W.E. (Friday, February 3, 2012) (7)

I worked in international auction houses for 12 years of my life, including at Sotheby's, where in 1998 they held the sale of the property from the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. Though I was not there at that exact time, I worked with dozens of people who spoke about how amazing the lines were to get into the exhibition and how ridiculous the crowds were to see all their tchockes. I also saw other big and silly exhibitions of crap from famous people and how people went nuts for them. I can promise you that Madonna has no such insight into such things and thinks such auction are romantic and wonderful. They're not. They're sad and boring.

But the framing device for her film W.E. is the 1998 auction, where Mohamed Al-Fayed sold all sorts of stuff owned by Edward and Wallis, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. Into this auction exhibition dives Wally Winthrop (Abbie Cornish), a bored Upper East Side housewife who was named after the Duchess and now lives with her ex-pat English shrink husband on Park Avenue. She feels some connection to her namesake, although we don't totally know what it is, aside from "something womanly" and ersatz feminist.

We are thrown back and forth between Wally's World and the lives and romance between Wallis (Andrea Riseborough) and Edward (James D'Arcy... that's Mr. D'Arcy to you, ladies). We see how she had a rough first marriage to an American soldier who beat her, how she was married to another American businessman who moved them to London and how they met as she was climbing up the social ladder of London (and being a rather loose woman along the way). Madonna presents Wallis as a self-confident and smart woman, but also strangely as a foxy one totally aware of what she was doing the whole time.

The royal story is a bit dull, if fairy-tale-romantic, so we spend lots of time in the '90s with Wally, whose husband is a dick and who can't figure out how to pass her time. She ends up going to the Windsor auction exhibition a few dozen times and spending hours there. I can speak from personal experience that this is all but impossible as auction exhibitions are some of the most boring places on Earth.

While spending her time there, she meets Evgeni (Oscar Isaac), a security guard who is also supposedly a Russian immigrant, though he looks more like Guatemalan... because the actor is... Guatemalan (and because Madonna has a thing for Latin dudes). Somehow the Upper East Side princess falls for this blue-collar dude from Bushwick... because that could happen (that has never happened in the quarter-millennium of auction house history, despite years of security-guard efforts).

This all sounds like a terrible narrative with two unconnected stories? Well, that's about right. This is a totally stupid plot with two ridiculously unrelated threads that shouldn't and don't really meet at any point. I guess there's an idea that Wally is sad that her marriage is not all she hoped it would be and she takes solace in the idea that her namesake was also in such a marriage until she got a divorce and married up... but that's such a banal and superficial link.

Madonna's directing style is so turgid and blunt it ceases to be art and moves into baseball-bat-over-the-head-territory. Do I care that Wally had some sort of fake career at Sotheby's before she got married to her foreign beau? Does that make her more likable? No. It makes her exactly the kind of woman who would get herself into the dumb marriage that she's in and exactly the remote personality that makes for great and terrible melodrama, but totally urelateable.

This could have been a nice historical romance, but the contemporary story feels more like a gilded lily than any sort of necessary frame. I think Madonna has it in her to be a good filmmaker, but she needs to learn when enough is enough and not the entire history of everything in the world (including a bunch of lame excuses for why Wallis and Edward weren't really Nazi lovers). I think a good editor would have done this script and this film a good service. But I guess that would have been less romantic, or something.

Stars: 1.5 of 4

Declaration of War (Friday, February 3, 2012) (6)

It's long been an easy thing for people to say that some new young film talent in France is "the next Godard" or "has the feeling of early Truffaut," so when hearing such a thing about Valérie Donzelli and her film Declaration of War, I basically ignored it. And yet, the film really does have the feeling of the first generation of New Wave fare in the first part of the 1960s.

There's something about the brightness and joy of the experience of watching the film, the post-modern taking of film conventions and magnifying them, that's totally reminiscent of such films. Just like how Godard and Truffaut were cinephiles who enjoyed the game of making movies and inserting hundreds of allusions and jokes in them, it's clear that Donzelli is a very keen movie watcher and a talented artist.

Billed as being "based on a true story," the film was co-written by Donzelli and her frequent collaborator Jérémie Elkaim (who also co-starred in her last film, Queen of Hearts - available on DVD and worth watching) and would seem to be their own story of love and pain. The film opens with Juliette (Donzelli) taking her young son to the hospital where he gets an MRI. We then see a flashback to her in a club several years earlier where she met Romeo (Elkaim) (silly or not, the name joke is straight out of Godard). The two have a passionate affair that ends in her getting pregnant and them getting married.

All of a sudden, these two thirty-somethings have to be grownups and take care of serious stuff, whether they like it or not. At some point their young baby starts behaving strangely, and after a series of frantic doctor visits, it seems he has a brain tumor. They must grow up even more in a short amount of time and see what all this stress does for their relationship.

Donzelli has an interesting on-screen persona (I say this based only on the two films of hers that I've seen). She's basically a French Zooey Deschanel, light and bubbly, not against singing or crying for no particular reason; a cool chick you feel like you might know or might want to know. (Granted, many people hate Deschanel, and they might hate Donzelli as well... all I can say to these people is that you're jealous and clearly hate joy.)

Perhaps a more apt comparison, however, in the world of independent film is Miranda July, at least from the point of view of being cute and relatable and technically interesting. In many ways, this film feels like a "what if" sequel to July's The Future (what if Sophie and Jason had stayed together in that film?). This is a story about young people enjoying freedom until it gets serious and then not totally having the tools to deal with reality.

There is a risky and interesting musical number in the film, that really shouldn't work but does. Unlike Queen of Hearts, which is a Jacques Demy-esque musical comedy, this is really a light drama with a single song in it.

Throughout the film, Donzelli punctuates moments with rather daring and interesting filmic devices, such as iris-ins and third-person off-screen narration (again, another ode to Godard, who might have been paying homage to a Dassin or someone like that). It's all very fun and quirky. In one sequence, as the young family is rushing to the train station to catch a train for Marseilles to see a doctor down there, Donzelli and editor Pauline Gaillard give one of the most amazing left-to-right hurry-up sequences I can remember in a long time. It's really beautiful. I really appreciate such bold efforts, if for no other reason than so many movies are so goddamn boring, at least this is an effort at something clever and new.

This is a much more serious, real-world-based story than Donzelli's previous film and I think her style works wonderfully here. I look forward to seeing what she will do next, perhaps a return to sentimental musical fare or maybe a deeper journey into this more serious world of formalist drama.

Stars: 3.5 of 4

Kontes - The Countess film izle

Kontes - The Countess (Türkçe Dublajdır.)
Filmin Yapım Yılı: 2009 
Filmin Yapım Yeri: Fransa
Filmin Türü: Korku - Gerilim - Dram - Biyografi - Tarih
Filmin Süresi: 94 dk.
Filmin Yönetmeni: Julie Delpy
Filmin Oyuncuları: Daniel Brühl,  Julie Delpy,  William Hurt,  Jeanette Hain,  Anamaria Marinca,  Nora Von Waldstätten,  Maria Simon,  Adriana Altaras,  Katrin Pollitt,  Armin Sauer,  Robert Lyons,  Christine Mayer,  Henriette Confurius,  andi gatjen,  Robert Schupp,  Felix Vörtler,  Frederick Lau,  Sebastian Blomberg,  Andre Hennicke,  Anna Maria Mühe,  Charly Hübner,  Rolf Kanies,  Jestus Kammerer,  Andy Gatjen
Filmin Senaristi: Julie Delpy
Filmin Yapımcıları: Julie Delpy,  Matthew E. Chausse,  Andro Steinborn
Filmin Konusu: Aşk, intikam ve gurur arasında kalan kanlı katil Kontes Bathory’nin yükseliş ve düşüşünün öyküsü. 1560 doğumlu kontes, 14 yaşında iken nüfuzlu bir lord ile evlendirilir. Dönemin en güzel, akıllı ve güçlü kadını olarak anılan kontes, erkeklerin hakim olduğu ve sadece onların sözünün geçtiği bir dünyaya başkaldıran bir kadın olarak öne çıktı. Bir davette kendinden oldukça genç olan Istvan’a aşık olur ve tutku dolu bir aşk yaşarlar. Fakat bu mutlulukları uzun sürmeyecektir çünkü Istvan’ın babası Kont Thurzo oğlunu ondan ayırmak için planlar kurmaktadır. Kontesi, yaşı büyük olduğu için oğlu tarafından sevilemeyeciğine inandırır ve sonunda ancak bakirelerin kanıyla yıkanarak genç kalabileceğine inanmaya başlar. Bir sürü bakire kadın kaleye getirilir ve bir daha da görülmezler. Bu arada Erzebet de giderek daha çok delirir ve takıntılı hale gelir. Sevdiğinin babası tarafından kurulan politik bir komplonun kurbanı olduğunu farkettiğinde ise artık çok geçtir. 
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Daniel Radcliffe Just Barely Saves THE WOMAN IN BLACK

THE WOMAN IN BLACK (Dir. James Watkins, 2012)

Now that the Harry Potter series is kaput, it’ll be interesting to see where Daniel Radcliffe’s movie career goes.

For his first film since retiring his wand, Radcliffe stars in an Edwardian era horror story - produced by Hammer Films, no less. It’s not a bad choice for the young actor. It’s preferable to a random rom com or generic techno thriller I suppose, but, try as it might to genuinely scare, THE WOMAN IN BLACK is only intermittently startling.

Radcliffe portrays a widowed lawyer who is handling a recently deceased woman’s estate located just outside a small village where there’s been a rash of child killings. A local landowner, Ciarán Hinds, befriends Radcliffe and warns him about staying overnight in the creepy mansion, but, of course, Radcliffe doesn’t listen.

Things more than go bump in the night, they work overtime to terrorize Radcliffe around every dark corner. That is, the ghost of the title, who keeps popping up in an absurd quick-cut manner, who is doing all the terrorizing, coming close to offing Radcliffe several times.

At one point, a woman at the screening I attended yelled “why don’t you just leave?!!?” Now normally I dislike when folks scream at the screen at the movies, but she did say what I (and many other folks in the audience since many people laughed) was thinking exactly. When Radcliffe first realizes that there is a supernatural force at work, and that it’s majorly screwing with him, he really should’ve gotten the hell out of there.

Oh yeah, it’s, of course, a dark and stormy night so the road is flooded as the estate is cut off from the mainland.

Based on a 1983 novel by Susan Hill (which had been previously adapted for film by Herbert Wise in 1989), this movie is filled with the kind of jolts that make you feel stupid for being momentarily startled by.

A lot of the cuts, like one to the black-wearing woman screaming through a window pane, feel really cheap. Once I got into the rhythm of the movie, I could sense a sudden jolt coming once I notice the camera start to settle into a shot.

A few times into the hectic second half when a jolt didn’t happen I was disappointed.

Radcliffe’s uncovering of the clues (old letters, words written in blood on walls, etc.) that explain what’s behind it all aren’t sufficiently thrilling either. It’s admirable the intense effort Radcliffe brings here, but his character has no depth beyond bland chivalry.

Still, Radcliffe's invested performance saves the movie from being just one "boo!" after another. But just barely.

THE WOMAN IN BLACK does have a great grainy gothic look, but that, along with Radcliffe’s capable carrying of the film, are the only things good here to report.

More later...

Ahlaksız Teklif - İndecent Proposal film izle

Ahlaksız Teklif - İndecent Proposal (Türkçe Dublajdır.)
Filmin Yapım Yılı: 1993 
Filmin Yapım Yeri: ABD
Filmin Türü: Romantik - Dram
Filmin Süresi: 117 dk.
Filmin Yönetmeni: Adrian Lyne
Filmin Oyuncuları: Demi Moore,  Woody Harrelson,  Robert Redford,  Billy Bob Thornton,  Oliver Platt,  Pamela Holt,  Seymour Cassel,  N Grazer,  N Cabral,  C Brett Harris,  M Fritz Odemar,  S Faryal Gohar,  K Callan
Filmin Senaristi: Amy Holden Jones
Filmin Yapımcıları: Sherry Lansing,  Alex Gartner
Filmin Konusu: Ahlaksız Teklif filminde: David ve Diana çifti okulda tanısıp evlenmişlerdir..mutlu bir evlilikleri olan çift bir ev inşşatı için borçlanırlar.las vegasta onlarla tanışan john gage mılyarder bır ıs adamıdır..ve o gece dıana yı begenır ve bır gece gecırmek ıcın 1 mılyon dolar teklıf eder
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A Better Life (2011) (Wednesday, February 1, 2012) (150)

A Better Life is a precious film about how hard life is for Mexican immigrants in East L.A. It's not at all a bad film, just one that wears its sentiments on its sleeve and makes sure that you know how important a story it is.

Carlos (Demian Bichir, who was nominated for an Oscar for this role) is a Mexican immigrant working as a day laborer landscaper in fancy parts of Los Angeles. His son, Luis (Jose Julian), is a Chicano kid, born and raised in East L.A. who is struggling in high school and considering joining a gang rather than continuing his studies.

The father and son don't really connect well, which is sad for Carlos as he's doing all this hard and illegal work for his son who seems oblivious to his father's work and efforts. When Carlos gets into financial and work trouble and might be sent back to Mexico, both he and Luis have to face the fact that the world is a tough place and there might not be a happy ending for them.

There is nothing in this movie I haven't seen before and I worry that the filmmakers, director Paul Weitz and screenwriter Eric Eason, are a bit proud of themselves for making such an important film. It feels in every scene like they're patting themselves on the back - or at least that's how I feel as an ultra-liberal viewer who is very glad I'm watching such a film.

Bichir is actually very good in his role and I can't really say he doesn't deserve a Best Actor nomination (though it does feel a bit random that he has such an honor). I guess I feel like the film is such a narrative and emotional paint-by-numbers that it's hard to give him all that much credit. Still, it's a good job. The film is good - it's not bad at all - I just wish it was a bit more inventive than it is. This is a hard criticism as I'm mostly annoyed that my experience watching the film was different, which isn't really the worry of the director or writer. Still I felt like it wasn't as emotionally complex as it could have been.

Stars: 2.5 of 4

Panik Butonu - Panic Button film izle

Panik Butonu - Panic Button (Türkçe Dublajdır.)
Filmin Yapım Yeri: İngiltere
Filmin Türü: Korku - Gerilim
Filmin Yönetmeni: Chris Crow
Filmin Oyuncuları: Michael Jibson,  Elen Rhys,  Millie Midwinter-lean,  Paul Jibson,  Scarlett Alice Johnson,  Sule Rimi,  Jack Gordon
Filmin Senaristleri: David Shillitoe,  John Shackleton,  Chris Crow,  Frazer Lee
Filmin Yapımcıları: Damian Cole,  Graham Handley,  Paul Daplyn,  John Shackleton,  Robert Graham
Film Hakkında: Film İngiltere'de çekilmiş olan bir korku gerilim filmidir. Korku gerilim severlere duyrulur.
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