Steel Magnolias

Tags

1980's, Daryl Hannah, Dolly Parton, Drama, Dylan McDermott, Herbert Ross, Julia Roberts, Olympia Dukakis, Sally Field, Sam Shepard, Shirley MacLaine, Steel Magnolias, Tom Skerritt

Laughter, tears, joy and tragedy befall a group of Southern women in Steel Magnolias; a satisfyingly involving story of strength of friendship and celebration of women. Sporting a splendid cast of leading ladies and drama that’s peppered with comedy, Steel Magnolias has you laughing one minute and crying the next( and that’s what is so great about it.) Opened up from it’s stage setting, you have one beautiful movie.

In the Louisiana town of Chinquapin Parish; a group of women go through life’s ups and downs together, often in the local beauty salon. The women are no-nonsense mother M’Lynn Eatenton( Sally Field) , her spirited, type one diabetic daughter Shelby(Julia Roberts), beauty salon owner Truvy Jones( Dolly Parton), elegant widow Clairee Belcher(Olympia Dukakis), embittered and acidic grouch Ouiser Boudreaux (Shirley MacLaine) and new in town wallflower Annelle Dupuy( Daryl Hannah) . The film begins on the wedding of Shelby to lawyer Jackson( Dylan McDermott). Despite Shelby experiencing a hyperglycaemic shock in the morning, she is helped by her mother and friends and the wedding goes wonderfully. Meanwhile, Clairee and Ouiser spar constantly even though deep down they are close friends. Annelle goes through numerous changes, first from shy, woman child to more confident and sassy then overly zealous. Truvy has to contend with her husband Spud(Sam Shepard) being out of work and not showing her much in the way of affection. The big news is that Shelby decides to have a baby, despite the difficulties it could have on her body. M’Lynn is worried about her daughter’s health and isn’t exactly thrilled when Shelby announces her pregnancy. Shelby’s father Drum(Tom Skerritt) is happy for her and to an extend M’Lynn is, though the maternal terror she feels is still nagging at her as she comes around to the idea of it. Shelby gives birth to a baby boy, but tragedy may lie ahead for this wilful young lady. Through the tribulations of life, the Southern Belles band together with support, wisdom and a shoulder to cry on as they live up to the title of being as beautiful as flowers but tough and resilient when the occasion calls for it. 

Herbert Ross is on hand for sensitive direction and a feeling of genuine care for the source material, that opens out the original play setting effectively. He shows great affinity for fleshing out these fascinating women and all that they go through. These are the kinds of characters it’s easy to warm to as you can more often than not, see something of yourself in each of them. Yes you can argue that the film knows to manipulate emotions and does have sentiment, but since when is that actually a bad thing? Steel Magnolias earns the laughs and tears because of its excellence in terms of characters and feelings. I don’t mind things being weepy or sentimental, as long as they do it with style and are well executed( which this movie definitely is.) I think it’s unfair to just refer to it as a chick flick, as it has a lot more going for it than just that label. For one, it’s a celebration of women’s strength and unity in times of crisis that truly knows how to move the audience. And the humour, which is plentiful, goes alongside the more serious stuff nicely. Both compliment the other and know how to really impress the audience in this drama about how friendship can get you through the tough times and sometimes laughter and tears do mix. It’s pretty impossible not to get swept into the dramas and events of Steel Magnolias; it’s an emotional but rewarding ride that is peppered with nice humour and it’s heart being firmly in the right place. Seriously, if you don’t shed not one tear during this movie, your tear ducts have clearly been removed or you’ve got a swinging brick where your heart and compassion should be. A gentle yet well suited score really benefits Steel Magnolias and goes along efficiently with the big occasions the film covers, from wedding to Christmas and then Easter. 

One of the finest assets in Steel Magnolia’s arsenal is the sublime cast of mainly women. Here’s a group of actresses clearly relishing these relatable and well drawn characters that they breathe great life into. Heading things is the ever impressive Sally  Field who truly shines in her dependable way and gets to display the full gamut of feelings. She’s got the varying emotions of her character just right from deep love for her daughter to grave seriousness, immense strength and tenderness in the face of tragedy. Field has always been great at playing motherly characters and she doesn’t disappoint here with a performance that ranks up there as one of her finest, particularly in a late devastating scene that will move even the hardest of hearts. Seriously, Field truly gives it her all as an opinionated yet caring mother terrified of what might happen to her frail daughter. Julia Roberts, who was a year away from super stardom and following memorable work in Mystic Pizza, is beautifully vibrant, genuine and vulnerable as the frail Shelby, who doesn’t want to let her medical condition rule her life and takes drastic action despite warnings of what it could do. The character could have been too much of a martyr, but Roberts wonderfully avoids that with a wilful, delicate and passionate performance that showcases her undeniable star charisma and ability. A lot of the humour is derived from an on form Shirley MacLaine, who spits out bitchy one liners with relish and feeling. You’ll definitely have fun watching her as the town’s meanie who is actually a lot more caring than she cares to let on. Backing her up in sassy fashion is Olympia Dukakis, who is a hoot as the classy but not above fun Clairee. MacLaine and Dukakis obviously enjoy working together as their characters clash often but then make up in often humorous ways. Dolly Parton adds pearls of wisdom and an infectious exuberance and optimism that only she can provide. It’s a treat seeing the multi talented Parton here. Daryl Hannah, decked out in gawky glasses and coltish demeanour, provides laughs and a certain homespun set of foibles. Her character is always changing but her heart is always there and Hannah plays that splendidly. As the women are so indomitable and cover most of the film with their stories, the men are relegated to the sidelines. Though saying that, Tom Skerritt gets quite a number of fine moments to shine in naughty fashion, while Sam Shepard has a fine scene opposite Dolly that’s truly touching. Dylan McDermott is unfortunately saddled with a part that really doesn’t ask for much except being a handsome suitor to Shelby. 

Heartfelt, bittersweet and brilliantly acted and scripted, Steel Magnolias is a sensational production that makes you feel so many different things. I wish you all a great time with this gem of a movie that truly touches you, makes you laugh and is enjoyable. 

The Mistress of Spices

Tags

2000's, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Aishwarya Rai, Drama, Dylan McDermott, Nitin Ganatra, Paul Mayeda Berges, Romance, The Mistress of Spices

Film Title

The Mistress of Spices

Director

Paul Mayeda Berges

Starring

• Aishwarya Rai as Tilo
• Dylan McDermott as Doug
• Nitin Ganatra as Haroun
• Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Kwesi

A charming enough romance movie with mystical elements, The Mistress of Spices unfortunately lacks the ability to fully engage you in its story. Reading the synopsis, the film sounds very similar to Chocolat, but I must say that I enjoyed that movie a lot more than this one.  But there is Aishwarya Rai adding passion and some striking visuals to be found. It’s just unfortunate that the movie doesn’t really pull many of the elements together well enough which does harm ones enjoyment of it.

In Oakland, California, Tilo is an Indian woman who owns a spice shop. Yet her job goes merely beyond just selling spices to others who enter her store. In flashbacks and voice overs, we learn that Tilo from birth had the ability to see the future and how she was orphaned after bandits killed her parents. She managed to escape her kidnappers and washed up on an island inhabited by young girls and an elderly teacher of wisdom. Over the years, Tilo blossomed into a beautiful girl under tutelage and become part of an ancient order of women who have connections to the spices and the magical forms they possess. When each girl is old enough, they are sent around the world to use the spices to help the lives of others. Now years later, Tilo owns her shop and uses her gifts to help her customers with their dilemmas and tribulations. For example she helps a young boy who is having trouble with bullies gain confidence, Haroun, a former cab driver asks her help in order for him to get a job again and she aids a young men in his attempts to get a girl to notice him. Yet in order to remain with her gifts of foresight and influence, she must adhere to three strict rules. She must not use her powers for her own personal gain, she must not leave the store and she must not touch the skin of anyone. If she were to do any of these things, the power of the spices would wreak havoc on her and end with possibly dire consequences. Yet change and fate are just around the corner for the poised Tilo when handsome architect Doug crashes his motorcycle outside her store and she tends to his wounds. The instant attraction between the two is palpable and when he touches her skin for the briefest of seconds, her powers slowly begin to wither. All of the good she has done suddenly turns quite sour just like the wise leader of her order said and it is up to Tilo to choose whether she should follow her heart’s desire or continue in the footsteps of her destiny.

Firstly, it must be said that The Mistress of Spices is a feast for the eyes whichever way you look at it. Lashed with colours in every frame and an exotic atmosphere, the visuals are very well done and create a culture clash between the ways that Tilo has been taught and how it is changed by her time in America. Yet for all the visual opulence on display, director Paul Mayeda Berges forgets the story and for that reason the whole film doesn’t grab you and absorb you. It’s not that the film is short on ideas, in fact it has quite a few interesting ideas like the mystical power of the spices and the rules, but none of them are given enough power or credibility due to a rushed script. If the script had expanded on a few more things and not been as quick to reach the end, The Mistress of Spices may have been very interesting to watch but alas, it only has a few charms to it that keep you from reaching for the stop button. The other part of the script that bogs it down is the overuse of voice overs from Tilo. In the beginning it is fine because it sets up a lot about her character and her back story, but then as it goes on it gets very repetitive to listen to and at times needless. Plus the movie is supposed to be a romance tinged with some mysticism, and yes the mysticism is there but the romance feels to rushed. And considering that The Mistress of Spices is a romance movie, it doesn’t exactly help that the romance feels undeveloped. On the positive side of things, an exotic musical score is very well composed with female voices, sitars and building drums hinting at possible passion.

Thank goodness there is the beautiful Aishwarya Rai at the centre of this movie to keep it afloat. Rai exhibits poise, dignity and resolve under threat with skill and it is really hard to take your eyes off her. The film may be sketchy, but the same criticism can’t be aimed at Rai who gives Tilo grace and sympathy as her adherence to ancient rules is tested to the limit by the possibility of love. Unfortunately, no one else in the film fares as well as Rai due to the ropy script. Dylan McDermott has the looks for the part but the character comes off as bland because of how he is written. Nitin Ganatra and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje are fine in their roles as two of Tilo’s customers but like with McDermott, are given nothing much to do.

So while Aishwarya Rai keeps you watching and the music and visuals are delightful, The Mistress of Spices is just too flawed, due to uneven direction and an unfocused script, to be a good movie which is a real shame considering the things it had going for it.

American Horror Story: Murder House

Tags

2010's, Alexandra Breckenridge, American Horror Story, American Horror Story: Murder House, Connie Britton, Denis O'Hare, Dylan McDermott, Evan Peters, Frances Conroy, Jessica Lange, Sarah Paulson, Taissa Farmiga

I thought it was about time I got back to reviewing some television, after the success of my posts on that topic. This time I will be reviewing the creepy American Horror Story, which has become one of my favourite TV shows as of late. From the first time I watched it I was gripped by the nature of it and how each season changes characters and settings in line with an anthology. Horror is easily one of my favourite genres and American Horror Story delivers it in spades and then some. So without further ado, here is my review of the first season, subtitled Murder House. Please be aware that spoilers will follow in this review.

Psychiatrist Ben Harmon(Dylan McDermott), his wife Vivien(Connie Britton) and their unhappy teenage daughter Violet(Taissa Farmiga) move into an old mansion in Los Angeles. The move has come about after Vivien caught Ben cheating with one of his students and her painful miscarriage. Ben hopes the move can repair the deep void left in their marriage. The mansion itself has quite an alarming history of murder and scandal since its opening in the 1920’s, with the last owners allegedly being killed in a murder/suicide. As the Harmon family settles in, strange and mysterious events soon take hold as the house is a haunted plane for the deceased who can’t let go of the house, although the family are initially unaware of this fact until later on. A housekeeper by the name of Moira O’Hara(Frances Conroy/Alexandra Breckenridge) appears and in a strange turn of events appears old and peculiar to women, but seductive and nubile to men. A horribly scarred man named Larry Harvey(Denis O’Hare) warns Ben of the house and that it drove him to kill his family by torching the place. A strange creature lives in the basement and on more than one occasion unleashes fury on the unfortunate. Matters aren’t helped by the intrusion of Constance(Jessica Lange), a bitchy but intelligent neighbour who knows a lot about the house but only drops hints on the sinister nature of it and her daughter Addie, who has some sort of personal link to the creepy house. Vivien becomes pregnant after sleeping with a figure in a gimp suit who she believes is Ben( in actual fact, Ben was downstairs sleep walking when this act happened) and begins to believe there is something unholy about the baby she is carrying inside of her. Ben’s former flame Hayden shows up with unexpected news that leads to tragic consequences.Add to this, the increasingly troubled Tate(Evan Peters), one of Ben’s patients who takes an interest in troubled  Violet and horror begins to engulf all who step foot in the house and refuses to let go. Twists and turns a plenty unravel in this disturbing yet gripping series of television that will make you shiver with fear and plague your dreams with its mixture of sex, death and all things horrific.

Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk have created a series that takes old clichés and breathes new life into them. Everyone has seen the haunted house formula been done in movies, but having it on TV adds another dimension as tragedy and horror unfold. American Horror Story is not afraid to push the envelope either, with copious amounts of sex, twisted crimes such as copycat murders and psychiatry all coming under the spotlight. The intense visual style contributes to the feeling of uneasiness as the house reveals its sinister nature, the jittery cuts back and forth give the show a creepy edge. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the title sequence, which in itself acts as a mini mystery as it travels through the basement of the house and reveals the mutilated body parts from botched experiments and melancholy old-fashioned photographs to the sound of distorted instruments.

The structure of the episodes deserves praise as it features flashbacks to the past traumas of the house, then in the present shows the repercussions of them in terrifying fashion. The most frightening of these traumas and travesties is that of an ether addicted doctor, Charles Montgomery and his nervy socialite wife Nora, who performed backstreet abortions in the 20’s. After a girl secretly had one of the procedures, her boyfriend found out about it and took revenge by snatching the couple’s beloved baby son. The boy was later found horribly mutilated. The crazed doctor began to fashion body parts from various creatures in order to bring his son back, but instead created a Frankenstein like beast that now resides in the basement.  The ghosts of the couple still haunt the house, with Nora still searching for her baby. The music of the series is an eerie mix of old-fashioned strings and ominous percussion, perfectly  capturing the clash between the old ghosts who populate the house and the new residents.

A game cast of talented actors give life to these characters, even if a lot of them are unlikable people. Dylan McDermott embodies the selfish ways of Ben who has cheated on his wife and wants to rebuild their relationship, but whose demons and the ominous house stop him from doing so. Connie Britton is sympathetic and quietly strong as Vivien, the wife terrified of not just the house but the baby growing inside of her. Out of the characters in this series, Vivien is the one who you root for the most. Taissa Farmiga is suitably gloomy and filled with angst as Violet who falls into a strange relationship with the disturbed Tate. The two have a creepy and morose chemistry with one another which highlights how dangerous Tate can be. He is played with sly menace by Evan Peters, who also manages to delve into the vulnerable side of this disturbed soul as his past is eerily revealed to us. The almost perverse relationship forms a creepy story arc that slowly descends into unspeakable terror. Stealing the show has to be Jessica Lange as the intrusive Constance. With her Southern accent, penchant for stealing and subtle hints about the past of the mansion, she is riveting to watch. She delivers some great one liners with a diva like authority and also gets to show the hidden depths of this intelligent woman who isn’t to be trifled with. Frances Conroy is caring and insightful as the benevolent spirit Moira, who has a history with Constance. While she is kind and knowing, her other face is the opposite. Played by the gorgeous Alexandra Breckenridge, the young Moira is a seductive tease who tempts Ben with her innuendo filled lines and skimpy French maid outfit. Her presence adds to the sexual side to the series as well as the creepy atmosphere of horror. Rounding out the cast is Denis O’Hare as the scarred Larry, who is menacing and mysterious in equal measure, whilst providing some dark humour to the disturbing proceedings. And let’s not forget the excellent Sarah Paulson as a knowledgable and serene medium who is contacted for her abilities.

Not for the faint of heart, but twisted and disturbingly enthralling throughout, the first season of American Horror Story really has me excited for the next season and what it has to offer.