Archive for category Film

film review: Turn the River

Posted by Amy Steele in Film on May 11, 2008

When he introduced the film at this year’s Independent Film Festival of Boston, writer/director Chris Eigeman said, “If handmade is the opposite of corporate, I hope this feels handmade.” It does. It has its charms. Eigeman starred in the Wilt Stilman trilogy: Metropolitan, Barcelona and The Last Days of Disco. He’s very good at playing the buttoned-up, upper crust preppie type. So it’s somewhat surprising that he wrote and directed a film like Turn the River. But then again not that surprising as in those films, the characters drew the interest. Turn the River is a character study. Eigeman met Famke Janssen when they starred in the indie In Treatment together. Eigeman wrote the character in Turn the River specifically for Janssen. That tells a lot about her acting talent. She’s a tall, beautiful woman, yes. If you’ve only seen her in the X-Men films, you are missing out. She’s fantastic in little films like Monument Ave. and Love and Sex. [I’d love to see a film with Janssen and Elizabeth Hurley playing sisters.] While effortlessly beautiful and cool, Janssen can delve into nearly any role with conviction. She’s fearless. And there’s no Charlize Theron-technique of hiding her beauty to play serious roles either. Those beautiful, expressive eyes carry her character through this film. She turns in a gritty, natural performance as a pool hustler mom in Turn the River.

Kailey lost her custody of her son Gulley (Jaymie Dornan) to her ex-husband about a decade ago. We’re not exactly sure why but can guess. She seems from the other side of the tracks. She plays a lot of pool, isn’t educated in the conventional way and shuffles from place to place like many a grifter. Life experience shapes her and provides her with that hard edge. Yet her heart remains open to her son. Kailey has suffered losses at a young edge when she may wasn’t even enough of an adult to realize their implications. She’s not “book smart” like her son but certainly appreciates the virtues of his private schooling. Rip Torn plays the owner of one of her regular joints. He’s the father she’s always wanted. He doesn’t ask her too many questions and he supports her and unconditionally loves her and cares for her. It’s sweet. She spends most of her time at pool houses, sizing up potential marks, storing wads of cash in the back of a pick-up truck she won in a card game. When she finally decides to make the big move with her son, she’s going to risk everything.

Turn the River is a quietly moving film. It’s not flashy but is direct and complex. It slowly unfolds to show this street savvy woman who’s so on the edge and so close to going over the top. Will she make it? The ending may leave you completely confused and even asking, “Why did that just happen?” It’s flawed, absolutely. There are holes throughout but also plenty of heart. Overall though, this is a fine little film with stellar acting from Janssen.

STEELE RECCOMENDS: SEE THIS IN THE THEATER!

<!–
document.write('TwitThis‘);
//–>

, , , ,

Leave a comment

film review: Iron Man

Posted by Amy Steele in Film on May 7, 2008

Director: Jon Favreau
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges, Terrence Howard

Looks can only get you so far. Looks and brains can get you a little farther. For Tony Stark [Robert Downey Jr.], this MIT scientist seems to have it all at his fingertips. His company makes the most advanced weaponry, but after an incident in Afghanistan, Stark re-thinks his role in the arms business. War Lord no longer suits him. Seeing destruction first hand can do that to people. Iron Man raked in $100 million in its opening weekend and should be THE summer popcorn flick. It certainly as all the elements: cool James Bond gadgets and cars, a rich and smart hero, who as far as I can tell from this film doesn’t have a huge sob story or some weird thing in his past to overcome. Downey Jr. manages to combine earnest with arrogance. Only he can get away with these rapid fire remarks, the zingers, the kookiness. He’s such a talented actor that he can go from role to role effortlessly. His catalogue of films is rather impressive to say the least and he rarely disappoints me.

As redhead Pepper Potts, Gwyneth Paltrow [Proof, Sylvia] brings smart and sassy to the updated Gal Friday role. She and Downey Jr. simmer together. Their palpable chemistry fuels many razor sharp interactions. Pepper and Stark care for each other and look out for one other and best of all respect each other. Nearly unrecognizable is Jeff Bridge as the bad guy [no reminders of The Dude here]. Terrence Howard [Crash] plays the military liaison and close friend to Stark. He’s level-headed yet still in awe by some of what his friend manages to do.

I really like Iron Man. The end result is a bit Transformers-ish but very cool never-the-less. I laughed out loud at much of the dialogue. It’s smart. Not clichéd like many films in the theatres right now. I enjoyed Tobey Maguire as Spiderman and a brooding, dark Christian Bale as Batman. But I knew nothing about this comic hero and think he’s fantastic. There’s a realness here. Sure he’s filthy rich and a playboy but he seems like the type of guy you could hang out with and not feel like there’s this underlying dark aspect to his personality that you have to address.

<!–
document.write('TwitThis‘);
//–>

, , ,

Leave a comment

IFF Boston 2008: Lioness and At Death House Door

Posted by Amy Steele in Film on May 2, 2008

Lioness

A documentary that brought tears to my eyes and also warmed my heart. Girl power! It focuses on five Army women serving in Iraq. Coming from all different backgrounds, these women have one commonality: military service and Iraq. The lioness tag. This means that they are the first women in U.S. military history to be sent into direct ground combat. As the documentary unfolds, it shows that these women’s services are absolutely integral to the success of the U.S. military. A plethora of Iraq War documentaries are out there. What makes this any different? Most of those tell men’s stories from men’s viewpoints. Lioness is the story you have yet to hear. It’s raw and honest. The women are remarkable and winning. There’s redneck Shannon, the most affected by her tour of duty. She’s on meds and shooting turtles in the swamps of Arkansas. In a telling moment she remarks, “I really wish I had kinda lost my mind or something . . . I lost a part of me.” Directors Meg McLagan and Daria Sommers nicely introduces each woman and then tells the often uncomfortable, upsetting and maddening story of their military service. This is the untold story of Iraq. Lioness is a vital, phenomenal film that illuminates another aspect of the war and provides a revealing perspective from women’s voices. Ones that are not often heard.


At Death House Door

Huntsville, Tex. The prison capital of the world. This unsettling documentary focuses on the death penalty through the eyes of Death Row and a chaplain who is one of the last people to speak with them. He witnessed 95 executions in his tenure. How did this affect his stance on the death penalty? It’s not that simple. The film delves into the wrongful conviction and 1989 execution of Carlos DeLuna as investigated by two Chicago Tribune reporters. The final hours spent with DeLuna sparked Rev. Pickett’s journey to becoming an anti-death penalty activist. At Death House Door is compelling though some moments drag a bit.

<!–
document.write('TwitThis‘);
//–>

Leave a comment

film review: Body of War

Posted by Amy Steele in Film on April 15, 2008


During the Gulf War, I wrote letters to four guys serving over there. After 9/11, like many Blue-staters, I put an American flag decal-type thing (my friend and I printed them and laminated them at work) on my car and drove around with it for perhaps six months. For some reason, I didn’t think about writing letters until recently. After reading Elizabeth Berg’s tearjerker about WWII, Dream When You’re Feeling Blue, I found one via the website Adopt a US Soldier. Now I have been writing to PFC Michael Spaeth, stationed somewhere in Iraq. He thanked me profusely and told me how much he appreciated it. I (ever the journo) questioned this.

His reply: What I mean by it means a lot and I owe you, is that some of the people we fight to defend don’t appreciate what we do. We fight for them to be free to protest and picket us. But then there are those who support us and for that I feel we owe a debt of gratitude. I know that to someone such as yourself, it may not be a big deal to write and send packages to soldiers, but to us it’s not a big deal to be here fighting for our country. I don’t feel that anyone owes me anything for what I do. So when somebody takes the time to write letters and so on, it means a lot. I don’t expect those kinds of things and that makes it all the more worth while.

When I re-read Michael’s message I still do not understand what he means when he says fighting for our country. Does he really think that being in Iraq is protecting us? I did not reply to that part of his e-mail and in letters I say that I hope he is safe. I don’t often know what to even say. He’s only 22 years old. But he has two small children. Though I’m a decade older than him, our life experience may be equal though incomparable.

This brings me to the film Body of War. Collateral damage, conflicted participants, conscientious objectors? Check. Check. Check. As seen through the eyes of one 25-year-old disabled veteran, Tomas Young, the war is not over once the soldiers come home. There are numerous challenges ahead. He’s dealing with a wife, self-catheterizations and trying to make a place for himself now that he’s paralyzed from the chest area down. This is definitely an aspect of the war that most Americans have remained shielded from. Sure we hear that 4,000 American troops have died but do we see the veterans who come back with PTSD or missing limbs? And what of our great superpower democratic United States? The Congressional vote on the war resolution in 2002 is interspersed through the film. The greatest voice of opposition, West Virginia Sen. Robert Byrd, has a touching moment in his office with Tomas.

It should spark debate in everyone. I’m against the war and I’m against staying in Iraq any longer. My sort-of boyfriend Brian also opposed the initial invasion but supports the slow withdrawal. I’m sure everyone has a different opinion about that colossal mess. Body of War is produced by Phil Donahue, so you know going in that it’s going to be very left-leaning. I also saw the film in VERY liberal Cambridge, Mass. The audience clapped when the film ended (this was Friday afternoon). I know many are war weary and have been staying away from Iraq-themed films in general, but this film feels a bit different. It’s very personal and evocative. Eddie Vedder’s original songs are stirring, heart-wrenching and honest. While at times Body of War can be overzealous or preachy and a bit obvious in its anti-war message, it provides us with another viewpoint: from a front row seat. The heartfelt story of Tomas is extremely moving, thoughtful and memorable and worth the trip to the theater.

<!–
document.write('TwitThis‘);
//–>

, ,

Leave a comment

film review: King Corn

Posted by Amy Steele in Film on April 14, 2008

Brian and I went to a screening of King Corn (now out on DVD) at The Groton School in Groton, Mass. today. He lives in Groton so had seen the signs about it. I missed the film at last year’s IFFB. Director/producer and Yale graduate (and Brian calls ‘tree hugger’) Ian Cheney answered questions afterward. People did not ask about the making of the film as much as the subject matter. He’s a filmmaker not an expert on the growing and production of corn and its products but he learned a bit from the filming. I think that documentarians are journalists with a camera and while you might maintain interests in a topic or subject matter, you move on once you are finished with something. You may go back to similar topics (his next film up at this year’s IFFBoston is The Greening of Southie about the building of a green luxury apartment building in working class South Boston.

The film is fascinating though not completely balanced. Not sure many in the Heartland think that it is. It works though.

So two recent Ivy league graduates decide to find out about the food they have been consuming for as long as they can remember ( a lot of fast food). After hair analysis, they travel to Iowa and make plans to harvest an acre of corn. Not only wil lthey do this but they plan to follow the corn off the lot and into the market (this proves much more complicated). The result is a somewhat startling, certainly provocative documentary about the commercialization of America’s heartland and the piss poor food industry (production-wise). In King Corn, Ian and his friend, Curtis are going to grow getntically modiefied LIberty link corn. During a taste test in August, both guys quickly spit out the corn. Ian says it’s “disugusting.” And Curtis says: “I thought it would taste better.”

I am a non-dairy eating semi-vegetarian. I stopped eating read meat when I was 12 and then poultry at 18. I was a complete vegetarian but when I turned 30, kind of fell off the wagon, I’ll blame it on my brother, Adam, who took me out to dinner at the Linwood Grille (the wood grilled fish looked very appetizing). I eat fish when I’m eating out or with a group of people (sometimes). At home it’s fruit, veggies, legumes, hummus and baba ghanouj. In the film, it states that people spend 15% of their income on food. I feel like I spend much more because I buy most of my food at Whole Foods and also produce is more expensive than a lot of other others.

One acre in Iowa= five tons of food! Iowa grows enough corn to feed the United States but most Iowans do not grow food that feeds their own families. Corn is a huge commodity. A cash cow that feeds cows or becomes corn syrup. Gross. From a certified crop advisor to cattle ranches to a corn syrup factory (they cannot gain entry with cameras but a neatly coiffed woman regales the duo with all the ways that corn syrup can be used: “It browns bread!” “It makes spaghetti sauce less acidic!” to the halls of academia, Ian and Curtis research corn and it’s an eye-opening experience.

Do Americans know the difference between grass fed and corn fed cattle? I suspect not. See this film and you will be questioning it much more if you eat meat. Livestock consume 70% of the antibiotics that are produced. Yes, read that line again: livestock consume 70% of the antibiotics that are produced. A feed lot produced waste comparable to seven million people. Animals that are not grass fed are confined and eat corn so that they get fatter faster. Which makes for cheaper meat and a higher level of saturated fats in meat. Gross gross gross. If you haven’t noticed, cheap food is high in saturated fats. It’s easier to grab something fast than to prepare something sure but it’s so gross to think about what we are putting into our bodies. And yes, I eat some junk food on occasion. I’m not thin at the moment but I was up until the last five years or so! Prior to 1970, high fructose corn syrup was too costly to produce now it’s the first ingredient in most food items.

King Corn is airing on PBS as part of the Independent Lens series.

<!–
document.write('TwitThis‘);
//–>

,

Leave a comment

film review: Married Life

Posted by Amy Steele in Film on March 19, 2008


Married Life is all about how little you might actually know about someone with which you share a bed. The minutiae of day to day life sometimes get in the way of delving into one’s psyche at times. When you’re married, time moves along and the person you knew may have actually changed, as in fact, many people actually do. It’s only natural to learn and progress in one’s life and not be stagnant. Married Life charms and delights with its various ruminations on love and relationships.

Pierce Brosnan is sexy, dapper “ladies man” Richard and there’s his “pale-lipped” friend Harry Allen (Chris Cooper). Harry has been married to Pat (Patricia Clarkson) for years and they seem to have the perfect marriage. Harry thinks killing his wife would be less complicated than divorce. Rich meets Harry’s new object of affection, young, darling Kay (Rachel McAdams). He cannot even believe that his habitual, staid friend snagged such a babe and realizes he must have her himself.

Ira Sachs (Forty Shades of Blue) wrote and directed Married Life. The film zips along with its solid script, witty and snappy dialogue and thoughtful and deliciously unpredictable moments. More than once, I was literally at the edge of my seat holding my breath. The film has elements of Hitchcock in that is it going to work and how and when it will happen. In 1949, it’s a simpler time with diners, luncheons, tea, radio, and dancing on the town or to the picture show as an actual night out. There’s something overall romantic about this time. The narration, which I have grown tired of as a plot device (I see it as such a short cut to the main ideas too often), actually works here in adding to the overall nostalgia and quaintness. Many scenes are like Hopper paintings come alive making Married Life a visual treat as well as a compelling film.

McAdams (Wedding Crashers, The Notebook) is lovely and so good in these period roles. She looks comfortable and there are layers of sweetness under that platinum hair. Clarkson possesses the right amount of mischief and devotion in her role as the dutiful, seemingly predictable wife. Brosnan is brooding and complex and yummy. I just couldn’t buy the Cooper vs. Brosnan though. Hands down I would take a wolf in Brosnan’s clothing instead of a sheep like Cooper’s character. Cooper/McAdams give the impression of father/daughter more than older man/younger woman. But please don’t let that stop you, somehow it all flows along. I suppose that in Harry, a young widow would view safe and secure instead of adventure and excitement in a guy like Rich. The entire cast is so ridiculously talented that you come to like every character in some way.

Married Life is a fantastic film that will seduce you from its first scene to its last.

STEELE SAYS: SEE IT IN THE THEATER!

, , , ,

Leave a comment

film review: The Other Boleyn Girl

Posted by Amy Steele in Film on March 4, 2008

She’s educated and for what? So she may be traded like cattle for the advancement and amusement of men?–Lady Elizabeth Boleyn

At its core, The Other Boleyn Girl is about sibling rivalry. Two beautiful sisters who have been very loyal confidantes find themselves vying for the King of England’s affections. Fascinating in its details. Everyone knows how the story ends: the beheading of Anne Boleyn. The Boleyn family is very ambitious. The father and uncle are members of the court and want much more power and have a plan in mind. When Queen Katharine continues to have trouble providing the King with a male heir, they see this as their time to swoop in. As Mary is already married, Anne is introduced to the King but an accident while fox hunting, quickly derails that plan. The King takes notice of Mary and requests that she be called to court to be in service to the Queen. Mary is reluctant to go. She had planned on a quiet life in the country with her husband. Anne is mad and jealous. Mary wants love and Anne wants power. Mary is charmed and seduced by the King enough that she falls in love with him. He tires of her of course as he bounces from woman to woman and after she gives birth to a son, he has already moved on to her sister Anne, who has just returned from France and the Queen’s court there. She is a completely new person, having learned a thing or two from the French and the King takes notice and is genuinely smitten by her.

The film adaptation works beautifully but is sometimes a bit too staid and should either be more serious or campier. Philippa Gregory’s novel certainly has its over-the-top moments. It’s a long, detailed historical novel. At some points The Other Boleyn Girl becomes a real life harlequin romance novel—the initial sex scenes between Mary [Scarlett Johansson] and King Henry VIII [Eric Bana] and then when Henry confronts Anne [Natalie Portman] after she has rejected his numerous gifts, is smoldering. There’s palpable chemistry between Portman and Bana.

While I cannot imagine any other actors in the roles of Anne and Mary Boleyn at this time, are there no British women to play the leads? Two American women [Johansson and Portman] and an Australian man [the sumptuous Bana] have the leading roles in The Other Boleyn Girl. BBC Films is part of the production of the film directed by a Brit, based on a novel by a Brit, and with Brits comprising the supporting cast. So that’s curious.

This is a layered role for Scarlett and her films with Woody Allen [Match Point] surely have prepped her for this challenge because The Other Boleyn Girl certainly has more scope than The Nanny Diaries. Mary is light and the honesty and innocence of her character remain constant in Scarlett’s beautiful, glowing visage. Anne is darker and has mysterious motives for which Natalie possesses the range: the scheming, the jealousy, the confidence, the charms, the madness, the desperation. It’s quite the juicy role and if you liked her performance in Closer, you will enjoy this as well. Kristin Scott Thomas is bold and admirable as Lady Elizabeth Boleyn. Jim Sturgess [Across the Universe] plays it sweet and comforting as the girls devoted brother. After directing Bleak House for Masterpiece Theatre, Justin Chadwick deftly contrasts intimacy and pomp to showcase the Tudor era—several years are covered in two hours. And while a bit choppy, it never jars. There’s a lot of material to get through. The sets and costuming are ornate, colorful and detailed just like everything in the Tudor era. It is much better than Showtime’s The Tudors which I find excruciatingly dull with little charisma. Bana has the chops to play a King. Jonathan Rhys Meyers, not so much. Bana broods, rants and can steam up the screen if need be. Remember how good his was in Munich?

The Other Boleyn Girl is a must-see for anyone who loves a juicy based-in-fact story. Yes, I know that it’s not completely accurate but who cares? The main facts are in there. There’s sex, intrigue, and beheadings. And if Scarlett, Natalie and Eric don’t do it for you, there are exquisite gowns in vivid colors. And plenty of horses.

STEELE RECOMMENDATION: SEE IT IN THE THEATER

, ,

Leave a comment

film review: Charlie Bartlett

Posted by Amy Steele in Film on March 1, 2008


For me, a Gen-Xer, Charlie Bartlett is as a cross between Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and The Breakfast Club. Perhaps it’s not cool enough [Juno] or even geeky enough [Rocket Science] for teenagers to feel that they can relate in any way. If given a chance, everyone can.

Charlie Bartlett is a clever film about a preppie kid with a drunk mum [Hope Davis], a mini-mansion in Connecticut [the nice part, perhaps Westport] and a chauffeur. How can we relate at all? Because even with all the toys and financial advantages, Charlie Bartlett [Anton Yelchin] is just a boy who wants a bit of popularity at high school. Just like every jock, geek, princess, rebel and misfit a la The Breakfast Club.

At the start, Charlie is kicked out of yet another school—he tends to challenge authority and the norm– and even mommy’s offer to pay for a new wing will not get him back in. Out of options, mom sends Charlie off to public school. He arrives in a prep school blazer, tie and khakis with attaché in hand. No one makes him welcome except for one ODP kid, Len [Charlie, not knowing the ways of public school, got on the “short bus” in the morning]. He’s eager to make friends with anyone and everyone and soon people notice.

In one of the first scenes, the school bully Murphey [Tyler Hilton] encounters him in the bathroom and asks “Is that a briefcase?” to which Charlie responds, “No, it’s actually an attaché.” Murphey proceeds to beat him up, complete with a head dunk in the toilet. Charlie also gets teased by the popular kids and stared out by the theater types. A cool, dark-haired arty girl—one of the theater bunch—immediately takes notice of him (okay, maybe it’s a bit cliché that we soon discover her dad (a funny, neurotic Robert Downey Jr.) is principal and we can just tell they are going to get together.

That much may be predictable but Charlie’s journey to being accepted as he is by his peers, his mother and the authority figures is not. It’s all fun to watch. Many jokes are just laugh out loud funny. After a school dance, where Charlie and Murph team up to sell off Charlie’s Ritalin, Charlie realizes they just might be onto something. Soon via visits to his family’s “on-call” psychiatrist, Charlie and Murph set up shop—in the boy’s bathroom– to make a few bucks [which Murphey likes] and gain the kids trust and admiration [which Charlie adores]. Charlie dispenses advice and pills–Ritalin, antidepressants and anti-anxiety meds. But he soon finds that most of these kids are not that different from each other. In this technology-infused generation, good old fashioned sit down advice is the meds these kids need.

I had not seen Anton Yelchin in any films before and he more than carries the leading role. He makes us believe in Charlie and his hopefulness. That cheery banter and stick-to-it-ness provides the audience with many feel good moments. As Charlie’s mom, Hope Davis seems to relish this role as the mother who is so blasé about her son’s checkered past in high school. She drinks, she sings inappropriately and joyously, she aimlessly wanders the mansion while hopped up on a cornucopia of meds. As the well-intentioned but over-his-head principal, Downey Jr. does the inner turmoil/avoidance so well. Kat Dennings is charming and sweet as his daughter and Charlie’s girlfriend Susan.

With such a talented, cohesive cast, this teen film may have ended up another throw away. Instead, Charlie Bartlett provides a fresh take on the high school dramedy. You’ll laugh and route for Charlie to get everything he wants. And more. It’s really a great film.

STEELE RECOMMENDATION: SEE IT

Leave a comment

film review: Be Kind Rewind

Posted by Amy Steele in Film on February 23, 2008


Writer/director Michael Gondry is the mastermind behind some truly imaginative, original works. In one of my top ten favorite films, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, he makes the relationship between arty Clementine [Kate Winslet] and staid suit Joel [Jim Carrey] special and somewhat magical amidst its exploration of memories vs. cognitive recognition. Gondry co-wrote it with Charlie Kaufman [Adaptation] and it is near perfect. I actually stopped dating a guy because he did not “get” the film. While the dreamy Science of Sleep with Charlotte Gainsbourg and Gael Garcia Bernal is a tad confusing, the inventive visuals make it worth checking out. Gondry’s world is never completely fixed in reality and it’s always a place to which you can escape for a few hours.

When I just saw the preview for Be Kind Rewind, I admit I was a bit skeptical. I am so bothered by a video store. A video store? No one uses videos anymore. The title provides us with retro warm and smiley faced happiness and it turns out in Gondry’s hands that is exactly what we need.

In Be Kind Rewind, Gondry creates a safe, comfortable community. Throughout the film he combines his kaleidoscope of imagination with his unique eye for detail to make the film heartfelt without being sappy, sweet without being sugary and laugh-out-loud funny without being slapstick. Every frame, every scene contains multiple elements to absorb. The actors, the camera angles, the colors and sharp dialogue.

Mr. Fletcher [Danny Glover] runs an old fashioned video store in Passaic, New Jersey. Developers are vying for that location and to get him out of there. The building is condemned and he’s never going to get the money to buy out his share Mike [the ever sexy and endlessly cool Mos Def] works there and his kooky friend Jerry [Jack Black] spends way too much time there in between planning subversive missives against the local power plant. Mr. Fletcher goes out of town, leaving Mike in charge and all the tapes get erased. Mr. Fletcher’s friend and seemingly lost love Ms. Falewicz [played with relish by Mia Farrow] comes around to see just how well Mike is holding down the fort. She discovers tapes strewn everywhere in the store and is displeases. “Mr. Fletcher calls me every night at eight to check on me,” she tells Mike. Mike tells her to return the next day for a copy of Ghostbusters. After checking a big chain store and calling friends [“Well they said that about laserdiscs too.”], played with relish by Mia Farrow] scrappy Mike enlists Jerry and a cute local girl Alma, [cute and delightful Melonie Diaz] to re-create the films. First it’s Ghostbusters, then Driving Miss Daisy and Robocop. During a hilarious montage, they start to film Last Tango in Paris, Boogie Nights, and Gummo among many others. It turns out that in this culturally diverse neighborhood where thugs, hipsters and professional types all co-mingle, the customers prefer this mode of entertainment. The trio become celebrities in the town and everyone unites through their works.

Mos Def’s calm characterization of Mike balances Jack Black’s hyper-neurotic one. I maintain my Mos Def crush that I developed during his impressive turn in Something the Lord Made. Jack Black can be good [High Fidelity, Margot at the Wedding] at times but he’s too often the messy, zany guy. Although in last year’s acerbic yet inspired Margot at the Wedding he’s just the self-deprecating guy.

Be Kind Rewind is a love story to film. It’s also a commentary on the state of big business. We all know how hard in can be to find a copy of a particular, somewhat obscure film and wonder why there are 25 copies of something really banal on the shelves. It’s frustrating to see the long wait message next to a film in your netflix queue. There are few novels ideas as every film is being or has been remade or re-worked in some way. Be Kind Rewind is a gem amidst a lot of mediocrity.

STEELE RECOMMENDATION: SEE IT IMMEDIATELY!

<!–
document.write('TwitThis‘);
//–>

, , ,

Leave a comment

DVD review: Feast of Love

Posted by Amy Steele in DVD, Film on February 7, 2008

Feast of Love is set in Portland, Oregon where Bradley [Greg Kinnear] owns a coffee shop and ends up being terribly unlucky with love though he wants it more than anything else. Morgan Freeman plays his friend, a writer and the man who looks upon all the goings on with that breezy wisdom he’s perfected. As the film opens, Bradley is at a baseball game with his wife Kathryn [Selma Blair]. She flirts with a woman on the other team and soon enough she leaves him for her. Bradley meets Diana [Radha Mitchell] in his coffee shop. After a rousing sex romp, the two fall for each and marry. She’s carrying on an affair with a married guy. When Bradley finds out, he’s devastated but soon bounces back, meet a woman and gets married again. There’s the young and in love couple, Chloe and Oscar, as well.

There’s no substance to the relationship between Oscar and Chloe. Feast of Love is more like Buffet of Sex. Scene to scene. The film is trying to make sex look like love or it’s pushing these relationships without any real character development. Radha Mitchell does an excellent job. Mitchell’s character explores the idea of monogamy and the complexities of settling down. I used to have a crush on Greg Kinnear but he does do the nice, oblivious guy again and again. Perhaps I’m just way too cynical for this film. I feel I will never find love and I really want sex but want to be in like at least.

, ,

Leave a comment