I AM LOVE……
Is flawless and the finest film I have experienced in years. It lacerated my very core leaving a crater of such magnitude, a wound, that after the pain of poignancy has evaporated the scar tissue left in its wake will leave a treasured reminder, a tattoo to be savored, and guarded for the remainder of my life.
Luca Guadagnino has created a masterpiece at the Michelangelo level: Tilda Swinton (also a producer) is his canvas. She is Emma, a Russian émigré; married into an Italian textile dynasty; the mother of three talented and ethereally beautiful children. She is detached, glacial, and floats, perfectly coiffed in designer couturiere through the magically magnificent world of wealth, refinement and privilege; she is an observer until……love shatters her pristine, crystal façade.
You rarely see a film so perfectly balanced, visually, aesthetically, musically. The camera, like Casanova strokes with tenderness and intimacy all it encounters; there is no hierarchy, every individual and object is given the same smothering, passionate embrace, reminiscent of an Andy Warhol Silkscreen.
John Adams, the minimalist composer has divined a score that will resonate forever in the sanctified halls of iconic movie soundtracks. His musical interpretation is the unspoken language, not heard but envisioned in the minds of the actors; the emotional content so chaste that one groaned with its intensity and purity.
Cuisine is the golden thread that weaves its delectable delights, the roux that binds and nourishes all the pivotal scenes, salivating with its carnality, rising as the quintessential pastry to the pinnacle of love. Guadagnino uses a Michelin starred chef to mold his “epicurean wizardry”; each tasted and swallowed morsel, sensual, personal, a metaphor for love.
We witness a love so profound, sublime that it transcends all else and the cinematography, photography, music are the match makers, complicit in the consummation, culmination of the redolent, unique recipe for a life long passion, obsession.
This film should be viewed more than once. The poet John Keats wrote:
A thing of Beauty is a joy for ever,
Its loveliness increases; it will never
Pass into nothingness…….
“I Am Love” portrays a pairing like the Sarus Crane found in some parts of India. They meet, mate, share a soul; when one perishes the other follows, the only reason for living has passed into nothingness.
FIVE STARS!!!!!
For Now……………Peneflix
Do NOT leave the theatre until the screen is dark!
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Sunday, June 27, 2010
KNIGHT AND DAY
KNIGHT AND DAY
If you just want the review scroll down! I can take all sorts of license being the Founder, CEO, and CFO of Peneflix.
June is one of my favorite months: conclusion of the school year, commencement of summer and a celebration of my life. Decades ago I read that when you die you take with you the things you gave away while alive; this became my mantra; I wanted to leave this world with tankards, planes, trains following my funeral pyre. Loving the “loaves and fish” philosophy the more I receive the more I give away; a “thing” is a temporary loan, a bond and should not initiate too much sentiment or attachment.
Oh how I relish giving parties; nothing is more gratifying than having fun and sharing good times with people you care about. Fun comes in all forms so two days ago I had an event for many of my friends. A movie screening, followed by lunch. Everyone had to be at the theatre by 10:30 in the morning (a first for some); they were given popcorn, water and ballots with a “ thumbs up or thumbs down” logo; I collected the ballots after the film.
“Knight and Day” starring Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz was incredulously hilarious; some of us laughed until the tear ducts were dry and running mascara created clown like masks on perfectly powered cheeks; others groaned with the predictability and triteness of the dialogue.
One of my tragic flaws is a weakness for Tom Cruise. Since “ Risky Business” in 1983, “Born on the 4th of July” in 1989 (one of the most devastating heart- wrenching performances in the history of film), I have admired his courage, his fearlessness in avoiding the mundane, playing vampires, homosexuals, supermen. I like looking at him, knowing he does his own stunts, I like his smile that others taunt, his Mr. America physique, his inimitable sincerity in every role he immerses himself in. It is a flaw I am comfortable living with.
The successful pairing of Cruise and Diaz saved the movie from the ordinary and strangely half way through the viewing I found myself caring about Ray and June. Diaz is remarkable in conquering comedic roles (“There is Something about Mary”); she owns the best scene as the drugged (truth serum) June walking, talking and laughing through a sea of bullets.
The lunch was in a bowling alley: pizza, turkey and veggie sandwiches, salads, chicken nuggets, chocolate chip cookies. Deliciously caloric and fraught with trans fat, my favorite energizer. As I flitted from one synergistic group to another, filling beverage desires, listening to their reviews, opinions and wallowing in the laughter, gaiety so tangible it could be packaged, I was struck and frozen by a clairvoyant bolt; with the power and vision that one has but a few times in one’s life. All my stars, universe were in perfect alignment; I looked at these platinum people of all disciplines, ages, religions and race; and my mind with a pristine clarity screamed at perfect pitch THESE ARE MY FRIENDS! My heart inflated to the size of the Good Year Blimp and these and all others not present, rendered me the most exquisite happiness, a happiness that was virginal in its completeness.
The votes are counted and interesting enough “thumbs up” won by a “nose”! We took a hiatus from the serious lives we lead and for a few brief hours basked in the sunshine of a unique moment in time.
“Knight and Day” receives:
TWO & 1/2 STARS!!
The day itself, held all the stars in the firmament.
For Now……………Peneflix
If you just want the review scroll down! I can take all sorts of license being the Founder, CEO, and CFO of Peneflix.
June is one of my favorite months: conclusion of the school year, commencement of summer and a celebration of my life. Decades ago I read that when you die you take with you the things you gave away while alive; this became my mantra; I wanted to leave this world with tankards, planes, trains following my funeral pyre. Loving the “loaves and fish” philosophy the more I receive the more I give away; a “thing” is a temporary loan, a bond and should not initiate too much sentiment or attachment.
Oh how I relish giving parties; nothing is more gratifying than having fun and sharing good times with people you care about. Fun comes in all forms so two days ago I had an event for many of my friends. A movie screening, followed by lunch. Everyone had to be at the theatre by 10:30 in the morning (a first for some); they were given popcorn, water and ballots with a “ thumbs up or thumbs down” logo; I collected the ballots after the film.
“Knight and Day” starring Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz was incredulously hilarious; some of us laughed until the tear ducts were dry and running mascara created clown like masks on perfectly powered cheeks; others groaned with the predictability and triteness of the dialogue.
One of my tragic flaws is a weakness for Tom Cruise. Since “ Risky Business” in 1983, “Born on the 4th of July” in 1989 (one of the most devastating heart- wrenching performances in the history of film), I have admired his courage, his fearlessness in avoiding the mundane, playing vampires, homosexuals, supermen. I like looking at him, knowing he does his own stunts, I like his smile that others taunt, his Mr. America physique, his inimitable sincerity in every role he immerses himself in. It is a flaw I am comfortable living with.
The successful pairing of Cruise and Diaz saved the movie from the ordinary and strangely half way through the viewing I found myself caring about Ray and June. Diaz is remarkable in conquering comedic roles (“There is Something about Mary”); she owns the best scene as the drugged (truth serum) June walking, talking and laughing through a sea of bullets.
The lunch was in a bowling alley: pizza, turkey and veggie sandwiches, salads, chicken nuggets, chocolate chip cookies. Deliciously caloric and fraught with trans fat, my favorite energizer. As I flitted from one synergistic group to another, filling beverage desires, listening to their reviews, opinions and wallowing in the laughter, gaiety so tangible it could be packaged, I was struck and frozen by a clairvoyant bolt; with the power and vision that one has but a few times in one’s life. All my stars, universe were in perfect alignment; I looked at these platinum people of all disciplines, ages, religions and race; and my mind with a pristine clarity screamed at perfect pitch THESE ARE MY FRIENDS! My heart inflated to the size of the Good Year Blimp and these and all others not present, rendered me the most exquisite happiness, a happiness that was virginal in its completeness.
The votes are counted and interesting enough “thumbs up” won by a “nose”! We took a hiatus from the serious lives we lead and for a few brief hours basked in the sunshine of a unique moment in time.
“Knight and Day” receives:
TWO & 1/2 STARS!!
The day itself, held all the stars in the firmament.
For Now……………Peneflix
Thursday, June 24, 2010
COCO (CHANEL) AND IGOR (STRAVINSKY)
COCO (CHANEL) AND IGOR (STRAVINSKY)
We have all heard the expression “watching paint dry”; the implication derogatory, but what I would have sacrificed to watch a Delacroix, Courbet, Renoir, Picasso, Kline, Richter, Johns, Curran whose layers and layers of paint, encaustic, varnish took days and sometimes years to loose their liquidity, solidify and dry. Pure, unadulterated ecstasy!
So on a recent trip to Los Angeles I was taken by my most fascinating friend to view “Coco and Igor” and from the onset we felt gifted, privy, in awe of the intense beauty Jan Kounen, the director, painted for us; one of the most powerful partnerships between film and painting ever viewed, and the miracle of the experience is that we the viewer became the hand and eye of the artist envisioning and finalizing the creation.
Not being a fashion aficionado but having a few friends who have accomplished and consummated the ideal relationship between couture and individuality (L.E. G. S. P. B.C.J. First initials to protect the identity, of these pivotal archetypes).
I have tired of all the Coco hype over the last few years. But this film is great: Anna Mouglalis is magnificent as Coco Chanel; she captures the drive, ambition and courage it took to crusade and challenge a male- dominated world in the early twentieth century. Jan Kounen was dauntless in casting her in the role. She was the muse and model for Karl Lagerfeld (appointed head designer for Chanel in 1982). His choice was prophetic. No one could have worn with such grace and agility, the vintage, archival Chanel wardrobe, as grounded as her personality, she is angelic, pristine poetry in motion.
Mads Mikkelsen as Igor Stravinsky is good as the tormented innovative composer whose scores for Firebird (1910) and Petrushka (1911) ignited his initial flirtation with fame and recognition.
The film revolves around a brief and passionate interlude in the lives of these two avant- garde individuals. Commencing in 1913 with the debut in Paris of Stravinsky’s Le Sacre du Printemps (The Rite of Spring) choreographed by Nijinsky, performed by the Ballet Russe. This scene is worth the price of admission and should be seen by all Stravinsky lovers; it is the perfect depiction of what occurred, the audience’s descent into disrespectful audacity, the tenacity of the dancers under horrific abuse; but Stravinsky in this one composition envisions the devastation, the nightmare soon to be visited upon the world, the Great War. Coco Chanel was a witness and inspired by The Rite of Spring, she never left her seat.
In 1920 at a dinner hosted by the impresario Sergei Diaghilev the two icons meet and Stravinsky, a victim of the Russian Revolution, impoverished, living with his consumptive wife and four children in confined quarters, reluctantly accepts Coco’s invitation to move with his family into her villa, Bel Respino, Garches, situated outside Paris.
It is here that the major composition: symphonic, structured, painterly explodes with the evolution of each frame. It is symmetrically gorgeous and unmatched; each scene worthy of a Cindy Sherman film still. Jan Kounen envisions Piet Mondrian, at the conclusion of his march to abstraction, sculptural perfection of David Smith, engineering supremacy of Alexander Calder. The intimate scenes are refulgent in their staged and formal beauty. There is not a messy moment in this movie.
A stunning but brief hiatus in the lives of two fearless, iconic individuals who dared and succeeded in breaking the confines, rigidity; choking, smothering the early twentieth century.
FOUR STARS!!!!
For Now…………….Peneflix
We have all heard the expression “watching paint dry”; the implication derogatory, but what I would have sacrificed to watch a Delacroix, Courbet, Renoir, Picasso, Kline, Richter, Johns, Curran whose layers and layers of paint, encaustic, varnish took days and sometimes years to loose their liquidity, solidify and dry. Pure, unadulterated ecstasy!
So on a recent trip to Los Angeles I was taken by my most fascinating friend to view “Coco and Igor” and from the onset we felt gifted, privy, in awe of the intense beauty Jan Kounen, the director, painted for us; one of the most powerful partnerships between film and painting ever viewed, and the miracle of the experience is that we the viewer became the hand and eye of the artist envisioning and finalizing the creation.
Not being a fashion aficionado but having a few friends who have accomplished and consummated the ideal relationship between couture and individuality (L.E. G. S. P. B.C.J. First initials to protect the identity, of these pivotal archetypes).
I have tired of all the Coco hype over the last few years. But this film is great: Anna Mouglalis is magnificent as Coco Chanel; she captures the drive, ambition and courage it took to crusade and challenge a male- dominated world in the early twentieth century. Jan Kounen was dauntless in casting her in the role. She was the muse and model for Karl Lagerfeld (appointed head designer for Chanel in 1982). His choice was prophetic. No one could have worn with such grace and agility, the vintage, archival Chanel wardrobe, as grounded as her personality, she is angelic, pristine poetry in motion.
Mads Mikkelsen as Igor Stravinsky is good as the tormented innovative composer whose scores for Firebird (1910) and Petrushka (1911) ignited his initial flirtation with fame and recognition.
The film revolves around a brief and passionate interlude in the lives of these two avant- garde individuals. Commencing in 1913 with the debut in Paris of Stravinsky’s Le Sacre du Printemps (The Rite of Spring) choreographed by Nijinsky, performed by the Ballet Russe. This scene is worth the price of admission and should be seen by all Stravinsky lovers; it is the perfect depiction of what occurred, the audience’s descent into disrespectful audacity, the tenacity of the dancers under horrific abuse; but Stravinsky in this one composition envisions the devastation, the nightmare soon to be visited upon the world, the Great War. Coco Chanel was a witness and inspired by The Rite of Spring, she never left her seat.
In 1920 at a dinner hosted by the impresario Sergei Diaghilev the two icons meet and Stravinsky, a victim of the Russian Revolution, impoverished, living with his consumptive wife and four children in confined quarters, reluctantly accepts Coco’s invitation to move with his family into her villa, Bel Respino, Garches, situated outside Paris.
It is here that the major composition: symphonic, structured, painterly explodes with the evolution of each frame. It is symmetrically gorgeous and unmatched; each scene worthy of a Cindy Sherman film still. Jan Kounen envisions Piet Mondrian, at the conclusion of his march to abstraction, sculptural perfection of David Smith, engineering supremacy of Alexander Calder. The intimate scenes are refulgent in their staged and formal beauty. There is not a messy moment in this movie.
A stunning but brief hiatus in the lives of two fearless, iconic individuals who dared and succeeded in breaking the confines, rigidity; choking, smothering the early twentieth century.
FOUR STARS!!!!
For Now…………….Peneflix
Monday, June 21, 2010
WINTER'S BONE
WINTER’S BONE
It has been eons since I have experienced a more bleakly brilliant film; so brutally raw and realistic that it has a voyeuristic flavor, the viewer should not be privy to the gruesomeness and pain inflicted on the characters, especially the indomitable Ree Dolly (precociously played by Jennifer Lawrence). We must pay homage to Daniel Woodrell upon whose book this iconic film is based and to the genius of directors Debra Ganik and Anne Rosellini who nurtured it to fruition.
The plot revolves around a seventeen- year old girl, whose drug making father has jumped bail, disappeared, leaving as collateral her paltry farm nesting in the Missouri Ozarks; she is the pillar of stone and strength that keep her mother, sister and brother from starving. Her Herculean efforts to find her father, while protecting her family are gut wrenching and typify the Chinese adage “the strongest steel goes through the hottest flame”. And fire of this intensity has not been witnessed on the screen since Scarlet O’Hara, in “Gone with the Wind”.
She is aided in her endeavors by her uncle Teardrop (John Hawkes, gives a performance of such magnitude, it ranks with the elite of best performances ever portrayed in the history of film) a terrifying man with banished hope and a life wasted at the altar of addiction.
The title, so intriguing sparked a spirited conversation between a feisty, intelligent friend and me. “Winter” was obvious; the melting ice cycles, frosted breath and sterile landscape, enhanced the desperation of their plight. Also reminiscent of John Steinbeck’s 1961 “The Winter of Our Discontent” based on William Shakespeare’s Richard III (“Now is the winter of our discontent made glorious summer by this son of York”). Never has winter been so paralyzingly painted, without volumes of snow.
“Bone” is more complex in its interpretation. References to “throw a bone”, a break, a gift, a pass; “bone of contention”, disagreement, argument, an issue that must be resolved between parties; bones constitute the skeleton of mammals and humans. But the mystery of “bone” revolves around Ree. Her survival instincts and inscrutable will enable her to grapple with and conquer the most insidious impediments, all in the name of love and survival; she is godlike in her mission.
“Winter’s Bone” takes fortitude to view but you leave knowing that winter has concluded and perhaps not “summer”, but spring and hope are on the horizon for this daughter of the Ozarks.
FOUR STARS!!!!
For Now…………….Peneflix
It has been eons since I have experienced a more bleakly brilliant film; so brutally raw and realistic that it has a voyeuristic flavor, the viewer should not be privy to the gruesomeness and pain inflicted on the characters, especially the indomitable Ree Dolly (precociously played by Jennifer Lawrence). We must pay homage to Daniel Woodrell upon whose book this iconic film is based and to the genius of directors Debra Ganik and Anne Rosellini who nurtured it to fruition.
The plot revolves around a seventeen- year old girl, whose drug making father has jumped bail, disappeared, leaving as collateral her paltry farm nesting in the Missouri Ozarks; she is the pillar of stone and strength that keep her mother, sister and brother from starving. Her Herculean efforts to find her father, while protecting her family are gut wrenching and typify the Chinese adage “the strongest steel goes through the hottest flame”. And fire of this intensity has not been witnessed on the screen since Scarlet O’Hara, in “Gone with the Wind”.
She is aided in her endeavors by her uncle Teardrop (John Hawkes, gives a performance of such magnitude, it ranks with the elite of best performances ever portrayed in the history of film) a terrifying man with banished hope and a life wasted at the altar of addiction.
The title, so intriguing sparked a spirited conversation between a feisty, intelligent friend and me. “Winter” was obvious; the melting ice cycles, frosted breath and sterile landscape, enhanced the desperation of their plight. Also reminiscent of John Steinbeck’s 1961 “The Winter of Our Discontent” based on William Shakespeare’s Richard III (“Now is the winter of our discontent made glorious summer by this son of York”). Never has winter been so paralyzingly painted, without volumes of snow.
“Bone” is more complex in its interpretation. References to “throw a bone”, a break, a gift, a pass; “bone of contention”, disagreement, argument, an issue that must be resolved between parties; bones constitute the skeleton of mammals and humans. But the mystery of “bone” revolves around Ree. Her survival instincts and inscrutable will enable her to grapple with and conquer the most insidious impediments, all in the name of love and survival; she is godlike in her mission.
“Winter’s Bone” takes fortitude to view but you leave knowing that winter has concluded and perhaps not “summer”, but spring and hope are on the horizon for this daughter of the Ozarks.
FOUR STARS!!!!
For Now…………….Peneflix
Saturday, June 19, 2010
SOLITARY MAN
SOLITARY MAN
In less than a year we have had “A Serious…”, “A Single...” and now a “Solitary Man”; played with delicious debauchery by Michael Douglas (who with time, grows to resemble his father, Kirk). Mr. Douglas as Ben Kalmen is the aging Lothario who with Faustian gusto seeks youth and virility in the arms of “barely” legal girls and women. He is amoral, shameless and raises sleaziness to the celestial level. But as much as he throws caution, relationships and love by the fistfuls into the wind there is something illusive and charming about the man that defies logic and try as one might you discover yourself rooting for him. We want him to win back his integrity, his wealth and his family; to wake up and acknowledge that no one succeeds in tricking death; gods, kings, and mortals have tried; Sisyphus relished temporary victory, but inevitably the grim Reaper, grinningly remains undaunted and undefeated. Michael Douglas triumphs with this phenomenal, insightful, even poignant characterization of a man who has lost his way, but not his vision.
The secondary female roles are outstanding: Susan Sarandon, in buxom glory, is splendid and wise as the ex wife; Jenna Fisher as Susan, his long suffering and understanding daughter is remarkable as his “confessor”. She is the parent to the child her father has morphed into.
The sumptuously beautiful Imogen Poots as Allison, the eighteen year old Siren is breathtaking in her portrayal of a woman, prematurely seasoned in the mystique of Kama Sutra, like a viper she sinks her teeth into the heart of her victim, injecting its venom, and exiting with a frigid and passionless spirit. Allison’s nefarious and iconoclastic intelligence is a force to fear and shun.
There are moments of frustration but they are outweighed by the tightly and finely tuned dialogue and the insurmountable humanity depicted by the entire cast.
Leaving the theatre Emily Dickinson’s pithy poem pranced through my head:
Because I could not Stop for Death-
He Kindly Stopped for Me-
The Carriage Held but just Ourselves-
And Immortality.
Ben Kalmen’s Carriage is years from the departure date.
THREE STARS!!!
For Now………Peneflix
In less than a year we have had “A Serious…”, “A Single...” and now a “Solitary Man”; played with delicious debauchery by Michael Douglas (who with time, grows to resemble his father, Kirk). Mr. Douglas as Ben Kalmen is the aging Lothario who with Faustian gusto seeks youth and virility in the arms of “barely” legal girls and women. He is amoral, shameless and raises sleaziness to the celestial level. But as much as he throws caution, relationships and love by the fistfuls into the wind there is something illusive and charming about the man that defies logic and try as one might you discover yourself rooting for him. We want him to win back his integrity, his wealth and his family; to wake up and acknowledge that no one succeeds in tricking death; gods, kings, and mortals have tried; Sisyphus relished temporary victory, but inevitably the grim Reaper, grinningly remains undaunted and undefeated. Michael Douglas triumphs with this phenomenal, insightful, even poignant characterization of a man who has lost his way, but not his vision.
The secondary female roles are outstanding: Susan Sarandon, in buxom glory, is splendid and wise as the ex wife; Jenna Fisher as Susan, his long suffering and understanding daughter is remarkable as his “confessor”. She is the parent to the child her father has morphed into.
The sumptuously beautiful Imogen Poots as Allison, the eighteen year old Siren is breathtaking in her portrayal of a woman, prematurely seasoned in the mystique of Kama Sutra, like a viper she sinks her teeth into the heart of her victim, injecting its venom, and exiting with a frigid and passionless spirit. Allison’s nefarious and iconoclastic intelligence is a force to fear and shun.
There are moments of frustration but they are outweighed by the tightly and finely tuned dialogue and the insurmountable humanity depicted by the entire cast.
Leaving the theatre Emily Dickinson’s pithy poem pranced through my head:
Because I could not Stop for Death-
He Kindly Stopped for Me-
The Carriage Held but just Ourselves-
And Immortality.
Ben Kalmen’s Carriage is years from the departure date.
THREE STARS!!!
For Now………Peneflix
Friday, June 18, 2010
SPLICE
SPLICE
Do you remember Dolly? Not Dolly Levi from “Hello Dolly”; but darling Dolly, the sheep, born July 5th, 1996, the first mammal to be cloned from “an adult somatic cell, using the process of nuclear transfer”. Scientists Ian Wilmut, Keith Campbell and their colleagues at the Rosin Institute outside of Edinburgh, Scotland used a cell from a mammary gland and chose the name in reference to the country western singer Dolly Parton, whose pneumatic endowments are universally revered and respected.
Dolly’s sheltered environment; her pallet never savored the culinary delicacies of the Scottish countryside, imprisoned in an experimental lab, where she had six children, but regretfully was euthanized February 14th, 2003, debilitated by severe lung disease and arthritis; a bleak, depressing and morbid Valentines Day!
The concept of cloning is magnetic, powerful, and science has made colossal strides in embryo (therapeutic) and reproductive cloning. Hence the movie “Splice” has a chilling sense of reality and prophesy in its thesis.
Adrien Brody (Clive) and Sarah Polley (Elsa) are biotechnicians who splice human DNA into a preexisting genetic experiment. Dren (Delphine Chaneac) is the child of their illegal project; a female centaur, half- human half- beast. The bewitchment in the film grows from the potent bond between the “parents” and the child; the accelerated rate of her development; rapidly erasing the boundaries, hierarchies, prevalent in uncloned relationships. The three principals are credible and the special affects are a digital dream; but the viewer must take a leap of faith and suspend, overlook the incredulous, and contemplate the “what ifs”! Escape can be deliriously rejuvenating.
Do you remember the film “Multiplicity”? Serendipitously released in 1996, the year of Dolly’s birth, starring Michael Keaton whose problems are initially solved then multiply explosively with each new persona. There is a greed, a gluttonous craving for life, feeding the fascination of cloning; being in two places simultaneously: the party and the lecture, the opera and the hockey game, Mumbai and Paris. Oh the hypnotic glory of this craved (and maybe depraved) fantasy.
“Splice” will appeal to those who mourned the death of Dolly; but will not exalt in the life of Dren!
TWO &1/2 STARS!!
For Now………….Peneflix
Do you remember Dolly? Not Dolly Levi from “Hello Dolly”; but darling Dolly, the sheep, born July 5th, 1996, the first mammal to be cloned from “an adult somatic cell, using the process of nuclear transfer”. Scientists Ian Wilmut, Keith Campbell and their colleagues at the Rosin Institute outside of Edinburgh, Scotland used a cell from a mammary gland and chose the name in reference to the country western singer Dolly Parton, whose pneumatic endowments are universally revered and respected.
Dolly’s sheltered environment; her pallet never savored the culinary delicacies of the Scottish countryside, imprisoned in an experimental lab, where she had six children, but regretfully was euthanized February 14th, 2003, debilitated by severe lung disease and arthritis; a bleak, depressing and morbid Valentines Day!
The concept of cloning is magnetic, powerful, and science has made colossal strides in embryo (therapeutic) and reproductive cloning. Hence the movie “Splice” has a chilling sense of reality and prophesy in its thesis.
Adrien Brody (Clive) and Sarah Polley (Elsa) are biotechnicians who splice human DNA into a preexisting genetic experiment. Dren (Delphine Chaneac) is the child of their illegal project; a female centaur, half- human half- beast. The bewitchment in the film grows from the potent bond between the “parents” and the child; the accelerated rate of her development; rapidly erasing the boundaries, hierarchies, prevalent in uncloned relationships. The three principals are credible and the special affects are a digital dream; but the viewer must take a leap of faith and suspend, overlook the incredulous, and contemplate the “what ifs”! Escape can be deliriously rejuvenating.
Do you remember the film “Multiplicity”? Serendipitously released in 1996, the year of Dolly’s birth, starring Michael Keaton whose problems are initially solved then multiply explosively with each new persona. There is a greed, a gluttonous craving for life, feeding the fascination of cloning; being in two places simultaneously: the party and the lecture, the opera and the hockey game, Mumbai and Paris. Oh the hypnotic glory of this craved (and maybe depraved) fantasy.
“Splice” will appeal to those who mourned the death of Dolly; but will not exalt in the life of Dren!
TWO &1/2 STARS!!
For Now………….Peneflix
SPLICE
SPLICE
Do you remember Dolly? Not Dolly Levi from “Hello Dolly”; but darling Dolly, the sheep, born July 5th, 1996, the first mammal to be cloned from “an adult somatic cell, using the process of nuclear transfer”. Scientists Ian Wilmut, Keith Campbell and their colleagues at the Rosin Institute outside of Edinburgh, Scotland used a cell from a mammary gland and chose the name in reference to the country western singer Dolly Parton, whose pneumatic endowments are universally revered and respected.
Dolly’s sheltered environment; her pallet never savored the culinary delicacies of the Scottish countryside, imprisoned in an experimental lab, where she had six children, but regretfully was euthanized February 14th, 2003, debilitated by severe lung disease and arthritis; a bleak, depressing and morbid Valentines Day!
The concept of cloning is magnetic, powerful, and science has made colossal strides in embryo (therapeutic) and reproductive cloning. Hence the movie “Splice” has a chilling sense of reality and prophesy in its thesis.
Adrien Brody (Clive) and Sarah Polley (Elsa) are biotechnicians who splice human DNA into a preexisting genetic experiment. Dren (Delphine Chaneac) is the child of their illegal project; a female centaur, half- human half- beast. The bewitchment in the film grows from the potent bond between the “parents” and the child; the accelerated rate of her development; rapidly erasing the boundaries, hierarchies, prevalent in uncloned relationships. The three principals are credible and the special affects are a digital dream; but the viewer must take a leap of faith and suspend, overlook the incredulous, and contemplate the “what ifs”! Escape can be deliriously rejuvenating.
Do you remember the film “Multiplicity”? Serendipitously released in 1996, the year of Dolly’s birth, starring Michael Keaton whose problems are initially solved then multiply explosively with each new persona. There is a greed, a gluttonous craving for life, feeding the fascination of cloning; being in two places simultaneously: the party and the lecture, the opera and the hockey game, Mumbai and Paris. Oh the hypnotic glory of this craved (and maybe depraved) fantasy.
“Splice” will appeal to those who mourned the death of Dolly; but will not exalt in the life of Dren!
TWO &1/2 STARS!!
For Now………….Peneflix
Do you remember Dolly? Not Dolly Levi from “Hello Dolly”; but darling Dolly, the sheep, born July 5th, 1996, the first mammal to be cloned from “an adult somatic cell, using the process of nuclear transfer”. Scientists Ian Wilmut, Keith Campbell and their colleagues at the Rosin Institute outside of Edinburgh, Scotland used a cell from a mammary gland and chose the name in reference to the country western singer Dolly Parton, whose pneumatic endowments are universally revered and respected.
Dolly’s sheltered environment; her pallet never savored the culinary delicacies of the Scottish countryside, imprisoned in an experimental lab, where she had six children, but regretfully was euthanized February 14th, 2003, debilitated by severe lung disease and arthritis; a bleak, depressing and morbid Valentines Day!
The concept of cloning is magnetic, powerful, and science has made colossal strides in embryo (therapeutic) and reproductive cloning. Hence the movie “Splice” has a chilling sense of reality and prophesy in its thesis.
Adrien Brody (Clive) and Sarah Polley (Elsa) are biotechnicians who splice human DNA into a preexisting genetic experiment. Dren (Delphine Chaneac) is the child of their illegal project; a female centaur, half- human half- beast. The bewitchment in the film grows from the potent bond between the “parents” and the child; the accelerated rate of her development; rapidly erasing the boundaries, hierarchies, prevalent in uncloned relationships. The three principals are credible and the special affects are a digital dream; but the viewer must take a leap of faith and suspend, overlook the incredulous, and contemplate the “what ifs”! Escape can be deliriously rejuvenating.
Do you remember the film “Multiplicity”? Serendipitously released in 1996, the year of Dolly’s birth, starring Michael Keaton whose problems are initially solved then multiply explosively with each new persona. There is a greed, a gluttonous craving for life, feeding the fascination of cloning; being in two places simultaneously: the party and the lecture, the opera and the hockey game, Mumbai and Paris. Oh the hypnotic glory of this craved (and maybe depraved) fantasy.
“Splice” will appeal to those who mourned the death of Dolly; but will not exalt in the life of Dren!
TWO &1/2 STARS!!
For Now………….Peneflix
Sunday, June 6, 2010
RAAJNEETI (POLITICS)
RAAJNEETI (POLITICS)
Many of you read my recent review of “Kites” a Bollywood creation that on the whole was a disappointment. In “ Raajneeti” Bollywood’s tentacles have a firm grip on the Hollywood aesthetic. Thrilled, that in less than two weeks I can give a positive and enthusiastic “ thumbs up” to this legitimate drama.
Indians might or might not be pleased with this contemporary version of the Mahabharta.
Western audiences will immediately recognize the “The Godfather” theme but the film is also peppered with biblical references (Moses), Shakespearean intrigue (Hamlet, Richard III). But it is Mario Puzo’s brutal saga that is skillfully reproduced in “Raajneeti”.
The almost three hours of accelerated action satiated the lustful quest for blood, nerve twisting tension and romantic fantasies of the chained audience; no power could induce us to relinquish our seats.
The galvanizing and incisive performances of the established Bollywood actors captivated those familiar and unfamiliar with their esteemed abilities. Ajay Devgan (Sooraj) has a dark haunting countenance, masking incipient rage; wordlessly, he inspires terror and revulsion. Ranbir Kapoor (Samar) is wonderful as he sheds his idealism and innocence and is transformed into a hardened realist; the Al Pacino role in “The Godfather”.
His love interest Sarah (Sarah Thompson, the weakest and least defined character in the film); reminiscent of Diane Keaton’s portrayal in “The Godfather”.
At the risk of being pejorative my favorite Bollywood star of 2010 is Arjun Rampal (“Om Shanti Om”, “I See You”) ; he is startlingly beautiful, a lightening bolt, the camera covets him; in every scene he is the sun, all else, just pallid, amorphous clouds. He is the volatile Prithvi, his recklessness, a lethal weapon, the catalyst in changing the destinies of all he intertwines with.
Bollywood rears its predictable head with Indu, (Katrina Kaif); she is the pawn, chattel to be sacrificed on the alter of man’s political aspirations; she is wise, and clenches her dignity with a force of such purity that no man can tear it asunder. Katrina is a young, gifted actor; watching her talent mature will be a luxury for all her devotees.
Lest you be disappointed there is one brief dance number; the plot did not warrant a musical intervention and this in my estimation led to ………..
THREE STARS!!!
For Now……….Peneflix
Many of you read my recent review of “Kites” a Bollywood creation that on the whole was a disappointment. In “ Raajneeti” Bollywood’s tentacles have a firm grip on the Hollywood aesthetic. Thrilled, that in less than two weeks I can give a positive and enthusiastic “ thumbs up” to this legitimate drama.
Indians might or might not be pleased with this contemporary version of the Mahabharta.
Western audiences will immediately recognize the “The Godfather” theme but the film is also peppered with biblical references (Moses), Shakespearean intrigue (Hamlet, Richard III). But it is Mario Puzo’s brutal saga that is skillfully reproduced in “Raajneeti”.
The almost three hours of accelerated action satiated the lustful quest for blood, nerve twisting tension and romantic fantasies of the chained audience; no power could induce us to relinquish our seats.
The galvanizing and incisive performances of the established Bollywood actors captivated those familiar and unfamiliar with their esteemed abilities. Ajay Devgan (Sooraj) has a dark haunting countenance, masking incipient rage; wordlessly, he inspires terror and revulsion. Ranbir Kapoor (Samar) is wonderful as he sheds his idealism and innocence and is transformed into a hardened realist; the Al Pacino role in “The Godfather”.
His love interest Sarah (Sarah Thompson, the weakest and least defined character in the film); reminiscent of Diane Keaton’s portrayal in “The Godfather”.
At the risk of being pejorative my favorite Bollywood star of 2010 is Arjun Rampal (“Om Shanti Om”, “I See You”) ; he is startlingly beautiful, a lightening bolt, the camera covets him; in every scene he is the sun, all else, just pallid, amorphous clouds. He is the volatile Prithvi, his recklessness, a lethal weapon, the catalyst in changing the destinies of all he intertwines with.
Bollywood rears its predictable head with Indu, (Katrina Kaif); she is the pawn, chattel to be sacrificed on the alter of man’s political aspirations; she is wise, and clenches her dignity with a force of such purity that no man can tear it asunder. Katrina is a young, gifted actor; watching her talent mature will be a luxury for all her devotees.
Lest you be disappointed there is one brief dance number; the plot did not warrant a musical intervention and this in my estimation led to ………..
THREE STARS!!!
For Now……….Peneflix
Thursday, June 3, 2010
SEX AND THE CITY 2
SEX AND THE CITY 2
For those with a limited attention span, read no further. NO STARS for this useless piece of rubbish, that ranks as one of the worst movies of 2010; might even fall deservedly into one of the most atrocious and vainglorious films of all time.
This film is filled with volumes of sins; while the torments of purgatory were heaped mercilessly upon an audience who should have vacated the theatre ten minutes into this unmitigated travesty of nonsense.
1) You have four vapid, stupid, and superficial women who pride themselves on their New York sophistication. New York women unite, rebel and cleanse the tainted image so wrongfully painted by these insignificant aging ingénues.
2) Their atrocious designer costumes only enhance their conceited and hollow existence.
3) The dialogue so sophomorphic and idiotic one cringed with embarrassment.
4) They flaunt and succeed in insulting the mores of their host country…..Dubai.
5) Their vile language (especially Samantha) worthy of the filthiest gutter; filled with shameful sexual innuendo. They are defined by the insignificance of their limited myopic vision.
Never a fan of the popular television show; viewing this just reaffirmed my initial distaste. As this everlasting, excruciating film, plodded slowly to its conclusion; soon to be confined in the morgue of wasted celluloid, I thought of other experiences I would enjoy more: jet lag, walking barefoot in the Sahara desert, a seven hour Chinese opera, birthing quintuplets, or having to see the first “Sex and the City”!
A refund was not a possibility but I will rest peacefully knowing that I have rescued you from this horrific, despicable display of detritus!
For Now………..Peneflix
For those with a limited attention span, read no further. NO STARS for this useless piece of rubbish, that ranks as one of the worst movies of 2010; might even fall deservedly into one of the most atrocious and vainglorious films of all time.
This film is filled with volumes of sins; while the torments of purgatory were heaped mercilessly upon an audience who should have vacated the theatre ten minutes into this unmitigated travesty of nonsense.
1) You have four vapid, stupid, and superficial women who pride themselves on their New York sophistication. New York women unite, rebel and cleanse the tainted image so wrongfully painted by these insignificant aging ingénues.
2) Their atrocious designer costumes only enhance their conceited and hollow existence.
3) The dialogue so sophomorphic and idiotic one cringed with embarrassment.
4) They flaunt and succeed in insulting the mores of their host country…..Dubai.
5) Their vile language (especially Samantha) worthy of the filthiest gutter; filled with shameful sexual innuendo. They are defined by the insignificance of their limited myopic vision.
Never a fan of the popular television show; viewing this just reaffirmed my initial distaste. As this everlasting, excruciating film, plodded slowly to its conclusion; soon to be confined in the morgue of wasted celluloid, I thought of other experiences I would enjoy more: jet lag, walking barefoot in the Sahara desert, a seven hour Chinese opera, birthing quintuplets, or having to see the first “Sex and the City”!
A refund was not a possibility but I will rest peacefully knowing that I have rescued you from this horrific, despicable display of detritus!
For Now………..Peneflix
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
THE FATHER OF MY CHILDREN
THE FATHER OF MY CHILDREN
Regardless of your opinions about the French you must recognize their legacy of accomplishments in the laurels of filmmaking. “The Father of My Children” is written and directed by Mia Hansen –Love (a prodigy, at twenty-nine this is her third film) based loosely on the life of Humbert Balsan a French film producer; the title implies a biography.
The first hour is flawless. The troubled and financially strapped film maker, Gregoire (Louis- Do de Lencquesaing) dashingly handsome, and desperately trying to balance his failing business, family obligations while consuming hundreds of cigarettes; totally convincing and captivating in the role; there is a suaveness that belies his gloomy plight.
The movie dazzles in the scenes he shares with his three daughters! The oldest Clemence (Alice De Lencquesaing, his daughter in real life) captures the angst and whimsy of a teenager; every day either the best or worst of her life. The two younger daughters, Valentine (Alice Gautier) and Billie (Manelle Driss) are luminously beautiful, enchanting sprites, the screen darkens with their absence. The love, joy and comfort they exhibit, so blindingly pure and lacking in pretense or artifice. It is rare to see such unblemished happiness, so faultlessly depicted. My heart ached with its poignancy.
Then, unfortunately a malaise, like an unexpected mist or fog, creeps into the second half of the film and plays havoc with our expectations; greatness vastly diminished.
I left the theatre feeling somewhat cheated, a dissatisfaction not easily described. Still for its moments of excellence: the vicissitudes and roadblocks most directors face in the creation of a film, the choices one makes and the resulting consequences, and above all, experiencing the unique and rarely seen family dynamics I give it………
THREE STARS!!! (OUT OF FIVE)
For Now ………..Peneflix.
Regardless of your opinions about the French you must recognize their legacy of accomplishments in the laurels of filmmaking. “The Father of My Children” is written and directed by Mia Hansen –Love (a prodigy, at twenty-nine this is her third film) based loosely on the life of Humbert Balsan a French film producer; the title implies a biography.
The first hour is flawless. The troubled and financially strapped film maker, Gregoire (Louis- Do de Lencquesaing) dashingly handsome, and desperately trying to balance his failing business, family obligations while consuming hundreds of cigarettes; totally convincing and captivating in the role; there is a suaveness that belies his gloomy plight.
The movie dazzles in the scenes he shares with his three daughters! The oldest Clemence (Alice De Lencquesaing, his daughter in real life) captures the angst and whimsy of a teenager; every day either the best or worst of her life. The two younger daughters, Valentine (Alice Gautier) and Billie (Manelle Driss) are luminously beautiful, enchanting sprites, the screen darkens with their absence. The love, joy and comfort they exhibit, so blindingly pure and lacking in pretense or artifice. It is rare to see such unblemished happiness, so faultlessly depicted. My heart ached with its poignancy.
Then, unfortunately a malaise, like an unexpected mist or fog, creeps into the second half of the film and plays havoc with our expectations; greatness vastly diminished.
I left the theatre feeling somewhat cheated, a dissatisfaction not easily described. Still for its moments of excellence: the vicissitudes and roadblocks most directors face in the creation of a film, the choices one makes and the resulting consequences, and above all, experiencing the unique and rarely seen family dynamics I give it………
THREE STARS!!! (OUT OF FIVE)
For Now ………..Peneflix.
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