gangbusters!

having a low-key holiday weekend in town, working a bit and prepping for the upcoming trip... but yesterday was blockbuster friday. i met up with friends richard, anthony, teresa and zovig for the 11:30 am showing of PUBLIC ENEMIES...featuring...richard! this is a film that i would have seen--depp, bale, mlle. marion cotillard, period sets and costuming...

via imdb...

all of that is way up my alley. but obviously, the fact of richard being in the film (as agent sam cowley), and having heard about some of the on-set adventures from him and teresa, made this exceptionally thrilling. i love to see friends find success at what they love to do, and are meant to do.

before taking in the film, i did read a couple of reviews (manohla dargis at the nytimes, and david denby at the new yorker) and didn't disagree with their assessments. there's an epically beautiful build to the film, but an ending that's strangely slow-mo and abrupt. and anti-climactic. (i had a "that's it?" moment near the end.) despite mr. mann's attempts to fudge "real" events to clear a stronger dramatic path, in the end, there are no heroes here, just a collection of intriguing personalities, none wholly good or bad. (ok, maybe baby face nelson was an entirely bad apple.) and while that makes it in one sense true to life, it might be why the film falls just short of great?

to me, the hero of the film is cinematographer dante spinotti (oscar-nominated for his work on the insider and la confidential). public enemies is one beautiful shot after another. close-ups from terrific angles. and look at the light here...how wonderful:

via imdb...

via imdb...

via imdb...

(side note: don't see the film at the e-walk theater on east 42nd, if you can help it. we sat in theater 1, which had a vertical line running the length of the screen, effectively splitting off 1/3 of every one of mr. spinotti's beautiful shots. very distracting.)

***
and on the subject of gangbusters, how about andy roddick?!!

richard and i were both pulling for murray (richard, because he's a brit, me because i figured he had the better shot at beating federer on sunday) and had set our respective dvrs to record the match. we discussed the particular cares we would have to take in order to avoid seeing or hearing about the match before we could watch it all unfold ourselves. this meant no lunching at a pub after the movie, no internet, and definitely no looking up when walking through times square.

i put the match on when i got home--and actually fell asleep between the first and second sets (oops. very tired!) but then caught the rest of it. the result: shocking!

i learned the hard way last summer to not actually bet on murray to win, but i still had a notion that he would win yesterday. even knowing that roddick is in the best shape of his life, i simply never believed he'd be able to mix it up enough, or have the composure under pressure to create winning points against players that have a bit more in their arsenal. and i guess it's been a long time since i could recall him really winning a big match--though yes, he's come very close...

and as i watched murray predictably pop off, i expected roddick to have his turn. but he played it smooth and smart all the way through...

i did notice earlier in the week, that in an interview, he seemed very thoughtful and mature. my sense from what i've read on the blogs is that he's fun to interview--candid, wry, funny...but sometimes (anyone's) smart-assiness wears on me. but there was something so noticeably different in the interview, and for probably the first time in my life, i wanted to really root for the guy.

he was similarly dignified and humble in his victory yesterday. and he said something that reminded me of a post that mfw wrote a few months ago--"not a quitter." roddick said, "throughout my career i have had a lot of shortcomings, but trying hard hasn't been one of them. " i have to admire that.

and cheer.

GO ANDY!

ap photo via yahoo sports

plan, perfect

two lovers film poster, uk version. by all city media.

last night, at around 5 pm, my friend allison emailed me.

want to go to the movies? it's so icky and rainy out--it's perfect movie weather.

this threw me for a second.

i live in a rear-facing apartment. right now i'm eyeing the array of vertical and horizontal blinds of the rear-facing apartments in the tan brick building across from mine. hello neighbors. it's not bad, really--there is enough distance between "us" to allow for gentle light. the sun never imposes itself on me here, and that's rather nice. i get to ease into the days at my own pace.

but if i'm wondering how clear the sky is or if rain is here, or on the way, i have to walk up to the window, lean over the white radiator cover, and with my cheek hovering close to the glass, look up, up and away to suss things out. i had the blinds up yesterday, but i didn't leave my apartment after 11am--it was icky and rainy out? i had no clue.

i loved this impromptu movie idea, though. (is it ninety-five percent of life that's planned? short-term. long-range. big monstrous things, like careers or even little deals, like lunch.) plans, and the anticipatory thrill, can be fun. but i love the energy of the un-plan:

let's go for a walk.

let's grab a coffee!

come over...

anyway, i said yes to going to the movies even before she mentioned what she wanted to see. she proposed 3 options: two lovers, i love you, man, and he's not that into you. (this reeks of girls-night-on-night-1-of-the-sweet-sixteen, yes?) i'd just seen i love you, man on tuesday night, so we settled on two lovers.

when it was over, my first thought was the story wasn't isn't new or even terribly surprising. but there are small moments, beautiful, melancholy snapshots that ring deep. the ensemble was restrained, mirroring the film's oppressive, lovingly confused and strained relationships. the performances of isabella rossellini (looking old world beautiful, and with a wary squint) and vinessa shaw (so simply heartbreaking) were quiet and finely tuned. joaquin phoenix's opening scenes set off alarm bells--his tweaky walk and posture made me think of sean penn in i am sam. oof. but he settled in and became properly unsettling. he is here, at turns, broken and combustible--his unique vulnerability, the way an emotion traverses the deepening lines of his forehead to the tight corners of his lips, and then lives in his eyes...his eyes...those eyes. there is nothing easy about him, is there? it works perfectly here. throughout the film, i would nuzzle into the collar of my own damp, wool sweater trying to hide or find a little comfort. so while allison and i agreed there was a level of predictability to the film, while we were there, watching it all unfold, we both dreaded the impending emotional doom right along with the characters. allison was positively morose immediately afterward, but we talked through the heaviest parts, and then the balmier ones.

in the end, our choice felt right--like impromptu movie night, right as rain.

***
how do you like the film poster? it's the UK version, created by all city media and i prefer it to the one they're using here. check out the site--they offer alternative designs for each of their projects, and it's interesting to see and consider how and why they made their choices.

best pictures...

"i think you should date miss yum yum"

before meeting with the oscar party club yesterday for brunch at the smith, i sat on the no. 6 train and quickly filled out my "official" oscar ballot. i would have done just as well to tack the thing to my wall and toss darts (and i am pretty terrible dart player). i'd only seen three of the nominated films (slumdog, benji button, and the changeling), and my favorite film from last year, gran torino, was shut out by the academy entirely. i had a little word-of-mouth to go on, but it wasn't going to serve me well enough. the other oscar party members had seen nearly everything, and whatever they hadn't seen (maybe only the animated shorts?) they did their homework on.

i couldn't bring much to the brunch conversation, except a few shrugs, some laughs. during one discussion of glaring academy omissions and snubs (benicio del toro for che--part 1, was a big one) teresa said, "and, bruce springsteen for the wrestler..." and i said, "WHAT?! bruce springsteen was in the wrestler?!!" HA! i thought maybe bruce was going the way of tom waits? wrong, wrong, wrong. i am surprised they didn't boot my ass from the table. (ah, that's what i love about the oscar party members--they are very keen on and about film, but they don't close off the circle if you haven't quite kept up. i always leave their company wanting to know and see more...)

i had actually thought about skipping yesterday's oscar telecast since i hadn't felt invested in any of the outcomes. but after our brunch together, i had all of this intel--stories about danny boyle, sean penn, mickey rourke, and melissa leo. all of a sudden, i cared.

(wasn't it entertaining, as award shows go? i loved high jackman's opening bit, especially when he'd laugh during the songs. i despise lip-syncing in part because that it ruins any hope for a great honest moment--i love when performers allow themselves to have fun. i mean, what would águas de março be without elis regina's laugh? [here, at around 2:40]. anyway, sure, parts of jackman's performance were totally cheese. but who can't use a little of that on a sunday night in february? he and anne hathaway had me giggling out loud. and i'm a little in love with james franco. his laugh just might get me through this interminable winter. i hope someone throws that short film bit on youtube soon. )

after the long good night, the oscar party club results were tallied, i fared the worst of our group (congrats, anthony!). oh, i knew i was saying goodbye to that $10 dollars the minute i handed it over with my ballot, but i feel fine about the loss. between their company, and all the films they've inspired me to see, i still feel like i came out ahead.

*****
i used to spend a fair amount of time watching movies. i still watch a lot of films on tcm, but i'm not as avid a DVD watcher as i was back in the days before netflix. call it a phase...

there was a time, if you lived in the far west village, before rents went high as the sky, you had at least three pretty great options for movie rentals, rko video (which became good restaurant), mrs. hudson's video library (which survived a flood, only to close about a year later) and kim's video (whose entire archive now lives in sicily!). my lone, loud lament about the neighborhood was that by the time i left, i couldn't rent a damn video anywhere, but i could take my dog (if i had one) to any one of three doggie hotels and spas that had opened.
it was a west village evolution that did not suit me.

netflix is a nice convenience, but it sucks the romance out of the whole affair for me. half the fun is going to the store with something in mind that you're dying to see that night--and a lot of great discoveries result when what you want isn't available. you're forced to pace around, poke around, and negotiate your plan b with your friend/friends.

i miss that.

but if i'm going to fall back in love with the movies (and make progress on this "film addicts" list, passed along from the oscar club members), i guess i'll just have kiss my romantic notions (of the dvd storefront, at least) good-bye.

***

if you want fun, reliable recommendations, visit (OC club founders) teresa and richard's blog, film snobs.

AND: look for richard--a very fine stage and screen actor--in this summer's blockbuster, public enemies. depp, bale, marion cotillard and richard short--remember his name. big things are on the horizon.

***

one final note about gran torino. when teresa came to work raving about it last fall, i thought she was referring to some throwback eastwood film from the early 70s! i knew nothing of it. without her ardour for it (and clint), i might have waited until its dvd release, or possibly skipped it altogether.

while the acting wasn't top-notch, and i hope to never hear those slurs outside of the theater (which didn't prevent me from laughing out loud at the ridiculousness, the audacity, and out and out "wrongness" of them), i left the theater knowing that gran torino would be my "best picture" for 2008.

yes--slumdog was a fantastic tale of love. i liked what it had to say about how people acquire knowledge and wisdom, and how morality and character develop. and it certainly was energetic and uplifting. but i don't know that there's been a film that has presented more fully the complexities of the asian immigrant and asian-american experience--or for that matter, even tried--until gran torino. it is so much more than a film about racism, revenge and gang-violence-- it broaches issues that i could only begin to meaningfully consider through academic study... and there was so much sad truth in how intolerance and racist attitudes are formed...how the road to true understanding can be, at times, treacherous, brutal.

but gran torino is also, at its core, optimistic--it bears the hope that we can each encounter a soul who can see past our fear and withstand our craziness, whose openness allows us see and understand things in a way we hadn't before. that's what "sue" was to that old walt kowalski. seems to me that makes it, in its own way, a story about love.

winter a-go-go

i've got the day off today! woo hoo!

whenever i have a day off, pretty much the first thing i'll do is flick on the tv and see what's on tap on TCM. if i'm lucky, it's film noir day or myrna loy's birthday or they will program an entire day of melodramas from the 40s and 50s.

today, my little feet hit the cold floor at right around the usual time (8:30) and i tip-toed over to the tube, hit # 82 on the remote, and saw that "winter a-go-go" was on.

crap.

i'd never heard of it.

the tv guide said something about 1965, richard benedict, and kids at a ski lodge.

clearly it's b-movie day.

drat.

i just wasn't in the mood!

not 3 seconds later, they're heavy into a dance number, a dude and a bunch gals in very tight, very colorful pants, sweeping, dusting, shimmying and shaking their pretty asses around this "ski lodge." (they were the cleaning crew.) go-go dancing with brooms and dust rags! so silly. and so MY LIFE.

(put some music on, and i am a dancing fool. true story. and consequently, it takes me twice as long to get anything done--cook, clean, get dressed for work, wrap christmas presents, paint my apartment. i just can't help it.)

anyway, the next few minutes of the film were fairly awful, so off went the tv and my own dance party started up.

and it's gonna go on all day, while i bake a bermudian rum cake, and some other sweet treats for tomorrow's new year's party. we'll see how long the neighbors can put up with prince.

a note or two about the film:

tag line: "ski buffs and ski babes on the go-go in the snow-snow." wow.

it features beverly adams, who made uncredited appearances in a couple of elvis movies (roustabout and girl happy -- a fave! shelley fabares, so cute), and married vidal sasson...she's BEVERLY SASSOON!!!( "ooh la la sassoon!")

the film also starred william wellman, jr., who seems to have built a fairly successful tv career, and whose dad directed carole lombard in "nothing sacred," her only color film appearance...

"paradiso" found!

i decided to be a sommelier for halloween (i went home, changed into a fresh white shirt, and opened a bottle of spicy mallorcan red...)

and then i parked myself on the couch to watch cinema paradiso.

friends of mine have raved about the film for years--that i'd love it, that it would be one of my favorite movies of all time. i think it's part of the reason i passed on seeing it until now. all that buildup--could the film live up to it?

and then there's the crying. everyone cried, but my sister is my barometer (i cry watching little house on the prairie; she rarely tears up), and not only is cinema paradiso one of her favorite movies, she bawled. i was sure to be a wreck. and i just haven't been in the mood for that.

well...i DID love it! and i held up throughout (a few tears here and there), but with the final scene came the flood. jacques perrin watching that kissing montage--how he shifts in his seat... his hands..and his eyes, rimmed with tears that you can see a-glimmer in the dark--with that sweet, haunting morricone soundtrack soaring ...it might be one of my all-time favorite film scenes.

here it is (starting at 4:51):



you tube video via foreign classics

************

i spent most of this morning thinking about the movie and wanting perspective from past reviews. I pulled two favorite books off my shelf (pauline kael's "for keeps," and anthony lane's "nobody's perfect) and was surprised and sorry that neither volume featured a review of the film.

so i googled. vincent canby pretty well hated it back in 1990 (nytimes subscribers can login to read it). (i wonder if his opinion changed at all after that?) but also on the times site was a brief clyde haberman piece about writer/director giuseppe tornatore. it's a nice little primer about the sicilian native and the early history of the film (written before the oscar win). the bits about the italian film industry are dated, but it still makes me wonder what movie-going has been like in sicily in recent years?

*****

i loved the dozens of film clips within cinema paradiso, but this one left the deepest, happiest impression:




youtube video courtesy of jack11anbar

that is silvana mangano lip synching to flo sandon's rendition of "el negro zumbon" for the film "anna", but the moves are all hers. i love.

and, as if i needed another reason to love her, i found out that mangano's performance in the "earthy" drama riso amaro inspired one of the most hilarious i love lucy episodes (lucy prepares for an audition to star in the "earthy" italian film " bitter grapes" by spending the day crushing grapes).

here is lucy in the wine vat:



youtube video via krunk4theking

i am officially obsessed.

a final bit of trivia: silvana mangano also happens to be the grandmother of food network's toothy, yet comely giada de laurentiis.