The Duchess

Movie name: The Duchess
Year of release: 2008
Director: Saul Dibb
Stars: Keira Knightley, Ralph Fiennes, Charlotte Rampling, Dominic Cooper, Hayley Atwell, Simon McBurney, Aidan McArdle, Alistair Petrie
Genre: Drama
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 5

Synopsis:The Duchess follows the life of Georgiana Spencer, who married the Duke of Devonshire at a very early age. There have been comparisons between the life of Georgiana and that of Princess Diana: both were glamorous and adored by everyone (social butterflies also). Saul Dibb's film follows a more traditional approach to the biopic of a woman married into a loveless marriage. Georgiana is naturally flirty and follows the arranged marriage that her mother provides - all in the exchange of a male heir for the much older Duke. The relationship between the two spouses is scarce and the Duke treats it very much like a contract based one. When Georgiana makes a friend with Lady Bess Foster, she brings home the woman that eventually becomes her husband's mistress, much to Georgiana's shock. Her desire to find love of her own leads to a clash with her husband and family life.
The film has a period scenery and attention to detail that reminds the classic Merchant Ivory, but unlike James Ivory's films, there's definitely something missing. Keira Knightley's portrayal of Georgiana doesn't really transcend anything she's ever done - the role needed someone who could make the character more alive, someone that could show the contradictions that a woman trapped in a loveless relationship experiences. Ralph Fiennes is terrific as always - his movements, his cold and reserved stare make his Duke a figure that is both tragic and hateful. The great Charlotte Rampling does a terrific job in her brief role as Georgiana's mother. This is a film worth checking with some reservations.

Blindness

 Movie name: Blindness
Year of release: 2008
Director: Fernando Meirelles
Stars: Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Alice Braga, Don McKellar, Danny Glover, Gael Garcia Bernal, Maury Chaykin, Yusuke Iseya, Yoshino Kimura, Mitchell Nye
Genre: Drama, Mystery
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6

Synopsis:The Brazilian director Fernando Meirelles is one of the most interesting directors working these days. After the success and acclaim of "City of God" and "The Constant Gardener" he chose to tackle and adapt the Portuguese novel "Ensaio Sobre a Cegueira" from Nobel winning author Jose Saramago. The result turns out to be uneven but is nonetheless a very interesting view on how society in general and people in particular react when an event they can't control appears. The film follows the people of a city, who suddenly become afflicted with a blindness epidemic. Afraid that the disease is contagious, the government decides to place everyone afflicted in a run down hospital, with no real support or sanitary conditions. Things get progressively worse, as food is scarce and a particular ward decides to implement their rules over everyone else. The only person aware of everything is a woman, the wife of an ophthalmologist, who isn't blind and watches everything degenerate around her. The film chooses to follow the lives of a few of these inhabitants of the hospital and displays the progressive horrors that happen as the conditions worsen. It's a bleak view of humanity and proves how low and what horrors people will inflict on each other to get power (or at least the illusion of power). The actors are uniformly good, particularly Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo - their weary eyes show the despair and lack of belief in what humanity and life in general has become. The photography is beautiful and Fernando Meirelles' direction is, as usual, focused on detail and always inventive. Worth watching.

Eagle Eye

Movie name: Eagle Eye
Year of release: 2008
Director: DJ Caruso
Stars: Shia LaBeouf, Michelle Monaghan, Rosario Dawson, Michael Chiklis, Billy Bob Thornton, Anthony Mackie, Ethan Embry, Lynn Cohen, William Sadler, Bill Smitrovich
Genre: Action, Thriller
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6

Synopsis:DJ Caruso who made a splash with "The Salton Sea" and with the surprise hit "Disturbia", reunites with his young star Shia LaBeouf and the great and underrated actress that is Michelle Monaghan. "Eagle Eye" comes in the tradition of such films as "Enemy of the State" and "The Firm", where the young protagonist faces odds that are far superior to himself and that due to his honesty and integrity, manages to defeat his oponents and demonstrate the prevailing sense of justice."Eagle Eye" follows the story of eternal underdog Jerry Shaw, whose twin brother always overshadowed him in everything. When his brother accidentaly dies, Jerry comes back to his apartment to see it covered with arms and enough material to create a lot of destruction. His only indication is a woman's voice on the phone who tells him what to do. At the same time Rachel Holloman is informed her young son is under threat. These two strangers are drawn together over a mysterious caller that propels, threatens and indicates where they should be headed. The film uses conspiracy theories to propel action, and though there's a lot of improbabilities, what really stands out is the craftsmanship of the director and the good performances of it's leads. An entertaining film that doesn't bring anything new, but that serves it's purpose.

Towelhead

Movie name: Towelhead
Year of release: 2007
Director: Alan Ball
Stars: Aaron Eckhart, Toni Collette, Maria Bello, Peter Macdissi, Summer Bishil, Chris Messina, Lynn Collins, Eugene Jones III
Genre: Drama
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6

Synopsis:Following the success that he had with "American Beauty" and the tv Show "Six Feet Under", Alan Ball adapted Alicia Erian's novel "Towelhead" for his directorial debut, which made it's premiere in the Sundance Film Festival of 2007, to mixed reviews. It's easy to understand why the film is uncomfortable and creates a mixed reaction. The film follows the story of Jasira, a 13 year old girl, currently living with her mom and boyfriend, who gets sent to live her father, following her mom's boyfriend actions who leave something to be desired. Jasira's sexual awakening ends up clashing with a neighbor with his own sexual hangups and with her own father's strict upbringing. The small web of relationships that surround Jasira's life come tumbling down upon the progressively more visible sexual life and conduct she is leading. Alan Ball oscillates between detailing in a touching and affecting way the process of maturing of a young girl, but also goes for some shots of questionable taste in his quest to make a point. As always, he chooses his actors impeccably well, and Aaron Eckhart, Summer Bishil and Peter Macdissi make really strong impressions. An interesting first effort.

The Women

Movie name: The Women
Year of release: 2008
Director: Diane English
Stars: Meg Ryan, Annette Bening, Eva Mendes, Debra Messing, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Candice Bergen, Cloris Leachman, Carrie Fischer, Bette Midler, Debi Mazar, India Ennenga
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 3

Synopsis:Diane English is mostly well known for creating "Murphy Brown", the long running sitcom that brought so many awards to Candice Bergen (and helped define a whole new meaning for professional single women in the 90s). When the project to remake the film "The Women" was discussed, a lot of actresses were disputed and considered for the main roles, but ultimately the cast settled on Meg Ryan, no longer the draw name she once was in the 90s, and the always fantastic Annette Bening. Whereas the original "The Women" from 1939, directed by George Cukor, is now considered a classic, when Diane English adapted the screenplay, she apparently forgot to bring the characters to the current reality (or for that matter, add some dimension to them). The film follows Mary Haines, a fashion designer working for her father's company, who learns that her husband is having an affair with a perfume counter girl. All the while her friends also know this and are trying to prevent her from having a meltdown. The problem with this film isn't the fact that it just draws sketches of characters, not people, but that the stereotypes that it presents are just so incredibly dated and without relevance. In the end all it takes for Meg Ryan's character to come around is straighten her hair, have two or three facial expressions and the film is sorted out. Annette Bening does what she can, whereas all the rest of the actors are terribly underused. An opportunity sadly missed.

Musicartes Online

Musicartes new site is now Online.
Check it here.

Burn After Reading

Movie name: Burn After Reading
Year of release: 2008
Director: Joel & Ethan Coen
Stars: George Clooney, Frances McDormand, John Malkovich, Brad Pitt, Tilda Swinton, Richard Jenkins, JK Simmons, David Rasche, Olek Krupa, Jeffrey DeMunn
Genre: Comedy
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6

Synopsis:After the huge success of "No Country for Old Men", the Coen brothers have gone back to their subversive comedy territory and have delivered "Burn After Reading". The film follows Osborne Cox, an analyst that works for the Secret Services. When Cox is reassigned, he decides to quit and write his memoirs, much to the chagrin of his wife (who is having an affair with the buffoon Harry Pfarrer). The CD with his writings somehow ends up in the ladies locker room of a gym, where dimwitted Chad Feldheimer and plastic surgery-obsessive Linda Litzke both work. They decide to blackmail Cox for money in order for Linda to get the money she needs to have the plastic surgery. This short summary just serves to show how all these characters come together in this tale that aims to be a criticism of how some institutions work and how diplomacy and ineptitude dominate. Sadly the Coens don't really go deep in their satire, and by the time the film comes to an end, you end up feeling that so much more could and should have been said. The corrosive sense of humor of Billy Wilder is sadly missed. The film ends up being a showcase for a group of talented actors, particularly the wonderful Frances McDormand and the always great John Malkovich.

Flash & Flex Developers Magazine

For Flash and Flex enthusiasts there is now a great resource in the magazine "Flash and Flex Developers Magazine". I found it to be a really interesting and diversified magazine, with a wide array of articles and tutorials. Check it frequently - you can check them online here.

Mamma Mia!

Movie name: Mamma Mia!
Year of release: 2008
Director: Phillipa Lloyd
Stars: Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgard, Julie Walters, Christine Baranski, Amanda Seyfried, Dominic Cooper
Genre: Musical, Romance, Comedy
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 2

Synopsis:After the fantastic adaptation that Tim Burton did of "Sweeney Todd" I was interested in discovering what "Mamma Mia!" could present. Phillipa Lloyd who directed the stage version of the successful show was put in charge of the film, and like Susan Stroman the director of "The Producers", the film is a terrible and misguided attempt of being an intelligent musical. The film follows Sophie, a 20 year old young woman about to be married in a small greek island, who doesn't know who her father is. Her mother Donna, had affairs with 3 men in a short time span and Sophie decides to invite all three so one of them can take her down the aisle. This is basically the entire concept of the film - there are no characters in this film, only talking and dancing "guys and dolls". It's difficult to believe the film has amassed this huge amount of talent, starting with Meryl Streep that even though can do no wrong, in this case feels totally out of place and frankly, completely lost (but still looks striking). Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth and Stellan Skarsgard are in auto-pilot, just waiting to collect the check, whereas Julie Walters and Christine Baranski go full camp and have fun in the midst of all the mess. This is a big karaoke-film, where the lyrics for the songs appear on screen, where the production values are almost null, the photography is absurdly bad and the level of taste of the whole enterprise is, quite frankly, very doubtful. For people who love Abba, buy the records, for everyone else, just skip this whole thing.

Elegy

Movie name: Elegy
Year of release: 2008
Director: Isabel Coixet
Stars: Penélope Cruz, Ben Kingsley, Patricia Clarkson, Peter Sarsgaard, Deborah Harry, Dennis Hopper
Genre: Drama, Romance
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7

Synopsis:Following "My Life Without Me" and "The Secret Life of Words", Isabel Coixet continues to examine relationships between men and women, and how both are haunted by their own ghosts and expectations towards each other. "Elegy" adapts a novel from Philip Roth, whose work has already been adapted by Robert Benton in "The Human Stain", with Nicole Kidman, Anthony Hopkins, Gary Sinise and Ed Harris. Both films have a somewhat common thread - an older sophisticated man (in both cases, a university teacher), falls in love with a younger woman, who becomes an obsession and object of sexual desire. Penélope Cruz plays Consuela, a beautiful young woman who enrolls in the class of professor David Kepesh, a divorced man way in his middle age, that never managed to sustain a relationship with a woman ( this is part of the problem for his troublesome relationship with his son ). The relationship he currently holds with Carolyn is one of sex and little else. They don't expect much of each other, something that changes once Consuela becomes part of David's life. David becomes possessive of Consuela, devoting a love unlike he's never experienced and that will change his life. This film is the journey of a man coming to terms with the fact that love comes and seizes you, no matter what point or stage in your life you are. David Kepesh always avoided serious relationships with women, preferring sexual encounters. Consuela on the other hand, sees love and life as the same, devoting herself to both with all that she has and is. The film succeeds in portraying the way age and mortality hovers around the characters. All the actors excel in their performances, especially Ben Kingsley, Penélope Cruz and Patricia Clarkson. The vulnerability they all show makes them more than just figments of someone's narration - it makes them eminently real. Worth watching!

Tropic Thunder

Movie name: Tropic Thunder
Year of release: 2008
Director: Ben Stiller
Stars: Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr., Jack Black, Nick Nolte, Jay Baruchel, Steve Coogan, Matthew McConaughey, Tom Cruise, Brandon T. Jackson, Danny McBride, Bill Hader
Genre: Comedy
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6

Synopsis:Following his previous directing effort, "Zoolander", Ben Stiller returns to the directing chair with the parody "Tropic of Thunder". The film follows a bunch of actors (the fading action star, the chameleon actor from Australia, the chunky comedian) who go to the jungle to act in a Vietnam war movie. The film starts to lose it's control because of the diva antics that each star has, and after a particularly harsh meeting, the director decides to shoot the film in an unconventional way, dropping the actors in the jungle and letting them fend for themselves. What follows is a comedy of mistakes led by the always funny Ben Stiller and the terrific Robert Downey Jr. that again steals the show. The film clearly has a huge budget and spoofs a bit of Apocalypse Now and Platoon - it's filled with on the spot jokes, but somehow some of them feel a bit flat. The film is uneven, sometimes going for really out there humor, other times not really sure of what to make of it's own direction. It's a film about the industry, clearly having fun poking at itself, and with a great cast, including Tom Cruise mocking a studio mogul (much like the one that "fired" him?). Worth watching!

Hamlet 2

Movie name: Hamlet 2
Year of release: 2008
Director: Andrew Fleming
Stars: Steve Coogan, Catherine Keener, David Arquette, Elisabeth Shue, Marshall Bell, Amy Poehler, Melonie Diaz, Skylar Astin, Phoebe Strole, Joseph Julian Soria
Genre: Comedy
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 5

Synopsis:Andrew Fleming has directed two films that were considerable successes in the 90s, namely "Threesome" and "The Craft". "Hamlet 2" has a great premise: a washed out actor, now a drama teacher in Tucson, Arizona, decides to write a play to save his drama department, and chooses a sequel to "Hamlet", one that involves time traveling and the appearance of religious figures. Steve Coogan plays Dana Marschz as an enthusiastic teacher, with drinking problems and a lack of confidence that doesn't deter him of throwing himself at his tasks. He convinces his students to be a part of a play that causes waves of shock around the community - one that includes the song "Rock me sexy Jesus". The film lives from a fantastic premise, however there are times where you feel the film falters and where things could have gone further along and where the satire could've been more incisive. The cast is really wonderful, but Catherine Keener and David Arquette don't have much to do - Elisabeth Shue has fun playing a different version of herself and Amy Poelher is, as always, hilarious. Steve Coogan ends up having the show to himself and he runs with it.

The House Bunny

Movie name: The House Bunny
Year of release: 2008
Director: Fred Wolf
Stars: Anna Faris, Colin Hanks, Emma Stone, Rummer Willis, Beverly D'Angelo, Christopher McDonald, Kat Dennings, Leslie Del Rosario
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 5

Synopsis:
Anna Faris is a terrific and naturally gifted comedic actress. "Smiley Face" showcased her talents and now "The House Bunny" brings her to the spotlight again, this time based on a screenplay from the authors of "Legally Blonde " and "Ella Enchanted". The film follows Shelley, a Playboy bunny that gets kicked out of the playboy mansion, due to the envy of another "sister". She ends up on the doorway of an unpopular sorority that is experiencing problems getting new attendees (they also face the possibility of losing their house). Shelley decides to use her skills to improve the look of all girls and save their house. The screenplay as described before, is extremely thin - however Anna Faris strikes gold with whatever she has. She embodies the nonsense and the innocence of Shelley with such character that the film literally exists because of her. It's a shame the film hasn't as much of a spark as Anna Faris - as it is, it's an average comedy that lives from her impeccable comic timing.

September Newsletter

Updates on the Main Website now online!

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Movie name: Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Year of release: 2008
Director: Woody Allen
Stars: Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz, Scarlett Johansson, Rebecca Hall, Patricia Clarkson, Kevin Dunn, Chris Messina, Pablo Schreiber, Christopher Evan Welch
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6

Synopsis:Woody Allen is back with his yearly film, following the tepid response that "Cassandra's Dream" had. With a career that spans over 30 years, Woody Allen is one of the great American directors currently working, with so many classics in his filmography that is difficult to point out what his best films are. The latter years haven't been as equally interesting in terms of his output, save for "Match Point" and "Small Time Crooks". I have been a huge Woody Allen film since the 80s when I was introduced to his work - I always found his films challenging, always visually interesting and innovative and his sense of humor absolutely hilarious. "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" is however one of the films that comes from his latest output, where everything just seems very placid. "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" follows the romantic entanglements of two college friends that come to Barcelona for a Summer holiday. Vicky is the more neurotic and cerebral friend, whereas Cristina is the more romantic and impulsive one. When they both encounter an enigmatic painter, an amorous triangle is formed, which is further complicated by the appearance of the painter's hellfire ex-wife. The actors are all uniformly good, with special highlight for Rebecca Hall and Penelope Cruz that infuses the film with some spark. The production design, photography are as always impeccable. Worth checking out.