Here We Go Again!

(images courtesy of Google)

 

“I mean, to have one black cast member for the whole film seems rather strange, and, oh yes, she’s a prostitute, of course,”

 ”Don’t get me wrong, I love Spain and it looked beautiful, but that part of the world is so diverse and, really, what is that about?”

The abovementioned comments were made by Angela Bassett to a reporter for The Daily Telegraph, concerning Director Woody Allen and his new film Vicky Cristina Barcelona. Bassett made her feelings towards Allen perfectly clear on the red carpet for her new movie Notorious (The Notorious B.I.G. biopic), calling the director ‘a little weird’, before concluding that she has no desire to work with him.

The lady doth protest too much, methinks. Firstly, regarding her comments on the diversity of Spain, the film is set against the backdrop of Barcelona, but Spain is not its primary focus. It tells the tale of two American girls who decide to spend the summer in the city, where they become embroiled in the life of a zealous painter. Spaniard Javier Bardem plays the passionate artist, while Penélope Cruz portrays his unstable wife. White actresses Scarlett Johansson and Rebecca Hall portray the Americans.

What would Bassett prefer, the movie feature two black Spaniards, two African Americans girls, and be renamed Angela Shaniqua Spain?

Secondly, black prostitute? There is one in Deconstructing Harry – and yes, I thought the same thing – but I don’t remember seeing one in his latest effort.

‘Of course’, we all know black people often feature in stereotypical roles, however, is she aware of her own movie choices? She turned down the lead in Monster’s Ball (which later went to Halle Berry) due to the portrayal of the lead black woman, to star in films such as Akeelah and the Bee, Meet the Robinsons and Meet the Browns - all typical ‘black’ representations. She’s also making these comments at the premiere of her latest picture Notorious, in which she plays the late rapper’s mother. For those of you who haven’t seen it, feel free to assume she’s not changing the status quo!

She’s a good actress, and she has produced some great performances, most notably, her Academy Award nominated performance as Tina Turner in the biopic What’s Love Got to Do With it? but, I can’t help feeling that her comments have more to do with an underlying personal frustration, than with Woody Allen per se. The same goes for Spike Lee, the black director who, according to The Daily Telegraph, was criticised for supposedly not including many white characters in his films, to which Lee was quick to point out that Allen had few blacks in his. More recently, Lee has made similar statements concerning Clint Eastwood, as well as general comments regarding the rest Hollywood:

”I’m not rich rich. Rich is (Steven) Spielberg, (George) Lucas, (Bill) Gates, Jay-Z, Bruce Springsteen. I’m not complaining, but that’s money! Will Smith, Oprah Winfrey – that’s a ton of money. Compared to them, I’m on welfare.”

Well, compared to you Mr. Lee, I’m on welfare!

There’s just no pleasing some people; that’s my point. Some of us are just born with irritable dispositions, and so, while Bassett is busy being Angela and Lee is busy being Spike, I recommend you watch Vicky Cristina Barcelona. Critics are calling it a triumph and a return to form for Allen, and I personally enjoyed it. Also check out the rest of the Allen Collection – and Eastwood!

Hasta Pronto

Sugar and Spice and All Things….

(image courtesy of IMP awards)

I have a confession… I’m starting to developing a habit, and her name is Meryl Streep. And now, having notched up a 15^th Academy Award nomination for her lastest endeavour; surely, it’s not hard to see why? 

In her new movie Doubt, Streep plays Sister Aloysius – a nun who suspects the priest (Philip Seymour Hoffman) of wrongdoing in the catholic school. With no hard evidence, only her certainty, Sister Aloysius sets out on a one-woman crusade to bring the Father to justice – at any cost!

Doubt is a great film; however, it’s very character driven. The theme of child molestation occasionally gets lost, in what seems to me, to be a movie about the actors.

Streep is sinfully good as Sister Aloysius and definitely delivers the stand out performance. However, a deserved winner of the Oscar for best supporting actress would be Viola Davis or Amy Adams, who plays the younger, more naïve nun, Sister James. The pairing of the nuns is fantastic. Adams plays innocent so well, whilst we all know Streep is no stranger to the more devilish role! As a result of their characters’ opposing dispositions, the film also delivers a few laughs.

Father Flynn: “Doubt can be a bond as powerful and sustaining as certainty” – and Doubt certainly is sustaining, with powerful performances from the cast. 

Forgive me, Father, for slipping back to adolescence, but I haven’t had this much fun watching nuns since the film Sister Act!!

A Desperate Housewife With Substance

(image courtesy of IMP awards)

 

Set in the 1950s, Revolutionary Road tells the story of Frank (Leonardo DiCaprio) and April Wheeler (Kate Winslet), a couple living in the American Suburbs with their two children, in what can only be described as the ideology of the American dream. In spite of this, Frank and April are discontented with how their lives have ended up and seek a change, which they think they’ve found in the form of Paris – a fresh start pursuing old dreams. Momentarily, peace is restored in their turbulent marriage.

Not long after, however, and amidst many subplots, Frank gets a promotion and April falls pregnant, and thus, the grand plan is cancelled, sending their marriage speeding down the path of destruction.

Winslet and DiCaprio deliver great performances in this movie, although I found myself empathizing more with Winslet’s character, possibly because the male protagonist didn’t seem to want to help himself and was happy to play along, conforming to the rules of society, and in the end, unlike Frank, April would rather die than continue living in a state of false consciousness and deceit.

In addition to the lead actors, Michael Shannon gives a riveting performance as John Givings, the son of the Wheelers’ neighbours. John, an opinionated soul who resides in a mental institution, has no qualms about telling the Wheelers’ exactly what he thinks of the world, of them and of their marriage. All is fine, that is, until John starts revealing a few home truths.   

It’s no secret that the truth hurts. And what happens to the sane man who speaks the truth? He’s called a madman and sent to Bedlam!

Baby Love….

(image courtesy of Google)

 

Slumdog Millionaire… Where do I begin with a story that is simply complex? This movie left me with so many impressions; however, I’ll do my best to keep the review short, and as sweet as a story concerning a slumdog can be.

Set in the city of Mumbai, Slumdog Millionaire tells the tale of Jamal Malik, a boy from the slums, who is able to answer 14 questions correctly on the Indian version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?. Did he cheat? Well, this is the question Jamal finds himself answering, when, the night before he is due to receive the final, 20 million rupee question, he is arrested on suspicion of cheating. Through a brutal cross-examination, as well as a series of flashbacks, one learns how he came to know the answers, as the story of his life unfolds….

The movie had me at hello, and I give all the credit to the superb Ayush Mahesh Khedekar, who plays the youngest Jamal. Most of the harrowing scenes from the movie, in addition to the dreadful slums, are part of Jamal’s childhood, and so, it is this child protagonist who must lay the foundation for the character, and make us believe that everything he is doing is for love for his sweetheart, Latika, which Khedekar does beautifully.

A film with the energy and vibrancy reminiscent of City of God, It’s a must see!

N.B. Favourite line: Anything that includes the name Latika! 

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

(image courtesy of IMP awards)

 

He’s alive!

I am saying this knowing that there have been whispers for a long while of an adapted screenplay telling the story of a peculiar Mr. Button; however, that’s all they ever seemed to be – until now.

Contrary to us mere mortals, The Curious Case… tells the tale of Benjamin Button (Brad Pitt), a man born with the body of an 86-year-old who finds himself getting younger as the days go by, while the others, namely Daisy (Cate Blanchett), his one true love, are heading in the opposite, yet usual direction. 

Benjamin is a simple, unassuming man with a lovable nature, seemingly living life in the pursuit of happiness, going wherever fortune takes him, which is eventually, but only briefly, back to Daisy.

Led by the direction of David Fincher (Seven, Zodiac), the film takes you on an enthralling journey of love, loss, desire, intimacy, passion and heartache, set against the main backdrop of New Orleans.

Pitt, to my surprise, plays the role of Benjamin quite convincingly, while Cate Blanchett can do no wrong. Or maybe I was just mesmerized by the mind-blowing prosthetics and special effects, which subsequently propelled me into this wondrous setting.  

Nonetheless, The Curious Case… is a film with soul and has a spirit which endures long after the credits roll. It’s a story of mortality, it takes you right to the very heart of what it means to be human, and it leaves you thinking….