Category: Movie Reviews

“Elmer Gantry” (1960)

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The screen has never known a man like ELMER GANTRY!  (movie tagline)

At the opening, we meet Elmer Gantry (Burt Lancaster), a travelling salesman in a dusty little town in Prohibition era Midwest.  He drinks and tells stories at a rowdy bar on Christmas Eve.  All the while, he keeps an eye on the red-suited blonde in the corner.   (Women are one of his weaknesses.)  Some men comment that he “talks like a preacher” after Elmer convinces them to give money to women representing the Salvation Army.   At the end of the night, he takes home the blonde.  Well, it’s not really his home- it’s a tacky hotel room.

       

Something seems to shift in Elmer’s mind (and maybe his heart) when he goes to a tent revival and sees a beautiful, Evangelical preacher called Sister Sharon Falconer (Jean Simmons).  Earlier, he’d seen her posters; she’s kind of celebrity in small Midwestern towns.  When he briefly speaks to her, he realizes that she’s a no-nonsense gal.  Elmer is even more intrigued, so he cozies up to the group’s choir leader, Sister Rachel (Patti Page), to learn more about Sharon.  Rachel gets a huge crush on Elmer and invites him to join their entourage.  Never one to shy away from dramatics, Elmer hops onto the train at the last minute. 

Aboard the train, Elmer gets a seat by Sharon.  She finds him interesting; he’s a far cry from the “sanctimonious prigs” she usually meets.  Elmer also meets Jim Lefferts (Arthur Kennedy), a jaded Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who’s been travelling w/ these Evangelicals and reporting on their movement.  Jim believes in evolution, not God.  Both Sharon and Jim quickly realize that Elmer is not a “true believer” in any cause (except maybe himself).

In no time, Elmer takes center stage at revivals, “warming-up” crowds for Sharon.  Her sober-minded manager doesn’t like the new direction.  But Sharon points out that Elmer’s “theatrics” are bringing in more lost souls yearning to be saved.  (Of course, some just want to be entertained.)  As Elmer (who was kicked out of his seminary) gains popularity, it appears that he’s finally found his calling- selling salvation.  Sharon starts to get close to him, too.  But wait, this isn’t the end of the story!       

Elmer Gantry explores some big issues: ambition, corruption (moral/political), faith, freedom of speech, forgiveness, hypocrisy, etc.   Even before this Oscar-winning film (based on a novel) was released, it was controversial.   Initially, no studio wanted to finance it.   Director (Richard Brooks) didn’t want Shirley Jones (pic above) in the role of Lulu, the young woman who unlocks Elmer’s past, but Burt Lancaster insisted. 

Though some viewers called his portrayal over-the-top, that is precisely what the character demanded!  Elmer is a bundle of energy, confidence (false or real), and words.  Not only does Lancaster make Elmer likeable, he makes him very fun to watch.  (There are MANY laughs in this film!)  But my fave scene is the one out in the woods where Elmer confronts Sharon about what men and women REALLY want from each other.  Elmer is not w/o redeeming qualities.  But does he deserve to be saved?  Watch this multi-layered film and decide for yourself!    

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053793/

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/

 

Wow, it’s already 2010!!!

EmmaLeave a comment

Dear readers,

Happy New Year!  I hope you all had a GREAT holiday season w/ family/friends!  My mom and little brother came from Indy to visit us in DC.  They got to see the house Dad just closed on in Silver Spring, MD.  Hopefully, Mom can find a job and move here in the next few months.  We ate (a LOT), watched movies, and hung out w/ a few relatives and family friends.  One of my dad’s younger cousins and her hubby had a baby girl; they live just 45 mins. away in MD.  It’s good to be in touch w/ family.

One of my aunties (a younger cousin of Mom) and 2 of her kids (18 and 24) came to visit NYC & DC from Sweden.  This aunt has met the king of Sweden, works in finance, and assists immigrant women in getting acculturated in their new county.  VERY cool, right?   Her son and daughter are very sweet, laid-back, and smart (fluent in 3 languages: Swedish, Bengali, and English). 

For my b-day, we went to Sam Phai, a Thai restaurant (1019 King St, Old Town Alexandria) with fresh/delicious food.  If you happen to be nearby, check it out!    

Thanks for visiting my corner of the web,

EMMA. 

 

Movies/TV Shows Seen Recently:

State of the Union (1948)

In my opinion, Hepburn+Tracy=Movie Magic!  This film, directed by Frank Capra, is refreshingly modern (with its themes), fast-paced, and funny.  It also stars a very young Angela Lansbury; she plays a tough/single DC powerbroker.  Lansbury’s character, Kay Thorndyke, is in love with Grant Matthews (Spencer Tracy), a self-made Midwestern businessman who she encourages to run for president.  But Matthews already has 2 young kids and is married to a very strong woman, Mary (Katherine Hepburn).  Though the Matthews have a close relationship, their marriage is put under pressure during the campaign.  Mary has to keep an eye on the scheming Kay, a former senator’s daughter who projects her ambitions onto Grant.  Mary also worries that Grant’s plans and high moral principles will get squashed by the new political experts around him.       

Mary Matthews: Another thing – he used to hate to hear me swear. Whenever I’d let with something, he’d smack me on my sitter, hard. I’ve done a lot of swearing on this trip.
Jim Conover: And no smacks?
Mary Matthews: It’s a small request, but I’d give anything for a good smack on my south end.

  

Adam’s Rib (1949)

Amanda: What I said was true, there’s no difference between the sexes. Men, women, the same.
Adam: They are?
Amanda: Well, maybe there is a difference, but it’s a little difference.
Adam: Well, you know as the French say…
Amanda: What do they say?
Adam: Vive la difference!
Amanda: Which means?
Adam: Which means hurrah for that little difference.

This is another Hepburn/Tracy film; it’s about married lawyers in Manhattan who end up supporting opposite sides.  Adam Bonner (Tracy) is an ADA assigned to the case of a philadering hubby who was shot by his wife.  Adam’s wife, a defense attorney named Amanda, jumps in to defend the accused wife.  Their loving relationship is put to the test during the much-publicized trial.  

 

Slings & Arrows (2003-2006)

To be, or not to be, — that is the question
Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them?

-Hamlet (Act III, Scene i)

The theater is NOT dead, as this intelligent/quirky Canadian TV series proves.  It stars Paul Gross, the handsome star of  ’90s TV series, Due South, created by Paul Haggis.  (Due South was the first Canadian show to cross-over to the US and achieve primetime success.)  Slings & Arrows, a combo of comedy and drama, puts the spotlight on theater folk- onstage and off.  The ensemble cast includes well-established Canadian stars (Gross/Colm Feore/Geraint Wyn Davies), rising youngsters (Rachel McAdams/Sarah Polley), and comedians (like Mark McKinney of The Kids in the Hall).   

 

Can artists and businesspeople compromise to keep a struggling theater festival alive?  Can relationships (between friends, couples, and co-workers) withstand the pressures of putting on Hamlet, Macbeth, and King Lear?  Watch this terrific show (3 seasons/3 DVDs) to find out.  (You CANNOT see something like this on US TV!)   

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0387779/

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

 

Some Recent Music Downloads:

Chris Young (I’m in LOVE with his wonderful voice!)  

You know this old world is full of singers
But just a few are chosen
To tear your heart out when they sing
Imagine life without them
All your radio heros
Like the outlaw that walks through Jesse’s dream

No, there will never be another
Red-headed stranger
A Man in Black and Folsom Prison Blues
The Okie from Muskogee
Or Hello Darling
Lord I wonder, who’s gonna fill their shoes

–Who’s Gonna Fill Their Shoes (sung by George Jones)

Warm, rich, and pure are some fitting words to describe Chris Young’s voice.  Or you could just stick with GORGEOUS!  His lyrics are touching and simple, but with a modern sensibility.  This young singer (just 24!) is proof that reality TV isn’t ALL bad: he won Nashville Star back in ’06.  Chris has been a working singer/songwriter since his teens.  He lists Keith Whitley and Randy Travis as his main influences.  In the flock of rising country singers, Chris soars above the crowd!

Drinkin’ Me Lonely: This is my fave so far- a sensitive song w/ great lyrics!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMbs-NAdREM

Gettin’ You Home (The Black Dress Song): A BIG hit on country radio now!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWP7ZtVLPd4&feature=channel

Rainy Night in Georgia: A new version of a classic song.

The Man I Want to Be: A simple song re: forgiveness in the true country tradition  

 

http://www.chrisyoungcountry.com/

http://www.youtube.com/user/ChrisYoung

 

“Onegin” (1999)

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I bought this DVD because I heard Toby Stephens played a good role in it; I had never seen it before last week.  This film is very smart, subtle, touching, and thought-provoking.  It is based on the novel by Alexander Pushkin.  It was directed by Martha Fiennes (Ralph’s sister) and has some creative/unusual shots.  The cinematography is simple gorgeous, as are the locations, sets and costumes (which make the actors stand up straighter and creates elegant lines).

Eugene Onegin (Fiennes) is a wealthy playboy from St. Petersburg, Russia.  He is bored with his urban life: costly mistress, social obligations, and frivolous friends.  Onegin inherits a huge country estate after his elderly uncle dies, and he ventures out of the city to have a look at the place.

Onegin, the brooding/pessimistic aristocrat, makes friends with Lensky (Toby Stephens), an optimistic/energetic/naive country gent with dreams of becoming a poet.  Though the men are polar opposites, they are both well-educated and neighbors.  Lensky has long been in love with Olga (Lena Headey), a conventional girl who dreams of city life.  But Olga’s younger sister Tatyana (Liv Tyler) is the girl who intrigues Onegin.

It is soon obvious that the impressionable Tatyana has fallen in love with Onegin, or in love with who she thinks he is.  She borrows books from his library, and expresses modern opinions (much to the changrin of her widowed mother).  One night, Tatyana pores out her heart in a letter to Onegin, unable to keep her feelings boxed up (as social convention dictates).  How will the seemingly cool-headed Onegin react?  Can he return her feelings?  Watch to find out!

Ralph Fiennes, an internal actor, quickly disappears into his role of the dissatisfied Onegin.  Toby Stephens provides a refreshing counterbalance to Onegin.  Liv Tyler gives a terrific performance, proving that some actors don’t need to study for years to create fine characters.  They just have the “it” factor!

A clip from Onegin:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvr-iemGsyE

More about the movie:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119079/

About the book Eugene Onegin by Alexander Pushkin:

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