Fellow Movie Lovers
“THE GHOST WRITER”
This is a film that I can recommend for most audiences: actors, plot and intrigue are immensely satisfying; all beautifully filmed and directed by fugitive Roman Polanski. His travails have no prurient value and have not diminished the power of his direction; he is in top form in this tale of subterfuge, lies and obfuscation.
The original script based on the novel “The Ghost” by Robert Harris, focuses on the “ghost” writer of ex British Prime Minister Adam Lang, cunningly and forcefully depicted by Pierce Brosnan (gone are the halcyon days of Remington Steel and James Bond but the finely honed charm still thrives). After the demise of the first “ghost” his replacement is hired by Lang’s publisher and hence the intricate story evolves. Ewan McGregor (Moulin Rouge, Amelia) as the nameless “ghost” captures the selflessness and lack of ego that is necessary to climb into the mind of a known celebrity and create out of their mediocre ramblings a manuscript worthy of the subject’s status. McGregor, Scottish by birth, is outstanding in handling the manipulation visited upon him.
Olivia Williams (An Education) is Ruth Lang, a bitter, brilliant woman whose keen mind goes unnoticed and pales in comparison to her charismatic husband. Her countenance, which can vacillate from plain to beautiful in seconds commands the viewer’s riveting attention in her every scene. She is a formidable talent.
Kim Cattrall (The Bonfire of the Vanities, Sex & the City) as the devoted assistant and possible mistress of Lang is lovely in a stiff and stilted role.
The viewer will recognize certain vaguely disguised references to public personas: ex British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, ex President George W. Bush, ex Vice President Dick Cheney. Nice touch, coating the unfamiliar with the familiar.
How frequently have any of us given a moment’s thought about the ghost writer? After some research I discovered the primarily nameless have been a monumental force in literature.
All the Nancy Drew novels (1930- present, still a major commodity and read by millions) were written by Carolyn Keene, a pseudonym for countless low paid authors. John F. Kennedy and Ronald Regan used “ghost” writers. George Lucas wrote the script for Star Wars; the novel was written by Alan Dean Foster. The list is interminable.
In gratitude to “The Ghost Writer” the viewer will seek and acknowledge the name, in very small print, under the primary author; and give a skeleton, volume and substance to the vague and vanishing ghost.
FOUR STARS! (OUT OF FIVE)
For Now……………..Peneflix
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Fellow Movie Lovers
Fellow Movie Lovers
There is still time to enter the contest; March 5th is the last entry date. Please one ballot per person; this is not a political election!
SHUTTER ISLAND
Many of us have had a secret craving for an occasional horror/thriller flick. It is a phenomenon that I have never truly grasped; attraction, repulsion; the titillating effect of fear, the electric jolt of shock?
Over the years my cravings have dissipated but resting in the movie halls of horror are a few worth mentioning. The first Halloween (1978) was the most terrifying film I had ever experienced, after a twenty year hiatus Halloween was usurped by The Blair Witch Project (1999) so viscerally real, because the evil remains invisible. But what finally cured me of this passion for horror films was Wolf Creek (2005) an Australian film so frightening, the violence, so genuinely gruesome that I decided never to put myself through that horrifying nightmare again. I have skipped all the vampire movies; the concept of true love resulting in taking a chunk from your soul mate’s neck and living for eternity in a sunless world is unappetizing, but does eliminate the threat of skin cancer.
Rules and resolutions are oftentimes broken and the lure of Leonardo DiCaprio brought me to Shutter Island. Directed by Martin Scorsese, based on the 2003 book by Dennis Lehane (author of Mystic River) it is, with the exception of Dicaprio, at best an average film. Saved from eventual obscurity by the genius that is Leonardo; who at thirty- five, still in the embryonic stage of his career, is the greatest method actor the screen as yet to witness (this includes Marlon Brando). I have been a devoted follower of this talented man since his brilliant performance in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? (1993), nominated in the best supporting actor category; and who could ever forget the doomed Jack Dawson in Titanic (1996); or his dynamic portrayal of the chameleon Frank Abagnale,Jr. in the all time favorite Catch Me if You Can(2002); he garnished a second academy award nomination for capturing the essence of the enigmatic Howard Hughes in The Aviator (2004); as Danny Archer in Blood Diamond (2006) he shines as the powerfully driven hero on a seismic mission, he conquers the South African accent and carves another academy nomination on his acting belt.
In Shutter Island he is federal Marshall, Teddy Daniels, investigating with his partner Chuck (played by a thinner, handsomer Mark Ruffalo, The Brothers Bloom) a missing inmate in the asylum for the criminally insane. The set works because it was filmed in an abandoned mental institution in Medfield, Mass.; perfect touch of creepiness and claustrophobia haunting its sinuous corridors.
If you have not read the book (Scorsese religiously adheres to the plot); the last half hour was entertaining due solely to the magic of DiCaprio’s characterization. This is a flawed gem in his theatrical crown; but so far from completion, the richest jewels have yet to be mined.
TWO &1/2 STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
For Now…………Peneflix
.
There is still time to enter the contest; March 5th is the last entry date. Please one ballot per person; this is not a political election!
SHUTTER ISLAND
Many of us have had a secret craving for an occasional horror/thriller flick. It is a phenomenon that I have never truly grasped; attraction, repulsion; the titillating effect of fear, the electric jolt of shock?
Over the years my cravings have dissipated but resting in the movie halls of horror are a few worth mentioning. The first Halloween (1978) was the most terrifying film I had ever experienced, after a twenty year hiatus Halloween was usurped by The Blair Witch Project (1999) so viscerally real, because the evil remains invisible. But what finally cured me of this passion for horror films was Wolf Creek (2005) an Australian film so frightening, the violence, so genuinely gruesome that I decided never to put myself through that horrifying nightmare again. I have skipped all the vampire movies; the concept of true love resulting in taking a chunk from your soul mate’s neck and living for eternity in a sunless world is unappetizing, but does eliminate the threat of skin cancer.
Rules and resolutions are oftentimes broken and the lure of Leonardo DiCaprio brought me to Shutter Island. Directed by Martin Scorsese, based on the 2003 book by Dennis Lehane (author of Mystic River) it is, with the exception of Dicaprio, at best an average film. Saved from eventual obscurity by the genius that is Leonardo; who at thirty- five, still in the embryonic stage of his career, is the greatest method actor the screen as yet to witness (this includes Marlon Brando). I have been a devoted follower of this talented man since his brilliant performance in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? (1993), nominated in the best supporting actor category; and who could ever forget the doomed Jack Dawson in Titanic (1996); or his dynamic portrayal of the chameleon Frank Abagnale,Jr. in the all time favorite Catch Me if You Can(2002); he garnished a second academy award nomination for capturing the essence of the enigmatic Howard Hughes in The Aviator (2004); as Danny Archer in Blood Diamond (2006) he shines as the powerfully driven hero on a seismic mission, he conquers the South African accent and carves another academy nomination on his acting belt.
In Shutter Island he is federal Marshall, Teddy Daniels, investigating with his partner Chuck (played by a thinner, handsomer Mark Ruffalo, The Brothers Bloom) a missing inmate in the asylum for the criminally insane. The set works because it was filmed in an abandoned mental institution in Medfield, Mass.; perfect touch of creepiness and claustrophobia haunting its sinuous corridors.
If you have not read the book (Scorsese religiously adheres to the plot); the last half hour was entertaining due solely to the magic of DiCaprio’s characterization. This is a flawed gem in his theatrical crown; but so far from completion, the richest jewels have yet to be mined.
TWO &1/2 STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
For Now…………Peneflix
.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Fellow Movie Lovers
Fellow Movie Lovers
So many of have asked for my Oscar predictions; always one to please, know I vote from the mind, not the heart. I do not award an Oscar because the actor has been nominated a myriad of times and never acknowledged, or that their days on the planet are numbered.
With a clean slate every year, my selection is made solely on the superiority of their performance in their designated categories; regardless if it their first or fortieth nomination.
But I plead with you NOT to put wagers on my selections. Over the years I have entered so many of these competitions and have never won. So here goes:
Best Picture Nominations:
“Avatar”
“The Blind Side”
“District 9”
“An Education”
“The Hurt Locker”
“Inglorious Basterds”
“Precious:Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire”
“A Serious Man”
“Up”
“Up in the Air”
Peneflix Pick
THE HURT LOCKER
2nd choice Inglorious Basterds
Three most over rated movies of the year: Avatar, A Serious Man, Up in the Air
Best Actress:
Sandra Bullock, “ The Blind Side”
Helen Mirren. “ The Last Station”
Carey Mulligan, “An Education”
Gabourey Sidibe, “ Precious”
Meryl Streep “Julie & Julia”
Peneflix Pick
Hands Down, HELEN MIRREN
2nd choice, Meryl Streep
Best Actor
Jeff Bridges, “Crazy Heart”
George Clooney, “Up in the Air”
Colin Firth, “ A Single Man”
Morgan Freeman, “Invictus”
Jeremy Renner, “The Hurt Locker”
Peneflix Pick
JEFF BRIDGES
2nd choice Colin Firth
Best Supporting Actress
Penelope Cruz, “Nine”
Vera Farmiga, “Up in the Air”
Maggie Gyllenhaal, “Crazy Heart”
Anna Kendrick, “Up in the Air”
Mo’Nique, “Precious….”
Peneflix Pick
Another hands down, MO’NIQUE
2nd choice Maggie Gyllenhall
Best Supporting Actor
Matt Damon, “Invictus”
Woody Harrelson, “The Messenger”
Christopher Plummer, “The Last Station”
Stanley Tucci, “The Lovely Bones”
Christoph Waltz, “Inglorious Basterds”
Peneflix Pick
CHRISTOPH WALTZ
2nd choice Christopher Plummer
Best Director
“Avatar”, James Cameron
“The Hurt Locker”, Kathryn Bigelow
“Inglorious Basterds, Quentin Tarantino
“Precious…,” Lee Daniels
“Up in the Air”, Jason Reitman
Peneflix Pick
KATHRYN BIGELOW
2nd choice Quentin Tarantino
I am not qualified to select the winners of the best animated film or the best foreign film because I have not seen them all. But because I have sole rights to this Blog I will venture a somewhat educated guess:
“FANTISTIC MR FOX” ……just loved it……better animation I have yet to see!
“THE WHITE RIBBON” a German film, its power, unforgettable!
To enter the contest, please submit your choices to me by March 5th; either by responding to the email address or commenting on my Blog. Your choices MUST match the Academy’s winners!
Your prize, tickets for two for ten movies at the theatre chain or house of your CHOICE!
Good Guessing!
For Now……………Peneflix
So many of have asked for my Oscar predictions; always one to please, know I vote from the mind, not the heart. I do not award an Oscar because the actor has been nominated a myriad of times and never acknowledged, or that their days on the planet are numbered.
With a clean slate every year, my selection is made solely on the superiority of their performance in their designated categories; regardless if it their first or fortieth nomination.
But I plead with you NOT to put wagers on my selections. Over the years I have entered so many of these competitions and have never won. So here goes:
Best Picture Nominations:
“Avatar”
“The Blind Side”
“District 9”
“An Education”
“The Hurt Locker”
“Inglorious Basterds”
“Precious:Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire”
“A Serious Man”
“Up”
“Up in the Air”
Peneflix Pick
THE HURT LOCKER
2nd choice Inglorious Basterds
Three most over rated movies of the year: Avatar, A Serious Man, Up in the Air
Best Actress:
Sandra Bullock, “ The Blind Side”
Helen Mirren. “ The Last Station”
Carey Mulligan, “An Education”
Gabourey Sidibe, “ Precious”
Meryl Streep “Julie & Julia”
Peneflix Pick
Hands Down, HELEN MIRREN
2nd choice, Meryl Streep
Best Actor
Jeff Bridges, “Crazy Heart”
George Clooney, “Up in the Air”
Colin Firth, “ A Single Man”
Morgan Freeman, “Invictus”
Jeremy Renner, “The Hurt Locker”
Peneflix Pick
JEFF BRIDGES
2nd choice Colin Firth
Best Supporting Actress
Penelope Cruz, “Nine”
Vera Farmiga, “Up in the Air”
Maggie Gyllenhaal, “Crazy Heart”
Anna Kendrick, “Up in the Air”
Mo’Nique, “Precious….”
Peneflix Pick
Another hands down, MO’NIQUE
2nd choice Maggie Gyllenhall
Best Supporting Actor
Matt Damon, “Invictus”
Woody Harrelson, “The Messenger”
Christopher Plummer, “The Last Station”
Stanley Tucci, “The Lovely Bones”
Christoph Waltz, “Inglorious Basterds”
Peneflix Pick
CHRISTOPH WALTZ
2nd choice Christopher Plummer
Best Director
“Avatar”, James Cameron
“The Hurt Locker”, Kathryn Bigelow
“Inglorious Basterds, Quentin Tarantino
“Precious…,” Lee Daniels
“Up in the Air”, Jason Reitman
Peneflix Pick
KATHRYN BIGELOW
2nd choice Quentin Tarantino
I am not qualified to select the winners of the best animated film or the best foreign film because I have not seen them all. But because I have sole rights to this Blog I will venture a somewhat educated guess:
“FANTISTIC MR FOX” ……just loved it……better animation I have yet to see!
“THE WHITE RIBBON” a German film, its power, unforgettable!
To enter the contest, please submit your choices to me by March 5th; either by responding to the email address or commenting on my Blog. Your choices MUST match the Academy’s winners!
Your prize, tickets for two for ten movies at the theatre chain or house of your CHOICE!
Good Guessing!
For Now……………Peneflix
Friday, February 19, 2010
Fellow Movie Lovers
Fellow Movie Lovers
MY NAME IS KHAN
After a nine day hiatus my withdrawal symptoms raging, I paid homage to my addiction by seeing three movies in two days…….not my record but impressive, considering all the unread mail.
The first was From Paris With Love, mindlessly entertaining, if you are a John Travolta fan, which I am. You will not fall asleep or work on your “to do” list, but you would be better off contemplating the essence of Being or playing golf! (Two Stars). Followed by (I am chagrined to admit) The Wolfman. Lon Chaney Jr. started the hairy transformation in 1941 and hopefully this will be the culminating furry and ferocious metamorphosis from man to beast, starring two of Hollywood’s most capable actors, Benicio del Torro and Anthony Hopkins. Why? At the end of the day everyone needs a paycheck. (Two &1/2 Stars).
I have been fascinated by Bollywood films for over five years and have seen approximately one hundred and fifty. Netflix has satiated this hunger. My Name is Khan comes as close to eliminating the parameters between east and west as any film in recent memory. This is a courageous endeavor and my fervent wish is that it garnishes the universal audience it is so worthy of.
Except for a few scenes this movie was filmed in the United States, primarily in San Francisco, but also moves from coast to coast as our hero traverses the country to fulfill a promise he makes to his wife. The protagonist, Rizvan Khan, afflicted with Aspergers Syndrome (a cousin of autism; its victims have a lack of social skills, the fear of being touched, loud noises, rarely making eye contact. Naturally there are different degrees of Aspergers; Rizvan Khan, is highly intelligent and can function with limitations in a normal environment); comes to San Francisco where his brother employs him as a cosmetic salesman. He is a devout Muslim and the story covers fifteen years including 9/11, Katrina, the commencement of the Obama Presidency.
Rizvan Khan is played brilliantly by the major Bollywood icon, Shah Rukh Khan. If this is your first exposure to Mr. Khan you will be hard pressed to find the handsome heartthrob who can dance, sing and hypnotize any audience with exhilarating charm and chicanery; he is in his mid- forties and has made almost eighty films. But never has he had a role so challenging, demanding and pivotal to his career; he has researched and worked with those who have Aspergers Syndrome and he imbues the character with such integrity, compassion and love that Rizvan will be seared forever on our movie consciousness.
Western audiences will remember Dustin Hoffman’s powerful award winning performance in Rain Man (1988) and Hugh Dancy’s sensitive portrayal of Adam, 2009;
Shah Rukh Khan will rest comfortably in this rarefied fraternity.
The love interest in My Name is Khan is the beautiful Kajol as Mandira, the Hindu hairdresser, the flame that ignites Rizvan’s passion and devotion. They have been one of Bollywood’s most enchanting duos (Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers); this is a major deviation from the roles they have typically depicted. (See below for movies they have starred in together).
My Name is Khan tackles the controversial issues pervasive in the twenty first century, issues that we try to shun or hide from: religion, conversion, racial profiling, hatred and the potency of love. It is flawed. It is far too ambitious, melodramatic, manipulative and sensational. But God, what courage it took to bring these issues to the screen, told from the viewpoint of a physically and mentally challenged Rizvan Khan.
Shah Rukh Khan, the Brad Pitt of India was pulled over at the Newark airport last August. My Name is Khan was picketed because Mr. Khan expressed his desire that Pakistanis be allowed to play cricket on the Indian Premier League.
My Name is Khan salutes Mr. Khan’s vision and fearlessness and bequeaths the viewer the quintessential gift of hope.
FOUR STARS!
Movies Starring Shah Rukh Khan & Kajol (Devgan)
Baazingar
Khabie Kushi Khabie Gham
Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayengle
Kuch, Kuch, Hota, Hai
For Now…………Peneflix
MY NAME IS KHAN
After a nine day hiatus my withdrawal symptoms raging, I paid homage to my addiction by seeing three movies in two days…….not my record but impressive, considering all the unread mail.
The first was From Paris With Love, mindlessly entertaining, if you are a John Travolta fan, which I am. You will not fall asleep or work on your “to do” list, but you would be better off contemplating the essence of Being or playing golf! (Two Stars). Followed by (I am chagrined to admit) The Wolfman. Lon Chaney Jr. started the hairy transformation in 1941 and hopefully this will be the culminating furry and ferocious metamorphosis from man to beast, starring two of Hollywood’s most capable actors, Benicio del Torro and Anthony Hopkins. Why? At the end of the day everyone needs a paycheck. (Two &1/2 Stars).
I have been fascinated by Bollywood films for over five years and have seen approximately one hundred and fifty. Netflix has satiated this hunger. My Name is Khan comes as close to eliminating the parameters between east and west as any film in recent memory. This is a courageous endeavor and my fervent wish is that it garnishes the universal audience it is so worthy of.
Except for a few scenes this movie was filmed in the United States, primarily in San Francisco, but also moves from coast to coast as our hero traverses the country to fulfill a promise he makes to his wife. The protagonist, Rizvan Khan, afflicted with Aspergers Syndrome (a cousin of autism; its victims have a lack of social skills, the fear of being touched, loud noises, rarely making eye contact. Naturally there are different degrees of Aspergers; Rizvan Khan, is highly intelligent and can function with limitations in a normal environment); comes to San Francisco where his brother employs him as a cosmetic salesman. He is a devout Muslim and the story covers fifteen years including 9/11, Katrina, the commencement of the Obama Presidency.
Rizvan Khan is played brilliantly by the major Bollywood icon, Shah Rukh Khan. If this is your first exposure to Mr. Khan you will be hard pressed to find the handsome heartthrob who can dance, sing and hypnotize any audience with exhilarating charm and chicanery; he is in his mid- forties and has made almost eighty films. But never has he had a role so challenging, demanding and pivotal to his career; he has researched and worked with those who have Aspergers Syndrome and he imbues the character with such integrity, compassion and love that Rizvan will be seared forever on our movie consciousness.
Western audiences will remember Dustin Hoffman’s powerful award winning performance in Rain Man (1988) and Hugh Dancy’s sensitive portrayal of Adam, 2009;
Shah Rukh Khan will rest comfortably in this rarefied fraternity.
The love interest in My Name is Khan is the beautiful Kajol as Mandira, the Hindu hairdresser, the flame that ignites Rizvan’s passion and devotion. They have been one of Bollywood’s most enchanting duos (Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers); this is a major deviation from the roles they have typically depicted. (See below for movies they have starred in together).
My Name is Khan tackles the controversial issues pervasive in the twenty first century, issues that we try to shun or hide from: religion, conversion, racial profiling, hatred and the potency of love. It is flawed. It is far too ambitious, melodramatic, manipulative and sensational. But God, what courage it took to bring these issues to the screen, told from the viewpoint of a physically and mentally challenged Rizvan Khan.
Shah Rukh Khan, the Brad Pitt of India was pulled over at the Newark airport last August. My Name is Khan was picketed because Mr. Khan expressed his desire that Pakistanis be allowed to play cricket on the Indian Premier League.
My Name is Khan salutes Mr. Khan’s vision and fearlessness and bequeaths the viewer the quintessential gift of hope.
FOUR STARS!
Movies Starring Shah Rukh Khan & Kajol (Devgan)
Baazingar
Khabie Kushi Khabie Gham
Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayengle
Kuch, Kuch, Hota, Hai
For Now…………Peneflix
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Fellow Movie Lovers
Fellow Movie Lovers
THE LAST STATION
With great expectations I have been desperately yearning for the opening of this film and joyously I can report that my desires were not only requited but surpassed my wildest anticipations!!!!!!! It is a tour de force at every level.
Directed by Michael Hoffman based on the biographical 1990 novel by Jay Parini, it is the wrenching tale of Leo Tolstoy’s final year; his body is frail but it still shelters a splendid mind.
It is spectacularly filmed, and unlike Avatar, glasses are not required to be embraced,
captured, and sucked into the lush palatial landscape of early twentieth century Russia.
The Tolstoy estate or commune is the Mecca for the Tolstoy disciples: practicing vegetarians, tilling the soil and abstaining from sexual intimacy, a utopian lifestyle. But tranquility ceases to exist when we are confronted with the tempestuous and fiercely competitive Leo and Sofia (Sofya).
Leo Tolstoy born in 1829 to Russian nobility, and losing his parents at a young age led him on a spiritual quest, resulting in dissatisfaction with his elitist birth right. He traveled to Europe and discovered the roots of Christianity: Christ’s Sermon on the Mount, and the teachings of St. Ignatius; eventually becoming a Christian anarchist and pacifist. Even the title The Last Station has strong religious connotations. His philosophy of non violent resistance influenced Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr.
Christian, Buddhist and Hindu asceticism of renunciation, paving the way to holiness was pivotal in his excommunication from the Russian Orthodox Church and the cause of the incredulous strife between Leo and Sofya, his wife of forty-eight years.
Christopher Plummer overwhelms as Leo; he is sick, exhausted, still in love with his wife but will fight with his last breath to bequeath his fortune to the people of Russia.
Sofya is sixteen years his junior, his muse (he started War and Peace the year they were married,1862) his editor and deepest confident. Her fecundity was stratospheric, she had thirteen children of which five perished at birth. She is a force to match any catastrophe nature could visit upon man.
Helen Mirren as Sofya is magnetic. She exudes in spades: sexuality, vibrancy, wisdom. She inhabits the soul, mind and spirit of Sofya and gifts her a legacy justly warranted. Rarely will you see on the screen a performance of such candor, power, love; she sinks her teeth into your psyche and you realize that there is no one more beautiful or desirable. This woman will wage war against insurmountable odds for what is her due. Oh, how we passionately root for her success.
The Academy Award is rightfully hers!
The casting is exceptional. Paul Giamatti as Vladimir Chertkov, Tolstoy’s Rasputin or Svengali, infuses the character with a delicious touch of cunning and skullduggery; James McAvoy is superb as Valentin Bulgakov, the twenty-three year old scribe and pure Tolstoyan whose idealism slowly melts into realism; and Kerry Condon as the free spirited Masha is resplendent, an Aphrodite to the innocent Valentin.
This is as good as it gets so devour every succulent scene!!!
FIVE STARS!
For Now……………Peneflix
THE LAST STATION
With great expectations I have been desperately yearning for the opening of this film and joyously I can report that my desires were not only requited but surpassed my wildest anticipations!!!!!!! It is a tour de force at every level.
Directed by Michael Hoffman based on the biographical 1990 novel by Jay Parini, it is the wrenching tale of Leo Tolstoy’s final year; his body is frail but it still shelters a splendid mind.
It is spectacularly filmed, and unlike Avatar, glasses are not required to be embraced,
captured, and sucked into the lush palatial landscape of early twentieth century Russia.
The Tolstoy estate or commune is the Mecca for the Tolstoy disciples: practicing vegetarians, tilling the soil and abstaining from sexual intimacy, a utopian lifestyle. But tranquility ceases to exist when we are confronted with the tempestuous and fiercely competitive Leo and Sofia (Sofya).
Leo Tolstoy born in 1829 to Russian nobility, and losing his parents at a young age led him on a spiritual quest, resulting in dissatisfaction with his elitist birth right. He traveled to Europe and discovered the roots of Christianity: Christ’s Sermon on the Mount, and the teachings of St. Ignatius; eventually becoming a Christian anarchist and pacifist. Even the title The Last Station has strong religious connotations. His philosophy of non violent resistance influenced Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr.
Christian, Buddhist and Hindu asceticism of renunciation, paving the way to holiness was pivotal in his excommunication from the Russian Orthodox Church and the cause of the incredulous strife between Leo and Sofya, his wife of forty-eight years.
Christopher Plummer overwhelms as Leo; he is sick, exhausted, still in love with his wife but will fight with his last breath to bequeath his fortune to the people of Russia.
Sofya is sixteen years his junior, his muse (he started War and Peace the year they were married,1862) his editor and deepest confident. Her fecundity was stratospheric, she had thirteen children of which five perished at birth. She is a force to match any catastrophe nature could visit upon man.
Helen Mirren as Sofya is magnetic. She exudes in spades: sexuality, vibrancy, wisdom. She inhabits the soul, mind and spirit of Sofya and gifts her a legacy justly warranted. Rarely will you see on the screen a performance of such candor, power, love; she sinks her teeth into your psyche and you realize that there is no one more beautiful or desirable. This woman will wage war against insurmountable odds for what is her due. Oh, how we passionately root for her success.
The Academy Award is rightfully hers!
The casting is exceptional. Paul Giamatti as Vladimir Chertkov, Tolstoy’s Rasputin or Svengali, infuses the character with a delicious touch of cunning and skullduggery; James McAvoy is superb as Valentin Bulgakov, the twenty-three year old scribe and pure Tolstoyan whose idealism slowly melts into realism; and Kerry Condon as the free spirited Masha is resplendent, an Aphrodite to the innocent Valentin.
This is as good as it gets so devour every succulent scene!!!
FIVE STARS!
For Now……………Peneflix
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Fellow Movie Lovers
Fellow Movie Lovers
NORTH FACE (NORDWAND)………………………Soon to be released.
Do not miss this exhilarating, enervating, “fasten the seat belt” German film!
It revolves around mountain climbers and their quest to conquer the unfathomable summit of the Eiger Mountain (in the Bernese Alps, Switzerland, 13.025 feet).
This true saga occurs in July of 1936, three years into the diabolical reign of Adolf Hitler and the Berlin Olympics. German climbers Toni Kurz (Benno Furmann, Joyeux Noel) and Andi Hinterstoisser (Florian Lukas) at the peak of their climbing aptitudes, take on the “murder wall” a euphemism for the Eiger’s north face.
Director Phillipp Stolzl has created a masterpiece! It is thrilling, visceral and breathtaking; you cling to your neighbors whether you know them or not.
Stolzl filmed in refrigerated studios duplicating the hazardous and constant fluctuations in weather that climbers have to adapt to; the rugged landscape shares equal billing with the actors.
Watching this fascinating film I questioned the intense allure of height that the Eiger, or any mountain inspires in men. The mountain so cold, and impenetrable yet with magical powers to attract and addict the climber; a colossal challenge, a goddess so desperately beautiful, but like the fabled Turandot, attainable only if you pass her test, with lethal consequences if you fail.
The mountain holds the same irresistible mystique for women, compelling them to match their physical wits against the mountain’s incredulous demands.
Women have been scaling the heights for years! In 1964 German, Daisy Voog was the first woman to reach the Eiger summit via the north wall.
Junko Tabei (1939-) in 1975 was the first woman to reach the highest pinnacle of Mount Everest, the Burj Khalifa of heights! Tabei is the Director of the Himalayan Adventure Trust in Japan. For fifty years women have been testing their might and flirting with the travails of Mt. Everest.
K2 in Pakistan the second tallest mountain after Everest was conquered by Wanda Rutkiewicz, a Polish scientist and electrical engineer born in 1943. She disappeared in 1992 while climbing Mt. Kangchenjunga in Nepal.
Julie Tullis of Britain and Liliane Barrand of France, reached the summit but lost their lives on the descent: testimony to the treacherousness of the descent.
These female athletes do not share the same recognition as their male counterparts (Sir Edmund Hilary, Tenzing Norgay, Reinhold Messner, even Greg Mortenson, author of Three Cups of Tea) but their courageousness is undisputed.
It is a mystical, spiritual force, a love of solitude and the power of the will that magnet-like marries man and mountain; the duration of the partnership is unimportant; just its consummation. The Chinese poet Li Po writes:
Alone Looking at the Mountain
All the birds have flown up and gone:
A lonely cloud floats leisurely by
We never tire of looking at each other
Only the mountain and I.
North Face triumphs in crystallizing this union!
FOUR&1/2 STARS!
For now……………….Peneflix
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NORTH FACE (NORDWAND)………………………Soon to be released.
Do not miss this exhilarating, enervating, “fasten the seat belt” German film!
It revolves around mountain climbers and their quest to conquer the unfathomable summit of the Eiger Mountain (in the Bernese Alps, Switzerland, 13.025 feet).
This true saga occurs in July of 1936, three years into the diabolical reign of Adolf Hitler and the Berlin Olympics. German climbers Toni Kurz (Benno Furmann, Joyeux Noel) and Andi Hinterstoisser (Florian Lukas) at the peak of their climbing aptitudes, take on the “murder wall” a euphemism for the Eiger’s north face.
Director Phillipp Stolzl has created a masterpiece! It is thrilling, visceral and breathtaking; you cling to your neighbors whether you know them or not.
Stolzl filmed in refrigerated studios duplicating the hazardous and constant fluctuations in weather that climbers have to adapt to; the rugged landscape shares equal billing with the actors.
Watching this fascinating film I questioned the intense allure of height that the Eiger, or any mountain inspires in men. The mountain so cold, and impenetrable yet with magical powers to attract and addict the climber; a colossal challenge, a goddess so desperately beautiful, but like the fabled Turandot, attainable only if you pass her test, with lethal consequences if you fail.
The mountain holds the same irresistible mystique for women, compelling them to match their physical wits against the mountain’s incredulous demands.
Women have been scaling the heights for years! In 1964 German, Daisy Voog was the first woman to reach the Eiger summit via the north wall.
Junko Tabei (1939-) in 1975 was the first woman to reach the highest pinnacle of Mount Everest, the Burj Khalifa of heights! Tabei is the Director of the Himalayan Adventure Trust in Japan. For fifty years women have been testing their might and flirting with the travails of Mt. Everest.
K2 in Pakistan the second tallest mountain after Everest was conquered by Wanda Rutkiewicz, a Polish scientist and electrical engineer born in 1943. She disappeared in 1992 while climbing Mt. Kangchenjunga in Nepal.
Julie Tullis of Britain and Liliane Barrand of France, reached the summit but lost their lives on the descent: testimony to the treacherousness of the descent.
These female athletes do not share the same recognition as their male counterparts (Sir Edmund Hilary, Tenzing Norgay, Reinhold Messner, even Greg Mortenson, author of Three Cups of Tea) but their courageousness is undisputed.
It is a mystical, spiritual force, a love of solitude and the power of the will that magnet-like marries man and mountain; the duration of the partnership is unimportant; just its consummation. The Chinese poet Li Po writes:
Alone Looking at the Mountain
All the birds have flown up and gone:
A lonely cloud floats leisurely by
We never tire of looking at each other
Only the mountain and I.
North Face triumphs in crystallizing this union!
FOUR&1/2 STARS!
For now……………….Peneflix
Know that many of you are followers who have not registered as such. I am improving my technological skills and will be able to get these reviews to you faster if you sign up; the price is right, just follow the directions, it is not difficult. I promise on the life of my Blog that I will not sell the list to a telemarketer!
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