Category Archive: FILM
Triangle of Sadness
(writer and director Ruben Östlund) (2022, Foxtel) In the 1988 movie Funny Farm, hapless writer Andy Farmer (Chevy Chase) is asked whether his novel in progress is comedy, action or adventure. He replies, gleefully: “It’s all three”. Triangle of Sadness is a dreadful melange too and there’s nothing to be gleeful about. It’s a bore. Östlund didn’t know if he was making a gross-out, social satire, or survival movie. It is, in fact, a poorly executed scramble of all three, mixed with a bit of luxury yacht-and-model-porn. Östlund puts a stereotypical bunch of wealthy cruise-goers on board the SS Minnow…
Continue Reading →Can You Ever Forgive Me?
(Directed by Marielle Heller, 2018) We were familiar with Ms. Heller’s work through that deceptively small film, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, and here, as there, she clearly is the Goddess of Small Things, able to turn an interior work into something a bit special. The story is ‘sort-of-true.’ Worthy but down-and-out and written-out journeyman writer, Lee Israel (Melissa McCarthy, who was in the terrific comedy Bridesmaids) has rent and bills past due, can’t keep a job because of poor interpersonal skills, can’t afford veterinary treatment for her cat, Jersey, has a drinking problem, and an agent (Jane Curtin,…
Continue Reading →Living
(Directed by Oliver Hermanus, 2022) Well, this is a new idea for a story! A reserved and disciplined person of a certain age gets a terminal diagnosis and decides to LIVE before he shuffles off. Mr. Williams (Bill Nighy) is a decent enough chap but frosty (and is in fact referred to as ‘Mr. Zombie’) in a middle management civil service position*. The table of junior civil servants over which he presides (stiffly and politely, of course) is piled ridiculously high, with towers of aged paper and nothing ever gets done. After the appropriately stiff upper-lipped scene with the specialist,…
Continue Reading →NoScars
These great film performances didn’t win an Oscar – so who cares? The Oscars have been a joke for decades, and the presentation doesn’t even live up to Johnny Carson’s famous description: “2 hours of sparkling entertainment packed into a 5-hour show.” Most of us know that when it comes to the Oscars, those people ain’t right. Disclaimer: When we say, for example, that De Niro gave a great performance in Taxi Driver, we are not having a shot at Peter Finch, who won the Oscar in that year. On the other hand, when Judy Garland didn’t win in 1954…..TVC…
Continue Reading →The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent
(Directed by Tom Gormican, 2022) It’s just silly. Hell, it’s Goofy. But as a buddy movie, it has some hilarious bits, until it goes into Full Utter Cage Kick-Ass-Action Mode (F.U.C.K.) and peters-out with a whimper. Nicolas Cage (Nicolas Cage) is in a slump. His agent has no good news, except he can clear his debts if he agrees to a guest appearance at a birthday party in Mallorca thrown by a rich fan, Javi Gutierrez. That rich fan (the very funny Pedro Pascal), is developing a script for Nic, despite the actor’s declared intention to retire. Javi’s persistence wilts…
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