40 Sparkly Artists

     Today's viewing list includes a comedic quasi-sequel, a cheesy remake & a documentary about the "grandmother of performance art"...two out of three ain't bad...

  Sparkle - Remember that magical moment in Dream Girls when Jennifer Hudson sang "I Am Telling You" and just for a second you thought that maybe history would prove American Idol to be a great star maker after all?  Let's all just bask in the joy of that moment for a second...and then let's talk about Sparkle.
     I'm sorry to report that director Salim Akil has taken a serious step backwards from his debut feature Jumping the Broom.  This remake of the 1976 camp classic is yet another example of why some films don't need to be remade, even if it is a good excuse to help fill the admittedly shameful vacuum of significant roles available in Hollywood for black actresses.  This kind of career assistance they don't need.
     As for the acting, it might still be too soon to speak ill of the dead, so let's talk about Jordin Sparks.  The poor girl just looked lost.  She either seemed to be making a face: "angry", "happy", "intrigued", "frightened", or vapidly staring off into space trying to remember which face her acting coach had said to make in the particular scene.
     The rest of the cast is either under-utilized, burdened by bad dialogue or just underwhelming in general.  Even a cameo by Cee-Lo Green (who usually makes me smile no matter how he is utilized) failed to muster much enthusiasm on my part.  The only member of the ensemble to stand out in a positive way is Carmen Ejogo in the role of Sister.  While her performance definitely stands high above the rest, it is sadly not enough to salvage the production as a whole...1 1/2 of 5 stars.

  This Is 40 - I'm not sure how many reviews I've prefaced with the confession that I am pretty tough on comedy.  I don't know why, but I'm a hard egg to crack in this regard and it is the rare film that gets me to actually laugh out loud with much gusto.  I'm happy to report that This Is 40 did. Repeatedly. I shouldn't really be all that surprised.  Writer/director Judd Apatow has been carving a real niche for himself making films with a superb blend of humor, heart, and intelligence, and that is exactly the sort of movie that he has created here.
     This is 40 is a quasi-sequel, focusing on the lives of supporting characters from his previous film, Knocked Up.  Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann return in the roles that they created and both do exceptional work.  If I have one complaint it is that the caustic humor that is central to the characterization of both members of the couple becomes a LITTLE excessive at times, pushing the boundaries of character likability.  In one scene, Ms. Mann's character Debbie chastises a boy who has insulted her daughter on-line so viciously that I actually became a bit uncomfortable.
     Overall, though, this is a very small complaint about a very funny movie.  Melissa McCarthy made me absolutely GUFFAW and I will NEVER get the image of young Iris Apatow shouting "No Technology" into her smart phone out of my head.  I highly recommend watching this picture, and insist that you stick around for the out takes with Ms. McCarthy during the credits...4 of 5 stars.

  Marina Abramovic: The Artist is Present - You know, I vaguely remember a paragraph or so about Marina Abrimovic's work from Art History when I was in college but I never really got the point of performance art.  However, seeing her prepare for an exhibit and hearing her speak in this biographical documentary, I think I begin to get it.  I can only imagine what the experience of seeing one of her exhibits live would be like.  There is a presence and an energy about the woman (even over video) that simply defies explanation with mere words.
     Director Matthew Akers does not go in for a lot of flair in his storytelling style or structure, wisely allowing the charisma of his subject to speak for itself.  Which it does marvellously.  The Artist is Present is an insightful and entertaining meditation on art, love, the passage of time, and humanity.  Highly recommended viewing...4 1/2 of 5 stars.

The Great Gay Film Festival of 2011

     There were also several films with gay themes of note that I failed to catch back in 2011, so I put three of them together to make this post.  Why the hell not?
     Today's "colors in the homo rainbow" include a teen transsexual, a man so far in the closet he's in Narnia, and a sci-fi thriller about sexual coming of age.  I am happy to report that this batch of movies was MUCH better than the 2012 version of the festival.  Less snark, more recommended viewing!

    Gun Hill Road - Believe it or not, this one was already on my viewing list and it JUST released on DVD earlier this month.  I believe it first came within range of my radar due to young star Harmony Santana's Gotham Award nomination for the Breakthrough Award which the young transsexual actress deserved in spades.  As Michael/Vanessa she gives a performance that is nuanced and pained, yet demonstrates a confidence and understanding of exactly who the character is.  No doubt many points in the film mirror experiences and feelings in her own life, but she creates a character that is far more than a stock personality.
     I also have to take a moment to compliment actress Judy Reyes, who plays Michael/Vanessa's mother.  Rarely has a performance captured such unconditional love of a parent for a child, or such yearning for a closeness to one's husband that seems just beyond the character's grasp.  The actress certainly proves that she has dramatic chops that go far beyond the comedic stylings of SCRUBS.
     Unfortunately, actor Esai Morales's performance seems slightly forced by comparison as the conflicted father.  We definitely get his frustration and confusion, and they ring true for the most part.  However, some of his scenes seem to degenerate into a stereotypical, macho "But he's my boy" litany that could have been played with a little more variety.
     This is the first feature for writer/director Rashaad Ernesto Green, and I hope that the limited commercial success of Gun Hill Road does not hinder his ability to make another.  The script is written with intelligence and sensitivity to ALL of the parties involved and his direction indicates an ability to draw truth from the performances of his actors.  I definitely recommend this film, especially for the parents and families of children whose sexual identity may fall outside of the norm...4 of 5 stars.

  Beauty - Winner of the 2011 Queer Palme at Cannes, Beauty is a South African film that tells the story of Francois van Heerden, a man in his mid-40's who enjoys sex with men (unknown to his wife and family), but hates "faggots" (which should be clear to anyone around him).  Francois is played brilliantly by actor Deon Lotz, who manages to make the character both horrifying and oddly sympathetic.  Excellent supporting turns are provided by actors Charlie Keegan (as the young man he develops feelings for) and Michelle Scott (as the unsuspecting wife), but make no mistake, this is largely a one-man show.
     Writers Oliver Hermanus and Didier Costet were previously unknown to me, but they have crafted a tale that lends real irony to the film's title.  Francois's inability to accept his own attraction to "beauty" leads him to live a life full of bitterness and ugliness.  It is a marvelous example of how living in the closet (or in any other form of denial) can turn a man into a monster.  Hermanus also directs, and he pulls together a tightly knit and expertly handled production.  Beauty is not an easy film to watch, but it is well worth the effort and discomfort...4 1/2 of 5 stars.

  Kaboom - In my experience, the work of writer/director Gregg Araki (The Doom Generation) is always trippy and surreal, but I don't think I've ever seen him have so much fun with a film.  Kaboom is one part sexual awakening tale, one part sci-fi thriller, and one part farce.  Somehow all of these disparate parts stew together into a wholly unique movie that is improbably cohesive in tone.
     The ensemble cast as a whole is great, but the film belongs (acting wise) to Thomas Dekker, who plays Smith.  It took me most of the film to remember where I had seen the young actor before I remembered that he played John Conner in TV's Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles.  This is a very different role, one that enables Mr. Dekker to show an acting range that lies well outside the previous one.  He does so marvelously, aided by one of the most hypnotic [pairs of eyes ever put on the big screen.
     Mr. Araki wisely understands the confusion and alienation experienced by college age kids who are just beginning to understand themselves and their bodies.  Smith's feeling that he is "alien" in some way and caught up in forces beyond his control is something of a metaphor for how everyone feels as a young adult.  This is the "serious" thematic core of the piece.  The fact that, in his case, there are external forces to justify said feelings only adds to the general hilarity and mystery. The ending is a LITTLE disappointing, but I can largely forgive the film maker because I had so much fun getting there...4 of 5 stars.

     Related Articles: The Great Gay Film Festival of 2012

End of a Dangerous Legacy

     In this little bounty of home viewing options I shall review yet another remake of one of my favorite films (this time in Mandarin), yet another semi-relaunch of a classic action thriller franchise starring Jeremy Renner, and yet another found footage film that is also yet another buddy cop movie.  Has anyone seen my enthusiasm?  Oh well, one of these DID exceed my expectations.  It wasn't the one I was pinning my hopes on, however, that was...

  Dangerous Liasons - The 1980's Stephen Freers directed version of this story starring Glenn Close, John Malkovich, Michelle Pfeifer, and Uma Thurman is one of my favorite films ever.  Efforts to remake it have never been all THAT successful, but everyone wants to try.  Milos Forman tried in 1989, just one year later, renaming the film Valmont.  Even with Colin Firth in the lead role, it was a pale pretender.  Ten years later, the story was told again, but adapted a bit to set it in a high school, and renamed Cruel Intentions.  It wasn't much better, despite having about the best cast of young actors and actresses you could ask for at the time. (Geller, Phillipe & Witherspoon, OH MY!) Then there was a TV show in 2003.  I never saw it, but the critical reception was mixed at best.  Now, we have a new version from Korean director Jin-Ho Hur, set in occupied China during World War Two.
     I regret to say that this picture completely fails to capture the raw power, sensuality and darkness of the original.  It is interesting the way that they altered minor plot points to help secure the film in the time period and place.  The problem isn't really with the screenplay.  THAT was pretty good.
     The acting is a fairly mixed bag.  Accomplished actresses Ziyi Zhang (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; Hero) as the "virtuous and unattainable conquest" and Lisa Lu (The Last Emperor, The Joy Luck Club) in the expanded role of the matronly aunt are both quite good, as you would expect them to be.  The show is stolen, however, by Cecilia Cheung (new to me) in the Madame Merteuil role (here renamed Miss Mo), as it should be.  Her performance, however, is still nowhere near the par set by Ms. Close.  The real problem here is that I just didn't buy Dong-gun Jang in the Valmont role.  There was nothing dangerously sexy about him.
     The other problem with the film is that is all just a little too sleek and free in tone.  Cinematographer Byung-seo Kim does some really beautiful work, but the lushness of it all works against the story thematically.  The original film was certainly elegant, but its overall feel was more regal and stuffy.  There was something about those women being strapped and bound into corsets and dresses and wigs that spoke of captivity and repression.  The extremes that free spirited souls were willing to go to in order to escape this physical, financial, sexual, mental and emotional bondage and express themselves is one of the core ideas that makes this story great.  I got none of that in this version.  Without the yin and yang of repression and sexual backlash, this war of the sexes tale loses most of its firepower...2 of 5 stars.

  End of Watch - Writer/director David Ayer was only really familiar to me before I saw this film for writing the script to Training Day.  That, and positive buzz from the festival circuit, gave me some measure of hope that I was really going to enjoy End of Watch but it just didn't quite do it for me.  Unfortunately, both of the big problems land squarely in Mr. Ayer's lap.
     Can fake found footage film making be finally finished?  I, for one, have had it.  It was revolutionary in The Blaire Witch project.  Today...blase, blase, blase.  This movie actually takes it to a whole new level, where the cops are making videos while on the beat and the crooks are making videos as they commit the crimes.  If they'd put down their own cameras for a second they could probably watch their opponents' every move on YouTube.  This gimmick (I won't even call it a directorial flourish) plays about as ludicrously as I've made it sound.  Again, I ask: Since the found footage snake is obviously eating its own tale, can we just stand back and let it finish its meal?  Thank you.
     So, besides coming off like Cops meets Lethal Weapon live tweeted, the other problem is with the script.  End of Watch is SUCH a stereotypical buddy cop movie.  I spent almost the entire run time going, "Oh, that's just like in _________, only shot on much lower quality film".  The screenplay's only saving grace lies in the dialogue between the two main characters as they ride around in their squad car.  Fragments of that are actually quite witty.
     Which leads to the real bright point of the film: Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena's performances.  They have great onscreen chemistry, and their interaction is THE reason to check out this picture (once).  This should be a real breakout role for Pena, who actually manages to upstage his far more famous co-star.  Together they are able to overcome the predictability of the movie and make it enjoyable for scant moments...but only moments...3 of 5 stars.

  The Bourne Legacy - Since his Oscar nomination for The Hurt Locker, actor Jeremy Renner has somehow morphed into Hollywood's new go-to action hero.  While I would love to see him do something with a little more meat like that again, I grudgingly have to admit that I am beginning to really LIKE him as an action hero.  His characters are smart and interesting and he never looks like he's TRYING to come across as tough or capable.  With the parade of blustering buffoons that the genre has tried to push on America for decades, he (along with Daniel Craig) really stands apart as a subtler, more human alternative.  And it's working.  He contributed to granting Mission Impossible a far better relaunch than I had ever expected in Ghost Protocol and now he's done the same thing leading the cast of the newest entry in the Bourne franchise.
     Part of what makes Legacy work is that Renner is not playing Jason Bourne.  He is a NEW character set in the WORLD of the Bourne films.  Photos of the fugitive Bourne make it quite clear that IF Bourne appears with Aaron Cross (the new character) in a future film, the intent is still for Matt Damon to play that role.  In this way, Renner is not forced to try and out-Bourne Damon.  Instead, his performance is allowed to stand on its own merit, and it stands quite well.
     He gets able assistance from a stronger ensemble of talented actors than you usually get in an action thriller.  Rachel Weisz, Edward Norton, Scott Glenn, Corey Stoll, Zeljko Ivanek, Albert Finney and David Straitharn all added to my enjoyment of the film.  Oscar Isaac is particularly engaging in a small role. I've been hungry to see more from this actor ever since Drive. I can't wait for Inside Llewyn Davis.
     Writer/director Tony Gilroy has collaborated on the script for every Bourne film (on this one with Dan Gilroy) except Supremacy, which he wrote alone.  This is the first film in the franchise that he has also directed, although he does have some impressive directing creds such as Michael Clayton.  I won't pretend that this picture is the second coming of the The Bourne Identity just because I like Jeremy Renner.  It lacks a lot of the sense of mystery and intrigue that made that movie so riveting.  Legacy is more of a straight-up action flick.  It's also one of the best straight-up action flicks released in 2012...3 1/2 of 5 stars.

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