On Further Review: Gigi
I had seen Gigi (1958) three times before sitting down to watch it again last night. Producer Arthur Freed and director Vincente Minnelli’s grand MGM musical, written by Lerner & Loewe (My Fair Lady), certainly isn’t the greatest movie musical of all-time. But it is highly entertaining with grade A production values. Watching it again, I experienced many of the same emotions that I had in my previous viewings. The elation that comes every time I see Gigi (Leslie Caron), Gaston (Louis Jourdan), and Mamita (Hermione Gingold) break into “The Night They Invented Champagne.” The shared feeling of nostalgia from listening to Honoré (Maurice Chevalier) and Mamita sing “I Remember it Well.” The delight as you realize Gaston is falling for Gigi not as a courtesan in training, but as a spirited, unaffected Parisian girl. The charm of Paris...
Read MoreQuickie: Religulous
Religulous (2008)–*** Quickie Review Comedian Bill Maher takes us on trips to small town churches, the holy sites of world religions, and a few Christian-themed tourist traps to make his point: Religion is not only illogical, but also dangerous. A hilarious, biting indictment of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, this Larry Charles-directed documentary would be considered offensive if I thought anyone watching it disagreed with the tour guide. The film tends to, if you’ll pardon the cliché, preach to the choir. Lucky for those of us in the pews, this preacher is hip, funny, and pretty damn smart. Featuring an ex-Jew for Jesus, gay Muslims, a heterosexual gay man, a pious scientist, and a guy who plays Jesus at the Holy Land theme...
Read MoreMovie Review: Slacker Uprising
Slacker Uprising (2008)–No Stars There’s a reason why Michael Moore’s Slacker Uprising was distributed for free via the Internet: No one would pay good money to see this movie. The dull, dour narrative, which follows Moore’s college tour ahead of the 2004 presidential election, promotes the right wing characterization of Moore as a shameless self-promoter. It rarely works as an informational tool. It doesn’t even reach the level of a mediocre concert film. It’s a bad movie. I was tempted to finish that last paragraph by writing “all politics aside.” But unlike Moore’s masterful weaving of tales of corporate greed hitting the little guy, Slacker Uprising is all politics. It’s painful preaching to the choir that feeds off the steaming hatred many people have for our current president. It lacks a genuine attempt to move forward. No documentary about...
Read MoreQuickie: Burn After Reading
Burn After Reading (2008)–** Quickie Review A pair of gym trainers find a disk containing the memoirs of an ex-CIA agent and attempt to blackmail the agent for cosmetic surgery money. What could have been another superb Coen Brothers anti-thriller in the vein of Fargo turns into a sad spy farce. The layered characters are barely visible behind caricatures played to excess by a cast too good to look this bad. There’s a smart film beyond the static, I just wish we could have seen it. Starring George Clooney, Brad Pitt, John Malkovich, Frances McDormand and Tilda...
Read MoreMovie Review: The House Bunny
The House Bunny (2008)–**1/2 The House Bunny is flavored lip gloss. At first read, that might be considered a bad thing. But this light-hearted comedy starring Scary Movie comedienne Anna Faris is wrapped in a sweet, colorful coating of joy. It’s hard not to smile, even when you’re cringing. In the cut throat world of Playboy Bunnies, Shelly (Faris) is on her way out. She’s spent all of her adult life in the Playboy Mansion, but one letter, apparently from Hugh Hefner, tells Shelly that she needs to pack her bags. When she asks why Hef would let her go, one of the house boys tells the 27-year-old that she is too old. She’s “59 in bunny years.” Without a job or a home, Shelly hits the streets, stumbling upon a lesser Playboy Mansion: A sorority house. The first...
Read MoreQuickie: Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Vicky Christina Barcelona (2008)–***1/2 Quickie Review Vicky: …you’re trying to lose yourself in empty sex. Juan Antonio: Empty sex? Do you have such a low opinion of yourself? Two American tourists on vacation in Barcelona get caught up in love affair with an artist and his unstable ex-wife. This scrumptious and entertaining drama from aging auteur Woody Allen woes the audience with its uber-sexy cast and beautiful locales. Once we are engaged, Allen works his magic, challenging us with complex relationships, celebrating sexual liberation, and making us laugh a little in the process. It’s not classic Woody, but watching the director work with his latest muse, Scarlett Johansson (as Cristina), and an international all-star cast shows there are still some new tricks in this old dog. Also starring Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz, Patricia Clarkson, and Rebecca Hall as...
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