Brüno - 2 stars out of 10
"Brüno" is beyond offensive. Riding on the coattails of "Borat," Sacha Baron Cohen tries to duplicate the success of his candid exploitation of unknowing bystanders; unfortunately, all that he ended up with was an endless display of uncomfortable shock value gay-bashing. Where "Borat" is funny through its situational irony that cleverly explores the character's ignorance toward American culture, "Brüno" uses the same gay joke over and over again through gratuitous sexual content. The candid reactions of the film's cast are not entertaining because I feel bad for these poor "victims" (and audience members) as they are forced to see his private parts during the film. There is nothing likeable about the Brüno (in fact, he is one of the most annoying characters that I have ever seen) and I wish that Sacha Baron Cohen would have been smart enough to go out on a high note with "Borat."
Saturday, December 22, 2012
Friday, December 21, 2012
L'Heure d'été (Summer Hours) - 3 stars out of 10
L'Heure d'été (Summer Hours) - 3 stars out of 10
"L'Heure d'été" was a bit slow for my taste. I love Juliette Binoche and Edith Scob had some nice delivery of her dialogue, but it honestly took over three hours to get through this film because I kept falling asleep. The story is interesting as it shows how the lives of three children went in completely opposite directions and how their perspectives on dividing up their deceased mother's estate are completely different depending on their personal circumstances. I liked all of the references to art but feel that the art aspect was underplayed. "L'Heure d'ete" has some interesting content but for me, it fell flat as a whole.
"L'Heure d'été" was a bit slow for my taste. I love Juliette Binoche and Edith Scob had some nice delivery of her dialogue, but it honestly took over three hours to get through this film because I kept falling asleep. The story is interesting as it shows how the lives of three children went in completely opposite directions and how their perspectives on dividing up their deceased mother's estate are completely different depending on their personal circumstances. I liked all of the references to art but feel that the art aspect was underplayed. "L'Heure d'ete" has some interesting content but for me, it fell flat as a whole.
Thursday, December 20, 2012
The Pirates of Penzance (1983) - 10 stars out of 10
The Pirates of Penzance (1983) - 10 stars out of 10
"The Pirates of Penzance" is a perfect telling of Gilbert and Sullivan's famed operetta. Having a great familiarity and affinity for the show, I approached this film with a critical eye but was thrilled with my findings. The sets are awesome, bringing the story the life while still giving it a "stage" feel. The adaptation of the orchestration to include modern instruments was also interesting and never detracted from the show. When I read some of the names on the cast list, I wondered how these actors could play these roles, but this is actually one of the most perfectly cast films that I have ever seen. Kevin Kline's performance as the Pirate King absolutely dominates the film, from the buffoonery of his interactions with the Major General to the moment when he pretends to pass out during "My Eyes Are Fully Open." Angela Lansbury is not a voice that I would generally associate with Ruth but her acting is so superb that it doesn't even matter. Linda Ronstadt is cute as Mabel but is quickly forgotten because she plays opposite of Rex Smith as Frederic. His over-the-top rock star moment when he sings for the daughters with the wind in his hair says it all. Finally, George Rose IS the Modern Major General and nobody else could play this role so well. This film is so good that it will take 3 hours to watch once you've rewound and rewatched all of your favorite songs 2 or 3 times.
"The Pirates of Penzance" is a perfect telling of Gilbert and Sullivan's famed operetta. Having a great familiarity and affinity for the show, I approached this film with a critical eye but was thrilled with my findings. The sets are awesome, bringing the story the life while still giving it a "stage" feel. The adaptation of the orchestration to include modern instruments was also interesting and never detracted from the show. When I read some of the names on the cast list, I wondered how these actors could play these roles, but this is actually one of the most perfectly cast films that I have ever seen. Kevin Kline's performance as the Pirate King absolutely dominates the film, from the buffoonery of his interactions with the Major General to the moment when he pretends to pass out during "My Eyes Are Fully Open." Angela Lansbury is not a voice that I would generally associate with Ruth but her acting is so superb that it doesn't even matter. Linda Ronstadt is cute as Mabel but is quickly forgotten because she plays opposite of Rex Smith as Frederic. His over-the-top rock star moment when he sings for the daughters with the wind in his hair says it all. Finally, George Rose IS the Modern Major General and nobody else could play this role so well. This film is so good that it will take 3 hours to watch once you've rewound and rewatched all of your favorite songs 2 or 3 times.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)