Burn After Reading
The Coen Brothers, Joel and Ethan, write, produce, direct and edit another terrific low-key comedy. When a CIA Analyst is demoted from his job he decides to retire and write his memoirs. The CD-Rom Disc containing his initial thoughts falls into the hands of other people, and this sets off a series of improbable coincidences and misunderstandings. ‘Burn After Reading’ is not an ‘in your face’ comedy. It is more a ‘comedy of manners’. But, the Coen Brothers make a very elegant movie, which has a lot of class and flair. It is also performed by a great cast, including George Cooney, Brad Pitt, Richard Jenkins, Frances McDormand, John Malkovich and Tilda Swinton, who all have fun playing roles with which they are not usually associated.
Julia
Tilda Swinton also stars in this remarkable movie, about a serious alcoholic whose life is rapidly moving out of control. Money problems force Tilda to embark on a kidnapping, and, this crime also moves rapidly out of control. The script, by Michael Collins, contains many surprising twists and turns, which director Erick Zonca brings alive on the screen with a lot of power. However, it is the stunning performance from Tilda Swinton which really holds this movie together. Tilda totally submerges herself in the role, and gives a performance that must be, to date, one of the very best of her career.
Beverly Hills Chihuahua
This Walt Disney Production is stupid, but, I love it! Well, I ask you, who wouldn’t love a movie starring cute talking Chihuahua doggies? Actually, it is an adventure movie which should have starred human beings like Rachael Weisz and Brendan Fraser. Instead, we get Chloe, a pampered Beverley Hills Chihuahua, who is taken on holiday to Mexico and straight away gets lost. Horrible things happen in Mexico, and Chloe only has a new found friend, a street-wise German Shepherd, to help her get back to Los Angeles. And, so, the adventure begins. Drew Barrymore and Andy Garcia provide the leading voices, and there are lots of other great characters. Don’t be embarrassed to watch the movie with your children. It really is a lot of fun!
Caramel
If you have ever wondered what it would be like to live in a country which tolerates Fundamental Religious Idealism, then check-out this insightful movie from Beirut. Starring, written and directed by Nadine Labaki, the movie focuses on a group of women whose world revolves around their local beauty parlor. Nothing of any great importance happens in their day to day lives, but, it is the little glimpses into the restrictiveness of Beirut society which are the eye-opening aspects of the movie. The movie is competently produced, and honestly acted by a group of talented actresses, which all helps to conveying the idea that we are watching an authentic ‘slice of life’.
The Tattooist
New Zealand is that unusual country consisting of two islands, located well off the Australian coast, deep in the South Pacific. It is an intriguing mix of English and Polynesian cultures. New Zealand doesn’t have a big Film Industry, but, when one of their movies reaches international markets they are usually pretty good. Peter Jackson’s ‘Lord of the Rings’ trilogy is a fine example. Director Peter Burger’s ‘The Tattooist’ is certainly not in that class, but it is a neat horror movie all the same. When he accidentally cuts himself on a Samoan tattoo tool, a tattooist unleashes a vengeful spirit who quickly achieves a high death toll. The tattooist has to delve into forbidden Samoan tribal customs to try to exorcise the spirit. The movie is a very skillful blend of contemporary Urban and primitive Samoan Mythologies.
While She Was Out
Early on in her career Kim Basinger was taken as a bit of a joke. Then, in 1997, she won an Academy Award for her sultry performance as a ‘high-class’ hooker in ‘LA Confidential’, and we all had to take her a little bit more seriously. Since then, Kim has been building up quite a nice career for herself in well chosen independent movies. In ‘While She Was Out’ Kim plays an abused housewife, who has to make a last-minute late-night visit to her local Shopping Mall, to buy some Xmas wrapping paper. Writer and director Susan Montford builds up the tension slowly in the first 20 minutes, but when Kim returns to the parking lot, that is when all the gory action and intentional ‘black’ humor takes off. It is not the greatest movie ever made, but, it will certainly keep you interested. Kim makes a great action heroine!
The Women
Based on a successful Broadway comedy by Clare Boothe Luce, George Cukor directed the original version of this movie way back in 1939. Even then the movie was gimmicky, as it featured a cast comprised only of the fashionable actresses of the time. Joan Crawford being the most notable. You would have to wonder why anyone 70 years later would want to remake this tale about divorce and infidelity. This version has no relevance to contemporary women whatsoever. There has been no attempt to update the material, apart from the product-placement of some current ‘designer’ labels, and watching Meg Ryan, Eva Mendes, Annette Bening, Debra Messing, Carrie Fisher, Cloris Leachman, Candice Bergen and Bette Midler try to deliver the dated dialogue with some sense of style, is awfully excruciating.
