On Broadway, Grace, by Craig
Wright, has four good actors in a play about a couple (Paul Rudd
and Kate Arrington) who plan to open gospel themed motels in
Florida. There is lots of talk about religion between the couple and a
neighbor (Michael Shannon) with a disfigured face due to a car
accident. Unfortunately, all the characters seem unrealistic. The
opening night party was held at the Copacabana.
I attended a preview of the revival of
Cyrano de Bergerac, by Edmond Rostand, which opens on October
11, so I will give my comments in the next column.
Off-Broadway, Ten Chimneys, by
Jeffrey Hatcher, is a play about the private lives of the famous
actors, Alfred Lunt (Byron Jennings) and Lynn Fontanne (Carolyn
McCormick), while rehearsing The Seagull on their estate in
Wisconsin in 1937. Family and professional problems are displayed in
this well acted play. The opening night party took place at Sardi's.
Marry Me a Little, music and
lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, is about two young lonely characters
(Lauren Molina and Jason Tam) singing songs that were cut
from various shows for 70 minutes. The opening night party was at the
lounge in Theater Row with guests, Michael Urie, Wesley Taylor
and Sondheim.
The Friars Club presented two wonderful
events. The first was A Musical Tribute to The Oak Room. Emily
Bergl was among the many performers who performed.
I returned to The Friars Club for the
book party for Dead Wrong: Straight Facts on the Country's Most
Controversial Cover Ups, by Richard Belzer and David Wayne.
I was invited to a special reception for
Liv Ullmann and director Dheeraj Akolkar and their film
Liv and Ingmar at the Walter Reade Theater. It was delightful and
the film is excellent.
The press screenings at the 50th New York
Film Festival continue. Fill the Void (Lemale et ha'halal), by
Rama Burshstein, Israel, 2012, is a sweet, sentimental film about a
18-year old girl, who is pressured to marry her brother-in-law after her
sister dies. It shows an insider look at a closed ultra-orthodox Hasidic
community, dominated by religious law, tradition and the rabbi. It is
well acted, and leaves a deep impression.
Our Children (A perdre la raison),
by Joachim Lafosse, Belgium, 2012, features a stunning
performance by Emilie Dequenne as a married teacher, with four
children, who suffers mental deterioration and ends in tragedy.
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Her sad life living with a Moroccan immigrant husband (Tahar Rahim) and an elderly Belgian doctor (Niels Arestrup), whose relationship to the husband is only obliquely explained, is one of the many causes for this unhappy situation. It is based on a true incident and is one of the most impressive films of the festival.
The Paperboy, by Lee Daniels, USA, 2012, is a trashy melodrama, starring a fearless Nicole Kidman, as a fiancee of a condemned brutal criminal (John Cusack) in Florida in the 1960's. Two investigative reporters from Miami (Matthew McConaughey and David Oyelowo) come to the small town to try to overturn what they consider a miscarriage of justice. Outlandish explicit sex scenes overwhelm this story, again inspired by a true incident, plus an unnecessary, shocking scene where Kidman urinates on Zac Efron, who plays a 20-year youngster obsessed with Kidman. It is a film for voyeurs only. A Q & A with Daniels, Kidman and Oyelowo followed the screening.
Like Someone in Love, by Abbas Kiarostami, Japan/Iran/France, 2012, takes place in Tokyo when an elderly professor (a wonderful 81-year old actor Tadashi Okuno) invites a young college student, who moonlights as an escort (a sweet Rin Takanishi) to his home. As they become emotionally involved, trouble rears its ugly head, when her jealous fiance is suspicious of the situation. It is an intelligent look at a strange relationship, extremely well acted.
Something in the Air (Apres Mai), by Olivier Assayas, France 2012, follows a high school senior (Clement Mettayer), who pursues painting as he becomes involved in student politics during the turbulent 1960s, and an active love life with his rebellious girlfriends. It shows the restlessness of young adolescents, striving to find meaning in their lives while engaging in revolutionary ideals. It is an interesting film, with a fine performance by the hero of the tale.
Not Fade Away, by David Chase, USA, 2012, is a nostalgic look at the 1960' at the beginning of Rock and Roll, which had a profound influence on American teenagers. The film is about a high school senior (an excellent John Magaro) trying to form a Rock band in New Jersey, his problems with his family (James Gandolfini plays his father), his adolescent love life and his squabbles with his music group. There are lots of television clips of the music of the period, and music lovers will enjoy this trip down memory lane. It is quite an enjoyable film.
Amour, by Michael Haneke, Austria/France/Germany, 2012. is a grim, disturbing look at the problems of aging. An elderly French couple (played brilliantly by Jean-Louis Trintignant and Emmanuelle Riva), retired music teachers, live a pleasant life together. When the wife suffers a stroke, the husband attempts to look after her. We watch the physical decline of this once alert, intelligent, talented woman. It is such a realistic picture of the horrors of the decline in health as people grow older, that one is constantly amazed by the magnificent acting of two of the most famous French film actors. It is a tour de force, and is one of the finest films of the festival.
At MoMA, I attended two more films of Yeonghwa: Korean Film Today September 19-30. The first Pung-san-gae (Poongsan), by Jeon Jai-hong, 2011, is about a young North Korean whose dangerous job is to cross the border with South Korea to earn money. When he is hired to bring the girlfriend of a high ranking North Korean defector to South Korea, they form a relationship, which causes tragic results. Unfortunately, there are many unnecessary violent scenes, especially of torture, which makes the film uncomfortable to watch.
The final film of the festival for me was Ping-keu (Pink), by Jeon Soo-il, 2011, which takes place in a dreary port town, where a dilapidated bar with the title name, is run by a middle-aged woman, assisted by a recently arrived, mysterious young girl. As the film slowly develops, we learn the reasons for her appearance. We also understand the problems of the people living in a dying town without hope. It is a sad tale, well told.
All Together, by Stephane Robelin, France 2012, is a delightful film about senior citizens in France. Two couples and a widower in their late 70s face all the problems, health, family, of their age. An all star cast including Jane Fonda and Geraldine Chaplin decide to live together with the help of a caregiver. The film touches on everything that might occur among five old friends and is a loving, sentimental, humorous portrait, beautifully filmed, and well acted. I recommend it highly.
10-02-12
Producers
(L-R)
Rick
Newman.
Bill
Boggs.
Will
Friedwald
at
"A
Musical
Tribute
to
The
Oak
Roon"
at
The
Friars
Club.
57
East
55th
St.
Monday
night
10-01-12 |