Sunday, March 2, 2014
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Thursday, December 12, 2013
Saturday, September 7, 2013
LA Shorts Festival 2013
 .png) |
| Director/writer Cyrus Kowsari and his star Nathan Lucas of Color of Christmas |
Color of Christmas which stars Nathan Lucas and written by Cyrus Kowsari is fun to watch but for me is a tad too plastic, too ready made. It seems like a model college project, that strives for too much perfection, although the acting is great.
Way of Seeing by Donaco Smyth (top photo at left) is also fun in a far lighter mood, about how a woman (Dagney Kerr) returns home to find a lot of changes that she's just not ready to accept. Smyth deliciously plays a campy genie-like persona amidst the frothy proceedings.
I thought the funniest comedy to be Mor Mexican written and directed by Ricardo Aranda Aupart and Alejandro Behar. It simply involves a Mexican actor doing a commerical for a burger. The producers are trying to market a Mexican's tastes and are just not satisfied because they think the actor's performance is not ...Mexican enough. Viewing their extreme prejudice in trying to make him over is hilarious.
On the drama side of the fence, the film that caught my fancy is entitled Solidarity. Written/directed by Dustin Brown this is a great piece of filmmaking. Elpidia Carrillo and Mantas Valantiejus are beautifully cast as two completely different foreigners who come to America only to encounter racism and mistreatment/harassment in the workplace. In spite of their pain, they still have strength and a sense of pride in what they do. Brown works cinematic magic as he combines the two stories with great detail. I hope this gets Oscar nominated.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2112481153/solidarity-0
'Til next year!
Thursday, August 22, 2013
2013 Summer Review - Blue Jasmine
 |
We charter our own course; we can change if we really want to work at it. Jasmine (Cate Blanchett), unfortunately, reverts to a world of pills and delusion rather than moving forward, despite the fact that she speaks to the contrary. She is a selfish, self-centered bitch, and I hated the woman without feeling a drop of compassion for her, but Blanchett's portrayal is nothing short of astounding. Sally Hawkins - could be Julie Kavner's kid sister, she looks so much like her - as Jasmine's put.upon half-sister Ginger, on the other hand, wins our sympathy. Jasmine's snobbish outlook governs her relationships with others, and she is afraid to look at herself in the mirror; Ginger is vulnerable and weak, makes the wrong choices, but she's totally aware of it: she is who she is. Hawkins gives a wonderfully understated performance, and I predict, as in many Woody Allen movies, that she will walk away with the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. Add to the cast Alec Baldwin, who could play philandering con artist husband Hal in his sleep and two wonderful supporting performances by Andrew Dice Clay as Augie and Bobby Cannavale as Chili, two of Ginger's low-class boyfriends, unafraid to tell it like it is and who act out their feelings for all to see. Peter Sarsgaard offers a refreshing, gentle look at a man that any woman would be a fool not to want; if only Jasmine knew how to behave, she might win his confidence! With other fine support from Max Casella, Michael Stuhlbarg and Alden Ehrenreich, the ensemble is right on target under Allen's impeccable direction. Not enough of the incomparable Tammy Blanchard in a scene or two as one of the friends; she is one terrif actress who deserves a film all to herself.
I may have hated Blanchett's character Jasmine, but, boy oh boy, her performance and that of everyone else, particularly Sally Hawkins, are tops! A must see!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)