I AM LOVE: E io sono innamorato di questo film italiano

There are so many good foreign movies, but I must admit to being terribly lazy because reading subtitles is hard work. I was fortunate enough to see this film, the work Tilda Swinton, a story about a repressed housewife, for lack of a better word. She has lived her life doing what is expected of her, for filling her role as hostess, mother, and executive in charge of her family's vast Italian villa. Sadly, amidst all of these roles, she has forgotten the most important part of all, and that is being herself. It is in this lush sensual Italian countryside that she finds who she is and what she wants and she is forced to make the decision to choose a new path. Tilda Swinton is an absolute elegant and strong actress and the result is striking.

NINE: NOT ON THE ONE TO TEN SCALE

What happened Rob Marshall? Chicago was so awesome and Nine was so full of stars and looked pretty and it stunk big fat rotten eggs! The story centers around director Guido Contini (Daniel-Day Lewis) who has lost his self and struggles with a new project while looking back at the women in and throughout his life who have touched him, so to speak. There is his mother (a luminous Sofia Loren), his wife (an enchanting Marion Cotillard), his mistress (a bubbly Penelope Cruz) his muse ( the shell of Nicole Kidman) his friend (a not sexy Judi Dench) a writer and admirer (Kate Hudson) and a random crazy whore (??!?!) from his past (a terrible looking Stacey- Fergie- Ferguson). There are others, but these are the ones he reflects upon. Each actress has a musical number, Cotillard, Cruz and Hudson's are the best, but they still came out flat. Lewis was okay, but didn't quite hit the nail on the head. The whole movie is like a bottle of warm soda that's been shaken one too many times. Even the main set looked like the prison backdrop from Chicago. Despite everything right, this movie was a big wrong. It almost felt like they thought by just having such a stellar cast it would carry the rest of the film. It did not. This was a sad disappointment.  

THE AIR I BREATHE

THE AIR I BREATHE IS FRAGRANT AND COMPELLING
"Sometimes risking everything is the only choice you have." -Pleasure

This film is magical and moving. By far, it is one of best movies I may have ever seen. Based on the Chinese proverb that divides life into four major emotions: Happiness, pleasure, sorrow and love. When put together they make a whole that defines life and our existence. Like the proverb, there are four story lines that fit together piece by piece. Alone they are interesting character pieces. When combined they tell a story of the human condition.

"No emotion, any more than a wave, can long retain its own individual form." Henry Beecher

Each character is named for their emotion. Forrest Whitaker is Happiness and begins the movie. He is a man who is afraid to breathe and apologizes for his very existence. Brendan Fraiser is Pleasure, a man who is anything but afraid and is able to glimpse the future. Sorrow, is Sarah Michele Gellar who has a name, Trista, which means sorrow. She is a pop star who is trying to escape her life. Kevin Bacon rounds out the stellar ensemble as Love, a doctor who loves with his very being. Yes, for a film that received so little reception, it has strong star power. I've not even mentioned the fine work of Andy Garcia, Emile Hirsch, or Julie Delpy. I watched this movie twice, a rarity. It moved me and struck a chord down deep that is the gift I love most about good movies. There was never a dull moment and when you see how each action sets up the next, the end product is a feeling of total satisfaction. How a film like this never received acclaim is shameful, but believable in a world full of Step Up 2 The Streets and Mirrors. The acting in this film is razor sharp. The story is well written and the plot is gripping. I was moved down to the bone.
Big PICK: Not a movie to miss. It is sharp, touching and well done across the board.

DEATH AT A FUNERAL

DEATH AT A FUNERAL PUTS THE 'FUN' IN FUNERAL

Only the British could get away with the antics in this film. It's the day of the funeral of two brother's father. One is a mild mannered man, the other his famous writer brother arriving first class from New York. There are far too many characters to summarize here. When the film starts with the wrong body delivered to the house, it can only go up from there; and it does go up. Higher and higher, faster and faster... there are a million stories and subplots going on at the same time, like an Altman film on speed. This movie does an amazing job at getting you really dizzy and then bringing you back to a sober halt. There is as much drama, realistic and genuine than there is comedy and bawdy humor. Very real issues are covered during the course of this film and at the end of the day, it is another movie about life and death. There is one scene that is truly the most disgusting and horrific scene than I have witnessed in a very long time; worse than anything from the Saw series or any other horror film. It must be seen to be believed. So well done and enjoyable from start to finish.

PICK: Must see film, funny and sad and everything in between. Big Pick!

THE DARJEELING LIMITED

THE DARJEELING LIMITED IS A TRAIN NOT TO BE MISSED
There are two kinds of people in this world; those who love Wes Anderson's work (The Royal Tenenbaums, Bottle Rocket, The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou) and those who hate it. The DVD has a short "featurette" before the film officially starts, Hotel Chevalier, starring Natalie Portman and Jason Schwartzman (Jack).It offers some insight about Jack that comes up later during the film and is a nice short little added extra. After meeting Jack in the featurette, we are then introduced to his other brothers, Francis (Owen Wilson) and Peter (Adrian Brody). Francis has pulled his brothers together for a "spiritual journey" in India. "The past has happened, but it's over isn't it? Not for us." They haven't seen each other since their father's funeral and they start to re-bond before getting kicked off the train. Soon it is revealed that Francis has ulterior motives for their quest, despite his daily itinerary. Wes Anderson's films are magic to me. They are all about family and relationships and their complications and this film is no different. Some of the story is literate and some is unknowingly beautiful. It seems that the train if forever in motion and to get on it they must run after it. The film begins with this and ends with this practise. Bill Murray, a veteran Anderson cast member, gives an appearance as a business man who misses the train. When the brothers catch the train after literally loosing their baggage the effect comes full circle. Angelica Houston also a veteran "Andersonite", also makes a brief, but valuable part in the film. Although mostly humorous, this film has it's serious moments too. In my mind, movies, at the end of the day, are always about life and/or death. This movie is about both. Anderson's work is not for everyone, but I adore him and his vision and adored this film.

PICK: While not for everyone, I loved this film, both in subject matter and execution thereof.

DEATH SENTENCE

DEATH SENTENCE... Too stunned for clever tittle

It's at times like these that I miss smoking, because after the adrenaline rush I've just been through, in theory, it sounds like it would help... Aside from it's gory, realistic violence, I can not believe that I didn't know more about this movie until now. There are no words to describe the range of emotion I felt while on this two hour nightmarish journey (though I will of course try). On purpose I am going to be very vague about the plot in case you see the movie. When you do, you will know why I couldn't say much. Most outstanding is Kevin Bacon as Nick Hume, loving husband and father. He is no longer Kevin Bacon playing a part. He IS Nick Hume, average Joe with a middle-class job with a fabulous wife and two lovely boys. Through the opening credits we watch home movies of the Hume family; the birth and growth of their children, their family celebrations, their close-knit all American normal family. As never before, after this fast introduction, I feel like I know the family and I like them. I feel them. 14 minutes into the movie the unthinkable happens and the family is left numb. I felt their pain. 18 minutes into the movie and the tears began. Then the adrenaline starts. Bacon is a crafty actor and you can see in his eyes what is going on in his head without saying a word. On the other side of the tracks we meet another family; not all American, not middle-class, most of all, not loving. Another big nod goes to John Goodman for playing the creepiest, smarmy bastard who is most realistic and scary. You will never think of him the same lovable way after seeing this movie. 54 minutes into the movie is the most suspenseful chase scene I have ever watched. The bad guys are gang members and they are very bad men. You will not like these boys/men. While Hume is being chased you think, this could actually happen. You feel how it would feel if it were you. We are on the run with him and just as terrified as to what to do next. I think I actually stopped breathing at that point. The movie darts back and forth between the emotional family life and the downward spiral that Hume finds himself on. While still trying to play it cool, back at the office a co-worker asks Hume how he is. His answer is quite telling. "Well, you don't really know what you'd do until it happens. Surprise yourself." Therein lies one of the themes of the movie. Just when you think that things are going to be okay, we get hit with another intense scene. My heart racing so fast I can hear it. Again, up on the roller coaster then down, but wait, the movie is still unfinished. The very bad men in the gang has to learn that retribution goes both ways. This could have been pushed too far, but Bacon kept Hume believable and realistic. He doesn't turn into some amazing action hero, he is still Hume, but placed in a very difficult spot. This is not an episode of MacGiver turning a paper clip into a machine gun. Up until the very end, he is still a loving husband and father. It is at the very end that we also learn that violence that begats violence never ends and nobody wins. There is no tidy way to just finish this movie. It's not as simple as turning off the TV. You keep playing and replaying things over and over. Yes, it is a violent film, but this is a violent world and I think when not living in that violent world we tend to forget it exists. This film stays with you, bothers you and leaves you wanting more answers or a different ending (but that would be a different movie). I can not speak more highly of a film that even so violent, is full of love and pain and the human condition. My heart aches.

BIG Pick: Exceptional film, well done from outstanding actors to director; most excellent. See for yourself... if you dare.