It's Complicated

.“It’s Complicated” stars Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin, Steve Martin, John Kasinski and Lake Bell. Written and directed by Nancy Myers (“Something’s Gotta Give”), this is a well written film whose 2 hours and 10 minutes flies by amidst a series of occurrences that befall Ms. Streep and Mr. Baldwin as they encounter the post-divorce emotions many couples feel and experience. The film would not be nearly as well viewed or as good were it not for the inimitable and unequalled talent of Meryl Streep who, as always, exemplifies the acme of good acting. One half smile or look from her can say and mean more than paragraphs of dialogue from a less talented actor. Mr. Baldwin takes comic risks in the film and is funny without being silly and the comedic instincts and performance of Mr. Kasinski add to the quality of the film as well. I liked the film principally because it moved at a fast and easy pace and was enjoyable to watch with some scenes prompting not just a smile but genuine laughter. However, enough cannot be said about Ms. Streep’s contribution to the final product for it’s hard to imagine anyone else capable of playing the role as well. No heavy or significant movie here, just a light tale of two people sorting out emotions and feelings as they explore and experiment about and with each other. I give it 3 stars because it stood the “I never looked at my watch” test and, yes, even caused me to feel some regret when the credits started to roll and I realized it had reached its end.

Nine

“Nine” is the Weinstein Company’s attempt to bring to the screen the Tony award winning musical that appeared on Broadway. It does not succeed. Based loosely on the persona of Federico Fellini (and Marcello Mastroianni) and the film “8 and ½ “, Daniel Day-Lewis stars in this saga of an Italian film director who transgresses throughout the film with the likes of women played by Penelope Cruz, Nicole Kidman, Judi Dench, Kate Hudson, Stacy Ferguson (“Fergie”), Sophia Loren and Marion Cotillard (“La Vie En Rose”). With the exception of Mlle. Cotillard, who plays Mr. Lewis’ wife, each of the other women listed participate in the film by singing a song in an extravagantly staged setting with most of the music extraneous to the film. “Nine” as a musical doesn’t survive because none of the songs are either tuneful or catchy. No worry about humming any of them after the show. You won’t. It certainly doesn’t succeed as a drama because there is no structure or firm direction. Watching this film, I kept waiting for each star to do his or her number so we could move on and end the movie’s duration. Even when the time came for each number to be sung, I couldn’t wait for it to be over. Also, in the climate of today’s headlines and morality, and especially watching major sport stars fall to the wayside as their infidelities are revealed, it’s hard to muster up sympathy and compassion for Mr. Lewis’ character as he juggles his life and loves like a circus performer in the center ring. Written by Michael Tolkin and the late Anthony Minghella, and directed by Rob Marshall (“Chicago”), the film offers nothing more than a showcase for the singing and dancing talents of some very glamorous ladies and, in my opinion, earns it 2 and ½ stars based solely on the serious and strong performance of Mr. Lewis and the very sensitive and beautiful portrayal of a dutiful but unappreciated spouse played by Marion Cotillard.

A Single Man

“A Single Man”, the new Weinstein Company release, stars Colin Firth, Mathew Goode and Julianna Moore in this screenplay co-written by Tom Ford (of fashion fame) and David Scearce. Based on the 1964 novel of the same name by Christopher Isherwood. Mr. Isherwood’s book was, in its time, a ground breaker as it sensitively depicted the trials and tribulations of a gay male professor in the early 60‘s. Directed by Mr. Ford, Colin Firth plays the subject of the story and, in doing so, gives what is probably the finest performance of his career. Able to portray and convey emotions with minimum dialogue, Mr. Firth lets us share all of his.feelings as he, the single man, experiences the occurrences that befall him and those in his immediate surroundings. This is one of those films where its entire structure is tied to the novel upon which it is based. As difficult as the chore would appear to be, Mr. Ford ably stays true to the story and allows the viewer to navigate through the myriad of emotions and frustrations facing its hero. I hesitate to imagine the film without Mr. Firth’s fine portrayal for he, in fact, is the film. I give this movie 3 stars in full recognition of Mr. Firth’s performance. He captures the character he portrays with such depth that it is difficult if not impossible to imagine anyone else in the role. It will indeed be a chore to try and select Best Actor from the trio of Mr. Firth and Messrs. Bridges and Clooney. Hooray for Hollywood for giving us such fine leading men to vote for and acknowledge

The Young Victoria

“The Young Victoria” is a film which came to be as the direct result of the untiring efforts and support of and from Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York. It is the story of a young monarch and the love of her life, Prince Albert. Emily Blunt stars in this bio-pic that appears bigger than the budget which constrained it with scenes in and outside of the castles and palaces that were part of the reign of the longest sitting monarch in British history. Lavish costumes and an able supporting cast with Rupert Friend, Paul Bettany, Miranda Richardson and Jim Broadbent help the Julian Fellows screenplay and directorial talents of Jean-Marc Vallee. However, make no mistake about it, the film belongs to Ms. Blunt who dominates it and each scene she is in with a royal quality befitting the character she is portraying. Produced by Graham King and Martin Scorcese, these film giants can be proud of their product to which I readily award 3 stars. In less capable hands, the film could have been too wordy and too dry. Kudos to Mr. Fellows and Monsieur Vallee for giving us what is basically a beautiful love story told under the umbrella of the royal family in mid-19th Century England.

Up In The Air

“Up In The Air” stars George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick and Jason Bateman in this film which was co-written and directed by Jason Reitman (“Juno”, “Thank You For Smoking”). Based on the novel by Walter Kirn, this is, beyond a doubt, one of Mr. Clooney’s finest performances as his character questions the values and benefits of being single and free of commitment versus having the company of a mate or as the film puts it, “having a co-pilot with you” throughout the journey of life. In the recent past, Mr. Clooney’s batting average has been quite low as very few of his films have been worth mentioning let alone seeing. This film defies the percentages and gives Mr. Clooney an opportunity to shine. He really is good and, when coupled with his performance, fine co-actors and a good director, the film earns and gets 3 and ½ stars..

The Last Station

“The Last Station” is a movie co-written by Michael Hoffman and Jay Panini and directed by Mr. Hoffman. It stars Helen Mirren, Christopher Plummer, Paul Giamatti and James McAvoy. This is an historical drama covering the last years in the life of Russian writer Leo Tolstoy and his struggle to balance his accumulated wealth with a self-proclaimed lifestyle free of material things. The film is filled with tremendous performances by Ms. Mirren and Mr. Plummer who totally enmesh themselves in their respective roles as Sofia and Leo Tolstoy. So, on paper and even having experienced this fine acting, it is a film that I really should have liked but, unfortunately, could not. I found it boring. The old sleep barometer crept up on me as I struggled to stay awake through the first half and follow the “action” (or non-action, as the case may be). As interesting as the life of Mr. and Mrs. Tolstoy may have been, the film falls short when evaluated as a pure entertainment vehicle. I give it 2 stars.

The Bad Lieutenant-Port of New Orleans

“The Bad Lieutenant-Port of New Orleans” is a remake of the Harvey Keitel classic and stars Nicholas Cage, Eve Mendes and Val Kilmer in this 2 hour and 10 minute film written by William Finkelstein and directed by Werner Herzog. Unlike the original’s NYC location, this film takes place in post-Katrina New Orleans and depicts the saga of a rogue police officer embroiled in all of the problems a law enforcement officer can possibly imagine. Mr. Cage, as a drug addicted cop, gives a superb performance and either goes close to or crosses the line between great acting and overacting, with the distinction quite difficult to delineate in many of his scenes. Muddled amidst a complex and complicated series of events, the picture loses much of its credibility as its conclusion conveniently accommodates all of the problems which arose in the preceding 2 hours of viewing. One gets the feeling that in the screening of the film prior to distribution, the comments of the viewers prompted script changes to make things “work out”. I give the film 2 and ½ stars with a notation that without Mr. Cage’s performance, it would have received much less.