For those of you who know me, you have a pretty good idea that I'm a fan of true crime stories, especially those that may involve psychopathy. And yet. I found Savage Grace, based on the book of the same name, to be nothing short of......icky.
The film will probably be coming to you in an "arthouse" theater due to the casting of Julianne Moore - indie darling - in the starring role of Barbara Baekeland, wife of the grandson of the inventor of Bakelite plastics. If you must, go and see it; but don't say I didn't warn you.
Before she married Brooks Baekeland, Barbara was a model and a wanna-be actress who finally found happiness when she married into wealth and was able to act the part of the socialite. Apparently, she had some personality disorders that led her to some wild mood swings and ultimately inappropriate (to put it mildly) behavior with her only child, a son named Antony. Antony displayed homosexual tendencies; in the American worldview of the 50's and 60's, a decided handicap for a mother trying to break her son into society. Antony's father finally washes his hands of the whole mess when he takes up with a younger woman (once Antony's girlfriend) and divorces Barbara. Unfortunately, that leaves Antony with only his mother and by the age of 25 he has killed her.
The film seems to follow quite closely the details of actual happenings, but as an audience, we must still hold some disbelief for what is presented to us. I also contend we must feel compassion for Antony, the fundamental victim; but it's difficult to do when we are shown by the director such graphic acts of incestuous sexuality. In my humble opinion, I would have felt greater emotional empathy for all characters if the most dysfunctional happenings were left to my imagination.
As a side note, the editing of the film feels extremely choppy, and there lacks emotional continuity between the years presented. NOT recommended.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Oink Oink
Okay. I imagine there will be loads of women out there completely unmoved - and perhaps somewhat insulted - by the story of 3 Little Pigs (Les 3 p'tits cochons). But I'm not one of them!!! I found it charming and quite hilarious. If nothing else, it allowed me to see that the male "pigs" in my life are neither unique nor unusual; instead, they may just be an average sampling of their gender.
Remi, Mathieu, and Christian are three brothers, close in childhood, who still live near each other in Montreal. Their mother, living with the eldest, has been experiencing episodes of faintness, and finally takes a tumble that results in a complete loss of consciousness. The brothers are left to fend for themselves, sharing personal stories and taking ill advice on their marriages (and potential affairs) from each other.
I thought it fun deciding which brother is which "pig," though the eldest, Remi, lives in an actual house built of stone ("the chateau" as one sister-in-law snarks) and also appears to be the brother with the "strongest" life.* Christian (played by Guillaume Lemay-Thivierge who has to have the longest eyelashes in the northern hemisphere) is the youngest, most playful brother who owns a martial arts studio and lives vicariously through his middle brother, Mathieu (played deliciously by Claude Legault). Each of the brothers' wives is sexy, intelligent, and aware, leaving us in the audience to wonder how or why any of these three would consider adultery. But, while the big screen is fantasy, most of us can point to an example in our own lives of a "perfect love" gone wrong. Regardless, the charm of the characters and the humor of the story carry this farce to a satisfying ending and I look forward to finding these actors in other big screen stories.
*the end of the movie, however, gives a terrific twist to this assumption and made me sit in my chair with my hand over my gaping mouth.
Remi, Mathieu, and Christian are three brothers, close in childhood, who still live near each other in Montreal. Their mother, living with the eldest, has been experiencing episodes of faintness, and finally takes a tumble that results in a complete loss of consciousness. The brothers are left to fend for themselves, sharing personal stories and taking ill advice on their marriages (and potential affairs) from each other.
I thought it fun deciding which brother is which "pig," though the eldest, Remi, lives in an actual house built of stone ("the chateau" as one sister-in-law snarks) and also appears to be the brother with the "strongest" life.* Christian (played by Guillaume Lemay-Thivierge who has to have the longest eyelashes in the northern hemisphere) is the youngest, most playful brother who owns a martial arts studio and lives vicariously through his middle brother, Mathieu (played deliciously by Claude Legault). Each of the brothers' wives is sexy, intelligent, and aware, leaving us in the audience to wonder how or why any of these three would consider adultery. But, while the big screen is fantasy, most of us can point to an example in our own lives of a "perfect love" gone wrong. Regardless, the charm of the characters and the humor of the story carry this farce to a satisfying ending and I look forward to finding these actors in other big screen stories.
*the end of the movie, however, gives a terrific twist to this assumption and made me sit in my chair with my hand over my gaping mouth.
Marvel - lous
Dunh dunh dunhdunhdunh nuhnuhnuhnuhnuhnuhnuh dunh nuh nuh (<--- hum along here to Randy Rhoads' famous guitar riff). Luckily director Jon Favreau saved the "theme song" until the end credits, just another of the small touches that contributed to the superb quality of the superhero saga Iron Man. Learning that Jon Favreau was the director of this film was sort of a head-scratcher for me. He is a terrific actor in some great smallish films (Rudy, Swingers [which he wrote], Very Bad Things, Made) as well as on TV (Friends, Dinner for Five); but I suppose lots of kids born in the 1960's and '70's foster dreams of hanging with superheroes. Of course, for me, Robert Downey, Jr. is the gold star in this thrill ride. His aptitude for quick dialogue continues to leave me breathless, as does his ability to move his face like a (handsome) slab of putty. The guy can go from full grin to insipid in an eyeblink. I count myself among the multitudes who are thankful he's still alive and kicking (ass!) after his personal difficulties.
In a nutshell: this telling of the Iron Man story begins in a contemporary fashion, in Afghanistan with Downey Jr's character, Tony Stark, personally delivering some new weapons to the American troops. He is the second generation, and boy genius, of family owned weapons manufacturer, Stark Industries. Upon ultimately escaping from Afghani captors after being injured, he spends some time judging the usefulness of his profession and the benefits that it offers the modern world. When he decides that he would prefer to use his power for good, his deceased father's second in command (love the Jeff Bridges!) must act to cover up the evil-doings he's been party to over the years.
The only weak link in this modern story of heroism is Gwyneth Paltrow's portrayal of Pepper Pots. She's close, but.....just not close enough. Too wooden, not quite sexy enough. I hope Mr. Favreau makes a little cast change before Iron Man II arrives - and believe me, it WILL.
In a nutshell: this telling of the Iron Man story begins in a contemporary fashion, in Afghanistan with Downey Jr's character, Tony Stark, personally delivering some new weapons to the American troops. He is the second generation, and boy genius, of family owned weapons manufacturer, Stark Industries. Upon ultimately escaping from Afghani captors after being injured, he spends some time judging the usefulness of his profession and the benefits that it offers the modern world. When he decides that he would prefer to use his power for good, his deceased father's second in command (love the Jeff Bridges!) must act to cover up the evil-doings he's been party to over the years.
The only weak link in this modern story of heroism is Gwyneth Paltrow's portrayal of Pepper Pots. She's close, but.....just not close enough. Too wooden, not quite sexy enough. I hope Mr. Favreau makes a little cast change before Iron Man II arrives - and believe me, it WILL.
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