Har akkurat sett denne filmen, og jeg synes den var litt rar, og ikke den beste filmen jeg har sett. Philip Seymour Hoffman gjør som alltid en god rolle, og Marisa Tomei er også ganske god. Ethan Hawke har jeg aldri vært noen fan av, og ble det ikke i løpet av denne filmen heller. Filmen handler om Andy som har en godt betalt jobb, og er gift med Gina. Men han har et alvorlig narkotikaproblem og har også stjålet penger fra jobben. Broren Hank har lite penger for han må betale en dyr utdannelse til sin datter, og skylder mye i barnebidrag.  Han har også et forhold med brorens kone Gina. Andy og Hank finner ut at de skal rane foreldrenes gullsmedbutikk…men noe går forferdelig galt. Filmen hopper veldig fram og tilbake, og den klarte aldri å fange oppmerksomheten min helt….At det skal være en thriller er jeg ikke helt enig i, for den var hverken skummel eller spennende.

Hoffman and Hawke relearn that old lesson -- no plan is foolproof -- in "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead."

Here’s the plain truth: Sidney Lumet’s grim, gripping “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead” won’t so much wear you down as break you down … hard. In frame after frame, Lumet uses his disjointed, objective direction to build the momentum, and he never hesitates or shrinks back. Neither do the actors. So the hits — emotional and physical — keep coming until the film steamrolls into a conclusion that’s profoundly unsettling. “Devil” is as draining as it is invigorating to behold.

Part of that energy has to do with the way the story (epic in scope) unfolds. The narrative is nonlinear, so the characters are introduced in jarring flashbacks and meta-flashbacks. This a multi-layered story, with plots and subplots weaving in and out, but there is a common thread: Andy (Phillip Seymour Hoffman), a man who believes money will rebuild his broken life. Andy convinces his brother Hank (Ethan Hawke) to commit the perfect crime: Rob their parents’ jewelry store, pawn the merchandise and walk away with $60,000 each. It’s a win-win, since Hank is months behind on his child support and Andy’s living light years beyond his means (thanks to his money-hungry wife, played by Marisa Tomei). But Murphy’s law (or karma?) mucks up Andy’s scheme from minute one, and nothing about the robbery goes as planned. Things go very, very wrong, leaving Andy and a shell-shocked Hank with blood on their hands and their father, Charles (Albert Finney), hell-bent on finding out who planned the robbery.

To say more about the plot would be to ruin the experience of watching “Devil.” There are grueling twists and surprises aplenty. In fact, the film feels much like a vase that’s been broken and glued back together wrong, with sharp edges jutting out and pieces shoved into nooks where they don’t really fit. But that’s why “Devil” is so absorbing — the pieces are all there; it’s up to viewers to put them in order. In Lumet’s mind, it seems, the viewers are the detectives. He makes us work for it.

The actors deserve much of the credit for injecting even more energy into “Devil.” The supporting cast is large, but the players make their performances singularly unforgettable. Finney is quietly effective as Charles, a man reeling from the fallout of a crime he can’t fathom. But his is not a one-note performance, for Charles isn’t an ideal father, and Finney isn’t afraid to let the cracks show. Hawke, too, plays it subtle; it might be the best work he’s ever done. Known for playing fake-charming womanizers, he shrinks himself to portray Hank, an emotional cripple whose coddled upbringing didn’t prep him to deal with reality. He cowers when things go wrong. Tomei, who just keeps getting better, is impressive as Gina. Essentially, Gina’s a trophy wife; she spends more time romancing Andy’s platinum card than Andy. But watch what Tomei does with her eyes, particularly in the scene where Andy breaks down. There are hints of depth there. Gina may be one of the film’s few female characters, but Tomei makes her more than just a party favor.

As for Hoffman, this may be his best performance — and he won an Oscar for “Capote.” In “Devil,” Hoffman gets another meaty role, and he does not disappoint. On one level, he exceeds at demonstrating Andy’s many flaws. Here is a man who craves money and success, a preternaturally calm control freak who refuses to admit he’s sinking too fast to pull himself up. He steals and lies, then wonders why the parts of his life “don’t add up.” But leave it to Hoffman to find beauty where there is none. When Andy finally lets loose, Hoffman rips into the pain like a man possessed. He shows that Andy is an insecure man who has numbed his feelings to the point where he believed they no longer existed. It’s the exhausting, awe-inspiring lit fuse that fires Lumet’s exquisitely crafted and tumultuous Greek tragedy character study.  

Grade: A+

VERDICT:
7/10 Bad Ideas

A good, overlooked movie about really bad people making one really bad decision after another until they’re too far deep to achieve any kind of redemption. It’s a real pick-me-upper alright.

Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead follows the lives of two brothers, the older of which is rich and successful, the younger of which is not so much of either.  So when the younger bro goes to his older bro for some financial assistance, the older bro comes up with a freakin’ genius scheme if there ever was one – to rob their parents’ jewelry store in broad daylight.

A Swiss watch of a plan if you ask me.

Anyway, it’s directed by Sidney Lumet, a guy who’s seemingly been putting out a new movie every other weekend for the past thirty years, some of which being Dog Day Afternoon, Serpico, Network, 12 Angry Men, and a slew of other great movies that would probably compel some directors to just quit while they’re ahead. Point is, if you’ve never heard of him, take note, sucka’s. Lumet knows his shit and this is one more gritty, accomplished addition to his epic collection of work.

But aside from Lumet, the main draw to this movie is its cast. The younger brother is played by Ethan Hawke, and even though he always seems to me like the same emotional, mopey, misunderstood teen he played in Dead Poets Society, I like Ethan Hawke. He’s pretty good here and gets the job done.

But the older brother is played by Philip Seymour Hoffman, and I don’t really need to add much to that considering he has made it perfectly clear by now that he is not fucking around. He’s the most morally corrupt character in the movie with the most character development, and it also helps that he’s got the best lines that allow him to yell a lot. Hoffman’s just a wild man and a rip to watch every time. Very good casting choice.

Marisa Tomei is also here as Hoffman’s two-timing girlfriend, and if you thought she was comfortable with her body in The Wrestler, consider this a glaring precursor of things to come. Very, very naked. All the time. But she’s a good actor, too. So that works out.

Albert Finney’s good in it, too. I like Albert Finney, solid actor.

But aside from the cast, the story is also good and memorable in a very intense and totally unsettling way. I was about to call it forgettable, then I remembered the pit in my stomach I had after walking out of the theater and how all I wanted was for the person sitting next to me to reach over and give me a hug. This is one well-written, pitch-black movie with some of the most believably evil characters I’ve seen in a good while. Some of this shit would make Darth Vader shake his head and say, “Jesus H. Murphy, this family’s a freakin’ mess.”

Only complaint is that it’s almost too dark at times. After a while you really just want these people to catch a break, more for your own sake than for theirs, but it doesn’t take much foresight to figure out that things aren’t exactly turning up for this family. How about a knock-knock joke or something? Anything! Please!

I remember when this first came out someone convinced my aunt that she’d like this movie – my super-nice aunt who can barely handle anything worse than The Sound of Music – and, needless to say, the poor woman was borderline shell-shocked by the time the end credits rolled around. It’s not for everyone – actually, it’s definitely not for everyone – but if you’re in the mood for family tragedy of Shakespearean proportions, you might want to check this out, Debbie Downer.

And with the holidays coming up, the next time you need a reminder that you’re dysfunctional family really isn’t all that bad, Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead will do the trick just fine.

Editor’s note: Taken from my old blog to be posted here. Anachronisms are present to keep the integrity of the piece.

1. Zodiac

David Fincher’s finest film to date, even surpassing ‘Seven’ and ‘Fight Club.’ Here is a movie that is split almost two ways — the first half about the killings, the second half about the obsession. Both halves are amazing and together form this perfect movie. Sadly, the movie came out too early in the year, and will most likely be looked over come Oscar time.

Editor’s note: ‘Zodiac’ is discussed in more detail in the Movies to Study column.

2. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

There are very few movies that I would make everyone see if I possibly could. This would be one of them. The movie is inspired by Jean-Do Bauby’s “locked-in syndrome,” in which he blinks out an entire memoir with only his left eye. He is completely paralyzed and somehow manages to accomplish that. Jean-Do is a witty man (even more-so in the memoir itself), and that helps offset the deeply serious subject matter. Yet, at the same time, the scenes of his family coping with his immobility are overwhelming. It is perfect and innovative the way this story was filmed, and supreme credit goes to the director, cinematographer, and writer. I will write a more lengthy review at a later date.

Editor’s note: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly can be found as a Movie to Study.

3. No Country For Old Men

A movie that will not be overlooked come Oscar time is the Coen Brothers’ latest. Seeing this twice in theaters, the movie is smart, clean, and altogether flawless. People bitch about the ending. The first viewing it caught me off-guard, but when I saw it a second time I liked it a lot better, and think it’s the only way the film could have ended. I feel this movie will be studied for years to come.

4. Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead

Where most movies would falter, ‘Devil’ rises up and becomes that much better. There are no questions of motivation, there are no flaws in pacing, and the acting is completely top-notch. Sidney Lumet is the mastermind behind this picture, but a fabulous script by Kelly Masterson and the always-great Philip Seymour Hoffman take this film out of the standard ‘jewelry store robbery movie’ genre and elevate it to greatness.

5. Juno

You would have to try really hard not to love Juno. The character, specifically — but also the movie. I would try to describe scenes in this movie, but it would lose all effect. But ever since Juno accuses her ~4 year-old sister of puking blue slurpee into the vase, I couldn’t help it. It’s rare when I laugh at parts in a movie that are in the trailer, but I was that guy. It seems like Juno is the female version of any of the characters from ‘Knocked Up’ or ‘Superbad.’ But the real success here, where those movies have good one-liners, it’s the stupid jokes that are endearing. Here, Juno herself is what the movie is about — her quirky personality comes second to the movie as a whole.

6. Atonement

Atonement is a movie that on first glance seems to be all about love, but people forget to factor in ignorance, betrayal, lust, jealousy, and self-loathing. The twisting of this movie is delicate and perfectly executed. Visual art of the highest form, the whole movie is a pleasure to look at and just take in. Gotta love British period pieces.

7. La Vie en Rose

A one-woman show for Marion Cotillard as Edith Piaf, and how great that show is. The music aside, this is pure storytelling in a creative way. Taking the life of a person and re-ordering it for increased effect is risky, but here works extremely well. Perhaps there is a reason Edith Piaf was the pride of France.

8. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Tim Burton is very hit-or-miss for me. On the one hand is Batman and Big Fish, but then there’s also Planet of the Apes and Sleepy Hollow. Here I think is his best work to date, with an eerie movie/musical that lifts well from the source material. Johnny Depp also shines, showing he has more range than most working actors today. A great movie, but not for everyone.

9. Ratatouille

I’ll be honest — I liked the Incredibles, but not so much as everyone else. Here Brad Bird steps up again for Pixar and produces the best animated film in years. A great blend of wit, passion, and cooking detail, the movie could have been twice as long and I still would’ve watched it three times.

10. The Bourne Ultimatum

The third installment in the series, and the best of the bunch (which we all know is rare). The plot is a bit flimsy, but still strong enough to justify the endless action sequences that put many imitators to shame. Believe the hype when they say, “You are glued to the screen.”

I will not do a ‘honorable mentions’ because that is a cop-out, though in a year like this it would be more than justified. 2007 was a phenomenal year for movies, with so many great flicks. I could have probably made a top 20 and felt strongly about all of them.

And as with all top 10 lists, let me say that I know people will gripe. Really, I just do these so whoever may stumble across the list will feel a tiny bit more inclined to see a few of these, and I know that they will appreciate it. Any time I can get people to see these films instead of ‘Epic Movie’ or ‘The Bucket List’ I am pleased.

And lastly — I stand by these rankings. Isn’t No Country For Old Men a better movie than Zodiac? How can you rank perfect movies that are so different? It’s like judging any kind of art: When you’re stuck in the middle, go with the one that makes you feel something.

The following movies have been added: Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead, Burn After Reading

Coming soon to the site: music reviews! We have a writer on-board who wants to write about music albums, so stay tuned for that. We also have one or two other people interested in movies and games reviews who might come along for the ride very soon.

I’m still hoping to find someone who can volunteer a little bit of time to be a managing editor and just make sure the reviews keep their continuity and proper grammar, style, etc. I’m talking to a couple of people about doing content management and enhancing the overall design of the site as well, so if you’re interested in that, please get in touch with me ASAP! (My contact info is under the Contributors tab.) Also, if you are or know anyone who is interested in getting some experience with promotions using social media, we could use someone to help out with that too! Lots of good stuff happening here, so be sure to keep visiting.

Share our link (http://relativelyreviewing.wordpress.com) on Facebook and Twitter, please!

— JD

Sooo, i got ‘Before the Devil knows you’re dead’ in the post today. It’s this crime Thriller from a couple of years ago with Phillip Seymour Hoffman (The Savages, Capote, Doubt), Ethan Hawke (Training Day) and Marisa Tomei (Anger Management, The Wrestler) and that will probably be the next movie i review. I pretty much worship the ground that Phillip Seymour Hoffman walks on so this is going to be good watching i suspect. I don’t think i have a seen a film with Hoffman in that’s bad, even his small role in Boogie Nights was phenomenal. It’s also directed by the great Sidney Lumet (12 Angry Men, Serpico, Network) so i am very much looking forward to seeing it and reviewing it.

Ethan Hawke

&

Tommy Haas

If you enjoy Paul Newman (and who doesn’t enjoy Paul Newman) you need to see this movie. He probably could have won Best Actor but lost out to Ben Kingsly for Gandhi. Newman plays an alcoholic lawyer who drums up his business by going to funeral homes and passing out business cards, claiming to know the deceased. That is until he is handed a sure thing, a case that is supposed to settle out of court with a nice payday. Having a growing conscious after seeing the victim, he views the money as nothing more than being bought off and decides to fight the case.

As always, not to give too much away, this isn’t the absolute best courtroom drama I have ever seen, but Sidney Lumet (12 Angry Men, Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead) does get great performances from Mr. Newman, James Mason, and Charlotte Rampling (Swimming Pool). There are no huge plot twists or legal loopholes that act as a payoff here, just tracking down missing witnesses and courtroom testimony. Still, this is a film worth seeing, being Nominated for 5 total Oscars including Best Actor and Best Picture.

before the devil knows you’re dead é um filmaço dos bons: grandes actores, magnífico argumento, montagem inteligente, uma realização madura, daqueles filmes que deixam um amargo na boca e um aperto na tripa por se sentir a proximidade do abismo, da monstruosidade e da loucura. nota nove no imdb.

If you ever find yourself watching Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead, you’ll probably notice it features a young, sexy actress who spends much of the movie half-naked. You’ll probably think to yourself ‘I wonder who that is? She’s got a sort of younger-Marisa-Tomei vibe going.”

Q: Who is that actress?

A: Marisa Tomei.

 

Terry O'Neill tirou essa foto para comemorar o Oscar da futura esposa (Faye Dunaway de Rede de Intrigas). A obra foi entitulada "The Morning After".

 

# Mulan

Produzido pela Disney, o filme parece ter o objetivo de romper paradigmas do estúdio. Assim, foi o primeiro deste a se passar numa guerra, protagonizado por uma figura asiática, e até mesmo exibir sangue em uma personagem ferida. A história toma espaço na China Imperial prestes a ser invadida pelos Hunos. Após saber que seu pai fora convocado a juntar-se ao exército, a jovem Mulan resolve cortar as madeixas e substituí-lo. Se junta a ela o fiel escudeiro Mushu, um dragãozinho que fala pelos cotovelos e cumpre o papel de coadjuvante divertido. Embora a trajetória da jovem chinesa seja bem diferente das outras heroínas da Disney, o que poderia ser um pequeno libelo feminista esbarra nas obviedades do final feliz. Durante a guerra, Mulan aprende, e ensina ao seu país que pode ser tão capaz, ou melhor, que qualquer soldado homem. Mas como não poderia deixar de ser para um filme da turma do Mickey, ela acaba por se casar com um general que faz as vezes de príncipe. Desta forma, o estúdio comprovou que não estava pronto para inovações o que, provavelmente, lhe fez perder a primazia do gênero para a Pixar anos mais tarde.

Cristina Aguilera canta “Reflection” canção tema do filme:

# Cidade de Deus

Antes de se dedicar a uma carreira pseudo-internacionalista, Fernando Meirelles conseguia como ninguém captar as mazelas da vida urbana brasileira. Fez isso com muito humor em Domésticas e surpreendeu a todos com Cidade de Deus. Tendo uma favela carioca como cenário, a obra conta histórias de seus moradores para contar a dela. Mortes banais, crueldades, violência sexual dividem espaço com romances, piadas e esperança numa narrativa bem elaborada e amarrada. É difícil escolher o maior trunfo do filme: seu elenco afiadíssimo composto essencialmente de moradores da favela, sua fotografia marcada por cores fortes, sua edição rápida e criativa ou a própria relevância de seu tema. É fácil, porém, entender por que é tão superior a filmes que seguiram em sua esteira mas não têm a sua força como Quem Quer Ser um Milionário? ou Era uma Vez. Cidade não se presta a humanizar suas personagens, não lhes oferece chance de redenção, não lhes garante um final feliz, tampouco descamba no sentimentalismo. Tudo nele se pauta no real e mais real tenta ser. Por isso, certamente, será um marco não só na história do cinema brasileiro, mas mundial. Envergonha pensar que foi dirigido pelo mesmo homem que concebeu Ensaio Sobre a Cegueira, que tem todos os defeitos que poderiam ter estragado seu melhor trabalho: péssimo elenco, péssimo uso da narração em primeira pessoa, fotografia horrorosa, dificuldade em melindrar com o conteúdo mais agressivo do roteiro, dentre outros. Fernando Meirelles declarou, certa vez, que gostaria de fazer pelo cinema nacional o que Pedro Almodóvar fez pelo espanhol. Talvez ele deva repensar nessa proposta.

Trailer:

# Antes que o Diabo Saiba Você Está Morto (Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead)

Último filme de Sidney Lumet enquanto diretor, Antes que o Diabo Saiba tem o principal traço da obra do mestre: personagens motivados por seus desejos egoístas a envolver-se numa trama dos quais invariavelmente vão sair feridos. Andy Henson é um fraudulento executivo cujo casamento escorre-lhe pelas mãos enquanto faz uso de drogas. Hank Henson é um divorciado pressionado pela ex-mulher para que pague pensão. Quebrados e desejosos de uma saída fácil, o dois iniciam sua derrocada quando Andy convence Hank a assaltar a joalheria dos pais. O plano que parecia infalível mostra-se desastroso diante má sorte e falta de preparo dos irmãos. E esse erro irá expor toda uma dinâmica familiar desajustada e personalidades frágeis. Tecnicamente, o filme é excelente, com destaque para sua ótima edição. Além disso, Lumet mais uma vez acertou no elenco (Albert Finney brilha como o patriarca Charles Henson) e presenteou o público com uma ótima direção. Contudo, infelizmente há aqui uma tentativa de justificar os atos dos personagens descambando no velho lugar comum do cinema americano: a redenção. Lumet se despediu de uma bela forma, mas é uma pena que não tenha sido com chave de ouro.

Trailer:

#Rede de Intrigas (Network)

Outro filme de Sidney Lumet, Rede de Intrigas, justifica o status dele de grande diretor. Numa emissora de TV, um apresentador – Howard Beale – prestes a ser demitido devido a queda de audiência de seu programa declara ao vivo que irá suicidar-se em frente as câmeras no dia seguinte. Inesperadamente, sua declaração faz subir os níveis de audiência da trasmissão diária. De olho nos lucros, a ambiciosa Diana Christensen convence o não mais altruísta Frank Hackett a manter o “profeta” na programação. Mais do que isso: dar-lhe um novo programa e montar toda uma grade de shows sensacionalistas ao seu redor. O que ambos não percebem é que Beale está realmente doente e delirando. No meio de toda essa loucura, o mais sensato é o veterano Max Schumacher que a despeito de seus princípios envolve-se com Diane em um romance metáfora da relação conflituosa entre as gerações de produtores de TV. Embora o filme tenha ficado famoso pela sua crítica veemente à televisão, vale muito a pena assisti-lo pelos seus méritos artísticos. Não se utiliza aqui o artifício barato de avolumar a música para aprofundar as emoções das cenas, como em Crash, por exemplo. Muito menos soam artificiais as longas falas das personagens que poderiam facilmente ganhar tom didático como em diversos longas. William Holden, Peter Finch, Robert Duvall e Faye Dunaway (DIVINA) estão excepcionais nos papéis principais. Por sua vez, Beatrice Straight e Ned Beatty dominam a câmera em suas pequenas cenas.

Faye Dunaway e William Holden:

#Em Nome de Deus (The Magdalene Sisters)

Criados para abrigar prostitutas em busca de reabilitação social, os Asilos de Madalena foram ganhando uma finalidade macabra ao longo dos anos. Para lá eram enviadas jovens que cometiam os supostos pecados de fazerem sexo, ou darem a luz antes do casamento e até mesmo serem assanhadas. Uma vez lá dentro lhes era quase impossível retornar à liberdade sendo vistas como meretrizes por desconhecidos e expulsas do seio familiar. Sendo assim, passavam os restos de seus dias condenadas a uma estafante rotina de trabalho e abusos. Escrito e dirido por Peter Mullen, o filme segue a trajetória de quatro internas de um desses asilos irlandeses. Cada uma delas foi internada por um motivo diferente, porém todas são vítimas da desautorização de seu próprio eu enquanto sujeito que deseja, pensa e sente. Surpreendetemente para um filme de arte europeu, as personagens não são apenas uma ilustração para uma reflexão mais profunda. Embora haja um implícito discurso feminista, ao cabo, Em Nome de Deus é apenas as histórias das protagonistas. As atrizes são muito boas e infelizmente parecem não ter tido muita sorte depois desse projeto. Anne-Marie Duff rouba o filme em sua segunda metade, Dorothy Duffy tem as cenas mais comoventes, Nora-Jane Noone tem uma incrível presença e parece capturar a câmera para si. O grande destaque é de Eileen Walsh no papel da mentalmente desajustada, Crispine. Tecnicamente falando, a melhor cena fica por conta de um inesperado ângulo explorado por Mullen no momento de maior sofrimento da personagem de Noone. Existe uma cena parecida em O Escafrando e a Borboleta, e não seria estranho pensar num empréstimo.

“A” cena:

E se eu tivesse que ranqueá-los:

1º Cidade de Deus
2º Rede de Intrigas
3º Em Nome de Deus
4º Antes que o Diabo Saiba Você Está Morto
5º Mulan

IMDb. Wikipedia. 

This 2007 crime drama flick involves two brothers who massively bungle an easy score. 

This is an intense film. The characters have a ton of depth and the acting is top notch. The narrative structure follows a particular character’s actions for a while and then switch to a different character and picks them up a few days prior which fills in some of the gaps and meshes nicely. 

The first few scenes are super intense, but the tension builds and builds as the brothers get deeper into trouble until the ultra hectico ending. Overall, a great film.

Content rating: 9.5/10

Style rating; 6.5/10

  

KOSLO

   

MERCER

  

BERGEN

  

SEDARIS

When did live theatre become a synonym for marathon?

First came Mr. Charles Dickens’ The Life & Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, an eight-hour stage play presented over two performances. Then came Alan Ayckbourn’s three-play Norman Conquests (“See one! See them all!”)

Coming soon to our town, for the very first time, is the entire City of Wine seven-play cycle about the ancient Greek city of Thebes by yet another Dickens — Kingston playwright Ned Dickens. Billed as “an unprecedented event in Canadian theatre history,” City of Wine features 105 of Canada’s newest talents from the graduating classes of theatre schools across the country, in seven, count ‘em, 7 productions mounted by the award-winning Nightswimming theatre company for Theatre Passe Muraille.

COWARD

And just when I was thinking that seven could be heaven, I watched Rick Mercer and learned that Shaw Festival chief Jackie Maxwell is staging all 10, count ‘em, 10 of Noel Coward’s one-act plays this season, and that yes, there are three consecutive days in the schedule where you can actually get to see all 10 Noel Coward one-act stands.

“Do you get lunch?” asked Mercer.

“You get a Noel Coward lunch,” Shaw Festival headliner Corrine Koslo assured him – “a martini and a cigarette!”

You can catch Mercer’s festival apprenticeship — in a Sondheim musical, no less! – tomorrow night at 8 pm on CBC.

* * *

MEAT & GREET: Still-gorgeous Candice Bergen, as magnetic on Boston Legal as she was on Murphy Brown, admits she has a strong feelings about eating any kind of four-legged animal.

“Also some two-legged,” she adds, “like duck. I will never eat duck. And I haven’t eaten pork or beef, especially veal, for 35 years. This started because I suddenly started to find people carving into these bloody haunches of meat so disturbing. And after walking through the former huge market square in Paris, with hundreds of carcasses hanging side by side, it just repulsed me and I decided to keep my own half-assed vegetarianism.”

She says she doesn’t mention it at dinner parties.

“I just eat around the meat. I’m not a pain in the ass, but I cannot eat meat now — even some that looks and smells delicious, like barbecued ribs or prosciuto — without feeling like I am betraying animals.”

* * *

BEFORE THE GAY GUY SEES YOUR BOOBS: Funnybone tickler David Sedaris (When You Are Engulfed In Flames) admitted to Sharp magazine interviewer Jeremy Freed that he’s a major fan of Sidney Lumet’s masterwork Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead.

“I don’t understand why they just didn’t give an Academy Award to everyone who was in that movie,” he told Freed.

TOMEI

He was also admitted that he was somewhat bedazzled by Lumet’s wide-screen exposure of Marisa Tomei’s breasts.

“I’m curious, too, because I’m not a good judge of these sorts of things, were those really Marisa Tomei’s breasts? Or do you think that she had something done? She must be, like, 45 or something,” Sedaris reckoned.

But why the fascination with Ms. Tomei’s ta-tas?

“Because I’m a homosexual and I don’t see many breasts, I always thought that breasts, like, just looked a certain way. I didn’t know there were so many styles of them. But Marisa Tomei’s breasts look like a mermaid’s breasts.

“If I were her,” he added, “I would never wear a shirt.”

Then again, if you were her, you wouldn’t be David Sedaris.

Två bröder som anser sig vara i stort behov av pengar, bestämmer sig för att råna föräldrarnas juvelerarbutik och allt går käpprätt åt helvete. Verkligen a-listeskådisar som Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Marisa Tomei och Albert Finney och allt är regisserat av Sidney Lumet, 83 år gammal. Frågan är om han börjat bli gubbsjuk med tanke på att Tomei måste strutta omkring med brösten i vädret hela tiden?

Filmen är bra där regi och skådespelarinsatser är oklanderliga, men vad gör det då storyn inte riktigt bär. Vi hoppar fram och tillbaka i tid för att lägga pusslet där alla karaktärer är mer eller mindre osympatiska. En hyfsad historia om girighet, svek och ett samhälle i moraliskt förfall - är vi levande döda som titeln antyder? 

Betyg: 3

2007: Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead di Sidney Lumet

Senz’altro uno dei migliori lavori della stagione 2007/2008 questo film che ha giustamente entusiasmato i critici al primo Romafilmfest.
Sidney Lumet, premiato nel 2005 con l’Oscar alla carriera, non finisce di stupirci: autore di capolavori come La parola ai giurati Quel pomeriggio di un giorno di cani L’uomo del banco dei pegni, all’età di 84 anni ci regala un altro piccolo gioiello, coraggioso cinico spietato tagliente.
Molti critici hanno sottolineato come il film sia difficilmente classificabile: non un semplice giallo e neanche un semplice noir; definiirlo “dramma” è decisamente troppo vago e generico. Solo una definizione sembra calzare al film, ed è “tragedia”: una tragedia che vede come protagonisti angoscia, colpa e peccato… una tragedia senza speranza né perdono.

Il continuo zigzare nel tempo, il ritorno sugli stessi eventi da differenti angolazioni (l’andatura acronologica e i piani temporali differenti rendono l’opera oltremodo interessante e inconsueta) non è un semplice espediente tecnico: è il modo migliore per mostrare la discesa all’inferno di una famiglia disintegrata, di individui mediocri meschini e immorali… Deboli immaturi piccoli borghesi senza valori né dignità, vittime di un ineludibile destino (di cui solo loro sono responsabili) che li trascinerà all’odio più spietato e alla ferocia più determinata: evidente metafora di un’America dannata e disperata, frustrata e violenta.

Un film che provoca in noi spettatori disagio e malessere, cattura la nostra attenzione in ogni mirabile inquadratura: lucido, duro, asciutto, agghiacciante, a volte gelido… coinvolge come raramente accade.
Da applauso incondizionato la prestazione degli attori: non è consueto vedere quattro protagonisti dare il meglio di sé in una vera e propria gara. Philip Seymour Hoffman dà un’ulteriore dimostrazione di essere un mostro di bravura, forse l’interprete più completo apparso negli ultimi anni, Ethan Hawke dà prova di una imprevedibile maturità, Albert Finney è impressionante nell’esprimere sofferenza e determinazione, Marisa Tomei ha finalmente l’occasione di rivelare le sue non poche qualità.

Musica fotografia montaggio… tutto al meglio e concorrono a fare di Onora il padre e la madre (meritoriamente premiato con il Nastro d’Argento 2008) un’opera difficilmente dimenticabile.

ps
Banale il titolo italiano, preferibile l’originale

Pubblicato su Cineocchio

tuttelerecensioni

Regia: Sidney Lumet
Sceneggiatura: Kelly Masterson
Cast: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Albert Finney, Marisa Tomei, Aleksa Palladino, Michael Shannon, Amy Ryan, Sarah Livingston, Rosemary Harris
Paese: USA (2007). Uscita Italia: 14 Marzo 2008. Uscita USA: 12 Ottobre 2007
Trama:
Due fratelli organizzano una rapina nella gioielleria dei genitori, ma tutto andrà terribilmente male, mettendo in moto una serie di eventi che complicherà incredibilmente le loro vite.

If one actor is responsible for the success of Woody Allen’s Vicky Cristina Barcelona, it is Penelope Cruz. When she sweeps onto the scene as Javier Bardem’s tempestuous one-time love, she injects the movie with welcome passion. Her reward for the effort has been a slew of award nominations, including a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination. After winning the BAFTA for this performance, and two years after her first Academy nomination—a Best Actress nod for Pedro Almodovar’s Volver—Cruz is the frontrunner going into Sunday’s ceremony.

Cruz was still a teenager when she made her debut in 1993’s Jamon Jamon. Her co-star in that film was Bardem in another role as a romantic partner. How delicious it will be for her if Bardem—last year’s Best Supporting Actor winner for No Country for Old Men—is on hand to present the prize should she win. But a victory for Cruz is no slam dunk. To prevail, she first has to get past her competition:

Marisa Tomei: Her nomination for The Wrestler is her third Best Supporting Actress nomination. In 1993, she scored a surprise win for My Cousin Vinny, and then lost seven years ago for In the Bedroom. In 2007, she proved just a how bold an actor she could be with her frank performance as Philip Seymour Hoffman’s unhappy wife in Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead. In The Wrestler, she’s even bolder, baring body and soul as a stripper and transcending the clichés of her bad-girl-with-a-heart-of-gold character. With her co-star Mickey Rourke a favorite for the Best Actor prize, Tomei might just buck the odds and come up with a win of her own.

Viola Davis: If Davis wins for her role as the mother who confronts Meryl Streep’s uptight nun in Doubt, chalk one up to the “Judi Dench effect,” so named for her Best Supporting Actress win despite miniscule screen time in 1998’s Shakespeare in Love. Like Dench, Davis makes the most of a tiny part, stealing the scene from her longtime idol Streep. An Independent Spirit nominee for 2002’s Antwone Fisher, and more recently seen in Disturbia and Nights in Rodanthe, Davis is a long shot who cannot be discounted.

Amy Adams: Davis’ Doubt co-star is the conscience of that movie, her Sister James only too aware of the implications of Streep’s campaign against their parish priest. It is Davis’ second nomination following her nod for Junebug (2005). The role is intriguing for its odd parallels with her fairytale character in Enchanted, but if anyone is going to take a home an award for Doubt this year, it will be Davis.

Taraji P. Henson: Nominated for her role as Brad Pitt’s foster mother in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Henson has to be the longest shot of the evening. Over the past several years, she has delivered a series of arresting performances: as a pregnant hooker turned singer in Hustle & Flow, a hit woman in Smokin’ Aces, and deejay Petey Greene’s striking girlfriend in Talk to Me. Her character in Benjamin Button is not nearly as memorable as that trio, but it was the only one with a huge Oscar campaign behind it. That was enough to secure a nomination, but the movie isn’t good enough to garner her a win.

- Pam G.

If there’s one sure thing this Oscar season, it’s that Heath Ledger will earn a posthumous award as Best Supporting Actor for his riveting performance in The Dark Knight. Ledger will win, and he should. Fomenting perpetual anarchy, the Joker stirs a writhing undercurrent of menace that deepens and darkens director Christopher Nolan’s vision. This is the kind of scenery-chewing, compelling villain that typically earns the Best Actor Prize (see Daniel Day-Lewis, Denzel Washington, and Anthony Hopkins, for starters).

For a Ledger performance at the opposite end of the spectrum, look no further than his previously nominated turn in Brokeback Mountain, a character as restrained as the Joker is wild. Equally compelling is his devastating appearance in Monster’s Ball—a brief but tragic supporting role. In a less depressing but nuanced performance, Ledger embodies celebrity itself in Todd Haynes’ prismatic Dylan deconstruction, I’m Not There. For a fine but grim sleeper with a strong Ledger turn, try the Australian heroin drama, Candy. And to sample the actor’s lighter side, flash back to his breakout role in 10 Things I Hate About You.

Upon Ledger’s passing, he left an unfinished performance in Terry Gilliam’s Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. For a sampling of this actor-director team, check out The Brothers Grimm, a not-always-successful dark fairy tale, but one that shows Ledger in a more amusing light than many of his signature roles.

With Ledger the clear favorite, we have to offer a shout-out to the other Supporting Actor nominees:

Philip Seymour Hoffman picked up his third Oscar nomination for Doubt. Some of our favorite Hoffman films include: Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead, The Savages, Synecdoche, New York, and his Best Actor-winning role in Capote.

Josh Brolin: Though Brolin should have been nominated last year for No Country for Old Men, we’re pleased to see him earn a nod for his subtle, studied performance in Milk. Other favorite Brolin roles: American Gangster, The Dead Girl, and Flirting with Disaster. Look how far he’s come since The Goonies!

Michael Shannon’s brief but biting turn in Revolutionary Road offers a dark-comic counterpoint to an otherwise relentlessly bleak marital drama. Shannon also excels in Bug and the forthcoming The Missing Person.

And finally, the man who had his Best Year Ever, Robert Downey, Jr. Though Tropic Thunder itself is uneven, RDJ’s portrayal of a white Australian actor playing a black American is nothing short of brilliant. Our Downey favorites include: Charlie Bartlett, Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, Soapdish, Wonder Boys, Zodiac, and his previously Oscar-nominated turn as Chaplin, recently re-released on DVD. Oh yeah, and a little thing called Iron Man.

- Mary K.

The International (opens Feb. 13)

Stars Clive Owen, Naomi Watts, Armin Mueller-Stahl.

Directed by Tom Tykwer.

Rated R; 118 minutes.

The time is just right for a thriller centered on a global bank caught in the act of extreme power mongering, with sidelines in arms dealing, extortion, political machinations and murder.

Because, after all, isn’t it at least somewhat comforting to imagine that the economic meltdown is due to evil conspiracies by extraordinarily wealthy businessmen crossing and crisscrossing international datelines, rather than just, you know, standard-issue greed and poor decision making and clueless money management?

Unfortunately, timing isn’t everything, even for Tom Tykwer, the German director whose breakthrough film, Run, Lola, Run, released in the U.S. a decade ago, demonstrated a real knack for adrenaline-rush cinema (if little feel for character development).

The International boasts plenty of exhilarating forward motion, including foot chases and a spectacular shootout and blow-it-up romp through New York’s Guggenheim Museum — or, rather, a superb mock-up of the spiraling Frank Lloyd Wright-designed building. The American-German coproduction looks fantastic, with a fit if grizzled Owen and icy blonde Naomi Watts pursuing men in expensive blue suits, shuttling from stunning steel-and-glass office buildings to exotic locales.

Missing in action, though, is the human element: Viewers may discover that they’re just not into the protagonists, created by rookie screenwriter Eric Singer, whose script is informed by the real-life criminal misdeeds of the Pakistan-based Bank of Commerce and Credit International, shuttered in 1991.

Events zip by from start to finish in the big-budget film, which, at just under two hours, feels like about 90 minutes, thanks to Tykwer’s gift for cinematic momentum. At the story’s start, in Berlin, two men meet in a car and try to hammer out a deal. One of them exits the vehicle, motions to his across-the-way partner, Interpol agent Louis Salinger (Owen), and in short order vomits, doubles over and dies.

Salinger reconnects with his American counterpart, New York Assistant District Attorney Eleanor Whitman (Watts), and the two subsequently do battle with a steadily thickening plot and a bewildering array of accents — Italian, French, German, American, British, Libyan and probably a few others.

The International, pumped with the rhythms — rolling percussion, a single piano key struck repeatedly — of an effective score to which Tykwer contributed, roams around the world, true to its title.

Salinger and Whitman (was Singer intending literary allusions?), separately or together, carry on their investigation into the I.B.B.C. at the bank’s headquarters in Luxembourg; a political rally at a plaza in Milan; the streets of mid-town Manhattan; and, in the finale, a Byzantine cistern, bustling bazaar and orange-tinted Mediterranean rooftops in Istanbul.

Along the way, Salinger hints that he’s plagued by demons from his past; this plot strand, like some others, isn’t fleshed out.

The cinematography, by Tykwer regular Frank Griebe, is quite stunning, more frequently than not. Among the particularly dazzling sequences are that massive and very long shoot-out at the Guggenheim, where baddies and their pursuers make their way around video installations; an overhead shot, framing people streaming, antlike, away from the scene of a tragedy; and the passage in Istanbul.

The film, too, offers at least two intriguing villains, in Brian F. O’Byrne (Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead) as a coolly efficient assassin with a leg brace, and screen veteran Armin Mueller-Stahl (Eastern Promises, Shine, Avalon) as a former hard-line communist, now profiting from his role as a deadly “adviser” to the bank. The latter, prone to philosophical rationalizations of his work, explains to Salinger that “at last, everything comes between you and the man you wanted to be.” Far less interesting is the bland bank CEO played by Ulrich Thomsen (Hitman).

Tykwer, in his use of suspense sequences played out on grand sets, seems to want to reference Alfred Hitchcock, and even Hitchcock acolyte Brian De Palma. And the man-against-the-system storyline hints at themes coloring the films of Sidney Lumet.

Ultimately, though, The International comes off as empty motion, albeit empty motion that’s smartly photographed and expertly paced, blazing style without the substance of superior films in the same genre, like the last two, Paul Greengrass-directed installments of the Bourne series, or Tony Gilroy’s Michael Clayton. Tykwer’s movie doesn’t even come close.