FOTV – Saturday 1003 to Friday 1603
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sw12expat
Mar 8, 2012, 11:19:42 AM3/8/12
to MovieNerds2
Just a few films you may find of interest (rated * to ****)
Saturday 1003
*** THE BIG LEBOWSKI (UK/US 1998) C19, 2100-2320 AND 0020-0235; Jeff
Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi, Tara Reid; The
Coen Brothers' follow-up to "Fargo" is just a case of mistaken
identity spiced up with some great performances (particularly from JM
and SB – the former as an exponent of "vaginal art"), some great
jokes, and some wonderful left-of-centre enigmatic comments.
*** ORPHAN (US/Canadian 2009) C4, 2230-0045 (C13, 2330-0145); Vera
Farmiga, Peter Sarsgaard, Isabelle Fuhrman; Well done horror which
uses its long-ish running time to develop and embellish the plot
(about VF and PS adopting a violent little Russian girl) instead of
simply piling on grisly horror sequences.
*** SPIDER (UK/Canadian 2002) C2, 0100-0235; Ralph Fiennes, Miranda
Richardson, Gabriel Byrne, Lynn Redgrave; A distinct change for
director David Cronenberg: a compelling 'little' movie (with no sci-fi
gadgetry in sight) set in London, in which ex-mental patient RF
imagines himself back with his alcoholic father and long suffering
mother. A slow delight, all the better for not being the lavish
mystery you expect.
Sunday 1103
***½ MARCH OF THE PENGUINS / La Marche De L'Empereur (US/French 2005)
C10, 0805-0940; Documentary, narrated by Morgan Freeman, on the
breeding rituals of the Emperor Penguin in Antarctica.
**½ THE BOYS FROM BRAZIL (US 1978) C5, 2310-0135 (C44, 0010-0235);
Laurence Olivier, Gregory Peck, James Mason, Lilli Palmer, Michael
Gough; Simplistic rendition of Ira Levin's compelling novel, which
was so brilliantly written it never gave you a chance to register
disbelief. But here the central plot (ex-Nazi GP intends killing 94
specified elderly men in 2½ years) is blown by a series of bewildering
performances.
Tuesday 1303
**½ GOYA'S GHOSTS (Spanish 2006) C15, 0135-0345; Javier Bardem,
Natalie Portman, Stellan Skarsgård; In 1792 Spain, the Inquisition
imprisons, tortures, and rapes NP, one of the artist Goya's models. A
capsule review of director Milos Forman's film might read "Nice people
and visuals, shame about the narrative". JB, NP (x2 – she plays mother
and daughter), and SS get under the skin of their characters, but the
story is cloudy, jumps around (even leaping 15 years after Portman's
imprisonment), and rarely involves you. Filmed in English.
Wednesday 1403
** TRANSAMERICA (US 2005) C15, 0130-0335; Felicity Huffman, Kevin
Zegers, Elizabeth Peña, Graham Green; Straightforward road movie in
which neither of the lead characters is a practising heterosexual WASP
(FH is a transexual awaiting gender realignment; KZ is in jail for
being a rent boy), and so we're supposed to see it as refreshingly
different from the norm. Director Duncan Tucker seems to be saying "so
what if FH and KZ aren't the people you're used to seeing in Hollywood
films: they're still average people". Well, yes, but so what?
Saturday 1003
*** THE BIG LEBOWSKI (UK/US 1998) C19, 2100-2320 AND 0020-0235; Jeff
Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi, Tara Reid; The
Coen Brothers' follow-up to "Fargo" is just a case of mistaken
identity spiced up with some great performances (particularly from JM
and SB – the former as an exponent of "vaginal art"), some great
jokes, and some wonderful left-of-centre enigmatic comments.
*** ORPHAN (US/Canadian 2009) C4, 2230-0045 (C13, 2330-0145); Vera
Farmiga, Peter Sarsgaard, Isabelle Fuhrman; Well done horror which
uses its long-ish running time to develop and embellish the plot
(about VF and PS adopting a violent little Russian girl) instead of
simply piling on grisly horror sequences.
*** SPIDER (UK/Canadian 2002) C2, 0100-0235; Ralph Fiennes, Miranda
Richardson, Gabriel Byrne, Lynn Redgrave; A distinct change for
director David Cronenberg: a compelling 'little' movie (with no sci-fi
gadgetry in sight) set in London, in which ex-mental patient RF
imagines himself back with his alcoholic father and long suffering
mother. A slow delight, all the better for not being the lavish
mystery you expect.
Sunday 1103
***½ MARCH OF THE PENGUINS / La Marche De L'Empereur (US/French 2005)
C10, 0805-0940; Documentary, narrated by Morgan Freeman, on the
breeding rituals of the Emperor Penguin in Antarctica.
**½ THE BOYS FROM BRAZIL (US 1978) C5, 2310-0135 (C44, 0010-0235);
Laurence Olivier, Gregory Peck, James Mason, Lilli Palmer, Michael
Gough; Simplistic rendition of Ira Levin's compelling novel, which
was so brilliantly written it never gave you a chance to register
disbelief. But here the central plot (ex-Nazi GP intends killing 94
specified elderly men in 2½ years) is blown by a series of bewildering
performances.
Tuesday 1303
**½ GOYA'S GHOSTS (Spanish 2006) C15, 0135-0345; Javier Bardem,
Natalie Portman, Stellan Skarsgård; In 1792 Spain, the Inquisition
imprisons, tortures, and rapes NP, one of the artist Goya's models. A
capsule review of director Milos Forman's film might read "Nice people
and visuals, shame about the narrative". JB, NP (x2 – she plays mother
and daughter), and SS get under the skin of their characters, but the
story is cloudy, jumps around (even leaping 15 years after Portman's
imprisonment), and rarely involves you. Filmed in English.
Wednesday 1403
** TRANSAMERICA (US 2005) C15, 0130-0335; Felicity Huffman, Kevin
Zegers, Elizabeth Peña, Graham Green; Straightforward road movie in
which neither of the lead characters is a practising heterosexual WASP
(FH is a transexual awaiting gender realignment; KZ is in jail for
being a rent boy), and so we're supposed to see it as refreshingly
different from the norm. Director Duncan Tucker seems to be saying "so
what if FH and KZ aren't the people you're used to seeing in Hollywood
films: they're still average people". Well, yes, but so what?
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