On the Town With Aubrey Reuben
Where All the Stars Shine Brightly!
September 27, 2014
09-26-14 Cast member Richard Gere (L) and director Oren Moverman
after a Q & A following a press screening of their film "Time Out of
Mind" at the Walter Reade Theater. 165 West 65th St. 09-25-14
On Broadway, This is Our Youth, by Kenneth Lonergan, at the Cort Theatre, was produced Off-Broadway in 1996, and was well received. The play takes place in 1982 in the apartment of a spoilt, domineering teenager (Kieran Culkin), who makes his money as a drug dealer. His immature friend (Michael Cera) drops in, having been kicked out of his father's apartment, while stealing $15.000 in cash from his father, and carrying a suitcase with all his precious toys. The third character is Culkin's neurotic, argumentative girlfriend (Tavi Gevinson). The three aimless youths, without a clue to leading normal lives, are well directed by Anna D. Shapiro. The dialogue is natural and realistic, and as a picture of lost teenagers, it holds a certain interest. The three actors are competent, but Gevinson has limited acting experience, and is the weakest on stage. One wonders why she was cast to make her debut on a Broadway stage
Off-Broadway, The Money Shot, by Neil LaBute, at the Lucille Lortel Theatre, is a wild play, about two film stars (Fred Weller and Elizabeth Reaser) in Hollywood, whose careers are going down the drain. In order to salvage their careers, they come up with a crazy idea to do a scene that borders on pornography. The four member cast (Gia Crovatin and Callie Thorne are the wife of Fred and the lesbian lover of Elizabeth) is excellent under the direction of Terry Kinney. It is a very funny play with many hilarious scenes. The opening night party took place at 49 Grove with guestsJosh Hamilton, Stephen Belber and Steven Pasquale among many others.
The New York City Ballet began a month long season, and I attended a Balanchine program of three of his ballets, featuring four outstanding ballarinas. Donizetti Variations, music of Gaetano Donizetti, is a charming ballet, and Ashley Bouder was brilliant in her solo variations. La Sonnambula, music by Vittorio Rietl, has sumptuous costumes by Alain Vaes, and Sara Means as the Coquette looked ravishing in her gown. Wendy Whelan is retiring in October, and won tumultuous applause as the Sleepwalker. The two dancers are simply marvelous, and Whelan will be missed. The third ballet was Firebird, music by Igor Stravinsky. It is an exotic ballet, with splendid scenery and costumes designed by Marc Chagall. Teresa Reichlen was spectacular as the Firebird. The opportunity to watch four magnificent dancers is the reason why The New York City Ballet is a treasure for ballet fans.
The press screenings of the 52nd New York Film Festival continue. Pasolini, by Abel Ferrara, France/Belgium/ Italy, 2014, stars Willem Dafoe as the famous filmmaker. It is disjointed film, but constantly absorbing, and Dafoe gives a riveting performance. It leads up to his horrendous death. There is footage from some of his films, which are of a sexually explicit nature.
The Princess of France/La Princesa de Francia, by Matias Pineiro, Argentina, 2014, has a group of young people, preparing a radio production of Shakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost. Again, as in his previous films, he tries to relate the play to the romantic problems of the actors. Unfortunately, the actors involved lack charisma, are unattractive, and some are irritaing. This filmmaker is an acquired taste, and I have not been able to acquire it.
Life of Riley/Aimer, boire et chanter, by Alain Resnais, France, 2014, is the great filmmaker's last film, and he departed his life in splendid glory. The film is based on Alan Ayckbourn's play Relatively Speaking. It takes place in picturesque villages in Yorkshire, England, and the opening scenes are glorious views of them.
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Three couples are
brought together, because an old
friend is dying. What follows is
an hilarious account of the
three ladies, one an ex-wife (Sandrine
Kiberlain), another a former
lover (Sabine
Azema), and the third a
frustrated wife (Caroline
Silhol), wanting to offer
him help during his final days
to the dismay of their husbands.
The playwright is a master
craftsman and Resnais has
followed his concept, while
adding his own genius. It is a
thoroughly delightful film, and
the acting by a brilliant cast
is superb
Eden, by Mia
Hansen-Love, France, 2014,
is based on the life of her
brother, who for twenty years
was a DJ of French "Garage"
music in discoteques, and is the
co-writer of the film script. It
captures the atmosphere from
1992 to the present and we see
the the DJ (Felix
de Givry) follow his dream,
while descending into drugs,
sinking into debt, having
unsatisfying relationships with
various women, and, in general,
leading a worthless and useless
life. That he survives is a
minor miracle. For lovers of
this type of music, there is an
abundance of music, which
contributes to the film being
overlong. There are also real
life performers appearing and
singing.
Two Days, One
Night/Deux jours, une nuit,
by Jean-Pierre & Luc
Dardenne, Belgium/France/Italy,
2014, stars the magnificent Marion
Cotillard, as factory worker, who has
been out sick and is about to be laid off.
She has to try to persuade her co-workers to
forgo a promised bonus, so that she can
retain her job, before a secret ballot to
decide if she can stay. She spends the two
days, before the balloting, visiting her
colleagues to see if she can persuade them
to forgo their bonuses, which most
desperately need, to save her job. It is a
harrowing picture of the life of low level
workers in a small industrial town, and
Cotillard gives a remarkable performance,
worthy of an award.
Horse Money/Cavalo
Dinheiro,
by Pedro
Costa, Portugal, 2014, is the slowest
film I have ever seen. We follow Ventura (apparently
a favorite actor of the director) walking
down gloomy stairs, along empty corridors,
and trapped in an elevator in a hospital
with a soldier, who tells him repeatedly to
be quiet. At times, it plays like a silent
movie. Dialogue is repeated over and over
again, and he sings songs, with the lyrics
repeated over and over again. The film is so
dark, that one can lose one's eyesight
watching it. It is not a pleasant cinematic
experience, and I have not the faintest idea
what the filmmaker has to say about workers
from Cabo Verde.
Silvered Water,
Syria Self-Portrait,
by Ossama
Mohammed & Wiam
Simav Bedirxan, Syria/France, 2014, is
1001 images of film shot with hidden
cameras, revealing the horrors of civil war
in 2011, and which is continuing today in
Syria. Simav,
a brave Kudish woman, filmed many of the
scenes in the devastated city of Homs. The
torture, brutality and death by the soldiers
of their own people is shown graphically,
and is difficult to watch. One can only feel
sorrow and pity for the innocent victims,
especially children and women, of this
senseless carnage.
Map to the
Stars,
by David
Cronenberg, Canada/Germany, 2014,
features a fearless performance by Julianne
Moore, who won the Best Actress prize at
Cannes. There are scenes of her sitting
constipated on the toilet, engaging nude in
a threesome, and having sex in the back seat
of a car withe the driver (Robert
Pattinson) . I hope her children never
have to see this film. She plays an aging,
neurotic film star, trying to continue her
career. Unfortunately, she hires a strange
assistant (Mia
Wasikowska) with dire consequences. The
film also focuses on another Hollywood
family, with a son, who is an obnoxious
child movie star (Evan
Bird), with weird parents (John
Cusack and Olivia
Williams). The film script by Bruce
Wagner is
unrealistic, totally unbelievable, and
pointless, and includes dialogue and scenes
meant to shock. It is, however, beautifully
photographed, and the two homes of the film
stars could be featured in a Home & Garden
magazine.
Time Out
of Mind,
by Oren
Moverman, USA, 2014, stars Richard
Gere as
a homeless man in New York City. We
watch him wandering the streets,
sleeping on benches, going to shelters,
visiting offices of city officials,
occasionally accompanied by a garrulous Ben
Vereen, a
former jazz musician, now homeless. Gere
obviously has a confused mind, no
identification, and needs medical
attention. He has a daughter, employed
as a bartender, who rejects him, as he
had abandoned her ten years previously.
It is a grim tale, and, again, an
overlong film. A Q & A with the star and
the director followed the screening.
Jauja,
by Lisandro
Alonso, Argentina/
Denmark/France/Mexico/USA/Germany/Brazil,
2014, is a beautifully photographed
film, starring Viggo
Mortensen as
a Danish military engineer in Patagonia
with his teenage daughter in the
nineteenth century. When she disappears
with a young soldier, he searches for
her. Up to that point, the film makes
sense. Afterwards, we have a scene with
an old, white woman living in a cave,
spouting her philosophy. And finally, a
modern day scene of a beautiful mansion
in Denmark, where a teenage girl
awakens, and wanders around with one of
her dogs. We never learn what happens to
Mortensen nor his daughter. With many
dogs in the film, it is probably a
shaggy dog tale.
Whiplash, by Damien
Chazelle, USA, 2014, is about an
obsessed first year jazz drummer (Miles
Teller) at a music conservatory, who
wants to be the finest, or, at least,
one of the finest drummers in the world.
His teacher (J.K.
Simmons) is sadistic disciplinarian,
who terrorizes his students to achieve
results. Musicians and jazz lovers will
enjoy this film. There is plenty of
music, and the acting by the two leads
is terrific. This young filmmaker is one
to watch. He has made an incredible
film. A Q & A followed the screening
with Simmons and the director.
Gone Girl, by David
Fincher, USA, 2014, is based on the
best selling novel by Gillian
Flynn, who wrote the script. Ben
Affleck returns
home one morning to find his wife (Rosamund
Pike) has disappeared. On
circumstantial evidence, he is accused
of her murder. The film also tells of
how the marriage became sour, as he
tells his version, and her diary is read
in voiceover telling her version of
their destructive marriage. There are so
many twists and turns to the story, as
neither spouse is what he or she seems
to be. The acting is first rate, and the
photography captures the film noir
perfectly. That said, it is a
far-fetched tale, with a couple of
horrendous scenes; but, it consistently
grabs the attention of the audience,
and, in fact, I found it entertaining.
09-24-14 Cat members (L-R) Gia Crovatin. Elizabeth Reaser. Frederick Weller.
Callie Thorne at the opening night party for "The Money Shot" at 49 Grove.
49 Grove St. Monday night. 09-22-14
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