Armchair Commentary

The Greatest Stories Ever Filmed

Easter is a great time to reconnect with the great Christian and Biblical stories, many of which have been captured in splendid and moving cinematic versions. Stirring films of the life of Christ and the saints can inspire the whole family. Here are a few of our favorites:

1. The Greatest Story Ever Told: Max von Sydow gives the performance of a lifetime as Jesus, equal parts godly and human, showing nuance, grief and deep love for his fellow (flawed) men. The Greatest Story Ever Told takes its sweet time in unfolding the life of Jesus, and some parts seem slow--but all of it is deeply felt and deeply moving.

2. Song of Bernadette: There was a time in the '40s and '50s when most of Hollywood was eager to star in or direct religious features. Song of Bernadette (1943) features one of the era's biggest stars, Jennifer Jones, as Bernadette, the simple French peasant girl who claimed to see visions of a "beautiful lady" near the town of Lourdes. Jones won an Oscar for Best Actress for her subtle yet fervent performance, and the cinematography is gorgeous as well.

3. Lilies of the Field: Sidney Poitier won an Oscar for his role in Lilies of the Field, playing a handyman passing through a small town in New Mexico. He ends up staying and helping a convent of nuns build their chapel, and faith takes form among the small group of new friends.

4. Jesus Christ Superstar: Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice were in top form when they composed this rock opera, and the score alone created pop-culture history. But the story of Jesus, told through a more earthy lens, is also very moving, and the conflict of some of the villains in the traditional telling--like Pontius Pilate--is portrayed with nuance. (Honorable musical mention to Godspell and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat)

 5. Jesus of Nazareth: This masterpiece by Franco Zeffirelli was originally made as a TV miniseries, detailling every known minute of the life of Jesus. Its all-star cast, including James Mason, Robert Powell, Olivia Hussey and Stacy Keach, is so glittery it's almost distracting, but the attention to period detail and the sense of solemnity give Jesus of Nazareth gravitas as well as accessibility. Watch this over the course of Easter Week.

6. The Last Temptation of Christ: Martin Scorsese's controversial film (not suitable for little ones) is actually quite moving in its way. Whether or not Jesus had a wishful dream that he could have been a regular man, and be spared his ultimate sacrifice, it doesn't diminish the choice he made to fulfill his destiny. If you haven't seen this film based on the protests that greeted its release in theaters, you owe it to yourself to watch it. Clearly Scorsese is a man of deep faith.

7. The Ten Commandments: Even now, Cecil B. DeMille's 1956 epic telling of the Old Testament saga of Moses and the Israelites is impressive. Charlton Heston and Yul Brynner have never been more magisterial, and the sheer size of DeMille's vision is moving and thought-provoking.

--A.T. Hurley

 

 

Veteran Character Actor Pete Postlethwaite, 64, Dies

Veteran British character actor Pete Postlethwaite, who made even small roles memorable over the last several decades, has died after a long battle with cancer. He was 64.

Postlethwaite was born in the north of England, and retained his working-class look and accent, which gave him distinction in his many acting roles. He spent many years steadily working in British television, and then burst into international acclaim for his Oscar-nominated performance opposite Daniel Day-Lewis in 1993's In the Name of the Father. He worked steadily ever since, giving memorable turns in Bryan Singer's The Usual Suspects and in the sweet British indie film Brassed Off, both in 1996.

Postlethwaite's other memorable roles include Amistad, The Shipping News, and The Constant Gardener. And just last year, he costarred with Leonardo DiCaprio in Inception.

Of acting, Postlethwaite once said, "Acting is all about telling lies. We are professional imposters and the audience accept that. We've made this deal that we tell you a tale and a pack of lies, but there will be a truth in it. You may enjoy it, or it will disturb you."

Steven Spielberg, who directed him in The Lost World: Jurassic Park as well as Amistad, once called Postlethwaite "the greatest actor in the world." We couldn't agree more--and we'll be playing "Danny Boy" today in his honor.

--A.T. Hurley

 

 

 

New Year's Resolutions You Can Keep: Watch This!

Sure, getting fit and eating better are great New Year's resolutions. But this year, why not focus on resolutions that will be easy to keep? That's right: this year, let's resolve to get caught up--or catch up our good friends--on the top buzzed-about films and TV series. You don't have premium cable? Overlooked some of the little gems on screens large and small? 2011 will be the year to set all that right:

1. Dexter -- Michael C. Hall is spellbinding as the serial killer with a conscience in Showtime's series, one of the best-written dramas in recent memory. If you don't have premium cable, don't sweat it--Dexter is great to catch up on via disc, when you can watch several episodes in a row. Each season has topped the previous, and it's best to start at the beginning of Season One. Watch for great (and dastardly) guest appearances by the likes of Jimmy Smits and John Lithgow. It's the most fun you'll have being super-creeped out.

2. The Kids Are All Right -- Lisa Cholodenko's little gem got great critical reviews but only so-so box office. But now that awards season is in full swing, more people are taking notice, and rightly so. Annette Bening, who hasn't graced movie screens in a long while, and Julianne Moore are terrific in this portrait of a family that's different, but full of love, and fully functional. (Follow it with The Who's The Kids Are Alright just for the name symmetry--and for another definition of  "all right.")

3. Breaking Bad -- Don Draper and Mad Men's  retro hipness have been in AMC's spotlight--rightly--this year. But AMC has been cranking out some other seriously great series, including Breaking Bad and the zombie-fest The Walking Dead. In Breaking Bad, Bryan Cranston is outstanding as a desperate middle-aged dad whose life is crumbling around him, so he takes up dealing meth to earn money. It's a harsher, more real and human version of Showtime's Weeds, and Cranston is a knockout.

4. The Stieg Larsson Trilogy Films -- Everyone spent most of 2010 reading The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played With Fire, and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. And Hollywood has naturally gotten its mitts on rights to remake the original Swedish films. But don't wait to see if the U.S. versions can possibly measure up; take your time with the moody, eloquent originals and immerse yourself in the spooky calm of the Swedish countryside--and deep mysteries solvable only by the fiercest heroine in recent memory.

5. Big Love--The HBO series about modern-day polygamists has been compuslively watchable--but now its producers have announced this coming season will be its last. So get caught up on the goings-on in Sandy, Utah, with Bill Hendrickson (the excellent Bill Paxton) and his many merry mates.

6. Friday Night Lights--A critical favorite, Friday Night Lights still struggles in its viewership, and every season in the last few has threatened to be its last. Don't let this little gem about Texas high school football--and the lives that surround it--get away from you this year.

7. Biggest Loser: Power Walk--OK, so you would like to get in shape in 2011? You can do that, too, with some help from your favorite TV pals. The new Biggest Loser workout, Power Walk, is approachable and doable for every fitness level. No expensive equipment to buy, just that great feeling that if the motivated folks on the TV series can do it, so can you.

Happy New Year!

--A.T. Hurley

 

 

 

Play It Again: The Best Movie Remakes

The Coen brothers have remade the 1969 John Wayne classic True Grit, and critics, while admiring the Coens' version, have also mused on whether it was necessary to remake a perfectly serviceable film. After all, Wayne won a Best Actor Oscar for his work in the original.

But Hollywood loves a sure thing, including movies that have been a success before. And sometimes, the remake is good--even better than the original. Here, some of our favorite remakes (in a later post, we'll share some of our least favorite):

1. The Dark Knight -- This chilling, creepy 2008 telling of the Batman legend may not technically be a remake of the 1989 Batman starring Michael Keaton, since Batman TV series, films, and animated features have been legion since the 1960s. But after several sequels, it was thought that the Warner Bros. franchise had run out of gas. Enter director Christopher Nolan and stars Christian Bale and especially Heath Ledger, whose portrayal of the Joker earned him a posthumous Oscar. Whatever doesn't kill you only...makes you...stranger.

2. His Girl Friday -- Howard Hawks' splendid 1940 screwball comedy actually had several lives before the dizzyingly paced one starring Rosalind Russell and Cary Grant. It started as a play by Ben Hecht, and was made into several films as The Front Page, notably in 1931 by Lewis Milestone. Interestingly, though His Girl Friday approaches perfection, it was remade at least twice afterward, too; once as a TV film and again in 1974 by Billy Wilder with Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon. But nothing can surpass the sparks generated between Russell and Grant.

3. Scarface -- The 1983 Al Pacino gangster film has become a legend since its release, and much of its tough, in-your-face dialogue and glorified violence has inspired legions of hip-hop artists and others. But fewer people know the Howard Hawks-directed version from 1932, starring Paul Muni. It's a worthy film in its way (and its unflinching violence barely skirted the Motion Picture Production Code). Yet it's Pacino's cool-as-diamonds portrayal that lifts Scarface from its genre.

4. Ocean's Eleven -- Eyebrows rose when director Steven Soderbergh announced he'd be remaking the quintessential Rat Pack film from 1960. But it turns out Soderbergh pulled off the perfect caper. His Ocean's Eleven made a star at long last of George Clooney, who sidled up to his costars including Don Cheadle, Brad Pitt, and Julia Roberts like he was having the time of his life. And so did audiences.

5. Sling Blade -- Billy Bob Thornton wrote both the 1996 version, which won a Best Screenplay Oscar and wide acclaim, as well as the short film that preceeded it in 1994, Some Folks Call It a Sling Blade. The first film was directed by George Hickenlooper (who died earlier this year of an apparent accidental overdose), and focuses only on the extremely creepy "exit" interview that Karl Childers gives before leaving the "nervous hospital." The viewer is captivated but left with an open-ended feeling of dread. The 1996 Sling Blade builds out the story of Karl after his release, showing his humanity and conscience, making it an altogether different experinece.

6. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV series) -- Kristy Swanson's career never really recovered from starring in the lame 1992 film version. But the 1997 Joss Whedon TV series made stars out of Sarah Michelle Gellar, Michelle Trachtenberg, Alyson Hannigan, James Marsters, David Boreanaz, Eliza Dushku, and Emma Caulfield. The key to TV Buffy's success was the writing and the strong character development. Whedon and his team of writers were not afraid to face the dark side, or to take big risks with plots. After all, Buffied died not once, but twice. And saved the world. A lot.

7. Heaven Can Wait -- It's not that there's anything wrong with the original, Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941). It's just that 1978's Heaven Can Wait starred the hottest couple of the day, Warren Beatty (never more appealing) and Julie Christie (feisty and delicious). The viewer can't help but want to see them together--in this life and the next.

What are your favorite movie remakes?

--A.T. Hurley

 

 

 

Grim and 'Grit': The Best and Worst Coen Brothers Films

The arrival of the Coen brothers' True Grit, which has gathered very strong reviews, is a great occasion on which to look back over the brothers' work--now spanning several decades. Ethan and Joel Coen, and their films, are impossible to categorize, veering as they do from comedy to drama to horror to, shall we say, eccentric. This may be because, as The Los Angeles Times' movie critic Kenneth Turan says, "Basically, they like to make movies for each other."

That said, film fans have loads to love in the oeuvre of the Coens. Here, a list of the best (and worst--or perhaps just "most eccentric") Coen films.

The Best

1.    Fargo (1996) -- Fargo won two Oscars, including Best Actress for star Frances McDormand (wife of Joel Coen). The film remains as crisp, hilarious, and outrageous as when it was first released. Somehow a pathetic kidnapping attempt, a body in a wood-chipper, and a small-town cop calmly doing her job despite inconvenient morning sickness add up to a real movie treasure.

2.    No Country for Old Men (2007) -- This tense and intense tale of violence, grand theft, deceit, and retribution won the Best Picture Oscar as well as three others. The cast is stellar, including breakthrough performances by Josh Brolin and Javier Bardem. The tension is palpable but the payoff is absolutely worth it. 

3.    O Brother Where Art Thou?  (2000) -- This goofball period piece is the closest thing the Coens have done to a musical, since its soundtrack, by producer T Bone Burnett, was as much a star as George Clooney. The Coens retell the legend of The Odyssey, through the distinct prism of Flannery O'Connor. It's a crowd-pleaser and a cineaste pleaser at the same time. "Damn, we're in a tight spot!" 

4.    The Hudsucker Proxy (1994) -- This little gem was all but overlooked when it was released, and it deserves a second chance. It's high on visual style as well as stylized performances. Tim Robbins has never been more puppy-like or endearing ("You know--for kids!"), and Jennifer Jason Leigh does a great channeling of Rosalind Russell in His Girl Friday. Paul Newman looks to be having the time of his life in his role as Mr. Big. Check it out.

5.    Miller's Crossing (1990) -- This Prohibition-era gangland opera made possible the likes of HBO's Boardwalk Empire. The mobsters here aren't romanticized, however, and their moral baseness makes the characters as off-putting as they are compelling. Gabriel Byrne has never been better.

6.    Blood Simple (1984) -- The Coens' first film landed with a splash and was instantly critically acclaimed. Audiences at first weren't quite sure of the dark, complicated plot (which showed just how deft at screenwriting the brothers are and would be), but its utter fearlessness, and the great ensemble cast, made this a modern twist on the investigator-checking-out-a-cheating-wife trope.

7.    Raising Arizona (1987) -- Some people had issues with kidnapping being treated as comedy when this was released, and it still is a little unnerving. What audiences now know is how deeply fascinated the Coens are with kidnapping, as it's recurred in many of their films. Holly Hunter and Nicolas Cage play a childless married couple that manage to be are despicable and delightful at the same time.  

8.    The Big Lebowski  (1998) -- It's become larger than life after its initial release, and the premise is delicious: What if you took a Raymond Chandler-esque mystery and plopped in The Dude (Jeff Bridges), a stoner lay-about, to play the Philip Marlowe character? There's really only half a movie here, as the plot runs out of gas toward the end. But the characters and their memorable lines ("The Dude abides") have developed an understandable cult following.  

The Worst:

1.    The Ladykillers (2004) -- Not since Bonfire of the Vanities has Tom Hanks been so miscast. He does his best, but he lacks the earnestness of, say, Clooney at his best, and Hanks kinds of drags down the whole show. But the writing and direction are also not as original or crisp. It's an admirable failure, but a failure nonetheless.

2.    The Man Who Wasn't There (2001) -- This one's got atmosphere to spare, and it's worth seeing for the moody cinematography alone. But the plot is thin, almost pasted on after the fact, as if the Coens realized too late they had very little story to bolster the broody feel of The Man Who Wasn't There.

3.    Intolerable Cruelty  (2003) -- It's not that the premise is off, and it's not that stars George Clooney and Catherine Zeta-Jones aren't capable of having great chemistry. It's just that the Coens, for all their many strengths, just have not mastered the romantic comedy, much less the screwball romantic comedy, that takes more than rapid-fire line delivery.

4.    Burn After Reading (2008) -- It should have worked, with a cast including Clooney, Brad Pitt, McDormand, John Malkovich, and Tilda Swinton. But the slapsticky schtick just feels off, and the harder the actors try to pull it off, the less engaging it is.

5.    A Serious Man (2008) -- This cryptic character study was a bit of a misfire, as critics and audiences alike really didn't know what to make of it.  

One final note: A few films, like Barton Fink, aren't on either list-- because depending on the day, they could land on either--or both--lists. So what are your favorite and least favorite Coen films? --A.T. Hurley

Director Blake Edwards, Master of Modern Screwball Comedy, Dies at 88

Writer-director Blake Edwards, whose body of work spanned the genres from the downright slapsticky (The Pink Panther, The Party) to thoughtful drama (Breakfast at Tiffany's, Days of Wine and Roses), has died at age 88.

Edwards, who had been married to actress Julie Andrews since 1969, began his career as an actor, but quickly became a successful writer in the 1950s in Hollywood. He was known mostly for his comedic work, especially films with Peter Sellers including the Pink Panther movies (with A Shot in the Dark possibly the funniest of the lot), as well as later comedies like 10, which made a star of Bo Derek.

Edwards also collaborated with Andrews on several films, including Darling Lili, Victor Victoria, and S.O.B.

And his dramas, though few, were affecting. Days of Wine and Roses shows in torturous detail the lives of an alcoholic married couple (Edwards publicly announced he quit drinking in the early '60s, after the release of the film). And Breakfast at Tiffany's, though it made a star of the sprightly Audrey Hepburn, was actually a rather dark drama about a conflicted young woman without much of a moral compass.

Still, it was for his comedies that Edwards was largely known. He was awarded an honorary lifetime achievement Oscar in 2004 for his work, which spanned more than four decades. Farewell, our huckleberry friend.

Read more about Blake Edwards' essential films.

-- A.T. Hurley