The Great Beauty

— Sometimes you miss a great film when it was released, feel guilty about, and either never see it or let years go by before you do.  Luckily, although it took me several months to see Paolo Sorrentino’s ”The Great Beauty” ("La grande bellezza"), I didn’t miss it entirely. It’s a wonderful film that does, just as everyone said, remind you for Fellini’s “La Dolce Vita”.  It’s gorgeous and quirky, serious and funny.  Many times a scene would begin and I’d find myself wondering if I was watching a “real” occurrence or performance art.  What with a dwarf, a 103-year-old nun who’s about to become a saint, a cardinal who’s rumored to be the next pope, an ex-hooker, and more beautiful and endlessly partying people than you can shake a stick at, it’s quite a glimpse of the city and of the main character’s lavish and dizzying life. This film is definitely worth seeing. 

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[2013. 142 min. Directed by Paolo Sorrentino. Starring Toni Sevillo, Carlo Verdone, Sabrina Ferilli , & Carlo Buccirosso.]
http://www.villagevoice.com/2013-11-13/film/the-great-beauty-movie-review/full/

Under the Skin

— Jonathan Glazer’s “Under the Skin” was supposedly greeted at Venice (Film Festival) by an even split of cheering and boos and it’s easy to understand why: not much dialogue, many scenes without much light, an unsettling eroticism, and a fairly dark view of things.  It’s a little terrifying and a lot creepy as Scarlett Johansson continues to show just how talented she really is.  I kept wishing there was just a little more information given to help me understand why the alien was wandering in Scotland, but not having it may have helped me see the alien side of our own civilization from her eyes.  This is far from a traditional film but it is a very creative film that just doesn’t follow enough standard patterns to be marketable to large audiences.

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[2013. 108 min. Directed by Jonathan Glazer. Starring Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy McWilliams, and Lynsey Taylor Mackay.]
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/04/movies/scarlett-johansson-as-a-deadly-alien-in-under-the-skin.html?_r=0

Kill Your Darlings

—“Kill Your Darlings” (DVD) was worth a viewing.  It’s a look at a brief time in 1944 when Alan Ginsberg was at Columbia University and crossed paths with William Burroughs, Jack Kerouac and Lucien Carr. I didn’t know the story, so it was interesting on that level, but much of the interest came from the fact that I was watching it with the benefit of knowing what Ginsberg, Burroughs and Kerouac would become and how the 1950’s Beat Generation changed things—pulling away from conformity and ushering in a less structured time, embracing immediacy and individual freedom while being politically active—only to fade in the 60s when the next counter-culture arose, bringing some of the Beat tenets with them.  It’s an interesting film, although the closeted relationships are a little creepy and disturbing when seen through today's more tolerant eyes

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[2013. 104 min. Directed by John Krokidas. Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Dane DeHaan, and Michael C. Hall.]
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/16/movies/kill-your-darlings-stars-daniel-radcliffe.html?_r=0&pagewanted=2

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

—Saw “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” this afternoon. I can’t help it but I’m a sucker for the Marvel Comics’ films that take place mostly on Earth. Luckily, it’s more than some odd fascination. These things really are pretty good even if a bit over the top in terms of action and special effects. I had a good time and the 2+ hours flew by. Oh, and Robert Redford and Scarlet Johansson are good additions to the franchise.

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[2014. 136 min. Directed by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo. Starring Chris Evans, Samuel L. Jackson, and Scarlett Johansson.]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/movies/captain-america-the-winter-soldier-review-maybe-the-most-grown-up-avengers-movie-yet/2014/04/03/89bad3d8-ba60-11e3-9a05-c739f29ccb08_story.html

The Grand Budapest Hotel

— I have to echo the sentiments of all my friends who have already seen “The Grand Budapest Hotel”—it’s a wonderful film. There are many, many perfectly crafted lines spoken by perfectly costumed, quirky characters in perfectly cropped scenes/frames. This really is imagination and whimsy built with layers in a way only Wes Anderson can do.

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[2014. 100 min. Directed by Wes Anderson. Starring Ralph Fiennes, F. Murray Abraham, Mathieu Amalric, Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum, Harvey Keitel, Jude Law, Bill Murray, Edward Norton, Tilda Swinton, Tom Wilkinson, Owen Wilson, et al.]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/in-the-grand-budapest-hotel-wes-anderson-dreams-of-a-europe-before-the-bombs-fell/2014/03/13/8f7f6d3a-a64a-11e3-a5fa-55f0c77bf39c_story.html

The Counselor

—I watched “The Counselor” (DVD) yesterday, wondering how I’d missed it in theaters.  A film based on a Cormac McCarthy novel, directed by Ridley Scott, and starring Michael Fassbender, Javier Bardem, Cameron Diaz, Penelope Cruz, and Brad Pitt ought to be great.  Not at all. There’s just not much good to say about it. The landscape was attractive before it was blood-splattered. Some of the people are beautiful but no one seems to relate to anyone else. There’s a moral toward the end that I think was announced, but I lost interest and my mind was somewhere else. As if the stabbings, shootings, and decapitation weren’t enough, there’s even a sex scene that’s just as uncomfortable as the one in “The Paperboy”. This is just bad.  Run from it.

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[2013. 117 min. Directed by Ridley Scott. Written by Cormac McCarthy. Starring Michael Fassbender, Penelope Cruz, Cameron Diaz, Javier Bardem, and Brad Pitt.]
http://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/oct/24/the-counselor-review-ridley-scott

Rich Hill, and
Happy Valley

— I braved the slippery sidewalks and roads to see two more True/False films: Missouri-based “Rich Hill” which won Sundance’s grand jury prize, and “Happy Valley” which focused on the Jerry Sandusky/Penn State sexual-abuse case. Both were good, but I think “The Overnighters” was my favorite of the nine films I saw.

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http://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/sundance-film-review-rich-hill-1201073012/
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/happy-valley-sundance-review-673949
http://bestsundancefilms.com/overnighters-movie-review/

The Overnighters,
The Unknown Known, and
Private Violence

— Saw three really great films today before the first hint of drizzle arrived and the forecast of sleet and freezing rain, turning to 7-10 inches of snow sent scurrying home with a stop at the store for comfort foods. I’m so glad all three films today were winners: “The Overnighters”, “The Unknown Known”, and “Private Violence”.

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http://bestsundancefilms.com/overnighters-movie-review/
http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-unknown-known-2014
http://bestsundancefilms.com/private-violence-film-review/