Jenny thinks she can make it to Oxford, but she also wants to know more about the world; she loves anything French, and dreams of going to Paris.

One rainy day, Jenny meets David (Peter Sarsgaard, the only American in this British cast), a charming man in his 30s.  Their relationship develops slowly, unlike many other movies with the younger woman-older man dynamic.  David has sophisticated/fun-loving friends (Rosamund Pike and Dominic Cooper), and introduces Jenny to a world of fine art, food, music, etc.  Jenny eventually falls in love with David, and it feels like her life has finally begun.  But David is not all that he seems…

 

Fighter (2007)

This is a Danish martial arts drama that is a combination of The Karate Kid and Bend it Like Beckham.  Aicha is an athletic, determined high school senior from a working-class Turkish Muslim family in North Copenhagen.  Her dad (who she’s very close to) wants her to be a doctor, like her older brother.  “I don’t want you to struggle like me,” he says in a regretful tone.

But Aicha is struggling in school, and she has a secret- she loves (and is very good at) kung-fu.  Against her father’s wishes, Aicha sneaks around to train at an exclusive martial arts club.   She quickly discovers that she’s better than most of the boys there.  A cute blonde boy she trains with, Emil, develops a crush on her.  Though Aicha is gaining skill/confidence/respect doing something she loves, she is also taking a huge risk in the eyes of her family/community.           

Trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njeLU_uvhM8

More about the film:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0995029/

  

The Shop Around the Corner (1940) 

This is a classic comedy (starring Jimmy Stewart and Margaret Sullivan) that is funny, quirky, and sweet.  Alfred Kralik (Stewart) is the top salesman at small shop in Budapest where Klara  Novak (Sullivan) desperately comes to look for a job.  The owner is convinced by her words, and agrees to take her on, but Mr. Kralik is not too happy.

Stewart is great (as always) as a young/hardworking guy with dreams of meeting the woman of his dreams and proposing to her on Christmas.   It turns out that his anonymous pen pal is Klara, a woman who annoys (and yet attracts) him with her personality.

This movie was remade twice- In the Good Old Summertime (in 1949 w/ Judy Garland and Van Johnson) and You’ve Got Mail (in 1998 w/ Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks).

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033045/

 

“The Visitor” (2007)

Emma4 Comments

TheVisitor_cover

This is a must-see indie film about NYC, immigrants, and (above all) the importance of connection.  It’s a small budget film that packs a big emotional punch!  His role as Walter Vale, a lonely/ widowed academic, earned veteran character actor Richard Jenkins a Best Actor Oscar nomination at age 62. 

TheVisitor_TM

The Visitor was written/directed by another character actor, Tom McCarthy. 

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Walter (Richard Jenkins) travels from his suburban home in Connecticut to his NYC apartment to attend a seminar (about global development issues) at NYU.  The mild-mannered professor is shocked to discover that his apartment is already occupied by a young couple in their 20s- a Syrian drummer, Tarek Khalil (Haaz Sleiman), and his Senegalese girlfriend, Zainab (Danai Gurira), who makes/sells jewelry.  These young people(both Muslim, BTW) are very embarrassed by the situation, but they have nowhere else to go.  Walter gives them permission to stay for as long as they need.  He is intrigued by Tarek and Zainab, two people a guy like him doesn’t meet every day.

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Walter is also intrigued by the drum that Tarek, a joyous/big-hearted guy, plays in Central Park and little clubs around the city.  Tarek encourages the hesitant Walter (a classical music fan) to try the drum as well.  Soon, they are good friends, much to the chagrin of Zainab.  She often has a serious expression on her face, and we sense that she is nervous about something.  On the street, Zainab is wary of police.  One night, she admits to Walter that she and Tarek overstayed their visas (so are now of illegal status). 

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One day, while getting on the subway, Tarek is stopped by two plainclothes NYPD officers.  “He did nothing wrong!” Walter exclaims with bewilderment.  Walter can’t believe his eyes when his new friend is quickly taken into police custody, and then to a detention center in Long Island City, Queens.  (Well, he is a Muslim man living in the U.S. post-9/11.)  Even more shocking is the fact that over 300 people are in that center, including children! 

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Walter consoles Zainab by explaining that he’s arranged for an immigration attorney to handle Tarek’s case.  “He can’t stay in that place!” Zainab exclaims, feeling that being in such an environment will crush Tarek’s spirit.  Zainab can’t bring herself to visit the detention center, but Walter goes each day to check on Tarek.  Zainab is grateful for Walter’s help, yet deeply saddened by the turn of events.  Zainab leaves Walter’s apartment to stay with a cousin.

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Tarek’s mother, Mouna (Hiam Abbas), arrives from Michigan when she doesn’t hear news from her son.  She’s surprised to learn that Tarek shared a place with Walter.  Sensing Mouna’s sadness and worry, he  insists that she stay in the apartment, too.  “You can use Tarek’s room,” Walter says.  He tries to make her feel comfortable during a very difficult time.  They share a strong connection as well, though it doesn’t turn romantic.    

Will Walter’s kindly efforts help Tarek stay in the US?  How will Zainab, Mouna, and Walter come to terms with the final decision?  Watch the film to find out! 

Movie Trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlFcmm1pq9g

More details:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0857191/

Merchant Ivory’s final film… & more!

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Movie Review: Before the Rains (2007)
 

BtR_dvd

Tagline: Passion has its price.

My mom saw this movie last month… and LOVED it!  This is the last film produced by both James Ivory (deceased) and Ismail Merchant (his business/life partner).  It is hands-down one of the most (visually) stunning movies out there!  The director, Santosh Sivan, is also a highly respected cinematographer in his native India.  The only other movie that compares (with regard to beauty) is Alfonso Arau’s A Walk in the Clouds.  The natural beauty of southrn India, top actors of Tamil cinema, and the authentic music add flavor to an interesting central story.

TK (Rahul Bose) and Moores (Linus Roache)
TK (Rahul Bose) & Moores (Linus Roache)

British gentleman/planter/family man Henry Moores (Linus Roache, who can currently be seen on Law & Order) has started an ambitious road expansion project in a small village within Kerala in southern India.  He has requested extra funds from the bank, and hopes that the road will hold (after the monsoons).  Moores, a well-liked and generous white man, is aided by his native land manager/”right hand man” TK Neelan (Rahul Bose, one of India’s finest indie actors).   TK is the most interesting person in the film, a bridge between his home village and the British rulers.  Though TK works for Moores, they have a close, friendly relationship. (TK is surprised/delighted when Moores presents him with an English pistol.)

Kerala is a character in the film, too!
Kerala is a character in the film, too!

There are rumors in the village about a couple seen in the woods.  TK realizes that Moores is (dangerously) close to his beautiful/strong-willed housekeeper Sajani (Nandita Das, star of Deepa Mehta’s Earth and Fire; one of India’s finest indie actresses).  Is it love?  Is it mutual? 

Sajani (Nandita Das) w/ Laura Moores (Jennifer Ehle) and son
The Moores' housekeeper Sajani (Nandita Das) tells Laura Moores (Jennifer Ehle) and son a story.

Like Moores, Sajani is married, and a friend of TK’s (since childhood).  But Laura Moores (Jennifer Ehle of Pride and Prejudice fame; an American actress who studied in Britain) doesn’t suspect anything when she returns from London with their young son.  The Moores’ son adores TK and Sajani and is enthralled by their stories.

All smiles at a screening
All smiles on 2 of my fave actors!

TK is VERY engaging, though his face shows subtle expressions and he speaks simply /honestly.  The role of TK is a departure for Bose, Sivan says on the commentary track, because he usually portrays sophisticated/urbane characters (as in Mr & Mrs Iyer and 15 Park Avenue).  Roache does a fine job of  keeping the restraint of an Englishman, but his conflicting emotions come out of his eyes.  The Brit comments that though he has visited India several times, he considers Kerala to be “the most beautiful place in the world.”

Recent iTunes downloads:

Dallas Wayne:  He’s an old-school rockabilly country artist with a sense of fun AND tradition in his songs.  The instrumentals are GREAT!  

3:30 In the Afternoon

I’ll Take the Fifth

If That’s Country: VERY funny criticism of  the modern country scene; some lyrics below…

You can make a star of a teenage girl
But one million dollars won’t make her Merle
Laser beams, navel rings, and a pretty face might be something
But you can kiss my Ozark ass, if that’s country

Now I ain’t denyin’ them suburban moms their fun

But don’t you try to tell me it’s the way Hank wanted it done
You  better keep your money-grubbin’ hands off the poor man’s song

 And make sure Chris Gaines stays the hell offa my front lawn

 

http://www.dallaswayne.com/default.htm

 

Mac McAnally:  He’s a singer/songwriter who has been influenced by MANY genres, not just country.  His songs have been decribed as “a piece of Americana.”  The voice is clear, honest, and VERY pure!

If You Hang Around Long Enough

(Nothing Like A) Sunny Day

Until Then

 

http://www.macmcanally.com/

 

Three “Outside the Box” Movies: Oleanna, Millions, and Melinda & Melinda

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Oleanna (1994)

A play by David Mamet as a film
A play by David Mamet as a film

This intense, smart, thought-provoking, and perhaps controversial,  film centers on just 2 people: John (William H. Macy), a middle-aged college professor who struggles to understand (and be understood by) one his undergrad students, Carol (Debra Eisenstadt).  It takes time to get into it b/c David Mamet’s speech is NOT your everyday movie dialogue.  This movie will bring up a LOT of issues (depending on what YOU make of it)… and make every viewer think!  (IMHO, one of the key themes is the danger of being TOO politically correct.)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110722/

Millions (2004)

A film directed by Danny Boyle
A film directed by Danny Boyle

This is an eccentric, fun, and original film.  It’s shot in beautiful locations w/ a great group of UK actors, including many kids.

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Damien, who recently lost his mother, is an ADORABLE, sensitive, and bright boy living in suburban Ireland w/ his dad and older bro.  He has a great knowledge of saints and martyrs, and imagines them as part of his everyday life.  When a large bag of money falls on his playhouse, Damien thinks it’s a gift from God.

millions_bros

Damien sets about giving his share to the poor (using various methods), while his brother Anthony spends his half like there’s no tomorrow.

Melinda and Melinda (2005)

A film directed by Woody Allen
A film film directed by Woody Allen

This film is actually split into 2- a comedy (which features Will Farrell as a neurotic character actor) and a tragedy (where Chewitel Ejiofor plays a charming composer).  Manhattan looks beautiful in the hands of Woody Allen- of course!

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Melinda (petite/blonde/Australian Radha Mitchell) is the center of both stories.  She does a GOOD job of portraying 2 different women w/ a range of emotions/issues.

mm_smiles

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3 must-see period films

Emma1 Comment

Lost in Austen (BBC, 2008)

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This show (seen last year on BBC) is a MUST-SEE for all Jane Austen fans!  It has a great cast (including gorgeous/talented new faces), looks beautiful (costumes, cinematography, lighting), and is full of humor.  There are jokes viewers of ALL ages will get, BUT there are also in-jokes for devoted fans of Jane.  (I liked those jokes best, of course!)

Amanda (Jemima Rooper) and Elizabeth (Jemma Arterton)

Amanda Price is a modern-day JA fan who enters into her fave novel, Pride and Prejudice.  She takes the place of P&P’s main protagonist Elizabeth Bennett.  But life in Georgian England is NOT as easy as it seems in the book!

The newest Mr. Darcy (Elliot Cowan)

Amanda meets the the entire P&P gang, plus a few NEW characters (Mr. Collins has brothers- LOL!)  Alex Kingston (ER) and Hugh Bonneville (Daniel Deronda, Miss Austen Regrets) are TERRIFIC as the Bennett parents.  

But the best part is Amanda’s complicated relationship w/ the newest Mr. Darcy!  As in the novel, Darcy is tall, imposing, and irritatingly proper.  (His voice is VERY cool, too!)  At first, he is shocked by Amanda’s (modern/odd) behavior.  She doesn’t want to fall for Darcy- she wants to keep  things EXACTLY like the novel.  But things quickly go wrong!     

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An interview w/ Elliot Cowan:

http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/celebrity/article4635114.ece

 

 

Middlemarch (BBC, 1994) 

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I bought this DVD a few weeks ago b/c it was a VERY good price.  (If you’re a fan of Austen or Dickens, you should definitely check it out!)  It’s a miniseries based on George Eliot’s most famous novel.  She (the pen name of George was in honor of her long-time love, George Henry Lewes) was a writer who could describe a wide swath of society, much like Dickens.  There are MANY interesting/young people trying to carve out a place in the world w/o compromising their dreams.  (These include Jonathan Firth, Colin’s younger brother, and the unusually handsome/intense Rufus Sewell.) 

Dorothy (Juliet Aubrey)

The main female character is intelligent, serious-minded, natural beauty Dorothea Brooke (Juliet Aubrey).  She and her younger sister Cecilia (a more conventional girl) were orphaned before their teens, so they live on the estate of their wealthy bachelor uncle, Mr. Brooke.  (The estate is near to the town of Middlemarch.)  Though she has many fine qualities, Dorothea wants to “do something more” w/ her life than what’s expected of a young woman of her time.  She draws up a plan for improving the cottages of Brooke’s tenants, but he doesn’t want to spend money on the project.   

Even though her youthful/outgoing neighbor (Sir James Chettam) is in love with her, Dorothea merely sees him as a friend.  But she quickly grows interested in Rev. Casuabon, a VERY serious/middle-aged/scholarly man.  Dorothea thinks that she can help him in his work.   They have a brief courtship before marrying, much to the disappointment of her family/friends.   

During most of their honeymoon in Italy, Casuabon buries himself in libraries while Dorothea sees the sights with handsome/young Will Ladislaw (Casuabon’s cousin).  Will paints for fun, but wants to find a profession where he can make an impact.

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Back home, Dorothea is impressed by the painting of a beautiful lady hanging in her house.  Will tells her the story of the unconventional romance between his British grandfather and Polish grandmother (in the picture).  Sadly, the lady wasn’t treated very well by her in-laws.  As he tells it, she is full of quiet amazement at the idea of such a relationship.  (We KNOW Dorothea hasn’t married for love.)     

Casuabon is emotionally distant and refuses his young wife’s help w/ scholarly work.  Dorothea desperately wants to make him happy, but she grows disenchanted with the cold, lonely marriage.  But she never complains. 

Will, who begins work as her uncle’s assistant, continues to see her as a friend.  Casuabon suddenly prohibits Will from coming to his house.  Dorothea is shocked- they did nothing wrong!   Did her husband sense something neither she nor Will can admit?              

Dr. Lydgate (Douglas Hodge)

The main male character is intelligent, ambitious, and worldly Dr. Tertius Lydgate (Douglas Hodge).  Unlike most of the others in the provincial town of Middlemarch, he is a well-trained MD (w/ specializations done in Scotland and Paris.)  Most docs of that day were NOTHING like ours!  Lydgate is a newcomer who elicits much attention- sometimes of the negative kind.  The other doctors bristle against his techniques (such as warning patients against wacky potions and refusing to operate when not needed).   They feel he’s too young to overstep them.

Like Dorothea, he gives part of his time to the poor.  (They become friends as the story goes along.)  Lydgate’s an idealist who hopes to create BIG changes.  In his personal life, he is quickly drawn to the vivacious and chatty Rosamund Vincy, the daughter of a tradesman.  They fall in love and marry, though he’d intended to wait until he was financially/professionally more stable.   Rosamund dreams of status and money, ignorant of the goals he has.  Will marriage curtail Lydgate’s ambitions?

A GREAT in-depth review of this film:

http://costumedramas.wordpress.com/2009/04/18/middlemarch-1994/

The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006)  movie_WindThatShakes

  We have a responsibility to attack the mistakes and brutalities of our own leaders, past and present.  If you lie about the past you won’t tell the truth about the present.– British director Ken Loach  playing

You may not have heard of this film that came on recently on Encore; I saw it first in the BBC catalog.  It’s a glimpse into the Irish war for independence in the early 1920s as seen through the eyes of a group of very young men in rural County Cork.  At the center of the group is idealistic/sensitive Damien O’Donovan (Cilian Murphy- a native of Cork; The Way We Live Now, Red Eye, Batman Begins) and his older/charismatic brother Teddy (Padraig Delaney).  Damien is soft-spoken, slightly built, and well-respected for his smarts.   Teddy is tall, talks forcefully, and a natural leader.    harassment

Though most of his scrappy country pals are IRA (led by Teddy), Damien is about to go to a London hospital for training.  Then he witnesses some humiliating, unnecessary, and violent events perpetrated by the Black and Tans (British soldiers sent to quash the growing rebellion).         damien_sinead

He takes up arms quickly- his community needs him.  Even Damien’s long-time female friend is part of the rebellion- she works as a messenger.      bros

This film juxstaposes the beauty of Ireland with the violence of the rebellion.   In some cases, long-time friends are pitted against each other b/c they have to preserve themselves.   Freedom is not the only issuse; in one scene Damien examines a little boy who’s near starvation.  How will this rag tag group of guys defeat the soldiers?  When a compromise is reached with England, Damien and Teddy are pitted against each other.  

More info re: this film: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wind_That_Shakes_the_Barley_(film) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0460989/   cillian

More info re: Cilian Murphy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cilian_Murphy http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0614165/