The Devil Wears Prada

Tags

2000's, Adrian Grenier, Anne Hathaway, Comedy, David Frankel, Drama, Emily Blunt, Meryl Streep, Simon Baker, Stanley Tucci, The Devil Wears Prada

Film Title

The Devil Wears Prada

Director

David Frankel

Starring

• Meryl Streep as Miranda Priestly
• Anne Hathaway as Andy Sachs
• Emily Blunt as Emily Charlton
• Stanley Tucci as Nigel
• Adrian Grenier as Nate
• Simon Baker as Christian Thompson

An amusing comedy drama about a young woman’s journey in the world of fashion under the boss from hell, The Devil Wears Prada gets laughs and some surprising dramatic weight. As formulaic as some of it is, it is still a very funny satire on the fashion industry, benefiting from a talented cast.

Andy Sachs is a fresh-faced college graduate who wants to be a journalist and is just out of university. An opportunity comes knocking in a strange way, after not having much luck in finding work. She is in turn recommended a job working at  Runway, a New York fashion magazine headed by the notorious and commanding editor in chief Miranda Priestly. She is to be the junior assistant to her, which is a job so many people would give their lives for. Although she has no interest in fashion or the whole scene that she views as shallow, she gets the job unexpectedly. Yet Andy is totally unprepared for what she’ll have to deal with while being assistant to the very high-powered Miranda. What she finds is that Miranda is no walk in the park, but an extremely demanding and at times vicious boss. Having to complete the various, seemingly impossible tasks that Miranda sets her proves to be a severe challenge to someone as wide-eyed as Andy. Andy doesn’t fit in with anyone particularly, not least the snippy senior assistant Emily. Yet with the help of art director Nigel( which includes a glamorous makeover) and adopting of a different attitude towards the industry, Andy starts to succeed and surprisingly get ahead at work. She believes that lasting a year working under the dominating Miranda will be good for references and open doors to her dream. Yet as Andy gets further sucked into the world that she initially disdained, she is forced to confront the fact that her integrity is slipping and that she is rapidly changing into something she never thought she would. Her love life with chef boyfriend Nate begins to sour and she begins to alienate herself from her closest friends, as a result of being at Miranda’s beck and call. But is survival working for Miranda worth sacrificing all for?

David Frankel has a stylish approach to the material, imbued with the right amount of humour and character. I wouldn’t say his direction in The Devil Wears Prada is anything awe-inspiring, but it gets the job done efficiently and with care. Interest does lag within a few scenes that go on for too long( and the main men in Andy’s life don’t particularly give much to the plot of the film). The catty one liners and frequently hilarious events make up for that however, getting your interest as we glimpse a behind the scenes look at a glamorous yet dog eat dog world. Seriously some of the dialogue is priceless in how it skewers the fashion industry and culture, while allowing the relatable but difficult journey for Andy that threatens to overtake her, to feature added depth to the largely funny flick. The look at how easily one can lose themselves in something and feel they have no choice but to oblige is rendered well; owing to the way the script gives measured nuance and surprising insight. Sometimes the film only scratches the surface of what wants to get to in the odd slip, but the satirical edge and stylish glitz are more than sufficient at keeping things in a way that feels fresh for us to enjoy. And like any movie dealing with clothing and image, The Devil Wears Prada is a super stylish and glossy film. From montages to bright colours, it has magazine ready finish from the get go. And while some will say it is just a chick flick, The Devil Wears Prada can equally be enjoyed by men. It’s an all round fun time to be had here in a high glamour world that’s as funny as it is stinging. I mean the while boss from hell plot is a definitely amusing one that I’m sure many people can recall similar situations in their own lives, with less outrageousness I’m sure but you know what I mean. A fashionable soundtrack briskly keeps the film on its course with some great songs to groove to.

Meryl Streep completely steals the show as the demanding and commanding Miranda. Possessing a glacial demeanor and a certain regal poise, she creates a character who may be a tyrannical, but is still quite unexpectedly human despite her frostiness. Miranda both inspires fear and awe within the film and the audience, with Meryl Streep steering her away from just being a wicked caricature. What we get instead of a one-dimensional part is one that is frequently ruthless yet not above revealing a hidden vulnerability, in a nuanced way that Streep effortlessly portrays. Miranda doesn’t need to raise her voice to make a point; a simple purse of the lips, look up and down or a cutting, deadpan remark is enough to reduce anyone to a pile of quivering nerves. A scary, fascinating, darkly funny and fabulous character is brought to life with measured shading and conviction by the always excellent Meryl Streep. Anne Hathaway delightfully portrays the inexperience and uncertainty of Andy, tempered with an intelligence and feeling of doubt over what she can achieve. Hathaway has an inborn sensitivity and vulnerability that I’ve noticed in many of her performances, that is used excellently to make Andy a conflicted yet relatable heroine the audience wants to help. I mean how can you not have sympathy for this girl, going through the motions and figuring out just what she wants to do? Her sheer awkwardness and coltish appearance is rendered nicely by Hathaway, who refuses to make the character a brainless girl.  Emily Blunt gets a whole of laughs in her role of minion to Miranda, whose neurotic and desperation to please provide hysterical desperation and scintillating, bitchy sassiness. Splendid and side-splitting support comes from Stanley Tucci as the confidante, who instructs Andy in how best to approach her job and how Miranda is not above rewarding loyalty, in her own roundabout way of course. Tucci though is the only guy in the film who is actually given something good to do. Adrian Grenier and Simon Baker are left stumbling and with little in the way of material to work with.

So for all the contrivances in the film and how it can seem predictable, The Devil Wears Prada boasts a high entertaining factor, finding humour and pathos from a cast headed by an imperious Meryl Streep and how the whole fashion world is a place of survival. A biting yet somehow sweet engaging and humorous film is what The Devil Wears Prada emerges is, which brings out big enjoyable laughs for the viewer.

Doubt

Tags

2000's, Amy Adams, Doubt, Drama, John Patrick Shanley, Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Viola Davis

Film Title

Doubt

Director

John Patrick Shanley

Starring

• Meryl Streep as Sister Aloysius Beauvier
• Philip Seymour Hoffman as Father Flynn
• Amy Adams as Sister James
• Viola Davis as Mrs. Miller

John Patrick Shanley directs this adaptation of his own play which powerfully and ambiguously questions the nature of truth, certainty and religion. Doubt really dives into the conundrum and mystery of suspicion, bolstered by one exceptional cast doing fine work with deep material.

In 1964 , austere school principal and nun Sister Aloysius Beauvier runs a Catholic school in The Bronx, where she watches each and every move to keep others in line. She is a woman who strikes fear into the hearts of everyone and believes in discipline where her students are involved. Her ideas are of an old-fashioned mindset, which puts her at odds with popular priest Father Flynn. He is a seemingly kindly man who the children like and whose ideas are progressive in bringing the Church forward. Sister Aloysius has a deep dislike of him and after hearing a sermon that he delivers on the feelings of doubt, she asks young and naive Sister James to keep an eye on him. Shortly after this, Sister James reluctantly reveals that Donald Miller, the school’s first black student, returned from seeing Father Flynn in the rectory, crying and with the smell of alcohol on his breath. This convinces Sister Aloysius that there is something sinister about Father Flynn and she is certain that he has sexually abused the boy. Father Flynn denies any wrongdoing and tells her to leave it alone. But Sister Aloysius is not backing down and takes it upon herself, despite a lack of proof, to bring down Father for what she believes he has done. So begins a battle of wills between the relentless Sister Aloysius and Father Flynn , where the truth is the thing that lies at the complex centre of events but is hidden and speculated with unexpected results.

John Patrick Shanley successfully transports his play from the stage to screen with a subtle building in uneasiness and moral questioning. There is a high level of tense atmosphere at work in Doubt, generated through the way that the dialogue takes on multiple meanings and the tight surroundings that enclose the characters. canted angles and close-ups further enhance the engulfing intensity of the piece. The dark tones of the cinematography, supplied by the great , cement us in the dark and complex time and setting, rarely venturing further than the school for a feeling of deep claustrophobia. The limited setting hints at the movies origins as a play, yet help keep that very aura of intimate drama. Some of Doubt gets stagey from time to time, yet this niggle is quickly rectified by the provocative drama and time for rumination that it ultimately achieves. The amount of tension that fills the frames if the movie took me by surprise in a good way. I really was finding myself questioning who was right and wrong, plus whether personal vendettas and emotions were clouding the judgement of characters. There are those who watch Doubt and find its ambiguity distracting, but for most of us, this added level of intrigue gets you to really deliberate what you make of the combustible situation playing out. What people need to consider is that Doubt is as much a mystery about guilt, possible abuse of power and morality, as it is a drama. A quiet yet well suited score knows exactly when to appear and when to let scenes play out devoid of interference.

Meryl Streep heads the cast with another sterling performance. Burying herself in the self-righteous and stern head nun who is the chief accuser, Streep exudes a no-nonsense attitude( spoken in a harsh and convincing Bronx accent), tempered by a dry wit and occasional time for revelation. Yet the biggest accomplishment of her acting is in the balance of Sister Aloysius, in various subtle and expressive ways that hint at her being something different underneath her austere appearance . She is a fearsome person to say the least who may just be doing this to get rid of Father Flynn , but on the other hand, she seems to want to protect her student from what she believes is inappropriate and disturbing contact. There is a real complexity to this woman that Meryl Streep understands; Aloysius may believe that certainty is on her side, but she may in fact be feeling the strains of time pushing her further away from authority and clear judgement. Playing off her and facing off against her in very intense scenes is the excellent Philip Seymour Hoffman. He manages to make Father Flynn both amiable and somewhat questionable, lending a big dose of ambiguity to everything. With force and skill, Hoffman represents the accused as a man trying to bring the church up to date, and sparring with the pointed finger of Sister Aloysius for something he may or not have done. His scenes with Streep are filled with power and rising suspicion, culminating in an arresting coin which both stars really let loose. Amy Adams beautifully and with considerable nuance plays the sympathetic and good-hearted novice Sister James, who is essentially the audiences guide to being caught between two ends of the spectrum. A sweetness is present in the work that never becomes cloying because of how well Adams imbues the part with a questioning and conflicted heart. Stuck in the middle of both Father Flynn and Sister Aloysius, Sister James is forced to contend with both sets of possibilities, a challenge that Amy Adams more than rises to with a sensitive piece of acting. Rounding out the cast is the brief but superbly played performance from the wonderful Viola Davis. She stars as the mother of the boy who may have been abused and her screen time is mainly confined to one specific scene. But what a powerful and indelible scene it is! Filled with a sadness, conviction and acting in a way that may seem different from what you’d expect from a mother being informed of potentially horrifying treatment of her son, Viola Davis dramatically provides the catalyst of the story, that enables us to see things in a very different way. This is a performance that proves that you don’t need hours on screen to be memorable. The four main actors were all Oscar nominated for their work, and it isn’t any surprise why because of how convincingly they bring to life this thorny drama.

A thought-provoking and building triumph of unbearable tension and questions, Doubt succeeds at getting the audience to really consider the validity of supposedly benevolent actions and just how damaging things can become when there is lack of proof but plenty of speculation. It’s a testament to the acting and directing that Doubt never feels too stagey, instead mounted with a mystery and probing yet subtle approach. What we get is a powerful and intense film that leaves you really contemplating events long after the curtain has been drawn.

What Is Your Favourite Meryl Streep Performance?

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Favourite Performance, Meryl Streep

This is going to be part of a new series in which I select an actor or actress and ask which performance do you think is their best. And what better place to start than with Meryl Streep? Undoubtedly one of the best actresses there is, Streep has enjoyed a simply stellar career thanks to her deep versatility and commitment to her craft. I can’t say I’ve ever seen her give a bad performance in the movies I’ve seen of her’s. I still have many movies of hers to watch, but the vast majority of things she’s been in have made her one of my favourite actresses because of her talent and depth. Just the way she can so embody a character and switch genres is nothing short of spectacular, you know when Meryl Streep is in a film she’ll deliver. So which of her many, wonderful performances is the one that really lingers in your mind.

Marvin’s Room

Tags

1990's, Diane Keaton, Drama, Gwen Verdon, Hal Scardino, Hume Cronyn, Jerry Zaks, Leonardo DiCaprio, Marvin's Room, Meryl Streep, Robert De Niro

Film Title

Marvin’s Room

Director

Jerry Zaks

Starring

• Diane Keaton as Bessie
• Meryl Streep as Lee
• Leonardo DiCaprio as Hank
• Hal Scardino as Charlie
• Robert De Niro as Dr Wally
• Hume Cronyn as Marvin
• Gwen Verdon as Aunt Ruth

A film based on a play that covers themes of family, illness and forgiveness, Marvin’s Room is a beautifully affecting movie that earns the laughs and tears it elicits in the audience through the natural work from an accomplished cast.

Marvin’s Room revolves around two estranged sisters; sweet and sensitive Bessie and driven Lee. Bessie lives in Florida, where she takes care of her bedridden father Marvin and dizzy Aunt Ruth. She has been doing this for twenty years now, yet hasn’t taken the time to really think of herself once. Lee is the more rebellious sister, who has worked hard and wants to get her life into a sense of order, complete with her two sons Hank and Charlie. Just as she appears to be, her troubled son Hank burns the house down and is institutionalized. His increasingly erratic and antagonistic behaviour towards his mother who he blames for divorcing his absent father does nothing to help, with Lee really hitting breaking point over what to do. It is around this time that Bessie discovers that she has leukaemia and that she needs a bone marrow transplant. Despite not having spoken to her sister in over twenty years, Bessie implores Lee to come and visit her. She hopes that she can find a match for the operation and hopefully bury the hatchet with her sister. Lee, even though she still has her differences with her sister, packs up her kids from Ohio and heads to Florida. The reunion is far from what you’d call an easy one for everyone involved. Bessie feels resentment towards Lee for not helping take care of their father, while Lee feels that Bessie is judging her for not being as sensitive a person as she is and thinks that Bessie has given too much of her life to caring for her family. Hank is also still troubled and distant from everyone, though he finds comfort in the form of Bessie who he believes listens to him more than his mother. Old wounds are opened as Bessie and Lee try to reconnect and Hank starts to mature in the presence of his Aunt. Reconciliation and understanding could be on their way, if everyone can finally accept the others and unearth a kinship that has long been missing.

Jerry Zaks may not have much of a cinematic finesse in his approach to the film, yet his eye is more focused on character and development( at which he scores points.) the natural and quietly emotional way that it tells the story that truly makes Marvin’s Room a moving experience. What is most surprising about Marvin’s Room is that it has a welcome dose of humour in it. It has you laughing one minute, then in tears in a heartbeat. And while this could have turned out to be a bad thing, it is actually one of the biggest successes of the film. It really brings you into the piece and highlights the naturalism and summarizes how unpredictable life can be for all of us. Dysfunctional family and the ways in which they can falter, but ultimately be reunited in unexpected circumstances is played out in accomplished fashion. Sure there are confrontations between characters, but they thankfully don’t go over the top and remain within the context of the film to its benefit. Some could argue that it is a sentimental movie, but it stays just on the right side of that to make a film that celebrates life and connection with people we never thought we’d understand. The odd mawkish moment here and there can be swept under the carpet when the film is as affecting and nuanced as Marvin’s Room. Don’t let the seemingly made-for-TV sounding plot detract you from the film, as it traverses well above manipulative manhandling of the audience in favour of soulful observation. In fact while illness forms the main crux of the story, it is the nature of family and that is most effective and compliments the scenes of disease and possible death. Marvin’s Room isn’t flawless by any means as some of the pacing is off and I might have liked it if the film ran a bit longer. But all in all, it’s a very accomplished and emotion driven story that gets your attention through the laughs, tears and smiles. Rachel Portman supplies the evolving music of this piece; splendidly supporting the quietly stirring and bittersweet parts of the film through rising rhythms and emotive piano.

Diane Keaton beautifully heads the cast with a quietly and movingly acted role of the caregiver sister finding out she herself is ill. A nuanced and sincere amount of feeling is embodied by Keaton as Bessie sensitively attempts to be brave. Genuine decency can often be difficult play without going into overt politeness, luckily Diane Keaton manages to portray goodness stunningly. There is no slipping into overly saintly or martyr like here, just a heartfelt delivery. There is just something very warm and soulful about Diane Keaton here that makes it stand out as one of her best performances. Meryl Streep is on fine form as the chain-smoking, fiercely independent sister who is trying to keep her life together, yet has to come to terms with responsibility for probably the first time. The part of Lee is a flawed woman who can be self-interested and impatient(not to mention at the end of her tether), but with Streep in the part, we get to observe how her brash outer shell has been made by her own experiences and how she really is more than a little vulnerable underneath it all. Streep works wonderfully alongside the luminous Keaton, genuinely conveying the distance and eventual closeness the siblings acquire over the course of the film. A young Leonardo DiCaprio holds his own against his older co-stars with a performance of anger, damage and eventually reflection. DiCaprio nails the troubled persona of teenager Hank and finds a feeling of loneliness and wanting for attention in there, which makes him hit it off with Bessie as he feels she gets him. DiCaprio brings layers and forceful feeling to the part which benefits from it considerably. Hal Scardino has the more modest part of the younger brother whose often buried in a book, but Scardino makes the most of it to play off DiCaprio’s intensity well. Providing amusing support is a genial Robert De Niro, portraying the yet often inelegant doctor who gives Bessie her diagnosis and whose attempts at being positive are sometimes anything but. Hume Cronyn, without uttering a word, conveys the helpless feeling of illness in old age, while Gwen Verdon is funny and sweetly touching as the scatterbrained Aunt.

Heartwarming and sincere, plus sporting a great cast of actors doing some lovely work, Marvin’s Room is a successful and touching testament to the themes of redeeming oneself and appreciating life.

Falling in Love

Tags

1980's, David Clennon, Dianne Wiest, Drama, Falling in Love, Harvey Keitel, Jane Kaczmarek, Meryl Streep, Robert De Niro, Romance, Ulu Grosbard

Film Title

Falling in Love

Director

Ulu Grosbard

Starring

• Robert De Niro as Frank Raftis
• Meryl Streep as Molly Gilmore
• Jane Kaczmarek as Ann Raftis
• David Clennon as Brian Gilmore
• Harvey Keitel as Ed
• Dianne Wiest as Isabelle

A gentle and subtle romantic drama, Falling in Love scores points for the pairing of Robert De Niro and Meryl Streep. Yet it is often achingly slow and some of the dialogue is particularly trite. Goodness can be gleaned from the tentative story and some of it is darn effective in the emotional stakes, but I did expect a bit more from this film than it offered up.

While out shopping for Christmas presents for the respective families, New Yorkers Frank Raftis and Molly Gilmore meet accidentally and a result, their presents get switched. Both don’t think much of this first meeting as they are both happily married, so they continue with their work and families; Frank is an architect, while Molly is a graphic designer. On the train a few months after, they encounter each other again and strike up a conversation. They soon find that they have fun together, and from this point on they meet for friendly talks, often on the train or in a cosy bookshop. What neither Frank nor Molly intended or expected was that this friendship would soon evolve into feelings of love for the other. Even when they are apart, they can’t stop thinking of the other and their feelings only become more difficult to ignore. Although their relationship remains chaste, they have fallen deeply in love with each other unintentionally, which causes all matter of problems as both don’t know how best to deal with these pangs of romance without hurting anyone.

Director Ulu Grosbard manages to ring quite a bit of romance and bittersweet feeling from the largely predictable story, yet it can become a tad heavy-handed at times. He works best when setting up both Molly and Frank, having scenes mirror each other and give growing voice to the quickly growing infatuation. Which brings me on to the topic of the film’s execution, which is mainly one of subtle ruminations and underplayed pacing, that eventually drags in the attempts to be serious. I mean I am all for subtlety in movies, heck anyone who follows my blog will know that I am rather fond of subdued execution and natural delivery. But in Falling in Love, despite the fact that I really felt for both characters and their internal dilemmas, it was just a bit too subtle for its own good. For me, it needed something to pep it up a little and give it more power, instead of settling for the underplayed approach that became too slow. What Falling in Love does get right is a gentle emotion of uncertainty and trepidation for the main lovers, they are shown as ordinary people with complicated feelings, just like everyone else. Though the dialogue varied into clunky territory, the star power of De Niro and Streep helped make it somehow relatable and sincere. And the fact that their relationship remains one of deep love that can’t quite be fulfilled and is far from overly sexual was a bit of a refreshing break from the norm. While the slow and unraveling approach feels appropriate at first, it becomes laborious and then the film starts to feel hackneyed by clichés. The music provided was pleasing at first, but it felt just way to sweet and corny in moments that were supposed to be serious and romantic. I think I was just wanting a bit more from a film like this overall than what the full product emerged as, despite my liking of some of it.

If there is something that makes Falling in Love at least a film that registers on some level, it has to be the lovely performances from Robert De Niro and Meryl Streep. They both convince as everyday people, who are taken aback and more than a little surprised by an unexplainable attraction that could spell bad things for their lives. Robert De Niro dials it down to play Frank as a decent man with a sense of humour and quiet depth that is most befitting of the character. Meryl Streep matches him with a sincere charm, flashes of humour and undercurrent of disbelief in what transpires between the two. They truly work beautifully together; hinting at the feelings between the two that for the most part can’t be acted upon, but are palpable. And their chemistry more than makes up for the slight script, breathing pathos into the dialogue with their respective skills and acting abilities. If there is a redeeming quality to Falling in Love, it lies within the work of these immensely talented actors. Jane Kaczmarek is well served with the role of Frank’s wife, who senses that something is going on, though David Clennon is a might too bland as Molly’s husband. Harvey Keitel and Dianne Wiest do what they can with their supporting roles, though the main thing you’ll remember from Falling in Love is De Niro and Streep.

The two main actors in Falling in Love are the biggest reasons for watching it, as well as the feelings it emits, but the whole production just lacks that extra bit of power to raise it higher. At least, Robert De Niro and Meryl Streep work beautifully together and ensure you feel for them.

Happy Birthday Meryl Streep

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Birthday, Meryl Streep

The oh so talented and superb Meryl Streep turns 67 today and what a career she has had, and still has as she continues to make stellar movies. I think its well established by now that she is one of the most gifted and engaging actresses on the planet. I mean just looking through her filmography speaks for itself showing her versatility and strength. I mean is there anything Meryl Streep can’t do? She’s done drama, comedy and even action. She is a master of burying herself into the roles she chooses and a dab hand at essaying a variety of accents. When I see Streep on the screen, she delivers every time without fail. It is impossible not to be impressed and bowled over by her commitment to the roles she takes and how she so embodies the parts seamlessly So I wish her a glorious birthday and want to say how wonderful it is to watch her on screen.

The Bridges of Madison County

Tags

1990's, Annie Corley, Clint Eastwood, Drama, Meryl Streep, Romance, The Bridges of Madison County, Victor Slezak

Film Title

The Bridges of Madison County

Director

Clint Eastwood

Starring

• Clint Eastwood as Robert Kincaid
• Meryl Streep as Francesca Johnson
• Annie Corley as Carolyn Johnson
• Victor Slezak as Michael Johnson

A tender and beautifully realised romantic drama directed by Clint Eastwood and containing great performances from the man himself and Meryl Streep, The Bridges of Madison County is a satisfying and mature film that will touch you.

The year is 1965 and Francesca Johnson is an Italian war bride married to farmer Richard and living in Madison County. Although very much a loving wife and mother, Francesca is discontented with life and bored. Her husband and two teenage children go the fair for four days and this is where the crux of her story comes in. While they are away, she encounters photographer for National Geographic Robert Kincaid. He is there to photograph the many bridges of the area and first meets lonely Francesca when he loses his way. Soon enough, the two become friendly with each and the travelling Robert with his charming demeanor helps Francesca open up. What starts as friendship between the pair soon becomes love and for the four days that her family are away, she and Robert conduct their brief affair, not realising how much it will impact both of them. As the four days wear on, it is up to Francesca to decide whether to be with Robert who has made her feel alive once more or stay with her husband and children. The movie is structured around siblings Carolyn and Michael Johnson who have come back to the Iowa farmhouse that they grew up in after Francesca’s death. While sorting out the land arrangements and thoroughly being baffled by their mother’s wishes to be cremated, they come across a number of diaries that she left to them. Curious about them, the siblings begin to read their now deceased mother’s story and are surprised to learn about how deeply the affair with Robert affected her and how they never knew this side to their mother until now.

As director of the film, Clint Eastwood displays masterful observations and subtle indications of the love that grows between Robert and Francesca in the brief time they spend together. He never resorts to sentimentality, instead giving The Bridges of Madison County a natural depth and passion that can’t be ignored. Eastwood doesn’t feel the need to rush the story either, he employs a carefully structured pace that helps the friendship that blooms between the couple eventually turn to deep love. We see them genuinely fall in love through little things; a slight brush of the hand or a gaze are highly effective at bringing out the love that each begins to feel for the other. Some may wonder how the film could have a deliberate pace when the main story takes place over the course of just four days, but Eastwood lets events unfold in a very mature and beautiful way that compliments the story. Yes there are some lulls in the narrative, mainly when it goes back to the son and daughter, but for the most part it is very handled and exceptional romantic drama with both time zones corresponding. A building score of mainly piano and string gives voice to the passions growing between Francesca and Robert. And no discussion of this movie would be complete without giving a shout out to the simply gorgeous cinematography that envelops the movie in a hues of gold and twilight that burn into the memory.

What gives The Bridges of Madison County a whole heft of emotion is the cast. Clint Eastwood on acting duties is suitably fine as the wandering Robert, who brings out a new side to Francesca with his devil-may-care attitude and genuine clarity. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Clint Eastwood play such a sensitive character before, but he pulls it off admirably. Matching him every step of the way is the wonderful Meryl Streep. Combining a homely warmth, guarded passion and grace, she is wonderful at showing Francesca emerging into a totally different woman in the arms of someone who makes her feel like she’s been given another chance to live. The chemistry shared between them is tentative and filled with earnest desire, and it is really nice to see it be a love story concerning mature adults instead of the generic young lovers scenario. Annie Corley and Victor Slezak are fine as the children learning about their mother after her death, but the movie truly belongs to Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep who give it a moving and haunting quality.

Heartfelt, filled with lovely cinematography and capable of bringing you to genuine tears, The Bridges of Madison County is a sublime movie that tenderly looks at how love can change us and stay with us forever.

Death Becomes Her

Tags

1990's, Bruce Willis, Dark Comedy, Death Becomes Her, Fantasy, Goldie Hawn, Isabella Rossellini, Meryl Streep, Robert Zemeckis

Film Title

Death Becomes Her

Director

Robert Zemeckis

Starring

• Meryl Streep as Madeline Ashton
• Goldie Hawn as Helen Sharp
• Bruce Willis as Ernest Menville
• Isabella Rossellini as Lisle

A savagely comedic and satiric look at vanity, bitter rivalry and revenge, Death Becomes Her is one heady bitches brew. Boasting eye-popping special effects and devilish work from the cast, it’s a dark comedy fantasy that is a hoot with the added mix of magic and bitchy one liners.

Madeline Ashton is a narcissistic, bitchy actress who is a real success. She has a rivalry with aspiring writer Helen Sharp and does anything she can to get one up on her. But Madeline crosses the line when she seduces Helen’s fiancée Ernest Menville, a prominent plastic surgeon to the stars and the two eventually marry. This causes Helen to completely break down and she is sectioned. Years later, Madeline and her demanding ways have driven Ernest to drink and he is now a mortician. Madeline is also something of a has been as she is getting older, and there is a demand for younger actresses. It is here that she bumps into Helen again, who is now a successful author and looking just as young as she did all those years before. What Madeline doesn’t know is that Helen has been planning revenge on her and plans to execute it soon. Shocked by Helen’s youthful appearance, Madeline soon finds an intriguing answer to her own age issues in the form of Lisle. Lisle is a wealthy socialite and possibly a sorceress, who has divined a potion that gives the person who drinks it eternal youth. Obsessed with looking young again, Madeline takes the potion. Yet the potion doesn’t just grant eternal youth but also immortality. Meanwhile, Helen puts her plan to get Ernest back into action and battles it out with Madeline, with poor Ernest stuck in the middle of it all. But the plotting Helen herself also took the potion years before and now as they commence in battle, it is getting harder to get one up on the other as both are in a sense indestructible and neither can die.

Robert Zemeckis directs this lively and darkly amusing film with a fast-paced panache, relishing all the biting lines that the script has to offer. He funnily satirizes society’s obsession with beauty and age with a cutting wit. Let’s just say, this guy knows how to keep a movie eventful and very entertaining as Madeline and Helen go to war. The special effects in Death Becomes Her deserve a huge mention as they really are very impressive in highlighting the immortality of both woman and the many injuries they inflict on each other, that only cause a bit of damage like a neck out-of-place or a bullet hole through the chest, that eventually spring back to normal. Some will say that the special effects take precedence over the story, but it actual fact they compliment it very well and lead to black comedy of the highest order. A dazzling, adventurous score provides the backdrop of darkness tinged with a morbid playfulness that is ever-present through Death Becomes Her and makes it a real treat.

What really gives Death Becomes Her that real snap and morbid humour is the performances from the splendid cast. Meryl Streep is utterly fabulous as the wicked bitch Madeline, constantly obsessed with being young again and finding that it has a price. She obviously savours the razor-sharp put downs that Madeline spews and gives the role a diva like persona of total star quality. Her acting alongside Goldie Hawn pays off successfully as they share a devilish chemistry with each other. Goldie Hawn is equally as good as Streep, playing Helen as downtrodden but deliciously scheming to the hilt. Taking a break from the macho action roles he is mostly known for, Bruce Willis shows his versatility as the much abused Ernest. Exuding a gawkiness and befuddled anxiety, he really shows what a talented actor he is. Adding wickedly sensual support is Isabella Rossellini as the magical woman with the potion that leads to eternal youth and more.

A wickedly gleeful comedy fantasy, brimming with verve and hysterical outrageousness, Death Becomes Her is a dark delight of a movie.

 

Into the Woods

Tags

2010's, Anna Kendrick, Billy Magnussen, Chris Pine, Daniel Huttlestone, Disney, Emily Blunt, Fantasy, Into the Woods, James Corden, Johnny Depp, Lilla Crawford, MacKenzie Mauzy, Meryl Streep, Musical, Rob Marshall

Film Title

Into the Woods

Director

Rob Marshall

Starring

• James Corden as The Baker
• Emily Blunt as The Baker’s Wife
• Meryl Streep as The Witch
• Anna Kendrick as Cinderella
• Daniel Huttlestone as Jack
• Chris Pine as Cinderella’s Prince
• Lilla Crawford as Little Red Riding Hood
• Billy Magnussen as Rapunzel’s Prince
• MacKenzie Mauzy as Rapunzel
• Johnny Depp as The Big Bad Wolf

Something of a re imagining of classic fairy tales bound together with a newer story and put into a musical/fantasy hybrid from Disney, Into the Woods is also a mixed bag of sorts.

In classic fairy tale fashion, the movie opens with the words ‘Once Upon a Time’. The main story is of a Baker and his Wife who more than anything in the world want a child, yet somehow for them it has proved impossible. The source of this comes literally spinning into their home like a whirlwind in the form of an evil and very powerful Witch. The evil being explains that due to the Baker’s father stealing beans of magical properties from her precious garden, she placed a curse upon his family so that future generations would be unable to have children. The devious hag also took the Baker’s baby daughter and raised her as her own. The girl eventually became the long-haired Rapunzel, imprisoned in a tower from the outside world, singing lilting lullabies to pass the time. She is later discovered thanks to her lovely voice by a handsome prince, who falls deeply in love with her. Meanwhile, desperate to break the curse upon their family, the Baker and his Wife accept the terms of the Witch’s hard bargain. If they can procure four specific items from classic fantasy stories within the days before the third full moon, the curse will be forever lifted. This in turns means they must both journey deep into the mist enshrouded woods where magical mayhem and mystical mischief awaits them. We also have the stories running alongside this one, that include the items needed to break the curse. These consist of a young boy named Jack selling his beloved cow for magical beans that grow the famous beanstalk, a greedy girl in a red cape visiting her Grandmother as well as being stalked by a hungry wolf and a downtrodden Cinderella transformed from rags to riches so she can attend the nearby ball held by another dashing royal prince.

As aforementioned, Into the Woods is something of a mixed film of both excellence and parts that could have been improved upon. Rob Marshall does infuse the piece with visual style and theatricality, which is very befitting of the musical genre. And boy does the visual style deliver with the Gothic woods being a particular highlight of production design. The costumes are also very well crafted with technique and effortless skill. I must say I enjoyed Corden’s narration, he brought a wry delivery to it as magical events continued to mount. Where Into the Woods falters is in its length and lack of memorable musical numbers. Although the pacing in the beginning of the movie, in the second half it tends to drag and become a little boring. As for the musical numbers, the stream of consciousness approach is actually rather good for a while. Yet it can become very monotonous and though some numbers bristle with energy, there isn’t really a killer song to be remembered once the movie ends. The same can be said about the altering of classic fairy tales. In some cases it provides interesting and often dark viewing, but in others it should really have been left to the classic version. Saying all this, Into the Woods is definitely a more enjoyable movie that Marshall’s last musical Nine, but it still has many flaws.

James Corden and Emily Blunt are really good in the central roles and have humorous yet loving chemistry with one another. Blunt is especially excellent at portraying the good-hearted Wife with warmth and shows off considerable skills in the vocal department. Meryl Streep takes what is essentially a pantomime villain role as the crone and breathes life into it. You can really see that Streep is having a ball here portraying the evil and cunning Witch and she plays it with such delicious glee. As always when Streep is in a movie, she gives it calibre with her engaging and highly talented presence. Anna Kendrick combines a beautiful voice and sympathetic delivery to give a modern interpretation of Cinderella; as we watch her wrestle with indecision over a union with her Prince. Daniel Huttlestone plays Jack with wide-eyed charm and youthful energy as he inadvertently gets himself tangled up in this magical quest. Chris Pine is used too little to be really memorable. Though it must be said that his musical number where he argues that the pain caused by love is greatest of all is particularly funny. Lilla Crawford brings a bratty and not so sweet disposition to a successful revamp of Little Red Riding Hood. And it’s quite good to see another take on a character that is so often portrayed as winsome and lamb like. Billy Magnussen doesn’t have much to work with as Rapunzel’s Prince, just like MacKenzie Mauzy as the imprisoned maiden. Johnny Depp contributes a creepy cameo as the predatory Wolf looking to make Red Riding Hood his next meal.

So all in all, Into the Woods has its share of excellent moments partly because of some stylish direction and fine performances. It’s a shame that it couldn’t be more memorable considering all the attributes it had.

 

August: Osage County

Tags

2010's, Abigail Breslin, August: Osage County, Benedict Cumberbatch, Chris Cooper, Dermot Mulroney, Drama, Ewan McGregor, John Wells, Julia Roberts, Julianne Nicholson, Juliette Lewis, Margo Martindale, Meryl Streep, Misty Upham, Sam Shepard

Film Title

August: Osage County

Director

John Wells

Starring

• Meryl Streep as Violet Weston
• Julia Roberts as Barbara Weston-Fordham
• Ewan McGregor as Bill Fordham
• Juliette Lewis as Karen Weston
• Julianne Nicholson as Ivy Weston
• Chris Cooper as Charles Aiken
• Abigail Breslin as Jean Fordham
• Benedict Cumberbatch as ‘Little’ Charles Aiken
• Margo Martindale as Mattie Fae Aiken
• Dermot Mulroney as Steve Huberbrecht
• Sam Shepard as Beverly Weston
• Misty Upham as Johnna

A dark and intense examination of a family falling apart and suffering burdens after reuniting for a funeral, August: Osage County may not be the most comfortable film to watch. But with a talented ensemble cast and simmering tensions that eventually boil over, it sure makes for eventful and dramatic viewing.

In sweltering Oklahoma, Beverly Weston was once a respected poet whose work has declined in recent years and send him into consuming alcohol to drown his sorrows. Matter aren’t helped by his strong-willed and verbally abusive wife Violet, who is suffering from mouth cancer but is addicted to pills. Although he hires a young Native American caregiver called Johnna to help, the demands and abuse aimed at him by his wife proves too much. One day, Beverly has had enough of the torment and disappears. Days later, he is found drowned after taking his boat out on the lake. His extended family who have drifted apart reunite for his funeral. The rest of the family consists of Violet and Beverly’s daughters: wounded favourite Barbara, meek middle child Ivy and dippy youngest Karen.Barbara’s estranged husband Bill, their rebellious teenage daughter Jean, Violet’s sister Mattie Fae, her husband Charles, their shy son known as ‘Little’ Charles and Karen’s latest fiance Steve are also in attendance. As the family attempt to cope with their grief, various tensions and secrets soon take over and anger, resentment and bitterness threaten to destroy what is left of the already troubled and dysfunctional extended family.

As I previously mentioned, August Osage County isn’t the easiest film to sit through. With its flawed characters and feuds a plenty, this is not a bunch of characters who have lived a sunny existence. But then again, they’re not supposed to be the easiest characters to relate to and the under the skilled direction of John Wells, the film shows how they are all not as perfect as some of them make out. Dramatics are the order of the day as arguments and truths engulf the family, the verbal sparring is very well done and drips with venom as everyone begins to reach breaking point. Some scenes do lapse into melodrama occasionally and restraint isn’t exactly the films strong suit. The film may never truly escape its theatrical origins but in turn the confined setting of the Weston house gives the movie a claustrophobic and stifling atmosphere of intensity as the heat continues to rise and lies begin to spill out. The roving camerawork captures the heated emotions up close and personal and add to the themes of familial ties beginning to break and the difficult reasons why.

The impressive ensemble cast is what gives August: Osage County its intense impact. Meryl Streep is a force of nature as the acid spitting Violet, whose truth-telling begins to drive the fractured family apart. She impressively captures her strong-willed nature, but also a mean streak that often rears its ugly head in this time of pain. Yet, we do get to see the damaged side to Violet that occasionally shines through thanks to the splendid work of the talented Meryl Streep. Julia Roberts is equally impressive as her eldest daughter Barbara, who burns with anger towards her mother and the burdens placed on her. This is easily some of her best work as she imbues Barbara with a rage and ferocity rarely seen by Roberts before now. Ewan McGregor does his best in the role of Barbara’s estranged husband Bill, yet I don’t think he’s given enough to do to make him a memorable character in this escalating family saga. Juliette Lewis is flighty and gullible as Karen, whilst Julianne Nicholson offers a moving performance as the put upon Ivy. Chris Cooper embodies the moral centre of the dysfunctional family Charles, who sees exactly where the arguments and disagreements are going to lead. Margo Martindale is utilised well as Violet’s sister, who berates her timid son and seems to have got the same mean streak as her sister. Abigail Breslin is quietly sullen and alienated as Barbara’s teenage daughter Jean. Benedict Cumberbatch is sympathetic and vulnerable as Little Charles, who is secretly in a relationship with his cousin Ivy and constantly made to feel inadequate by his mother. Filling out the other roles effectively are Dermot Mulroney, who gives a sleazy edge to his character, Sam Shepard as the worn out Beverly whose death brought the family together and Misty Upham as the quiet caregiver to Violet.

It may be dark and pessimistic, but with the talented cast on electrifying form and the dysfunction cranked up to eleven, August: Osage County is nothing short of eventful in the dramatic stakes.