Tag: Movies

Movie reviews

Update on me… and more

EmmaLeave a comment

Hey readers!

The weather is going up and down last few days; it’s pretty windy, and going to rain later today in NoVA.  I heard there were some several tornadoes touching down in NJ & NY this past week!  Dad is in Bowie, MD looking at houses w/ his realtor today (FRI).  He likes the area so far…

 

I’ve added some new blogs to my blogroll, so check them out.  I want to learn more about podcasting, so let me know if you have any expertise on that subject!  I listen to a variety of podcasts on iTunes, and thought it would be fun to create my own (perhaps focused on British Literature). 

 

I’m STILL working on my TESOL assignments (so I can be considered for overseas English teaching).  I went to a reunion for Tesol Teaching International where I met some VERY interesting people!  It was a diverse group- different ages, backgrounds, subject areas, etc.  Mom thinks Japan would be a good choice, BUT it’s pricy.  As for working in US… 

 

Dad knows an Indian American guy whose company is hiring over 300 new workers, including contractors to work in fed govt.  I don’t want to sound negative, BUT I’ve never gotten much (job-related) news/help from desis in places I’ve lived.  (Even in NYC, I met only a handful of Bangladeshi teachers in the public school system.)  The DC area MAY be different story, b/c there are desis here who work in non-profit sector (which interests me VERY much).   

 

Recently, I met some warm, intelligent, yet laid-back  Bangladeshis (at Drishtipat DC).  Many of them know my NYC friends.  Many of them mentioned networking.  I didn’t know networking was SO important until this year!  Did you know that you are more likely to get hired through acquaintances, NOT friends?

 

Thanks for checking out my blog,

EMMA.

 

Recent iTunes Downloads:

The Moth Podcast, 7/20/09: Alex Draper: You are a Great King

A TRUE story of a caterer/struggling actor (Alex Draper) who gets hired by an old college pal (an Indian prince) to co-star in “the Schindler’s List of India” (Kala Pani/Black Water).

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0255289/

 

John Barrowman Swings Cole Porter:

What Is This Thing called Love?

In The Still Of The Night

You’d Be So Nice To Come Home To

Easy to Love

 

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I’ve mentioned him before on this blog; John Barrowman is a musical theater/TV/movie actor originally from Scotland (but raised in the Midwestern US).  You can check him out on De-Lovely (w/ Kevin Kline); in the UK, he stars in the Dr. Who spin-off Torchwood.  He’s been in several eps of the 3rd season of Dr. Who (w/ fellow Scot, David Tennant).

 http://www.johnbarrowman.com/

 http://www.youtube.com/johnbarrowmandotcom

 

 

Movies you DON’T want to see:

 

deception

Deception

This movie has Ewan McGregor and Hugh Jackman, BUT it’s SO bad that I turned it off LONG before it ended!  The first few mins where you see the (lonely/closed-off life) Ewan’s shy auditor character leads in NYC are done well.  Jackman’s charming villain character is TOO much, sorry to say.  Michelle Williams to TOO young/immature for her role.  It’s NOT a believable story.

 

joanallen-icestorm

The Ice Storm

This movie has a GREAT cast of VERY young (Elijah Wood, Christina Ricci, Tobey Maguire) and middle-aged actors (Kevin Kline, Sigourney Weaver, Joan Allen, etc.)  It’s directed by Ang Lee, and set in the early 1970s in suburban New Canaan, CT.  The characters are emotionally cut off from their spouses, kids, and themselves.  The film has some nice moments, but seems fragmented and disjointed.  It didn’t evoke much of a response from viewers, I’ve read.          

 

 

Prime

Prime

Even though it has Meryl Streep (who plays Uma Thurman’s therapist), her role is thankless, one-note, and WAY beneath her talent.  The love interest for Uma is  (obviously) an inexpereinced actor!  Sorry, I didn’t buy them as falling in love- NO chemistry.  The dialogue is just plain DULL.

 

“Jungle Fever” (1991)

Emma1 Comment

 jungle fever_dvd

This is my favorite Spike Lee film (aside from Malcolm X); I’ve seen it several times.  Lee’s premise for making this film: romantic relationships between blacks and whites are (sometimes) based more on curiosity than love.   He didn’t make the central couple (black architect Flipper Purefoy and Italian American temp Angie Tucci) very interesting, Roger Ebert said in his TV review.  However, the people in the communities they come from are VERY well done, he complimented.  I agree with Ebert b/c I wanted to know more re: the lesser characters! 

Flipper (Wesley Snipes) lives in a Harlem brownstone w/ his statuesque biracial wife Dru, a buyer for Nordstrom (Lonette McKee) and young daughter.  In the opener, he seems to have a loving relationship w/ Dru and his little girl (who he walks to school in the mornings).  A source of stress is his job- he’s the only black architect in his firm. 

Flipper (Wesley Snipes) & Angie (Annabella Sciorra)

Flipper is visibly upset when his former secretary (a black woman) is replaced by a white temp, Angie (Annabella Sciorra).  “I specifically asked for a woman of color!”  Flipper exclaims to one of his bosses (played by Tim Robbins).  Even though things start out awkward, Flipper and Angie have a good working relationship.  They often work late, share takeout, and get to know each other.  One night, Flipper catches Angie admiring his dark skin.  She says “it’s beautiful.”  Though he has NEVER cheated on his wife, they begin an affair (right on the drafting table)! 

Gator (Sam Jackson) & Viv (Halle Berry)

Flipper eventually confesses to his best pal/upstairs neighbor Cyrus (played by Lee himself) that though he considers himself “a strong black man,” he was “curious about what it would be like” to be with a white woman.  As they are talking, Flipper’s older brother Gator (Samuel L. Jackson) and his girlfriend Viv (a very young and unglamorous Halle Berry) approach.  It’s obvious that Gator is a long-time crack addict, as is his “new lady.”  (Sam Jackson said that his OWN drug addiction in the ’80s helped him portray Gator in a VERY realistic manner.  Producers thought Jackson was a REAL crack addict when he did his screen test, so he had to come in AGAIN to explain it was just acting.)

jungle fever_gator
Lucinda Purefoy (Ruby Dee) can’t refuse giving her addict son money when he comes around, no matter how hard she tries.  Gator invents lame excuses to get a few bucks out of her whenever his father is not around.  The father, a VERY religious man called The Good Reverend Doctor (Ossie Davis) has cast Gator out “like the Devil.”  (I REALLY felt for the mother and her dilemna; if she didn’t give Gator money, he’d surely go out and steal it.)
Paulie (John Turturro) ponders his future

My favorite character is candy shop/newsstand manager Paulie Carbone (John Turturro).  He’s a hardworking/unassuming guy who dated Angie since high school (“b/c he’s from the neighborhood.”)  His overbearing/widower father (Anthony Quinn) has retired from the shop, but micro-manages everything his son does.  Paulie has a crush on Lauren, a young black executive who comes to the store for papers each morning.  She sees him as a friend, and encourages him to apply to Brooklyn College.  The unemployed/Italian American/racist local guys who frequent his store think of all this as a joke.  Paulie is an outsider in his environment, and you wonder if he can get the life he wants.         

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On one date, Angie asks Flipper “So what are we doing here?”  I think they’re taking a break from their everyday lives.  But their actions have consequences- Dru (along w/ her girlfriends) is VERY upset by her husband’s betrayal.  Angie’s father reacts w/ shocking violence.  After the famous girl-talk session (about color, dating, black  men, etc.), Dru quietly tells her pals: “It really doesn’t matter what color she is- my man is gone.”   

The main characters in Jungle Fever feel unappreciated, I noticed during this viewing.   Angie works all day, then cooks her for father and brothers w/o complain.  Paulie has put his dreams on hold to look after his father and the shop.  Flipper doesn’t get the promotion, so he resigns from his job.  Lee (who grew up in Bensonhurst when it had a large community of working-class Italian Americans) shows us that two people are NOT the only ones involved in a realtionship.  Personal relationships include family, friends, and (sometimes) the community-at-large.  Everyone has SOMETHING to say about Flipper and Angie’s affair, including an angry young waitress at a soul food restaurant (Queen Latifah in a brief, yet memorable, role). 

Want a Thrill?: Jagged Edge & No Way Out

EmmaLeave a comment

Jagged Edge (1985)

jagged edge_poster

This is a film I didn’t know much about until I saw it last wk.  It’s not TOO gory or scary, but the opening scene might be hard to take for some viewers.  There is some trial testimony that MAY make you cringe, too.  The acting of the main players is quite strong.  There are twists and turns in this thriller, but I’m sure viewers will figure out some of them.

The defender: Teddy Barnes (Glenn Close)
The defender: Teddy Barnes (Glenn Close)

Glenn Close looks VERY pretty in this movie, and plays Teddy Barnes, a lawyer/divorcee/mother of 2 young kids.  I thought she did well in the courtroom scenes, but I REALLY liked her vulnerable and motherly sides here (she doesn’t often get to show that in her roles).  She interacts VERY well w/ the kids and w/ Robert Loggia (who plays a mussed-up/ cynical/elderly former cop).  Teddy and the cop went through a tough criminal case before, and were VERY affected by it.

The defendant: Jeff Bridges

The handsome/charming/newspaper editor Teddy defends is Jack Forrester (Jeff Bridges).  His wife Paige, whose family ran a San Francisco paper, was brutally assaulted and murdered in their beach house.  It turns out that the money was ALL in Paige’s name, so Jack would’ve lost it all if there was a divorce (job, status, etc.)  Though Teddy doesn’t want the hassle, her boss convinces her to take on the high-profile case.

From their first meeting, we see that Teddy and Jack have GREAT chemistry (as do the actors).  And he keeps insisting he’s innocent.  (It’s tough NOT to like Jeff Bridges, right?  He’s a VERY natural actor.)  There is a memorable romantic sequence where Jack takes Teddy horseback riding on his ranch.  Though she tries to keep things professional, the lawyer gets involved w/ her client!

 

No Way Out (1987)

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This is another popular ’80s thriller, but set in the world of politics in DC.   This film made Kevin Costner (who plays career navy man Lt. Cmdr. Tom Farrell) a major player in Hollywood.  (I’m NOT a fan of Costner, but he fits his role VERY well here.)  Gene Hackman plays Farrell’s boss in the Pentagon, Defense Sect. David Brice.  After a heroic rescue of a crewmate at sea, Farrell is brought in (by old college pal) to work for Sect. Brice.  That pal, Scott Pritchard (Will Patton), is an enigmatic and ambitious man who serves as Brice’s “right hand.”  Will Patton NEARLY steals almost every scene he’s in!

Lt. Cmdr. Tom Farrell (Kevin Costner) & Susan (Sean Young)
Tom Farrell (Kevin Costner) & Susan (Sean Young)

 

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Did you know?

Kevin Costner turned down the role of Jack Forrester in Jagged Edge.

"The Big Chill" (1983)
“The Big Chill” (1983)

Costner played the dead body in the opening of The Big Chill (1983). Director Lawrence Kasdan, who liked Costner’s work, shot some scenes involving his character (the friend who commited suicide), but edited them out later to fit the mood of the film. 

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

EmmaLeave a comment

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.

millions_handsup

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

mm_3gals

A Variety of Movies: It Happened One Night, Cape Fear (1962), Miller’s Crossing, White Palace & Shattered Glass

Emma2 Comments

It Happened One Night (1934)

Peter (Clark Gable) & Ellen (Claudette Colbert)
Peter (Clark Gable) & Ellie (Claudette Colbert)

This is one of Hollywood’s earliest rom coms… but it ALWAYS seems fun, fresh, and witty whenever I see it.  (I’ve probably seen it 4X so far.)  It was directed by Frank Capra.  Basically, it’s about two VERY different people who fall in love (over a few days) while traveling from Miami to NYC.  My fave part is when the would-be couple is getting ready to sleep in the haystack.  You can see that Ellie is falling in love w/ Peter, and he ALMOST gives her a kiss as he tucks her into “bed.”  The lighting is VERY romantic in that scene!

Peter puts up a "wall" in the cabin
Ellie and Peter are separated by “the walls of Jericho”

See, people used to wear pjs- LOL!  This may NOT be a PC movie (to viewers today), but it’s still a GREAT one!    Watch how grumpy news reporter Peter cares for heiress Ellie- she’s a sheltered young woman who has never been alone for many days or w/o money.  He acts tough/brusque to hide the fact that he’s interested in her.  Peter is prejudiced against the super-wealthy, as we learn from several scenes.

When trying to hitch a ride, Peter insists "it's all in the thumb"

Who can forget the hitchiking/leg-revealing scene?  Peter is mad about her bold move; Ellie says “the limb is mightier than the thumb.”  Many fans of this film regret the fact that there is no kiss at the end.  The finale was rushed b/c both actors were scheduled to do other movies.  This film was shot w/in 4 wks- WOW!!!

Did you know that there is a 1956 update to this movie (w/ song/dance added in)?  It’s called You Can’t Run Away From It (w/ Jack Lemmon and June Allyson).

 

Cape Fear (1962)

cape fear_poster

I’ve seen this film before, as well as the remake Scorcese did w/ DeNiro and Nolte.  The original is thought of as the better version by fans, though I think Nolte was quite good as the father/lawyer, Sam Bowden.  To be senisitive to viewers, there is nothing more troubling than “assault” to describe the violation of women.  Some scenes were cut to make the film less troubling.  But after seeing Law & Order: SVU, the main issue in this thriller isn’t controversial (to modern eyes).

The consummate villain- Max Cady (Robert Mitchum)
The consummate villain- Max Cady (Robert Mitchum)

The best acting here is done by Mitchum- he TOTALLY inhabits Max Cady, an EVIL man out for revenge against the witness who helped put him in prison.  He can be charming, compelling AND menacing!  While in prison, Cady studied law, so he knows how to use it to his advantage.  After he beats/assaults the young female traveler he met at a bar, she is reluctant to file a report (b/c everything will be exposed in public.)  Times have changed, thank goodness!

The concerned family man- Sam Bowden (Gregory Peck)

Peck has some nice moments in this film, esp w/ his wife and teen daughter.    After all, he’s one of Hollywood’s most solid/trustworthy heroes.  However, I thought his demeanor was sometimes a BIT too cool/controlled.  There are nice parts here for helpful police chief (Martin Balsam) and clever PI (Telly Savalas).  But as many fans have said, Mithchum stole the show!

  

Miller’s Crossing (1990)

millers xng_poster

I didn’t know anything about this Coen bros film before I saw it.  This film has a small (but VERY loyal) fan base.  It’s a gangster pic filmed in New Orleans (b/c that city has blocks of untouched ’20s bldngs.)  At first, I thought the city was Chicago (but it goes unnamed in the film).  Now, it MAY take you a mins to get used to the dialogue, esp b/c Gabriel Byrne had a much thicker Irish accent then.  You’ll also hear insults/slang from the Prohibition era.

Troubled couple: Tom (Gabriel Byrne) & Verna (Marcia Gay Harden)
Tom (Gabriel Byrne) & Verna (Marcia Gay Harden)

Tom is a complicated/tough/clever anti-hero.  He’s loyal to his boss Leo, but having an affair w/ Leo’s gf, Verna.  John Turturro plays Verna’s bookie brother, Bernie.  He’s the one who stirs things up in this film!  The Italian mob boss is played by Jon Polito w/ loads of gusto.

Irish mob boss- Leo (Albert Finney)
Irish mob boss, Leo (Albert Finney)

All the main characters are GREAT in their roles, esp Byrne.  (You’ve rarely seen a character like Tom!)  I was VERY impressed by how effortlessly Marcia Gay Harden (in her 1st movie role) stands up to Byrne.  IMHO, this film doesn’t always flow very well.  I watched it b/c the characters were compelling, and I wanted to know what Tom’s final move would be.  Will he kill for the 1st time in his life?

 

White Palace (1992)

Max (James Spader)- a VERY young widower
Max (James Spader) plays a young widower

Opposites attract in this simple/formulaic Hollywood romance.  Max Baron (James Spader) is a 27 y.o. Jewish ad exec.  Since losing his wife in a car accident 2 yrs ago, he hasn’t looked at another woman.  His friends/fam keep badgering him to start dating.  (They have a list of pretty/Jewish/single gals ready for him.)   Nora Baker (Susan Sarandon) is a 43 y.o. lapsed Catholic who waitresses at White Palace, a popular burger joint in the inner city.  She lives in a little house (that she decorates w/ pics of Marilyn Monroe) in an area known as Dogtown.

Max cooks dinner for Nora (Susan Sarandon)
Max cooks dinner for Nora (Susan Sarandon)

After his best pal’s bachelor party one night, Max doesn’t feel like going home.  He decides to stop at a bar and have a drink.  Nora approaches him, wondering what a guy like him (wearing a tux, no less) is doing there.  He isn’t in the mood for talking, but she compliments him w/ “you have a beautiful face” and “you remind me of Tony Curtis.”  Then they both reveal a painful secret from their respective pasts.

Hmmm... will this relationship last?
Hmmm… will this relationship last?

In no time, Max and Nora are involved in a steamy relationship.  Nora wants to keep him at arm’s length (emotionally), but Max says “I can’t get you out of my head.”  But is this love?  And even so, can they overcome their differences: age, education, social status, etc?  The dialogue in this film is rather simple, but what keeps it from being boring is the fine acting by the two leads.  (The fact that they look GORGEOUS doesn’t hurt either!)

 

Shattered Glass (2003)

Stephen Glass (Hayden Christensen) entertains his co-workers
Stephen Glass (Hayden Christensen) entertains his co-workers at The New Republic

This small indie film is based on a true news scandal, not unlike that of NYT reporter Jayson Blair (who was exposed in 2003).  It involves Stephen Glass, a 25 y.o reporter for the small (yet VERY prestigious) magazine, The New Republic.  The year is 1998, and Stephen is juggling his stressful job AND law school (to please his parents).  He goes out of his way to please his co-workers, some of whom are also his friends.  It becomes clear to the viewer that Stephen is VERY nervous and insecure, thanks to the characterization by Christensen.  (Like many viewers said, he’s NOT wooden like in the Star Wars films.)

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When one of his stories “doesn’t check out,” Stephen frantically tries to cover it up.   A reporter from Forbes Online in NYC discovers holes w/in the story, too.  The New Republic editor, Chuck Lane (Peter Sarsgaard), grows more suspicious w/ each new piece of info that’s unverifiable.  He wonders if Stephen is merely a “scared kid” who failed to check his sources.  When he questions the reporter, Stephen feels unfairly persecuted.

Sarsgaard plays his (understated) role VERY well, and steals the last 1/3 of the movie.  He’s a natural/believable actor who can fit into ANY role!  Chloe Sevigny plays a friend/fellow reporter who feels Stephen did no wrong.  If you want to see a smart movie about an interesting topic, check this movie out.