***½ Love and Other Drugs (November 2010) – Theatre
Jake Gyllenhaal, Anne Hathaway. Aspiring Pfizer drug rep meets early-onset Parkinson’s patient. Romance and other complications ensue.
He says: OK, I really liked that movie. It was very good. And not just because Anne Hathaway looks great naked (although she really does). It had a lot of complexity. It sure didn’t paint the pharmaceutical industry in a good light. The medical industry didn’t come off that great, either. She says: Yeah, I liked it also. And not just because Jake Gyllenhaal looks great naked (although he really does). I don’t really agree with the criticism that the romantic story didn’t fit well with the medical industry story. I thought it all made sense together, and made the movie more layered.
The similarity in Jean’s reviews here are both due to the same cause: His looking more at the computer than the TV screen. Star ratings are therefore mine, since I actually watched both movies in full.
*** The Secret Life of Bees(October 2008) – Rental
Dakota Fanning, Queen Latifah. Young teenage girl leaves her abusive father to explore her late mother’s past with a group of bee-keeping sisters.
She says: A pretty good adaptation of the novel. Performances were good and though the “critical consensus” said it was too sentimental, I didn’t find that to be the case. And I hate sentimental. He says: I didn’t pay enough attention to have an opinion of this one.
***½ My Kid Could Paint That(October 2007) – Rental
Documentary look at four-year-old painting sensation Marla Olmstead.
She says: Really fascinating documentary. Starts off as a look at the nature of abstract art, taking as a given that even a four-year-old can produce works in high demand. Then a 60 Minutes report on the young artist changes the story: is this really her work, or has her father assisted? Finally, the documentarian, realizing he hasn’t really captured any great footage of her painting (despite months of work on the film) reluctantly becomes part of the story himself, and the story evolves again, to his role and the appropriateness of such a young child getting so much adult attention. So many layers. The DVD includes a worthwhile additional set of follow-up footage, scenes deleted from the original, and additional discussions about the many questions raised by the film. He says: It didn’t quite hold my interest.
Naomi Watts, Sean Penn. The story of Valerie Plame, who status as an undercover CIA operative was leaked by Bush administration officials after her husband publicly questioned their intelligence on Iraq.
She says: Seeing all the Bush-ites at work again, building their phony case against Iraq, is infuriating. The story of Valerie Plame’s work before the leak and the effect it has afterward, on those she worked with, and on her marriage, is riveting. It makes me curious to read her book, though I guess it’s heavily censored. (Speaking of which, look at the credits at the end…)
He says: Well, that was frightening. Hard to believe that actually happened.
*** Nowhere Boy (October 2010) – Theatre
Aaron Johnson, Kristin Scott Thomas. A look at the early life of John Lennon, when he was getting to know both his mother Julia and a boy named Paul.
She says: Well cast and acted; a fairly intense look at this tumultuous time in John Lennon’s life. Lots of passion burning below the reserved British surface, which occasionally erupts. He says: I think you have to care about The Beatles more than I do to really get into this movie.
James Franco, Jon Hamm, David Strathairn. Docudrama that looks at the creation of and controversy around Allen Ginsberg’s beat poem, Howl.
She says: The movie cuts between Ginsberg’s reading of the poem (either actual reading in a cafe, or enlivened with animation of the words), the obscenity trial it was at the center of, and an Ginsberg being interviewed about Howl. Not for everyone, but as someone who had heard of Howl but had never heard Howl, I found it interesting.
He says: The canoeing guys asked me about the movie. I really didn’t know what to say.
Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake. An inside look at those responsible for the creation of Facebook.
She says: Witty, fast-paced, and fascinating look at the anti-social nature of the man who created Facebook. Made me want to read that old New Yorker profile again.
He says: A really fascinating movie about really sad, unlikeable men.
Adrien Brody, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel Weisz. After years of con jobs, one of two brothers wants to quit. His brother convinces to do one final con. It will all work great—as long as he doesn’t fall in love.
She says: Its quirky style reminded me a lot of the TV show Pushing Daisies. The plot twists and connection between the actors kept me interested. A very interesting film—in a good way.
He says: Man, I’m tired. [Then later.] I think I missed too much sleeping to follow the plot.
Carey Mulligan, Peter Sarsgaard. A 16-year-old girl takes up with an older man, and starts to reconsider her plans to attend Oxford.
She says: A simple enough story, but a great, funny script by Nick Hornby along with strong acting by all made it very engaging. You do kind of want to tell this young girl to run screaming from this older (though charming) guy who is tempting her away from university, but the character is very intelligent, and her arguments about how much an education will benefit her at time (early 1960s) when career prospects for women are very few can’t that easily be dismissed.
He says: This movie just made me way too uncomfortable. The whole premise was wrong. I could barely watch it.
So this is an inaugural attempt at doing current He Said / She Said movie reviews here, instead of on the website where they’ve been for ages. For the efficiency. (Though I may still archive copies on the web.)
Synopsis: Daniel Radcliffe, Christian Byers. Four Australian orphan boys get an opportunity to spend a month away in a seaside town, where they compete to be adopted.
She says: The religious overtones of this movie really didn’t sit well with me. And without spoiling what it is, I didn’t think the ending especially worked. I don’t think the choice was a good one. He says: The religious stuff didn’t really bother me. But I agree with you about the ending.
Synopsis: Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead. Scott Pilgrim meets the girl of his dreams but finds he must defeat her seven evil ex’s to win her heart.
She says: Well, that certainly moved along. Very witty. And Cera’s great. But it’s not a movie for everyone, and it wasn’t 100% for me. He says: OK, I wasn’t bored. But the pink-haired girl wasn’t really my type, and the Japanese girl was cute but way too young.
Synopsis: Zooey Deschanel, Joseph Gordon-Levitt. A look back at a failed relationship, and its aftermath.
She says: Funny and true and tightly edited, with good performances by both leads. Definitely a good rental. He says: Well, her I liked. I could see why he become so obsessed with her. Fun movie.
Synopsis: Steve Carell, Jason Segal. 3D animated movie about a villain who uses three orphan girls in his diabolical plan to steal the moon.
She says: A lot of fun, with plenty of jokes specially for the adults in the crowd. And must say this one is worth seeing in 3D; they do a nice job of playing with the extra dimension. He says: I would have enjoyed it more without the raging headache, but given that, yeah, it was good. [She adds: He didn’t get the headache from the 3D. He had it going in.]
In preparation for Tuesday’s concert by one of those Queen tribute bands, I re-watched my Queen Live at Wembley DVD, otherwise know as The Last Concert Ever by the Original Four Members of Queen.
Talk about going out on top. This late in their career, it’s just wall-to-wall hits… so many they can’t include them all, since they also want to include some surprises as well. It’s the end of a long tour, so the set is well-honed; they sound fantastic. The massive crowd is adoring and lively.
Most awe-inspiring: The part where Freddie does these solo gymnastics with his voice, teasing around his highest register, demonstrating why he’s the best rock singer ever. Then followed by Brian May pyrotechnics on guitar. Then “Brighton Rock.”
Most fun: When all four members of the band gather at the front of the stage and swing through a medley of early rock classics: “(You’re so Square) Baby I Don’t Care”, “Hello Mary Lou (Goodbye Heart)”, “Tutti Frutti”, and “Gimme Some Lovin’”. Then BoRhap.
Most heartwarming: The crowd singalong during “Love of My Life”. I love the British fans—unlike the North Americans, they know all the Queen songs, not just the greatest hits.
Most chilling: Freddie, the only man in the room with an inkling that this might be the band’s last concert ever (he hadn’t yet told his band mates of his HIV-positive status), explaining how rumors of Queen’s breakup are highly exaggerated, and that the band is going to be together “until we fucking well die—I’m sure of it!” Then launching into “Who Wants to Live Forever?”.
And then for something completely different…
Jean and I watched Lisztomania, director Ken Russel’s 1976 or so film, very loosely based on the life of pianist and composer Franz Liszt. Definitely one of the weirdest movies I’ve ever seen. It starts as a kind musical comedy-romance, then gradually becomes this sort of gothic horror movie with vampires and demons, and then there’s kind of a bit with war and Nazis, and finally there’s a space ship. And some singing.
It’s hard to believe this thing was ever made, because it’s not some B movie thing. It’s a high-budget picture with cinematographers and famous people in it. Must have been some really good drugs in the 1970s. And so, while it’s certainly not a good movie, it’s definitely an interesting failure.
Most awe-inspiring: Awe-inspiring? Geez, I don’t know. When Listz sprouts a giant penis for the four ladies to ride? When Richard Wagner sprouts vampire teeth and drinks Listz’s blood? The demon-worshiping scene with all the naked girls and the candles? So many options…
Most fun: The opening scene really is hoot. Liszt and the contessa’s fun romp to the ever-increasing beat of a metronome is rudely interrupted by her sword-bearing husband, leading to duel featuring chandelier-swinging, banana-eating, and a quickly improvised loin cloth made of sheets.
Most heartwarming: Well, the Chaplinesque scene where Liszt thinks back on his romance with the contessa actually is kind of sweet.
Most chilling: You know, when the dead Wagner rises as a zombie Hitler and starts mowing down the Jews—that really is kind of chilling. Especially as it’s intercut with Liszt being tortured, then killed, by his daughter, wielding voodoo pins on a “tiny daddy” doll.
We’ve had varying success with recent weekend activities.
Failures:
Ben Heppner, who failed to show for the Grand Philharmonic’s performance of Edgar’s The Dream of Gerontius. If you’ve never heard of this work, don’t worry; neither had we. I don’t know if having the big star there would have made a difference, but we had to conclude that we aren’t necessarily fans of all great choral works. Cause we seemed to enjoy this way less than the rest of the audience, though the quality of performance was clear.
Avatar, because it sold out before we got there. Seven weeks later and it’s still that popular, eh? Guess for next time, we’ll order our tickets online in advance.
Successes:
Up in the Air, well-attended but not difficult to get into, and quite a good movie, to boot. No 3-D extravaganza, but a clever script and compelling characters.
The Waterloo anti-prorogation rally! Yes, we went. Pleased to see a good turnout. Hadn’t been to a political protest in decades. Wasn’t sure what would happen. Mostly, we politely listened to speeches of varying quality. Found the whole thing kind of heartening.
Participated in an unofficial canoe club gathering around the Banff Mountain Film Festival. Only we skipped the Film Festival part (one grows weary of watching short films about people doing risky stuff outdoors) and just joined in on the preliminaries of a hike and dinner. Made for a good day in this surprisingly mild January we’ve just had.
Upcoming:
Sigh. Though I’m kind of grumpy about it, I feel somehow compelled to watch next Sunday’s Superbowl halftime show, to see how The Who does. I’ve actually never watched any part of the Superbowl before. Obviously I saw the Janet Jackson thing afterward on YouTube, and I’m a bit sorry now that I didn’t take the time to watch Prince’s half-time performance, but there you are. This will be a first.
So now I have to figure out things like, when is half-time, anyway? (My husband is absolutely no help in these matters.) OK, I do realize it’s a live sporting event, so the exact time halftime begins will vary, but around when will it be? Online TV guide has some pre-Superbowl thing happening from 2-6, with the game from 6-10. (And here I thought the game was actually played in the afternoon, not at night.) So am I naive to think halftime will be somewhere around 8:00, then? And they aren’t going to interview Townsend and Daltrey during the pre-Superbowl thing, are they? I really don’t want to PVR that whole thing, nor do I want to lurk in front of the TV all day.
Ah well. I suppose if I somehow miss it, I can still catch it on YouTube later…
***½ 
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