Only You

Tags

1990's, Billy Zane, Bonnie Hunt, Comedy, Joaquim de Almeida, Marisa Tomei, Norman Jewison, Only You, Robert Downey Jr, Romantic Comedy

Film Title

Only You

Director

Norman Jewison

Starring

• Marisa Tomei as Faith Corvatch
• Robert Downey Jr. as Peter
• Bonnie Hunt as Kate Corvatch
• Joaquim de Almeida as Giovanni
• Billy Zane as the False Damon Bradley

An effervescent and good-hearted romantic comedy that takes place largely in beautiful Italy, Only You makes for a divinely experience, watching as destiny and fate unravel in fun ways of the loving kind.

In flashback, we are introduced to Faith Corvatch, a young girl who is playing around with a Ouija board with her brother Larry. She asks who her soul mate will be and strangely enough, the board spells out the name Damon Bradley. Her belief that this person will be her true love is given greater anticipation and growing power by a trip to the carnival where a fortune-teller informs her of the name she got from the board. This causes Faith to become all dreamy about the soul mate she hopes to meet in the future. Cut to present day and Faith is now a teacher, who still believes in fate but hasn’t found any clue about the signs from her childhood. At the current minute, she is engaged to podiatrist Dwayne, who is often more busy with work than her . Out of the blue, Faith receives a phone call from the alleged Damon Bradley who is in Italy. Throwing caution to the wind as her destiny could finally come into fruition, she abandons plans of her wedding and takes a plane to Italy. Joining her is Kate, her best friend and sister-in-law, who is currently going through the motions of her marriage to Faith’s brother and considering what to do. Kate is reluctant to come along as she is the more pragmatic one, but Faith wins her over and the two head off on a journey into the unknown. While searching for the alleged man of her dreams, Faith encounters Peter Wright, a witty shoe salesman who appropriately enough meets Faith when she loses one of her stilettos. Hearing her mention the name of her beloved, he pretends to be Damon Bradley as he is immediately love struck by the kooky girl he sees. Though when it comes out that he isn’t Bradley, Faith is annoyed and begins to question the prophecy. The subsequent events lead to consequences that she never saw coming as she attempts to deny growing attraction to Peter. Can Faith make sense of the mystical signs or actually open her eyes to the possibility of Peter as a match?

Norman Jewison directs with an ease and light touch, which makes Only You pleasing to the eye and heart. At times, it may seem like he is riffing on the success of his previous romantic venture of Moonstruck, but his graceful and fun hold on events has a marked difference and more of a mystical tone than the aforementioned film to set them apart, but with both still being wonderful flicks. The best way to summarise Only You is to say that it is an old-fashioned romantic comedy in a contemporary setting, with a few surprises. Cynics will no doubt groan at something like this, but it is supposed to be something of a fairy tale so the leap of faith and magic are to be expected and to be honest, they are difficult to resist once they get a grip on you. Only You isn’t the sort of film that requires a real depth of thought to it as it is light and frothy, though it has moments of bittersweet emotion that help bring substance to the fairy tale side of it. I’m sure everyone has a bit of romance within them that they can see in this film. I mean, you have Italy looking suitably sublime and glowing with magic that is a classy touch(as lensed by the great Sven Nykvist). And there is a genuine unpredictability to Only You, as the wild goose chase takes in numerous comic events and switches as the search for Damon Bradley doesn’t go in the way Faith expected. If you don’t get a laugh or chuckle out of his movie, you really have no feeling of humour as Only You is delightfully written with spirited glee. A gliding and archaic score from Rachel Portman fits the bill of being lusciously composed and amusingly romantic in the tradition of Old Hollywood love stories.

Marisa Tomei exudes a doe-eyed and earnest appeal, that is as playful as a pixie. The character that she plays with her flighty and offbeat qualities could have become an annoyance quickly in the hands of a lesser actress, but not to worry as Tomei is a gifted girl who makes Faith’s eccentricities and actions warm and winning from the very start. And you can’t talk about Tomei in this film without mentioning how adorably sweet and innocent she is, which suits Only You down to the ground. Robert Downey Jr. has a good time as the man who isn’t the one supposedly destined for Faith, but willing to do what it takes to win her heart. Watching as his puppy dog eyes and sleight of hand antics attempt to win her over, plus Downey Jr. has a real physical sense of comedy to him like particularly in his priceless facial expressions. Bonnie Hunt is another standout performer in this film, lighting up the screen as the downtrodden and realistic woman, who finds that a certain suave gentleman takes an interest in her. Hunt has a real way with droll one liners that register many laughs while backing things up with a sensitive showing of uncertainty within the character. Joaquim de Almeida works well with the part of the businessman intent on wooing Kate, and though the part doesn’t call for any great shakes on the acting front, he brings more to it than others could have. Billy Zane is on hand to provide another twist in the story in a very amusing part.

harks back to the romance and comedy of old with a lively confection of a film bound to make you laugh and swoon.

Gothika

Tags

2000's, Charles S. Dutton, Gothika, Halle Berry, Horror, John Carroll Lynch, Mathieu Kassovitz, Penélope Cruz, Robert Downey Jr, Supernatural Thriller

Film Title

Gothika

Director

Mathieu Kassovitz

Starring

• Halle Berry as Dr. Miranda Grey
• Robert Downey, Jr. as Dr. Pete Graham
• Charles S. Dutton as Dr. Doug Grey
• Penélope Cruz as Chloe Sava
• John Carroll Lynch as Sheriff Ryan

Yes the plot may be preposterous and the final act may fly off the rails, but for the  first hour or so Gothika does keep you entertained and evokes some genuinely scary moments.  It is very much a film of two halves, but if you go into it without questioning logic and reason, you might just enjoy this horror/ supernatural thriller.

Miranda Grey is a gifted psychiatrist working at a mental hospital for women. Married to the director Doug and very rational when it comes to her work, Miranda’s life is ordinary enough. Until, one stormy night after her session with a patient named Chloe, Miranda is driving home when she has to take a detour after a closure of a number of roads. Whilst driving, she crashes her car after swerving from a young girl standing in the road. Upon exiting her car, she comes face to face with the girl who suddenly bursts into flames. The next thing Miranda knows she is back in the mental hospital, only this time she is one of the patients. She has been asleep for three days and to make matters worse, she is being accused of murdering her husband. Confused and deeply horrified, Miranda attempts to fathom the events that occurred that fateful night as those around her, including a good friend Dr. Pete Graham, begin to doubt Miranda’s story. The girl who she saw before she blacked out keeps appearing, is she real or just a figment of Miranda’s imagination? Delving deep into her mind, Miranda begins to slowly recover her memory and is pushed to the edge of her sanity as her world falls apart and the events around her become darker. Although full of schlock and a certain unevenness to its tone, Gothika at least succeeds in part due to its stylish direction from Mathieu Kassovitz.

For the good first hour or so, Mathieu Kassovitz keeps Gothika ticking over with frightening imagery, moody lighting and kinetic camera angles that capture Miranda’s life being turned upside down. If anything, the overall visual look and chilling sets keep Gothika rising above the by the numbers script.The atmosphere created is very spooky indeed as we are thrown into Miranda’s tailspin of emotions as she questions what really happened and how she ended up on the other side of the glass. The music provided is suitably eerie and frequently utilised to great effect. Unfortunately, the film as a whole does not feel even enough, as plot holes begin to appear during the last act. It does have its share of scary moments, but many of these feel repetitive and clichéd to say the least. The supernatural element is handled in an ok fashion in the beginning but soon descends into hokey elements. What does keep Gothika from being all bad is the performances. Halle Berry rises above the scripts flaws and excellently portrays Miranda as she is thrown into a nightmare and attempts a way out of the bizarre case. She evokes a sense of confusion and shock that does make you feel for her. Robert Downey Jr. is great as the psychiatrist who is forced to leave his personal feelings at the door when it comes to analysing what Miranda remembers and whether or not she is mentally unstable or indeed innocent of the crime of which she stands accused. In supporting roles, Charles S. Dutton and John Carroll Lynch are fine as the murdered man and his lifelong best friend and sheriff attached to the murder case. Penélope Cruz creates an interesting character in Chloe, injecting menace and a certain vulnerability, as we watch her and Miranda go from patient and psychiatrist relationship to trusting one another.

So all in all, Gothika is flawed and full of plot holes. But if you don’t question this you may enjoy the scary atmosphere, Kassovitz’s visual style and some good performances.

Short Cuts

Tags

1990's, Andie MacDowell, Anne Archer, Annie Ross, Bruce Davison, Buck Henry, Chris Penn, Drama, Ensemble Cast, Frances McDormand, Fred Ward, Huey Lewis, Jack Lemmon, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Julianne Moore, Lili Taylor, Lily Tomlin, Lori Singer, Los Angeles, Lyle Lovett, Madeleine Stowe, Matthew Modine, Peter Gallagher, Raymond Carver, Robert Altman, Robert Downey Jr, Short Cuts, Tim Robbins, Tom Waits

Film Title

Short Cuts

Director

Robert Altman

Starring :

• Andie MacDowell as Ann Finnigan
• Bruce Davison as Howard Finnigan
• Jack Lemmon as Paul Finnigan
• Julianne Moore as Marian Wyman
• Matthew Modine as Dr. Ralph Wyman
• Anne Archer as Claire Kane
• Fred Ward as Stuart Kane
• Jennifer Jason Leigh as Lois Kaiser
• Chris Penn as Jerry Kaiser
• Robert Downey, Jr. as Bill Bush
• Madeleine Stowe as Sherri Shepard
• Tim Robbins as Gene Shepard
• Lily Tomlin as Doreen Piggot
• Tom Waits as Earl Piggot
• Frances McDormand as Betty Weathers
• Peter Gallagher as Stormy Weathers
• Annie Ross as Tess Trainer
• Lori Singer as Zoe Trainer
• Lyle Lovett as Andy Bitkower
• Huey Lewis as Vern Miller
• Buck Henry as Gordon Johnson
• Lili Taylor as Honey Piggot Bush

Based on several stories by Raymond Carver, Short Cuts is Robert Altman’s intense, sprawling and minutely observed look into the eventful lives of 22 residents of L.A over a couple of days. Featuring a talented cast( as you may have guessed from the cast list above) that all contribute something to the story, Short Cuts works as an examination on the frailties of human behaviour, how people don’t realise how close we are to each other and how the smallest incident can have big consequences.

Without giving too much away and because I would probably need a lot of pages to write about all the stories, here is the brief outline of some of the stories. Doreen, a waitress struggles with her alcoholic husband Earl. To add to this she accidentally runs over the young son of news anchor Howard Finnigan. The boy’s mother Ann panics while her son slips into a coma, and she is harassed by the local baker Andy, as she has forgotten to pick up the boy’s birthday cake. Zoe, a talented yet depressed cello player lives next door and has a strained relationship with her musical mother, Tess. Gene Shepard, a single-minded policeman is playing away with Betty Weathers. This incurs the wrath of her estranged husband Stormy, who finds an interesting way to claim back what belongs to him in the house. Claire Kane works as a clown, while her husband Stuart goes on a fishing trip with his friends. On the trip, the men discover the corpse of a young woman in the river and debate what to do with it. Marian, an artist and her doctor husband Ralph have the couple over for dinner, venting their marital frustrations after one too many drinks. And the stories just keep on coming, fleshing out an interesting mosaic like microcosm of lives running congruent with each other.

Although the film runs for a long time, you probably won’t notice because of the intricate way the characters enter and leave each other’s lives. Altman, who often worked effectively with ensemble casts, further shows his craftsmanship with engaging us to the strange and unpredictable characters. Although the characters differ from each other, there is one thread that links many of them. The thread is hiding behind a facade; Marian paints to suppress her unhappiness, Zoe plays mournful music on her cello, Claire works as a clown to make money for herself and her husband. The film may not be to everyone’s taste, but one can’t help but marvel at the way Altman connects the many players of the cast and fashions a suburban tale of frustration, mental angst and dissatisfaction.

An intimate character study of a diverse group of people, Short Cuts is excellent and recommended viewing for the art of interconnecting stories and focusing on the effects of our choices in life.