The Master

“The Master” stars Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Joaquin Phoenix with wasted appearances by Amy Adams and, Laura Dern,  A quality cast is working with virtually nothing of substance in this film  written and directed by Paul  Thomas Anderson.  Mr. Anderson should have had someone help him edit and delete many superfluous scenes, unnecessary dialogue and perhaps even give the film a beginning, a middle and an end, none of which can be found in its 2 hours and 15 plus minutes of footage.

Notwithstanding the surprising number of praises and accolades from the mucky mucks and professional nabobs, this is not a good film. The actors can use their performances as terrific vehicles for demonstrating their obvious individual skills but they don’t assimilate well in the movie in which they are performing

Spotty scene changes and meaningless and confusing plot lines make me wonder how any of these self-acclaimed professional movie critics can keep their jobs. They didn’t just like the film, they loved it. I kept waiting for the film to develop and become meaningful but it never happened. With kindness I give the film a 2 star rating, mainly because of Messrs. Hoffman and Phoenix’ performances. The writing and directing, however, in my opinion, leave much to be desired.

 

Arbitrage

“Arbitrage” is a film written and directed by Nicholas Jarecki and stars Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon and Tim Roth.. The word “arbitrage” is defined as “the simultaneous purchase and sale of an asset in order to profit from a difference in the price”. As a result the title of the film doesn’t really coincide with the story it tells. In fact, the only thing the word and the story have in common is that they both take place in the financial world…and that’s where the similarity ends. This is a tale of high level finance and personal drama that will hold your interest regardless of the sometimes concocted plot variances. A superb performance by Tim Roth, a predictable performance by Mr. Gere and a somewhat miscast Susan Sarandon neither add nor detract from the ability of the film to hold your interest since the writing, but for a few flaws, is quite good. The test of any movie is “Did I enjoy the experience” and to this I answer “yes”. Of special note is the fact that, instead of going to the local AMC theater, I watched it on the television set in my den as a result of an arrangement the distributor, Lionsgate, apparently made with Time Warner Cable so that with “On Demand” capability, I watched the film in the relaxed atmosphere of my den even though it was concurrently in its initial theatrical release in local movie houses. This speaks well of the film for certainly the movie house  experience tends to enhance one’s viewing pleasure. This film’s 100 minutes of footage was easy to watch even in my own personal venue. I give the film 3 stars and recommend it regardless where you may end up seeing it.

The Intouchables

“The Intouchables” is a French film written and directed by Eric Toledano and Olivier Nakache. It stars Francois Cluzet and Omar Sy and tells the true story of a disabled and paralyzed man who hires a native of Senegal as a care provider. For some reason or another I had not seen the film in its initial release period but heard others constantly rave about it. Finally, realizing that its run was coming to an end, I went to see it in one of the 4 or 5 local independent movie houses still showing tt. It’s always difficult to view a film with a history of so many accolades and such positive reactions from friends and acquaintances. My exceedingly high expectations, although not totally met, were indeed catered to and, to a great extent, realized. The subject matter, as difficult as it would appear to be, is handled so well by the writer/director team and never becomes awkward or difficult to experience. In fact, the humor exhibited by both actors helps the film keep its humanity and, in the end, surprised and relieved, I  left the film with my spirits uplifted. I give the film 3 and ½ stars. One interesting note. One of the members in my group who saw the film thought it  was in English. It wasn’t but it does speak well of the film and its ability to cross sub-title lines so that one viewer, at least, couldn’t tell the difference..