Tag: Actors

The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946)

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When the dir. of this film noir, Lewis Blackstone, complained to Lauren Bacall re: the “lack of interesting men in Hollywood,” she immediately recommended Kirk Douglas (her good friend from NYC theater days).  That is how Douglas got his 1st film role- starring opposite Barbara Stanwyck no less!  Stanwyck, known as a generous co-star, helped Douglas manuever through his 1st film.  He does a TERRIFIC job, as do his fellow 3 leads.

In 1928, strong-willed teen Martha Ivers is desperate to run away from her small factory town (Iverstown, PA)  and the domineering/wealthy aunt who’s in custody of her after her parents’ deaths.  A street-smart boy from the other side of the tracks (and close friend), Sam Masterson, is also planning to run away to join the circus.  Their plan is thwarted first by  local cops (under the thumb of the aunt) and then by Martha’s tutor, Mr. O’Neil (trying to ingratiate himself w/ the aunt).  Walter, O’Neil’s straight-arrow son, wants to win Martha’s friendship.  That stormy night, things occur that will change the course of  these characters’ lives forever.

Then we go forward to 1946, when a grown-up Sam (Van Heflin) drives into Iverstown to find “his people” (relatives).  While daydreaming, his car got dinged up, so he has to stop at a garage.   He meets a beautiful young woman Antonia “Toni” Marachek (Lizabeth Scott) sitting on the steps of his former house, now a boarding house.  She’s not sure if she should take the late bus to her parents’ house in the next town.  They commiserate re: the mistakes they’ve made in life, etc.

Sam, a drifter/gambler, is chagrined to discover that “scared little boy” Walter (Douglas) is now a DA w/ political ambition.  Walter is also married to Martha, who has expanded her aunt’s factory, created many jobs, and become a powerful woman in her OWN right.  Toni gets in trouble w/ the law, so Sam goes to Walter’s office seeking help.  Martha comes in while the men are talking; she is VERY happy/excited to see her old friend (and first crush) all grown-up.  She wants to speand some time w/ Sam.  Walter is wary of Sam, fearing that he knows the truth of what happened all those years ago.

This is a well-paced film that contains clever dialogue, intriguing characters, and plot twists.  The quick-witted/confidant Sam is a catalyst for change in the lives of the other characters, but he’s not always 100% sure of the right thing to do.  Martha and Walter’s relationship is complicated and (IMO) HIGHLY dysfunctional.  It’s fun to watch though!

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A Letter to Three Wives (1949)

Three VERY different women (who happen to be in same social circle in a small town near NYC) get a letter from another, Addie Ross, stating that she has run off w/ ONE of their hubbies.  Then we get closer glimpses into their respective relationships w/ their men. 

Deborah (Jeanne Crain) is the newbie in town, having married her guy (“nice and has money”) while they both served in the navy.  Leaving that old life and uniform (“the great equalizer”) behind, the former farm girl feels insecure in the upper-middle class, country clubby community.  Rita (Ann Sothern) is a confidant working mother (radio show writer) who’s married to proud schoolteacher George (Kirk Douglas).  Working -class Lora Mae (Linda Darnell) married up when she wed her older boss.   They bicker and insult each other constantly, though their pals are used to it.    

I esp. enjoyed seeing Douglas is a lighter role; this was BEFORE he become a headliner.  His character was VERY smart, principled, and fun to watch.  Darnell was also VERY good as a woman who protects herself by being TOO much of a realist and plain talker. 

 

Life in Flight (2008)

Will (Patrick Wilson) seems to have the perfect life: large brownstone, socially poised wife, cute young son, and a great job (architect).  But he’s NOT happy w/ they way his life has been going lately; he’s under pressure to sign a contract w/ a huge contruction firm that he’s been dealing w/ for 2 yrs.  His wife Catherine (Amy Smart) is eager for them to make more money and take an expensive vacation w/ her well-heeled pals.  

Then Will meets Kate (Lynn Collins), a free-spirited urban designer at a mutual friend’s party; they seem to have instant chemistry.  Will doesn’t mention that he’s married; he chooses NOT to wear a ring.  He looks over Kate’s designs and is impressed.  But Kate may get an offer from an LA design firm soon.    

I liked Collins character b/c she was good at portraying a sensitive young woman who’s at a crossroads in life, uncertain of what step to take next.  However, this film is a BIT slow and NOT as well-developed as I thought it would be.  Smart’s character is pretty one-dimensional.  The acting could’ve been stronger, though the minor players did fine IMO.  The themes are current.  I loved seeing NYC, of course!

Cairo Time (2009)

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This little gem of an indie film (written/directed by a 2nd gen Arab-Canadian woman, Ruba Nadda) reminded me of old Hollywood romances though it’s set in busy, modern-day Egypt.  If you like thoughtful, slow-paced, character-driven stories, you’ll enjoy it.  The cinematography and lighting alone will WOW you!       

Juliette Grant (Patricia Clarkson), an American magazine editor from NYC, travels to Cairo for the first time, expecting to spend some time w/ her hubby, who runs a UNHCR camp in Gaza.  At the airport, she’s greeted by the former head of her hubby’s protection detail, Tareq Khalifa (Alexander Siddig).  Now retired from his job, Tareq runs a tea shop/spends time w/ pals.  After a few days of jet lag and hanging around the hotel, Juliette decides to venture out and experience the city.  Tareq will be her guide on this journey. 

Juliette, w/ her serene and observant ways, seeks to adapt herself to the ways of Cairo.  (She’s not content to sit about complianing w/ the typical diplomat wives.)  With the gentlemanly Tareq, Juliette sees and begins to understand the real city, full of beauty, history, and contradictions.  They learn about each other, too.

Yes, that is Dr. Bashir from Star Trek: Deep Space 9.  (Sid impressed the producers SO much that had he been a bit older, he would’ve been cast as the captain!)  It is SO refreshing to see a Muslim-background character portrayed as a sweet, thoughtful, and all-around normal guy.  Check out Syriana if you haven’t seen it yet, b/c he has a meaty role there.      

Related Links:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0896529/

http://www.cairotime.ca/

Angel Face (1952) & Midnight Cowboy (1969)

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Angel Face (1952)

Ambulence driver/paramedic Frank Jessup (Robert Mitchum) underestimates 19 y.o. heiress-to-be Diane Tremayne (Jean Simmons) in one of famed director Otto Preminger’s lesser-known (noir) films.  The couple meet under odd circumstances- an accident (or maybe not) occurs at the SoCal mansion where she lives w/ her novelist father and his wife, potentially fatal to the stepmother.  Frank is intrigued by Diane’s beauty and moody/mysterious ways.  She  takes it a BIT more seriously…

Later that night, Diane drives into town and approaches him for a date.  Though Frank has a steady gf (a nurse) he decides to take Diane out for dinner and dancing.  It’s all harmless fun, or so he thinks…

This film has twists and turns- it kept me guessing.  It’s a psychological drama, for the most part.  Frank, who’s older and more experienced w/ life, thinks he can handle Diane.  But he doesn’t realize the complex/troubled mind she has, or what this petite lady is capable of.  Diane offers him a cushy job as the family chauffeur w/ an apt.

Jean Simmons REALLY shines in her role of the (unexpected) femme fatale, going toe-to-toe w/ Mitchum.  She creates a complicated, troubled, yet VERY watcheable character in Diane.  Mitchum, on the other hand, is sometimes TOO calm/collected.  (I wanted to see more anger/emotion from Frank.)  But his screen presence, charisma, and confidence almost make up for it.

 

Midnight Cowboy (1969)

I never saw this film until last week, though it’s quite famous/controversial.  The two leads (Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman) do a FINE job, no doubt about it!  However, this film is difficult to emotionally connect to at times.  The shooting style is unusual, esp. for its time.  There are flashbacks that provide glimpses into a character’s troubled past, BUT don’t tell the complete story.  There is a weird, disjointed, lengthy scene at a party towards the end.

Joe Buck (Voight) is a handsome 28 y.o. dishwasher from small-town Texas who comes to NYC looking to work as a “hustler.”   He dreams of charming and seducing older ladies and making big money.  But he’s totally clueless.  He happens to meet Ratso Rizzo (Hoffman), a talkative/street-smart trickster w/ a bad leg.

An unlikely, yet mutually beneficial, friendship develops between the two opposites.  In Joe, Ratso sees the strong, able-bodied guy he’d like to be.  Ratso helps Joe navigate through the cruel city, and shares what little he has w/ the wide-eyed innocent.

Two Reviews: Blue & Intimacy

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Blue (1993)

This is the 1st film in dir. Kieslowski’s Three Colors trilogy.  The blue represents depression, sadness, and freedom here.   Julie (Juliette Binoche) is a young French wife who loses her husband (a famous composer) and 5 y.o. daughter in a terrible car crash at the opening of the film.  She decides to leave her large country estate, taking nothing except a gorgeous blue mobile ornament, and move to Paris to live a solitary life.  She’s determined that she won’t work, seek out company, or reconnect w/ the family friend who may have deep feelings for her.  But life has a way of just happening, even as Julie is in deep mourning.

In her apt, Julie is deeply perturbed by a mouse and her babies in one of the closets.  Even a mouse can have babies, while she has lost everything!  Then a young single woman from downstairs barges in on Julie.  She looks like she can use some comfort, and Julie is around (w/ a non-judgmental attitude).  Eventually, Julie starts to finish the song that her hubby left behind.

This is a non-narrative, artisitic film, so it won’t appeal to some viewers.  It’s slow and contemplative.  The music is simply beautiful.  There are many close-ups of Binoche’s (I think perfect) face as she goes through a myriad of emotions.  Binoche is simply great (and I wouldn’t expect anything less).  You can’t see her acting; everything just rises from within.  Vive La Binoche!

Intimacy (2001)

NOTE: There are 2 versions of this film, one of which is R-rated, and was shown in indie theaters upon release.  The version on Netflix is the original Unrated film(equivalent to MPAA’s NC-17 rating). 

This is another film that’s not for everyone, BUT it certainly is unusual and out-of-the-box.  (NOTE: There is an R-rated version and an Unrated version.)  Raw emotions are depicted, as two strangers connect to and disconnect from each other in London.  It was directed by Frenchman Chereau and stars British character actors from the theater.  The film is based on a short story by famed British-Pakistani writer, Hanif Kureishi.  This is the kind of stuff Hollywood is afraid to show!

Jay (Mark Rylance) is a failed musician who manages a trendy bar and lives in a dump of a rowhouse in a working-class area.  In his past life, he was married and father to two adorable young sons.  For a personal life, he has a (junkie) best friend and Claire (Kerry Fox).  But Claire is NOT his gf or a “friend w/ benefits”- she’s a stranger who comes by once a week for hooking up.

Jay and Claire barely speak, but one day, Jay follows Claire out into the streets, curious about her “real” life.  That’s when the story gets GOOD, and even a BIT suspenseful!

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Jay is shocked to discover that Claire has a full life; she’s an amateur actress, drama teacher, wife, and mother to a preteen son.  He even talks w/ her husband, Andy (Timothy Spall), a talkative/humble cabbie who doesn’t know much about the theater, but supports his wife (in the background).

You can see the shock/pain/jealousy on Rylance’s face as his character wonders why Claire gets to have a life while he’s in a fog of depression, missing his ex and (especially) sons.  When Jay confronts her about it, Claire feels VERY violated.  She lashes out at him- he wasn’t supposed to enter her life like THAT!

But Jay CHOSE to leave his family, and now he can’t handle it.  The new bartender working below Jay, a cute young Frenchman, wonders if Jay can even feel love.  Ouch!

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The streets are gritty and unwelcoming.  There are people everywhere, but the main characters are drifting, lost in their own world of disappointments, compromises, etc.  Jay and Claire are BOTH artistic souls, BUT they have failed (or not made much of a mark) in that regard.  Andy seems like a decent guy; Claire is a mystery- I found her to be TOO abrasive.  I’m pretty sure that was intentional.  Jay is the more sympathetic individual (though very flawed); more is seen from his view.  In one quiet scene, he watches for Claire from his window; Rylance’s face becomes that of a hopeful little boy.  His performance is fearless; I don’t think I’ve seen a lead man portrayed in this manner EVER in Hollywood!