Out to own today:
Far From the Madding Crowd
 | “I am much too independent for you,” Bathsheba Everdene (Carey Mulligan) to Gabriel Oak (Matthias Schoenaerts) Costume dramas are now so polished, that emanation of class (of the stylish excellence variety, rather than the social ordering of society - though that naturally follows) must be a given. An unsurprising expectation of Brit thespians coming along to cement that aura of competence continues either the reassurance or reduces anticipation. Then a Martin Scorsese arrives to shake things up with THE AGE OF INNOCENCE or Ang Lee wows with RIDE WITH THE DEVIL or Amma Asante takes the genre to a different level in BELLE. One hoped that director Thomas Vinterberg would bring his FESTEN dark mischief. Lead Bathseba early on states to her new employees, “It is my intention to astonish you all.” This version of Tom Hardy’s classic novel does not do that. Capability oozes of course, but hardly sets the pulse racing. [To read more, click here.] |
Bad Words
 | “I’m not good at a lot of stuff, especially thinking things through,” Guy Trilby (Jason Bateman) So says the opening voice over. Is it designed to soften our judgement of the irascible protagonist? Thankfully the crutch is thrown away, and we are allowed to revel in a character so foul-mouthed and angry, whose hilariously eviscerating put-downs save him from being unpalatable. How refreshing to have someone so bile-soaked. Bravo to Jason Bateman for his directorial debut, which he also stars in. The option of tackling middle of the road fluff may have been tempting; instead he takes Andrew Dodge’s sharp script and makes it his own. [To read more, click here.] |
Phoenix
 | “I can’t stand German songs anymore,” Lene Winter (Nina Kunzendorf) The unspoken. The space in between words. There is where director Christian Petzold excels in, aided by simpatico collaborator, actress Nina Hoss. Articulating the immediate aftermath of the horrors of the Holocaust is conveyed through ellipses; deftly allowing audience imagination to fill the gaps. That Stanley Kubrick never made THE ARYAN PAPERS shows the complexity of fathoming such atrocity. [To read more, click here.] |
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