charmadu Reviews

Mother (2019)

Mesmerizing , intense and challenging

[9/10 · 3 November 2020]

I just finished watching this on-line. Due to numerous stops and sputters and freezes, it took me nearly 5 hours to watch a 2 hour film. Suffice it to say that had it not been THAT good, I never would have kept trying for 5 hours. Where do I begin with this film. There's no question that you are immediately absorbed from the start. The acting, script, directing, cinematography are superb and the relationships develop in a fascinating way. Note how Jean starts talking to Elena the first time he comes to the cafe. It's classic male teenager yet there's something so enchanting about him. Jean, Elena and her boyfriend Joseba are presented so tenderly that even when the wheels are starting to come off, we are with them. There are so many fascinating aspects, not the least of which is that we are grappling with a relationship that eludes the usual boxes and labels. A film well worth watching.

Death of a Salesman (1951)

The Definitive Willy Loman

[10/10 · 26 October 2020]

I recently saw the 2000 filmed version of Death of a Salesman with Brian Dennehy. It left me so unmoved I searched to find other versions on line. I had already seen the Dustin Hoffman version (hated it) and could only find snips and shards of Lee J. Cobb who I know Miller raved about. Suddenly, lo and behold I came upon a 1951 film on youtube starring Fredric March. I had NO IDEA he had ever played the part! (Interesting sideline: Miller supposedly offered him the role first but he turned it down.) I know that Miller hated this film, it tanked at the box office, and that March is not a physical behemoth of a man. None of this matters. Here is a Willy Loman I could actually empathize with - he is the only one I've seen who gives a 360 degree portrayal; you get the clearest sense of how his deteriorating mind is collapsing his house of cards. It makes no difference if you think Willy Loman has Alzheimer's or some other dementia, is schizoaffective or bipolar or "just needs a long rest". This is not a portrayal dominated by screaming and bellowing. This is some of the finest acting you will see on film. He lost the Oscar to Humphrey Bogart (robbery) but won the Golden Globe (along with Mildred Dunnock and Kevin McCarthy) and the Volpi Cup at the Venice Film Festival for Best Actor. It's inspired me to expand my knowledge of March's films beyond the handful I've seen. Do yourself a favor and watch this performance!

The Animal Kingdom (1932)

Ann Harding Steals the Show

[10/10 · 27 March 2020]

I caught this by accident the other night trolling on amazon prime. WOW. I had never seen Ann Harding before - now I'm searching for all her films. Her scenes with Leslie Howard are timeless. She reminds me a bit of Helen Hunt - the intelligence, integrity and genuine affection she displays jump right across the screen. Her character is a total opposite to the completely controlled and controlling wife played by Myrna Loy. I never liked Philadelphia Story all that much so I was not anticipating that I would sit through the entirety of another Phillip Barry story, but I was wrong. Philadelphia Story asked us to smile at the elderly father's affairs with younger women and dismissed his daughter's opposition solely because her mother declared "it doesn't bother me", when clearly the reverse situation would have been unthinkable and abhorrent. Animal Kingdom instead shows us a woman typically viewed by society as "dishonorable", living a life of integrity. Not what you would expect from this era. I only wish we'd had a final scene with Harding and Howard, but I'm a romantic.

Avanti! (1972)

Wish I could have liked it more

[2/10 · 23 March 2020]

Let me start by saying I'm a Jack Lemmon fan=atic and will watch anything he's in. That said, I was disappointed by this one. I found Lemmon and Mills to be entirely lacking in chemistry and I wondered why he hadn't just gone with Lynn Redgrave and instead of making her gain weight, rewrite the part so she just thinks of herself as fat. (As it was, Juliet Mills hardly came across as fat, despite having gained 25 pounds allegedly, for the film.) I didn't believe for a nanosecond that these two fell for each other, ever. The script is quite dated and as an older female, left me wincing at all the erased women in the film, including Jack's wife and mother. The plot meanders and sags.... a lot. I found myself looking at the time. The best part of the film was a 10 second joke Lemmon tells towards the end about going to a NY Eve party in NYC, having a WONDERFUL time, and then realizing the next day he had gone to the wrong address. If only the film had been more reflective of that level of Jack's unique gift of humor and had given him a better match of a mate.

Three (I) (1969)

Well Worth Checking Out

[10/10 · 3 June 2019]

See this film for so many reasons. A most stunning 22 year old Charlotte Rampling and a very seductive 28 year old Sam Waterston exhibit great chemistry in a background of gorgeous shots of Europe. This is a "buddy" film but there are complications.... What's lovely about it is the scenario is so subtle and believable. One of the unsung heroes here is the exquisite music composed by Laurence Rosenthal which acts as another character in the film. The initial meeting of Taylor (Waterston) and Marty (Rampling) in a French cafe lasts little over a minute but is given timeless wings by the introduction of the beautiful theme on flute and piano. It elicits a feeling of innocence and eroticism and honestly, it's one of the sexiest things I've seen in a move.

A Star Is Born (2018)

Wonderful Film - with a few Hollywood flaws....

[9/10 · 21 October 2018]

First off, let me say I loved this film - actually thought Bradley Cooper was better - and have been telling everyone I know to see it. This despite the fact that I saw it surrounded by people who were talking throughout it as though they were watching a tv show in their living rooms, cell phones going off, two men getting up to go the bathroom at key emotional points AND major soundbleed from the action picture next to us. That's a lot of crap to still have me say I loved this film! I haven't seen everything that Bradley Cooper has done but I wonder if this might be his best film yet. HOWEVER....I have a few quibbles. One is almost ironic b/c I thought Cooper did such an excellent job of choosing which things to borrow from the Garland version. One thing however, that the latter did dare to show (in 1954 no less) was that the lead male character (James Mason/Norman Maine) was a drunk who quickly got abusive. At the key moment that he comes on stage as the Garland character receives her Oscar and tries to lovingly corral him, he smacks her in the face in front of the world. It's truly an electrifying moment. In contrast, Cooper's character never becomes physically abusive towards Ally no matter how out of it he is, and when he ruins her Grammy acceptance, he pisses on himself. This scene felt flat to me. I'm not arguing that he should have completely copied the 1954 version here - but it's not believable that his character would not have pent up rage that combined with his poly-addictions would combust - and combust around the person he loved most. It's too much Mr. Nice Guy to swallow. The most painful part of being in a relationship with an addict is that they force you to hate them. But that is a far more complex relationship and Hollywood is really not too into that. The other quibble has to do w/ Gaga's physicality. We're supposed to believe that she's been told how ugly she is, in particular her nose. I found this about as believable as her saying she's been told she's too old or fat. Also,I found it quite a stretch to think that this kitchen worker with an occasional gig singing in a drag bar, would have flawless skin, a killer toned bod with a six-pack and perfect dance video moves, at the ready. Yeah, sure, uh-huh, if you say so.... I think maybe we could have seen her working out at least to show some progression to the model look she has at the end, or getting skin treatments, whatever! Despite this, I still loved the movie!

All I Desire (1953)

If You Love Stany, You'll Love This

[10/10 · 14 August 2017]

I caught this by accident on TCM and wow - I was just blown away!!! It amazes me how completely Barbara Stanwyck dominates every scene she is in, regardless of dialog or camera angle. I loved everything about this film, and not least that it was in B&W - which made the early 20th century setting just that hair more believable. I had never seen Richard Carlson before and thought he did a wonderful job. Although some may quibble that the ending is phony or forced on by studio heads, I actually thought it comes across today as quite radical and showing a maturity rarely seen from Hollywood in the 50's.

Sex and the City 2 (2010)

Vile & Loathsome

[1/10 · 28 July 2017]

I saw this last night and couldn't believe my ears and eyes. You'd be hardpressed to find a more offensive piece of garbage in the last 10 years. I always thought the 4 women (with the possible exception of Miranda) were just drag queens fantasies from a (very messed up) gay man's mind - this film really confirms that. These are not real people, much less real women, but they do make sense as drag queen cartoons. What's sad is it looks like all the actresses were either told (or told themselves) that they had to have "work" done, and unfortunately, the camera does not lie. Don't get me started on the hideous idea of sending the four cartoons to Abu Dhabi so they can give the finger to everyone there and join in eternal sisterhood with local women who are more into western fashion than they are. I think SJP and Michael whatshisface - and yes, the whole cast - should be sent to hard labor for this crime against humanity. Lessons learned: Carrie should not kiss other men other than her husband. Miranda can find another job which allows her to watch her child win 1st prize at school. Samantha can continue to end each film screaming in orgasm b/c her reason for living is to have sex and scream about it. Charlotte need not fire her bra-less nanny b/c - what luck!- turns out she is lesbian so her husband will be less likely to succeed at having an affair with her. Is it any wonder we are so despised around the planet?

The Big Sick (2017)

Overrated

[4/10 · 7 July 2017]

Sorry but I really didn't get what the huge deal was about this film. I prefer Meet the Patels or even My Big Fat Greek Wedding. And honestly, I'm getting tired of these films where the Holy Grail is getting together with a white woman or man and all the protagonist's family members and their potential nonwhite suitors are made to look like reactionary half wits, poor seconds or outright losers. It's a weird sort of racism. Please understand I think people should marry whoever they choose but why do we have to bash the minority family/suitors? It didn't help that I really couldn't stand Zoe Kazan - why would anyone pursue this obnoxious little brat? She was as hollow as a cheap chocolate Easter egg - so devoid of anything interesting - I couldn't tell you one thing about her that she liked to do besides banging the protagonist. She seemed to have not the slightest clue on earth that her uber driver with benefits was from another culture that might not be raving about her as his intended. Her come here/go away tactics were so tedious that it seemed truly divine intervention when she blissfully (for us) went into a coma. And of course he pursuing her relentlessly did not reflect well on him either. I regret that the real Emily (shown at the end in the credits) could not have portrayed herself - she appeared to be a fully mature woman and 5 trillion lightyears more interesting!!! Similarly although the parents portrayed by Ray Romano and Holly Hunter were your typical Hollywood comical/kooky parents, they were nowhere near as interesting as they should have been. (On a side note, I am a big HH fan and it pained me to no end to see the bad facial surgery she has undergone). Emily's real parents were in the audience one night on the Stephen Colbert show and I remember thinking "if only" in regards to her mother who unlike Hollywood actresses her age is not stick thin and actually looks like the mother of an adult woman. I would say this film was mildly amusing but something to be watched at home with food, animals and lots of other distractions. Do not spend $10 on it.

Daisy Kenyon (1947)

Don't be fooled - this IS Film Noir!

[11 September 2016]

Caught this recently on the Movie Channel and despite the 1000 interruptions, really enjoyed it. Whoever said this is not Film Noir needs to think again. Film noir refers to a style marked by a mood of pessimism, fatalism, and menace. All three permeate Daisy Kenyon. The term was originally applied (by a group of French critics) to American thriller or detective films made in the period 1944–54 and to the work of directors such as Orson Welles, Fritz Lang, and Billy Wilder. David Thomson spoke on this - he cited Mildred Pierce as his favorite Film Noir. But you say - "where's the crime? where's the mystery?" The crimes are Crimes of the Heart, what the Catholic Legion of Decency used to label "objectionable in part for all", which was code for extramarital affairs, men deserting their children, women marrying for security vs love and getting hooked on married men who string them along for years - in short LIFE as Otto Preminger dared to show it in 1947. The mystery is how Daisy has the most courage of anyone in the film - despite her societal status as "damaged goods". Despite the complaints I've read about the casting - I thought it was excellent. Dana Andrews does a beautiful transition from a total cad and later the much sadder but wiser man. Henry Fonda is quite a mystery himself - and what a delight. And Joan Crawford does a spectacular job as a fallen woman of integrity, trying to swim with the barracudas.

Mr. Holmes (2015)

Fantastic Performance by Ian McKellen

[10/10 · 21 November 2015]

Ian McKellen knocks the wind out of everyone here. It's such a powerful, brutally honest and moving performance. I saw his Richard III on stage 20 years ago and even seated way up in the nosebleed seats, wow! What a powerhouse! I wish I could say the same for Laura Linney's performance - sadly, she is totally out of her league in this role. I found myself during her on-screen time - and she has a fair amount of it - imagining Joanne Froggatt (Anna Bates in Downton Abbey) in the role instead, who would have been perfect. (Why oh why don't they consult me on these matters!) Still and all, well worth viewing for McKellen.

I am a HUGE fan of Jeremy Brett's Sherlock Holmes and consider him to be the best SH ever, but this to me felt so in the spirit of Brett's own characterization. I'd be willing to bet that McKellen himself is a Brett fan and that Brett is beaming that 50,000 megawatt smile of his from above!

I'll See You in My Dreams (2015)

Save Your Hard-Earned (or Not!) Dough

[2/10 · 4 July 2015]

Wow - I went out of my way to see this, thinking "Blythe Danner - of course I'll go!" What a total waste of time and talents - mine, hers and the whole cast and crew. (And did we have to make her look like some kind of Diane Keaton has-been?) Here's what I learned from this movie: if you're an older woman living in Southern Ca, you better have a tonload of money. It's needed to: 1) run the house that looks like an ad for Pottery Barn, including a pool and pool boy, 2) land the loaded boyfriend who fake-smokes expensive cigars, drives a fancy car and ginormous yacht, and lives at the expensive senior home with three of the most boring, empty, "senior" female friends ever written for the screen, or for that matter, any medium.

The tonload of money would also be needed to finance the constant drinking - or should I say, guzzling -that goes on in this film. Virtually every scene (minus the vet and the hospital)involves alcohol as an unpaid extra.

At first I thought the movie was going to deal with the drinking - (why did I think that? I must have been drinking)

The relationships between the protagonist and her 2-scene boyfriend, her daughter and her friends are so shallow as to be embarrassing and ultimately depressing. Between her and the pool boy was only slightly better. Particularly problematic is the fact that this relationship is also centered around alcohol. The result is that she can't help but come across as a shallow alcoholic, happy to go with the first person who says "I like you" and drinks.

As for the boyfriend - "surprising" a woman you've never met and know nothing about, by taking her out to sea, in your boat, alone, all day w/o bothering to find out if that in fact is something she'd remotely want to do - struck me as insensitive at best and creepily controlling at worst. But since whoever she is, is so buried, and there's plenty of alcohol on board, no problem! After he "leaves", all she has left are her terminally boring friends, adopting an old dog with a couple more years and going to the karaoke bar and drinking until it's her turn. Her only daughter is a total non-entity to her. This was nearly as bad as The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.

Maps to the Stars (2014)

Total Piece of Crap

[1/10 · 1 March 2015]

I just saw this tonight - we decided there must have been some deal cut between the reviewers who raved about this. At least 10 people walked out and at the end the audience was yelling stuff out like "get a priest!" "we should be paid for having had to endure this!" This was a theatre in Berkeley, California. My comment was more along the lines that we should at least get Victim Witness compensation for our time and brain damage. All I can say is Rachel Weisz should be lighting candles to all her saints and deities that she should have been spared this. The entire film was pointless and endless - the film makers appear to have watched too many Saturday Night Live skits where the editor appears to have gone into an irreversible coma. Save your hard earned dough and avoid this TPOC!

Mistral's Daughter (1984)

Timothy Dalton - Episodes 2 and 3

[10/10 · 21 February 2015]

The only reason to watch Mistral's Daughter is Timothy Dalton who appears in Episodes 2 and 3. He's the reason I'm giving 10 stars. If I could just buy episodes 2 and 3, I would. This man is like a woman's dream come true - he comes across as so sincere, so sexy, so kind, so accepting and so devoid of ego - what woman interested in men, would NOT want to be loved by a man like this? Name another actor with that level of drop dead gorgeous looks, that sumptuous voice, that dazzling charm, acting talent for days and so generous to his fellow actors! I confess envy that Stephanie Powers got to do these scenes with him and honestly, don't know how she didn't keep from jumping his bones for real. When I die, I want to see Timothy Dalton in heaven - please God!!!!

Hawks (1988)

Is There Anything Timothy Dalton Can't Do?

[10/10 · 18 February 2015]

Seriously, is there Anything Timothy Dalton can't do? You'd be hard pressed to find another living actor with a resume spanning such a wide range of genres on stage, screen, television and voice overs. What an actor's actor. He totally makes this movie. Having lost family and friends to cancer, I so appreciated the theme of deciding your own end - vs being imprisoned by the health insurance industry. Bravo for tackling this theme (in 1988)alone! I'm so grateful to have seen this film enough times now that I have specific scenes and lines etched in my brain - every single scene Timothy's in of course, he OWNS. And his work with Janet McTeer is just lovely. There's something about this guy though - besides being drop dead gorgeous and possessed of that Golden Larynx that makes the English language sound like the loveliest music on the planet -he just exudes such a deep sense of loving what he's doing on such a profound level - it doesn't matter WHAT he's in or who he's with. In return, how you can help but not love him back with all your heart and want to follow him to the ends of the earth? He's so generous with his fellow actors too - seems like such a great person to work with. Yes of course, the film itself has its flaws - not least of which is Janet McTeer's character which was seriously underwritten, but she is soooo good and soooo hilarious and heartbreaking that she nearly makes up for it. Plus, it's great seeing two tall people get together - it's not something you see every day.

Jane Eyre (1983)

I Dare You To Watch This Only Once

[10/10 · 8 February 2015]

Let me begin with the Gift from God known as Timothy Dalton. His vocal instrument and physique are breathtaking, absolutely mesmerizing. I could listen to him read the phone book. He brings Bronte's script to life as no one else has before or since. The miraculous irony is that although to most modern eyes, the man is almost blindingly handsome, in those days he would have been considered more of a "vulcan", and not so good looking - just as Bronte intended!

I've seen the various versions of Jane Eyre- some are better than others but this is the one that will stand up in a hundred years. Zelah Clarke as Jane is also excellent and very believable. My sole quibble is that I wished there had been a wee bit more intimacy at the end, after all we've gone through to bring our leads back together again! Nevertheless, this version wins hands down for several reasons. It is the only one in which we get to see : 1) Mr. Rochester play the gypsy woman as he did in the book; 2) the serious damage done to Mr. Rochester's left hand and eyes after the fire, not just that he's blind; 3) the toll taken on Mr. Rochester from having to live with his "locked secret" for the past 10 years. 4) Jane forced to beg after she leaves Thornfield - which graphically reveals how truly alone and destitute she is at that point. 5) Did I mention Timothy Dalton?

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

Glad I Didn't Pay for This

[2/10 · 24 January 2015]

Before I start, let me say I enjoyed The Royal Tenenbaums, so I didn't have any prior negative feelings about this director. When I heard how many awards this latest film was up for, and that the local library was having a free showing, I high-tailed it down. Wow -what a disappointment!I found this film depressing on many levels. The word that comes to mind is COWARDICE, fluffed up with CGI artifice. For starters, there were so many opportunities with the material that included issues of race, culture, class, sexual orientation, aging, war, etc. ALL of them missed! All of them treated with the same shallow-as-a-birdbath approach. I truly felt sorry for every actress in this film. They were all either grotesque gargoyles or saintly and scarred like Agatha. If you were to take all the lines collectively from every actress in this film, I've no doubt they'd easily fit on 1/2 sheet of paper. The ratio of women to men was worse than a Saturday Night Live cast list. That said, there was more genuine life in Tilda Swinton's 20 seconds than in the entire rest of the film! This was a new low for LOW emotion fans. The director was too timid to even penetrate the heavily perfumed facade of his main character. In the scene where he's been sprung from prison and is vomiting a racist diatribe on his underling's head, the latter responds by saying how war forced him to leave his country, after his family and town were destroyed. Suddenly Zero is a "refugee" and that magically causes Gustave to apologize profusely to him. Voilà! Zero becomes a Hero and aren't we glad we don't have to think about such nasty deep seated beliefs ever again! Similarly, the director appeared to have been too afraid to even use a real Nazi symbol in the hotel, instead going for some pseudo Art Deco/Fascist Lite look. Yes, some of the set design and outdoor CGI scenes were nice to look at but not for that long. I must have looked at my watch 7-8 times. Thankfully I saw it for free - I only regret I paid for parking!

How to Steal a Million (1966)

Sheer Delight in the City of Lights

[10/10 · 5 December 2014]

First of all, full disclosure: I had a GIGUNDA crush on Peter O' Toole as a young girl, and this film catches him at a moment in his life when he not only looked crazy fabulous, but appears to be having the time of his life with this gossamer wing of a tale with... who else? The Queen of Gossamer Wing Tales herself, Audrey Hepburn. But above and beyond these two knockouts and the delightful chemistry they have together, and their wonderful cast (most notably Hugh Griffiths as Audrey's father), we have Paris, we have that enchanting musical title theme, we have that stunningly gorgeous house they live in, and those cars! Peter's citrine Jaguar XKE has to be the sexiest car that has ever been filmed. I don't even know what Audrey's car was but it is SO adorable and chic - whoever chose the cars should have been nominated for an Oscar for that alone. The script is clever, the Givenchy outfits are lovely, and Wiliam Wyler directs with such a light touch. Come visit the Paris of 1966 and watch Peter and Audrey fall in love!

The One I Love (2014)

WAAAY more cynical than it seems

[8/10 · 1 September 2014]

This is a film that totally sneaks up on you. It starts out as a boring, straight, white, well-off couple goes off to "refresh" their troubled marriage at an idyllic California-looking private retreat. In the end they each willingly choose a Fantasy Image of their partners over their real partner. For Sophie that means choosing a Fantasy Ethan who appears on the surface to be more attentive to her and for Ethan, that means choosing a Fantasy Sophie - a bona fide Stepford who will go along with whatever/whenever/however he wants. The Real Ethan is so clueless, he can not even distinguish between the Fantasy Sophie and his own wife. But of course, it's the real Sophie who gets the short end of the stick - there is no reason to think she won't be betrayed (again)by the Fantasy Ethan (who has betrayed the Fantasy Sophie) in the future and now it is she who is trapped in the Guest House.

Love Actually (2003)

Not Love, Actually

[3/10 · 22 June 2014]

I watched this movie for the first time recently and yes, I know the world has changed in 11 years but wow - did this really pass as something terrific then? Of course the acting giants in this film could read you the phone book and it would sound great. After reading what stories should have been cut, I agree that the guy going to the US to get laid and the stand-in porn actors' stories were not worth the paper they were written on; however, taking them out would not have saved this picture. A serious problem is the pervasive sense of the "love (or lust) at first sight = forever" mentality. The only female part with any depth to it at all is Emma's. Laura Linney's character quite quickly reveals herself as a terminal co who is only going to have a life once her brother dies. It's hard to not just pity her. Unfortunately all we get from Emma's character at the end is a kind of wan smile accompanying her "I'm fine, I'm fine!" to her husband's somewhat thoughtful "how are you?". The one relationship that showed some hint of possible potential is only allowed to reach the depth of a birdbath apparently. Too bad the film maker didn't take a cue from the real footage in the airport that ends the film - there suddenly we are smacked up the side of the head with every type of real relationship EXCEPT this shallow Hollywood romance stuff, and you realize, "ahhhh, THAT's love actually!"

Far from the Madding Crowd (1967)

Brilliant In Every Respect

[10/10 · 18 February 2014]

I remembered this movie vividly from the time I first saw it as a budding thirteen year old, and fell hopelessly in love with it. Far From the Madding Crowd is a fatalistic tragedy with a mythical feel. Love falters repeatedly midst a complex web of connections and true to Hardy, the issues of class and gender are paramount, and romantic love is exposed to the grim light of day. I recently found it in DVD form at my library, and waited a whole 3 days to watch it - so fearful was I that I would be disappointed compared to the experience I'd had as a youth, decades ago. Despite the DVD being in that letter box format and my TV being rather small, I am delighted to say I was completely BLOWN AWAY. Every single element: script/acting/casting/directing/editing/music/costume/set design/scenery - I don't know what holds a candle to this today. Truly. Every performance, big and small, is completely dead on. Every couple's dynamic and chemistry is stunningly captured by Christie/Bates, Christie/Stamp, Christie/Finch and Stamp/Ransome. The music alone is so haunting I am looking for the soundtrack. I agree wholeheartedly with Leonard Maltin that this film is "shamefully underrated".

The Sacred Science (2011)

Well Worth Viewing

[9/10 · 14 November 2013]

Of course there will be no shortage of those who say this film "doesn't prove anything". Although I can't imagine anyone here (USA) welcoming this line-up of medical conditions. My husband died recently of lung cancer. My father is on hospice and unlikely to live much longer. And I've worked more than 13 years in various medical settings in California (primary care health clinic, dialysis clinic, HIV/STD public health clinic). From that perspective, this film gave me a feeling of peace and hope. The healing came about not just because people were in nature, taking traditional herbal treatments, eating healthy food, not sitting all day in cars or in front of screens, and breathing (relatively) fresh air. This was not a rich hippie spa. People were staying in individual huts and solitude and silence were essential key components. They had to face themselves, including their demons. Quite a contrast to our old "war on cancer" campaigns. Even when physical conditions didn't reverse, the emotional healing was obvious. This was not a revivalist tent command "HEAL" atmosphere. The patients were not promised any magical cure and they were all free to leave whenever they wished. I appreciated the courage and integrity that the film makers showed in continuing on when others would have decided to stop and scrap the project entirely. The fact that death was treated in an honest and respectful way was again quite a contrast to the typical HMO atmosphere.

It's taken a long time for a film like this to finally emerge. But look how long it's taken something as ancient as acupuncture to become "acceptable" by large HMO's. (Where it will be enthusiastically touted to help you tolerate your chemotherapy.) Is it any wonder that people have decided to SEEK HELP ELSEHERE? I can only hope there will be more films like this to come.

August: Osage County (2013)

A Dream Cast - almost

[8/10 · 13 October 2013]

I just saw AOC at the Mill Valley Film Festival. I was familiar with the play and knew about the two endings. I was thrilled to learn it had been filmed in Osage County and the cinematography was a treat. I was delighted to see Meryl (Violet Weston) and Chris Cooper (Charles Aiken) working again together. Meryl is a shoe-in for Best Actress - if they push her into Best Supporting Actress nominee, there should be a massive protest. Chris Cooper should be nominated as well. Julianne Nicholson is perfect in the role of Ivy Weston as is Benedict Cumberbatch as Little Charles. Their story is the most heartbreaking one as it's so difficult to imagine them surviving at all, much less in New York City. They both should be nominees for Best Supporting Actress/Actor. I wish Margo Martindale (perfectly cast as Mattie Fae Aiken) had had more, and Julia Roberts (Barbara Weston) less screen time. Sam Shepherd was also wonderful, although his part is so teeny. But I think the problems in the original script carried over to the screenplay: Karen's boyfriend Steve (Dermot Mulroney) is written way too heavy handedly - child molesters do not announce themselves in a new family setting as loudly as he does. And the scene where teenage Jean (Abigail Breslin)gets caught with Steve and finally confronts her father Bill (Ewan McGregor), is completely undermined by our not seeing any reaction whatsoever from Bill to his daughter. This is directly due to Bill being written as another one of those "aren't I a nice guy" types. We already have a real "nice guy" in the Chris Cooper/Charles Aiken character, and he has some legs to stand on. In contrast, the Ewan McGregor/Bil Fordham character sorely lacks that integrity. But it's Roberts who really undermines things for me - because she has so much screen time and just isn't a good enough actress to pull off her role - her anger comes across as just shallow, there's nothing really solid behind it. I didn't believe she grew up in that house for a second. Watching her, I found myself imagining what Amy Morton (the actress who played Barbara Weston on Broadway) would have done with the role. What a loss for those of us who will never get to see THAT performance. Tonight at the film festival, they showed the supposedly second "happy" ending featuring Julia Roberts. To me, it made it painfully obvious how much she couldn't pull it off. If she gets nominated for Best Actress, there should be a massive protest. So here are my nominees: Best Actress: Meryl Streep; Best Supporting Actress: Julianne Nicholson; Best Supporting Actor: Chris Cooper and Benedict Cumberbatch

Picnic (1955)

See it in a REAL theatre on a REAL BIG screen

[31 August 2009]

Do yourself a favor and see this film in a real theatre. I've seen it 4 times now, and each time have been completely overwhelmed by it. And that was all without knowing a thing about William Inge (1913-1973). I want to include a word about Inge to address the quibbles from folks who see the film as "outdated". As my old history teacher used to say: "context is everything."

Born in Independence, Kansas, Inge spent much of his early career as a closeted, alcoholic, small town school teacher, before he met Tennessee Williams and was inspired by seeing his GLASS MENAGERIE to became famous as a playwright himself (COME BACK LITTLE SHEBA, PICNIC, BUS STOP and THE DARK AT THE TOP OF THE STAIRS) as well as screenwriter (SPLENDOR IN THE GRASS). PICNIC was based on his recollections of living as a small boy with his mother in a boarding house with 3 female schoolteachers. In those days, unmarried, educated women had limited choices: nurse, teacher, librarian, nun. It may be difficult to imagine now but it was also then against the law to be homosexual, and if you really couldn't pass as heterosexual, you were expected to do everything in your power to come across as asexual. At age 60, living in Hollywood with his sister after his fame had faded, Inge committed suicide, at a time when gay men and lesbians were starting to be more visible in the culture. His home town continues to honor his legacy.

Although none of Inge's most famous plays have what we would call gay characters, it doesn't take much to see how they are shrouded. Take another look at "old maid" Rosemary (Rosalind Russell), a deeply repressed, bitter, desperate and alcoholic schoolmarm; her closeted, alcoholic, middle aged boyfriend Howard (Arthur O'Connell), is a confirmed bachelor, but despite the pinup calendar we are shown in his apartment, he seems most delighted in his scene dancing with Hal (William Holden). But Rosemary's alcoholism and her pattern of going through unavailable man after unavailable man are interwoven. Is she really madly in love with Howard? Or is she desperate to escape her job and end her status as social pariah? Similarly, although it's a comical scene where Howard is completely railroaded into marrying Rosemary, it doesn't take a seer to figure out that once married, they are only likely to become more alcoholic and sadder, vs "saved" by their love.

Alan Benson (Cliff Robertson)is the town's rich young man who claims to be madly in love with Madge (Kim Novak), but he seems more invested in her as a declaration of independence from his disapproving father. Alan also becomes most alive and fully realized in his scenes with his old college buddy Hal.

Madge and Hal are physically beautiful but deeply frustrated, lonely and misunderstood people, ignited by their sexual attraction to each other. They are both seen as somewhat dimwitted. Hal has the same beefcake/torn shirt look of the Brando/Newman characters in the film versions of Tennessee Williams' A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, ORPHEUS DESCENDING and SWEET BIRD OF YOUTH. Growing up a juvenile delinquent without parental love, Hal has only been rewarded for his physique. Likewise, Madge is praised only for hers and she feels forced into marriage with Alan as a a way of redeeming her mother's years of "grass widow" hardship. Madge's father is alluded to as having problems with drinking before abandoning the family, leaving Madge's younger sister Millie (Susan Strasburg) to grow up fatherless, and in a sense motherless too, as her mother is hellbent on Madge landing Alan. (Inge's father was a traveling salesman)

The only adult women not in search of a man are Mrs. Potts (Verna Felton), the kindly old lady next door who immediately welcomes Hal with food, work, kindness and an introduction to Madge, and Flo Owens (Betty Field), Madge and Millie's abandoned single mother. Mrs. Potts is a widow in her 60's, apparently childless, and sole caretaker of her elderly mother. As Flo has had to be both mother and father, Mrs. Potts offers a fount of unconditional love to both Flo and her children. In turn, there is a suggestion that Mrs. Potts may have lost her children, and living next to Flo and her two girls has been an enormous comfort to her. It's clear that when Flo's daughters have flown and Mrs. Pott's mother dies, that these two will continue living side by side, loving and supporting each other. It is easy to imagine Flo caring for Mrs. Potts as she approaches her final days. This is not the type of relationship between women that we normally see in films of the 50's, or for that matter, of any era. And it's a bonus that both women turn in such fine performances.

Much has been said about William Holden being miscast - as being too old to play the part. I couldn't disagree more. If anything, his appearing older only highlights the years he's wasted, his desperation to change his life, and his frustration at not having any solid sense how to do that. It's an exquisite and moving performance.

Is the film perfect? No. For one thing, it doesn't capture the original ending written by Inge (where Madge does not follow Hal). Sometimes the music is too intrusive. Othertimes (as in the famous dance sequence) it is sublime. Although I don't think Kim Novak was quite a match for Holden, others may disagree and say her "frozen" quality befits Madge having been treated as a statue all her life. Rosalind Russell has been criticized for having gone over the top. But this is William Holden's film and he will break your heart. Go!!