Tag: Actors

Two Films Starring Timothy Hutton

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Did you know that Timothy Hutton’s father was also an actor?  Jim Hutton was a contract player in Hollywood for many years; he got into acting while serving in the army.  He was said to have been similar to Jimmy Stewart- very tall, lanky, and a bit absent-minded in his delivery.  Unfortunately, Jim Hutton died young, before his son (at 18 y.o.) won Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Ordinary People, a touching domestic drama directed by Robert Redford.  In that film, Jane Fonda and Donald Sutherland played Tim’s parents- WOW!

Despite his “boy next door” type of looks, there is something mysterious about Timothy Hutton.  He’s the type of actor you see pausing and thinking about a scene.  But, that’s not a problem, b/c he’s VERY good at becoming a character.  I like the fact that Hutton gets intelligent, sometimes very understated, roles.

Beautiful Girls (1996)

The main character, a piano player living in NYC, Willie (Hutton), goes to his working-class hometown (Knight’s Ridge) to visit his dad, little brother (David Arquette), and friends.  Their high school reunion is coming up, too.

One friend, Mo (Noah Emmerich), is a factory manager who’s settled w/ a wife and 2 rambunctious young kids.  He admires Willie for following his dreams.  Tommy (Matt Dillon), a star athlete in his high school days,  has a snow plowing business and a girlfriend named Sharon (Mira Sorvino).  But he has an on-again, off-again relationship w/ his high school sweetheart, Darian (Lauren Holly), who’s married to a wealthy man and mother to a toddler.  Paul (Michael Rapaport) is another snow plower who recently broke up w/ his long-term girlfriend, Jan (Martha Plimpton), a waitress who wants to settle down.  Paul is immature; he’s still crazy about supermodels (posters are all over his bedroom).

Willie, who’s deciding whether he should take his own relationship to the next level, meets his father’s neighbor, Marty (Natalie Portman), a 13 y.o. “old soul.”  They have some interesting conversations; she reminds him of less complicated times (childhood, innocence).

Willie, and all his pals, are intrigued by a glamorous visitor to town, Andera (Uma Thurman), the cousin of local bartender, Stinky. She’s the personification of their dream girl, so they all try to impress her how they can.  Andera is spoken for back in Chicago and Willie has a girlfriend, a lawyer named Tracy (Annabeth Gish).

This film is quite good (have seen it 3x over the years); the dialogue is (mostly) true to life.  It’s VERY well cast, too.  You get to know something about each of these young people who are in transition.  (If you enjoyeded Diner, Barry Levinson’s 1982 film, you’ll like Beautiful Girls.)  Though the title refers to women, it’s mainly a story of male frienship and romantic issues (self-doubt, fear of commitment, etc.)  Rosie O’Donnell has a REALLY clever/humorous scene inside a drugstore.

The Substance of Fire (1996)

As a young boy living in Europe, Isaac Geldhart (Ron Rifkin), hides in an attic filled w/ books to evade the Nazis.  From his window, he sees crowds burning books written by Jews.  As an adult, Isaac is a respected publisher of finely-made/serious books in NYC, though the business (Kepler Geldhart) is losing money.  His wife died a few years ago, and he’s still taking it VERY hard, though he hides it (w/ his charm, intelligence, etc.)  His eldest son, Aaron (Tony Goldwyn, giving an understated performance), handles the financial affairs of the family business.  Another son, Martin (Hutton), is a landscape designer/college lecturer living in the Hudson Valley.  The youngest child, Sarah (Sarah Jessica Parker), is an actress on a local children’s TV show.

Aaron, who’s out as a gay man, wants to publish a novel written by his boyfriend, Val (Gil Bellows).  Isaac insists that his company will NEVER publish trash like that.  Aaron decides to take control (w/ the help of his siblings, who are also shareholders).  It’s a tough decision for the kids.  Isaac, whose behavior becomes domineering and irrational, is enraged; he even asks for his surname to be removed from Aaron’s company!  Isaac opens his own firm and cuts himself off from his children for many months.  With the help of his long-time secretary, the kids get into the house (a historic townhouse), which has become a total mess.  They realize that something could be seriously wrong w/ their father.

I saw this film last week on Netflix; it caught my eye b/c of its cast.  It has some strong acting, esp. from Rifkin and Hutton, BUT just tried to do a BIT too much (w/ not enough time).  I wanted to know some more backstory and character motivation (esp. when it came to the BIG sacrifice Martin made).   The premise is quite unusual/interesting; the (realistic) issues addressed are VERY emotionally-charged.

True Grit & Winter’s Bone

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True Grit (2010)

This 2010 remake of the famed John Wayne western adapted/directed by Joel and Ethan Coen brings to mind Miller’s Crossing (1990), their Prohibition era gangster drama starring Gabriel Byrne.  Unlike most other Coen brothers films, it’s w/o any irony; the viewer needs to take it seriously.  But there is some humor here.  It took a few minutes to get used to the style of speech used, but I found it quite engaging.  The cinematography is just terrific!

The protagonist, 14 y.o. Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld), travels from her family ranch to a small, unnamed town to collect the body of her dead father.  She explains that he was murdered by Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin), a former employee who stole her father’s horse and two California gold pieces.  Then Chaney fled deep into Indian territory.

Mattie, a smart/tough kid beyond her years, seeks out Deputy Marshall Reuben “Rooster” Cogburn (Jeff Bridges, one of my favorite actors), b/c she learns that he has “true grit.”  She raises the money to hire him by bargaining w/ a horse trader (Dakin Matthews).  But Marshall Cogburn is NOT your prototypical white knight; he’s scruffy, out of shape, cranky, and VERY fond of whiskey.

This mismatched pair is joined by a cocky/talkative Texas Ranger, LaBoeuf (Matt Damon, who gives an understated performance), who wants to capture Chaney and take him back to the Lone Star state for crimes he committed there against a state senator.  Mattie wants to kill Chaney to revenge her father.  Though they were both fought for the South in the Civil War, Cogburn and LaBoeuf DO NOT hit it off.

This is one film that truly needed a remake; the 1969 version had some good action, but it wasn’t outstanding when it came to acting.  I have to admit, it was a BIT difficult to figure out what Bridges was saying in a few scenes.  His performance was VERY different from that of Wayne.

Steinfeld’s Mattie is a HUGE improvement over Kim Darby.  To begin with, Darby was TOO old for the role of Mattie.  And we mustn’t forget that annoying voice!

Also, b/c of Darby’s feminine Mattie, there was romantic tension between her and Glen Campbell, who (badly) acted the role of LaBoeuf.  Aside from examples like Chris Kristofferson and Dolly Parton, most country singers are NOT capable actors.  Not sure why SO many of them keep trying…

Winter’s Bone (2010)

Another unflinching teen girl, Ree Dolly (Jennifer Lawrence), is the main character in Winter’s Bone, a small budget indie  set deep in the poverty-stricken Ozark Mountains.  (The film was shot on location is Missouri.)  17 y.o. Ree single-handedly raises her 6 y.o. sister Ashlee and 12 y.o. brother Sonny.  She is close friends w/ Gail, a new mother who’s married to a chauvinistic young man.  She is loving, yet tough when she needs to be.

Her absent father is out on bail, but the family doesn’t know his exact location.  He cooked meth (common in their tight-knit community); her mother became catatonic a few years back, unable to deal w/ the circumstances/pain of her life.

One day, Sheriff Baskin (Garrett Dillahunt) tells Ree that if her father doesn’t show up for his court date, they will lose the house because it was put up as part of his bond.  Ree sets out to find her father, entering a world of meth, violence, and secrecy.  She starts with her meth-addicted uncle Teardrop (John Hawkes) and continues on to more distant relatives.  She even gathers the courage to reach out to the local crime leader, Thump Milton.   He refuses to even see her, sending his wife and other females out to warn her to leave the situation alone.

You will quickly be drawn into the (often unseen) world of this film.  Many critics have commented on its feminist viewpoint.  Also, we usually don’t see rural poverty depicted in such a natural way.  Lawrence does a SUPERB job; I can’t recall seeing a character quite like this before!  As I was watching Winter’s Bone, I kept thinking that a girl like Ree should be studying, planning for her adult life (job/college), and anticipating the senior prom.  But some girls’ lives are NOT so easy.

Views for Your New Year

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Bramwell (Series 2)

There are MANY surprises and fresh guest stars in the 2nd series of this smart, gritty show starring Jemma Redgrave as Dr. Eleanor Bramwell.  Well-born lady doc Eleanor, while struggling to keep her “baby”–The Thrift (a charity hospital in London) going–is still at odds w/ her protective dad and fellow doc, Robert (David Calder).  Romance comes into Eleanor’s life (FINALLY!!!) in the form of handsome, charming Dr. Finn O’Neill.  The Irish researcher may be her equal in brains and talent.  But love is NOT easy for this pair, thanks to their conflicting natures and ambitions.  And, of course, Robert is NOT happy of his “little girl’s” choice.

 

The House of Mirth (2000)

No, this film isn’t about Brits; the characters are American (as seen through the eyes of novelist Edith Wharton and screenwriter/director Terence Davies) from the turn of the 20th century.  If you liked The Age of Innocence, you’ll definitely find this film (w/ a much lower budget) quite absorbing!  Canadian Gillian Anderson (Bleak House) lifts this movie onto her narrow shoulders and carries you away into the life of beautiful, charming, yet cash-poor, Lily Bart.  Like many singletons before and after her, New York debutante Lily likes nice clothes, having fun (vacations, theater, fine food, etc.) and hopes to marry someday.  But she MUST marry a rich man to maintain her lifestyle!

At the start of the film, Lily has an ambiguous relationship w/ a bachelor of her circle, lawyer Lawrence Seldon (Eric Stoltz).  They speak their minds to each other, but never directly confess their feelings.  One day, a maid sees her coming out of Seldon’s apartment- a VERY scandalous thing at that time.  A married friend, Gus Trenor (Dan Ackroyd), says he’ll help Lily invest her small income in the stock market, but he has more than that in his (creepy) mind.  Then one of Lily’s close friends, the worldly Bertha Dorset (Laura Linney in a wickedly fine role), turns against her.

Lily tries to stay true to herself and her personal morals.  She can’t force herself to marry for money alone.  Lily is not “world smart,” as my mom says; she thinks that people are pretty much what they portray themselves to be.  The director uses a lot of mirrors, keeping w/ the theme of appearance.  It was interesting to see Oz star Terry Kinney portray a cuckolded hubby.  Also, pay attention to the performance of Australian Anthony LaPaglia; it’s low-key, yet very effective.  The soundtrack, compiled by Adrian Johnston (Becoming Jane) sets just the right mood.

 

Miss Julie (1999)

   

Statuesque Brit Saffron Burrows (a former model; Nan in Circle of Friends) and her (shorter) co-star, Scotsman Peter Mullan (The Claim) are captivating in Mike Figgis’ film version of August Strindberg’s play.  Irish actress Maria Doyle Kennedy (one of he main reasons to see the first season of The Tudors) makes a fine contribution as well.  On Midsummer’s Eve in the late 1800s, the servants at a Swedish country estate are cutting loose w/ drinking, joking, and dancing.  The mistress of the manor, Miss Julie (Burrows), joins them in their revelry rather than going w/ her father, The Duke, to visit relatives.  This doesn’t sit well with the footman, Jean (Mullan) and his intended, the head cook Christine (Doyle Kennedy).

Miss Julie gets tipsy and keeps asking to dance w/ Jean, to his embarrassment and annoyance.  She comes into the kitchen and angrily asks why he’s still wearing his “livery” (uniform) when it’s time to cut loose.  Appearance is VERY important to Jean; he takes GREAT pride in his work for The Duke.  He’s well-spoken, has seen some of the world, and doesn’t take stuff from just anyone. 

Eventually, Christine goes upstairs to sleep, leaving the main players together.  Jean and Miss Julie basically go at it- a power struggle between genders and classes ensues.  There is also the latent physical attraction between them.  Clearly, Miss Julie is an angry, depressed young woman.  We learn that her fiance recently broke up w/ her.  She longs for change- to be free from her “cage;” a little bird sits in an actual cage in a corner of the sparse kitchen set.  In one crucial scene, Jean exclaims that HE could take her away!  Though he is of a low class, he could (in time) make her a duchess; she could never make him a duke (being a powerless woman w/o her father’s status/protection).        

More about the play:

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

Double Indemnity & Unfaithfully Yours

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Double Indemnity (1944)

It’s just like the first time I came here, isn’t it? We were talking about automobile insurance, only you were thinking about murder. And I was thinking about that anklet.

In this captivating film noir (directed by Billy Wilder) successful insurance salesman Walter Neff (Fred MacMurray) is a goner from the moment he sees Phyllis Dietrichson (Barbara Stanwyck) standing above her stairs wearing only a towel while on a house call.  They are very attracted to each other and carry on a strong flirtation.  But the clever and sultry housewife is thinking of taking out an insurance policy on her husband (without his knowledge) and murdering him.  Though Walter knows this is wrong, he quickly agrees to help Phyllis so that she’ll be free to marry him. 

While Phyllis betrays her husband, Walter betrays his boss and close friend, Barton Keyes (Edward G. Robinson in a rare good guy character role).  Stanwyck told Wilder that she was afraid to take on the role of an out-and-out killer, but was later very glad about her decision.  MacMurray, who thought he couldn’t handle the role, got the chance to show his acting chops.   He’s mostly known for lightweight, Disney roles.  As one IMDB commentator wrote: He is consumed by his passion and he will do anything because of what he perceives will be the reward for doing the crime. Walter Neff was perhaps Mr. MacMurray’s best creation. He is completely believable and vulnerable.

I highly recommend this film because it has an interesting premise, terrific dialogue, and the the two leads have great chemistry together.  The only thing I didn’t like about it- the platinum blonde wig worn by Stanwyck.   

Body Heat (1981) starring William Hurt and Kathleen Turner is a reworking of Double Indemnity set in the tropical heat of Florida.  Hurt plays Ned Racine, a small-time, slacker lawyer who quickly falls head over heels in lust with mysterious Matty Walker (Turner), a beautiful young woman married to an older man (played by Richard Crenna).  Ned agrees to help Matty kill her husband, thinking that she reciprocates his love.  But Matty’s only goal is to be rich.

   

Unfaithfully Yours (1948)

As with Stanwyck, you really can’t go wrong with Rex Harrison!  He was smart, funny, charming, and had a big screen presence.  This screwball black comedy film had me laughing out loud (during many scenes).  But it also has some dark elements and great classical music, too.  Harrison plays a famous British orchestra conductor/nobleman, Sir Alfred de Carter.  Linda Darnell plays his much-younger wife, Daphne.  They seem to have a very lovey-dovey relationship at the opening of the film. 

While he was away, Alfred asked his brother-in-law August to “look after” his wife (in case she was bored/lonely).  But the dimwitted August misunderstood and had a private detective follow Daphne.  Alfred flies off the handle when he hears this: I give you my solemn word, August: if I don’t regain control of myself in a few minutes, concert or no concert, I’ll take this candelabrum and beat that walnut you use for a head into a nutburger, I believe they’re called!

Shows I’m catching up on…

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Battlestar Galactica

One of my friends is a HUGE fan of this show; I watched the finale w/ her when it 1st aired.  This summer, I watched a the pilot & 1st few eps of Season 1.  This show hooked me from the start- it’s V well-made & has GREAT dialogue!  I will cont. w/ the series, for sure.  I’m esp. intrigued by Gaius & Starbuck, who seem to be 2 of the MOST interesting characters.

 

 

 

 

Star Trek: Voyager

It boggles the mind that this ST series (w/ the 1st female capt. & one of the most diverse casts) had LOW ratings until that (bimbo) Jeri Ryan joined in S4!  I’m currently in the beginning of S3.  Kate Mulgrew is a TERRIFIC actress- no doubt!  And she had AMAZING chemistry w/ her 1st officer, Chakotay (Robert Beltran).  But this can’t go anywhere b/c she’s his superior officer.  (Loneliness is one of the main themes of this series.)  The Doctor, Neelix, and Kes are V strong/well-developed characters.  The crew of the Voyager has to think on their feet b/c they are hurled across the galaxy where there is no other Starfleet presence.               

 

 

 

  

 

 

Weeds

S4 is more exciting/eventful than S3 which seemed to drag at times.  There a MANY changes going on and still a LOT of laughs.  However, the tone of the show gets darker/more serious as Nancy (Mary Louise Parker) gets deeper and deeper into the drug business.  Ambition/greed gets the entire fam in trouble, as well as Nancy’s ragtag crew and nabes.  Silas and Shane are growing up, rebelling more, and crying out for more of their mom’s attn.  Shootings, fires, and (dangerous) romances can’t keep Nancy down- she manages to survive!  Look for some (unexpected) guest stars, too.