Jun 17, 2011
Adapting Christopher Isherwood’s novel of the same name that helped define the gay liberation movement, Tom Ford — yes, that Tom Ford —writes and directs his debut movie about George Falconer (Colin Firth), a college professor in Los Angeles circa 1962, who is mourning the tragic death of his lover, Jim (Matthew Goode.) As George’s day-in-the-life includes his planned death – he’s getting his affairs in order so that he can commit suicide – it’s also full of strange temptations. One of those is a long-ago sweetheart, Charley (Julianne Moore), who drunkenly and playfully berates him for never ending up with her and finding true love. Their exchange over a dinner brings out the two actors’ (Firth/Moore) best performances in years. Fashion designer Tom Ford directs with astounding stylish precision, as though setting up an advertisement for a refreshing spring line in “Vanity Fair.” Everything is so impeccably “Mad Men” you wonder at what point the direction will derail and the film will turn into a fashion catalogue. But it never does. And it’s exactly that ability to balance story, character, and design that makes this a top pick of the year. As we move into an award season that will surely bring him a host of Best Actor nods, Colin Firth should plan on wearing nothing but Tom Ford. This movie proves it’s a perfect fit. Four tiaras
Jun 17, 2011
Imagine a hilarious film about a day in the life of an angst-ridden professor looking for tenure…not to mention answers from his Jewish faith. Now imagine it’s written/directed by the fabulous Coen Brothers, and well, you’ve got a hit. It’s 1967 and Larry Gopnik (Michael Stuhlbarg) is simply looking to his faith for answers to God marriage, and family. He does everything by the book – so much so, that you want to slap him. And actually, somebody does…his wife’s lover, Sy, (Fred Melamed.) As Larry’s troubles mount from home to office to church, all Larry wants is a bit of guidance from the various Rabbis who offer little more than metaphors and nonsense talk. What drives this movie – aside from its larger than life comical camera work of suburbia – is that nobody seems to empathize with Larry. In this, the Coens examine Hebrew school, Bar Mitzvahs and the confusion of it all through the eyes of non- A list stars, who surprisingly all give Oscar worthy performances. Mazel tov! Four tiaras
Jun 17, 2011
(rated PG-13, 92 mins.)
When folk icon, Irving Steinbloom dies, a group of wacky folk singers reunite for a memorial, in this mockumentary follow-up to Christopher Guest’s “Best In Show” (with the same actors back together for the fist time, again). With just two weeks to rehearse for this grand event, it’s a walk down memory lane with everything from turtleneck ‘dickies’ to Starfish cruise lines, from town halls to juvenile halls. The Main Street Players (helmed by the same couple that were the lesbian dog trainer and the gay Schitzu owner in the last movie) have to be better than their competition Mitch (Eugene Levy) and Mickey (Catherine O’Hara), a Carpenters meet Peter, Paul and Mary duo. While the story has the same laid back pacing and dead-on characters, having seen “Waiting for Guffman” and “Best in Show”, Parker Posey is underused here as a color-coordinated neuftet while Levy’s character seems forced and underdeveloped despite having his usual dry-humor delivery. His “Best In Show” character with “two left feet” was much funnier, but never the less, this movie is the same laugh-out-loud hoot, you’d expect.
Jun 17, 2011
(rated R, 100 mins.)
Every so often an actor changes his image to stop the stereotype. Such is the case of Vin Diesel, a far cry from “Fast And Furious” in his latest film as Agent Sean Vetter, a DEA operative fighting the drug wars along the US/Mexican border. After a major player from the Baja Cartel is imprisoned, a new mysterious figure known as Diablo takes control over the entire operation. When Vetter’s wife is murdered, the stakes rise and he’s hell bent on revenge like most of the under-dog-seeks-revenge formulas, with added sensitivity and romance we aren’t accustomed to seeing Vin Diesel deliver. Directed by F. Gary Gray (“The Negotiator”), “A Man Apart” seems like Vin Diesel has found a new career in doing Steven Segal type flicks.
Jun 17, 2011
He (Ashton Kutcher) is a diaper salesman. She (Amanda Peet) is a wanna-be actress, when the two meet, and we follow what will become the ups and downs of a friendship, based on a $50 bet. She bets that in seven years, his perfect plan of being rich with a beautiful wife and baby, won’t pan out. And so we go along for a ninety minute ride of what could be the perfect pals occasionally distorted by sex/love (or is it? Does it?) While the chemistry isn’t Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks, the two are likable enough to share romantic screen time. And, unlike the usual boy gets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back, sappy-sweet scripts, this boy has to work for this girl and vice versa. It’s a fun twist on what one might expect, with a feeling of “Serendipity” meets “You’ve Got Mail”. Kutcher, fresh off of “Guess Who?” with Bernie Mac, proves he’s fastly becoming an A list star.
