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Susan Granger’s review of “Get Low” (Sony Classics)
Robert Duvall astonishes with the authenticity of his style, his skill and his overall knockout performance in this uniquely American folktale; it’s an actor’s showcase if there ever was one.
Set in East Tennessee in the Depression-era 1930s, Felix Bush (Duvall) was a prominent Southerner until he mysteriously disappeared into the backwoods 40 years ago and became an angry, eccentric hermit, living in a hand-hewn cabin and adjacent barn with a shotgun always at his side and only his beloved mule as company. Then, suddenly, he decides that he’d like to know – in advance – what people are going to say about him after he dies. He realizes that he has become a local legend, whispered about among the curious townsfolk. So Felix contacts the somewhat shady mortician, Frank Quinn (Bill Murray), and his eager young assistant, Buddy Robinson (Lucas Black), expressing his bizarre wish to “get low” and hold a mock “living funeral” to which anyone who has ever heard a story about him is invited as long as they’re willing to tell the tale in public. In addition, wily Felix proposes selling five-dollar tickets to a raffle that day for his 300 acres of virgin timberland. But what no one except widowed Mattie Darrow (Sissy Spacek) and an Illinois preacher named Charlie Jackson (Bill Cobbs) realizes is that dour, taciturn Felix’s conscience has been burdened with a shameful secret that he’s never revealed and he’s seeking redemption.
Co-written by Chris Provenzano (TV’s “Mad Men”) and C. Gaby Mitchell (“Blood Diamond”), who fictionalized the concept from a true 1938 incident, and directed as his first feature by Oscar-winning cinematographer/editor Aaron Schneider (“Two Soldiers”), this somewhat surreal, rural drama unfolds at its own leisurely, rather uneven and meandering pace, particularly in the beginning. Genuine to the last detail, including David Boyd’s photography and Jan A. Kaczmarek’s bluegrass music, it’s an excellent ensemble presentation and a subtle, yet compelling tour-de-force by Duvall.
On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Get Low” is an intriguing, unpredictable 9. It’s a slyly powerful, homespun fable.
Susan Granger’s review of “Mao’s Last Dancer” (Samuel Goldwyn Films)
Think “Billy Elliot” combined with “The Last Emperor” with a touch of “Rocky.” Only a master like Bruce Beresford could envision this sweeping, audacious adaptation of Chinese ballet dancer’s Li Cunxin’s memoirs with such emotional resonance.
Plucked from his peasant parents (Joan Chen, Wang Shuangbao) in an impoverished rural village in Shandong Province by Communist officials as part of Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution, 11 year-old Li is sent to Madame Mao’s ballet school in Beijing. Determined to bring pride to his family, perseverant Li embraces the strict, rigorous discipline and is granted the rare privilege of continuing his dance studies in the United States. Arriving in amazement in Texas as part of an exchange program, he experiences culture-shock but adjusts quickly, deeming his discoveries “fantastic,” adopting a different ideology, even falling in love with another dancer (Amanda Schull). Then to the horror of his host/guardian, Ben Stevenson (Bruce Greenwood), artistic director of the Houston Ballet, Li decides to defect, declaring his need to be “free,” enrolling an astute attorney (Kyle MacLachlan), and becoming embroiled in a political, emotional and ethical conflict that involves sacrificing all hope of ever seeing his family again.
Australian director Bruce Beresford’s films (“Breaker Morant,” “Tender Mercies,” “Crimes of the Heart,” “Driving Miss Daisy”) run an unmatchable gamut but what unites them is an unstoppable cinematic energy that’s at the heart of his understated, yet always vigorous style. Jan Sardi’s (“Shine”) complex, non-linear screenplay effortlessly shifts between Li’s life as a youngster and his present, his childhood experiences and adult dilemmas. Graeme Murphy’s dance sequences soar, and cinematographer Peter James drenches the screen in a torrent of resonating vivid images embodying the sights and sounds of China. As Li Cuxnin at different ages, Chi Cao (principal dancer at Birmingham Royal Ballet), Chengwo Guo (member of Australian Ballet Company) and Huang Wen Bin (aspiring Beijing gymnast) are sensational, as is Bruce Greenwood.
On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Mao’s Last Dancer” is an inspiring, enthralling 10. Great movies transport the audience – and this left me enriched and exhilarated.
Susan Granger’s review of “The Switch” (Miramax Films)
Although Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly gave this artificial-insemination comedy controversial publicity, it’s nevertheless a formulaic and utterly predictable romance.
This story begins in New York City seven years ago as Kassie (Jennifer Aniston) realizes her biological clock is ticking. Determined to be a mother despite her lack of a husband, she tells her neurotic best friend Wally (Jason Bateman) that she’s searching for the perfect sperm donor. When she decides on a handsome-yet-married man, Roland (Patrick Wilson), she throws an ‘insemination party’ and, unbeknownst to her, inebriated Wally surreptitiously substitutes his sperm for Roland’s in the bathroom. Then Kassie becomes pregnant and moves home to be with her family in Minnesota.
Seven years later, single mother Kassie is back in Manhattan with her precocious son, Sebastian (Thomas Robinson), whose dour resemblance to Bateman is unmistakable. Meanwhile, Roland is now divorced and courting Kassie. But Kassie has no idea that Wally is really Sebastian’s biological father. And what will happen when she finds out?
Based on Jeffrey Eugenides’ New Yorker short story called “Baster,” the cliché-riddled yet underwritten script is by Allen Loeb and directed by Josh Gordon and Will Speck (“Blades of Glory”), emerging as better than Jennifer Lopez’ “The Back-Up Plan,” yet paling beside the far funnier and more relevant “The Kids Are All Right” – all exploring somewhat the same concept. Credulity problem here is genetics. How could two blue-eyed, blond parents have a brown-eyed, dark-haired child?
While Jennifer Aniston displays her usual frantic perkiness, Jason Bateman specializes in melancholy prickliness, allowing moppet Thomas Robinson to steal every scene he’s in. Jeff Goldblum and Juliette Lewis are the main characters’ respective confidantes, and GMA’s Diane Sawyer makes a memorable cameo.
On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “The Switch” is a quirky, implausible 5. And since all of the genial, multimillionaire stars of TV’s ensemble “Friends” have attempted – and failed – at making a significant big screen impact, has anyone ever considered that, perhaps, they may, indeed, be smaller than life, rather than the opposite? Individually, they simply lack charisma.
Susan Granger’s review of “Nanny McPhee Returns” (Universal Pictures)
Rarely do sequels equal or exceed expectations but this comedy does, offering broad slapstick that’s guaranteed to elicit laughter from small children and their parents. Emma Thompson reprises the magical character she created in 2005’s “Nanny McPhee,” based on Christianna Brand’s “Nurse Matilda” books, not only starring but also writing the screenplay, as she did with the original.
Set during World War II, the family that the warty, uni-browed, snaggletoothed Mary Poppins-like Nanny visits this time is headed by a stressed-out mother who lives in the English countryside. While her soldier husband (Ewan McGregor) is off fighting, Mrs. Isabel Green (Maggie Gyllenhaal) and her three children – Norman (Asa Butterfield), Megsie (Lil Woods) and Vincent (Oscar Steer) – are struggling to survive. Their lives are further complicated by the arrival of two spoiled, precocious cousins – Cyril and Celia (Eros Vlahos, Rosie Taylor-Ritson) – who have been dispatched from London in a purple Rolls Royce to escape the bombing – and a scheming subplot attempt by their devious, despicable Uncle Phil (Rhys Ifans) to sell off their farm to pay off his gambling debts.
Nanny McPhee’s mission is to teach the tiny shrieking terrors five vital lessons that will leave the family “wanting” but not “needing” her services. And, curiously, as each virtuous message is learned, Nanny McPhee’s foreboding appearance becomes less ugly and scary. When it was released abroad earlier this year as “Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang,” the reference was to the bombs dropped by “enemy” planes on England during the Blitz.
Best known for her work on the Iraq-themed TV series “Generation Kill,” director Susannah White elicits fine performances from her entire cast, including sturdy supporting turns from Ralph Fiennes, Bill Bailey and Maggie Smith. The best scenes involve animals: flying piglets proficient at synchronized swimming, climbing trees and Scrabble, along with a pen-stealing baby elephant, flatulent black bird, barnyard mud and poo.
On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Nanny McPhee Returns” is an irreverent yet sweetly sentimental 7, a delightful late summer diversion.
Susan Granger’s review: “I Do, I Do” at the Westport Country Playhouse (2010-2011 season)
As Peter De Vries put it, “The bonds of matrimony are like any other bonds – they mature slowly.” And that bittersweet note is reflected by Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt in “I Do, I Do,” based on Jan de Hartog’s 1940s play “The Fourposter.”
Beginning with their wedding in 1898, “I Do, I Do” chronicles the joys and pains, trials and tribulations of the marriage between Agnes and Michael for the next 50 years, as they warble gentle, tell-tale songs like “I Love My Wife,” “Together Forever,” “The Honeymoon is Over,” “Nobody’s Perfect,” “Love Isn’t Everything,” “When the Kids Get Married,” “Someone Needs Me” and the poignant standard, “My Cup Runneth Over.”
When this two-character musical opened on Broadway in 1966, it was propelled by the star power of Robert Preston and Mary Martin, producer David Merrick and director Gower Champion. Which explain why this current production, starring Kate Baldwin and Lewis Cleale as the archetypal couple, is more of charming trifle. Yet it still has the same kind of frothy, endearing, light-hearted innocence that’s made Jones and Schmidt’s other musical, “The Fantasticks,” into the longest-running production on the American stage.
Acknowledged by a Tony Award nomination, along with the Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle, for her enchanting performance in the recent revival of “Finian’s Rainbow,” Kate Baldwin is sensational, which may explain why Lewis Cleale has a tough time keeping up with her, although his credentials are also impressive. Director Susan H. Schulman keeps the pace lively, centered around the large four-poster bed that occupies center stage on Wilson Chin’s simple, intimate set – with accolades to Devon Painter’s period costumes, Philip Rosenberg’s lighting and Domonic Sack’s sound.
“I Do, I Do” will run at the Westport Country Playhouse through Sept. 4th. For information, go to www.westportplayhouse.org or call 203-227-4177.
Susan’s DVD UPDATE for week of Friday, August 20th:
Popular teen songbird Miley Cyrus is ‘way out of her depth in the contrived, beach-set melodrama “The Last Song,” based on another tear-jerking novel by Nicholas Sparks (“The Notebook,” “Message in a Bottle,” “Dear John”) and co-starring Greg Kinnear and Miley’s real-life squeeze Liam Hemsworth.
Not much better is “Furry Vengeance,” a disappointing family film about endangered animals that conspire to harass a construction manager (Brendan Fraser) for a so-called “green” housing development that will, in fact, wipe out an entire Oregon forest. Nor is the action thriller “Dead Man Running” with recording artist/actor Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson as a vicious loan shark who is cashing in on all of his debts, or “The Assassin Next Door,” starring Olga Kurylenko as a sexy hit-woman seeking revenge on the mafia who have been forcing her to assassinate people on their behalf.
I do recommend “The Red Riding Trilogy,” an acclaimed trio of British neo-noir thrillers about a mysterious – and perhaps related – series of gruesome crimes in Northern England attributed to the Yorkshire Ripper in the 1970s and ‘80s. And “The Good, The Bad and the Weird,” a South Korean action adventure about Chinese bandits, directed by Kim Ji-Woon in the spaghetti Western style of Sergio Leone.
“Triage” is a direct-to-video drama about a battle-scarred war photographer (Colin Farrell) who returns from an assignment in Kurdistan without his partner.
And in “Breakfast Special: A Celebration of Great Morning Meals,” diverse “foodies” from around the country dish out little known facts, cooking tips and unique recipes.
PICKS OF THE WEEK: “The City of Your Final Destination” is James Ivory’s first film since the death of his longtime partner Ismail Merchant, continuing their elegant, exotic storytelling tradition. Starring Anthony Hopkins, Laura Linney and Charlotte Gainsbourg, it’s a journey into self-discovery, set on a huge plantation in Uruguay in South America. And in “Temple Grandin,” Claire Danes delivers an outstanding performance as an autistic woman who became an esteemed scientist whose innate sensitivity and understanding of animal behavior led her to revolutionize the American cattle industry.
Susan Granger’s review of “Cairo Time” (IFC Films)
If you’ve fantasized about visiting Egypt and never had the chance, this is it.
When women’s magazine writer Juliette Grant (Patricia Clarkson) arrives in Cairo to join her husband, Mark (Tom McCamus), a U.N. refugee camp organizer, for a vacation, she is met at the airport by Tareq (Alexander Siddig), his former security officer and colleague. He tells her that Mark’s been unavoidably detained in Gaza and graciously escorts her through the crowded streets and sweltering heat to her hotel.
Hours pass, days pass – and wistful, curious Juliette gradually ventures out from her hotel room to explore an ancient, mysterious city where blue-eyed, blond-haired, refined women are a curiosity and certainly not expected to be alone in the casbah. Feeling intimidated, embarrassed and uncomfortable with the unwanted male attention she attracts in this strange, misogynistic place, she asks Tareq, a courtly, sophisticated Muslim Arab, to show her the sights – and an intoxicating, unexpected relationship slowly develops, as they shop, smoke water pipes, take a sail down the Nile, play chess in his café, attend a traditional wedding in Alexandria and explore the pyramids at Giza.
Montreal writer/director Ruba Nadda, whose background is Syrian, crafts leisurely-paced performance piece that is propelled by two extraordinarily proficient actors: Patricia Clarkson and Alexander Siddig, who transcend the understated, often vapid dialogue. Acclaimed for her work in Woody Allen’s “Whatever Works” and “Vicky Cristina Barcelona,” the elegant, graceful, remarkably versatile Clarkson immediately elicits empathy for Juliette’s dilemma. So it’s Alexander Siddig who surprises. Born in the Sudan and raised in England, he’s perhaps best known as Dr. Julian Bashir on TV’s “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.” Since the demise of that sci-fi series, he’s delivered memorable turns in “Syriana” and “Clash of the Titans.” As Tareq, he exudes discreet Old World charm and charisma.
In addition, cinematographer Luc Montpellier, production designer Tamara Conboy and composer Niall Byrne create an appropriately exotic contemporary ambiance.
On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Cairo Time” is a subtle 6. It’s mature romance that’s geared to adult art-house audiences.
Susan Granger’s review of “The Expendables” (Lionsgate)
Whatever you think of this mucho macho male reunion movie, you have to admire 64 year-old writer/director/actor Sylvester Stallone for optioning David Callaham’s “Dirty Dozen”-like script, rewriting it to his own specifications, trying to revive his “Rocky,” “Rambo” glory days, and then assembling a tough-guy cast, including uncredited cameos by Bruce Willis and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. (It’s rumored that Steven Seagal and Jean-Claude Van Damme declined additional roles.)
Maintaining, “If the money’s good, we don’t care what the job is,” this battered, bickering band of hard-bodied mercenaries consists of their leader Barney Ross (Stallone), hotheaded knife expert Lee Christmas (British Jason Statham of “Transporter”), Chinese martial arts master Yin Yang (Jet Li), long-barrel weapon specialist Hale Caesar (former NFL player Terry Crews), cauliflowered-eared demolitions expert Toll Road (Ultimate Fighting champion Randy Couture), and psychotic sharp-shooter Gunnar Jensen (Dolph Lundgren, who was Stallone’s “Rocky IV” nemesis). Mickey Rourke plays Tool, Ross’s ex-Expendable buddy, who has retired to become a tattoo artist. When these fellows with improbable names are disguised as ornithologists from the Global Wildlife Conservancy and sent on a covert, CIA-funded mission to infiltrate the (fictional) South American country of Vilena to overthrow a ruthless despot, General Garza (David Zayas of TV’s “Dexter”), they discover that the cocaine-producing country is really run by a renegade CIA-agent (Eric Roberts) with wrestler “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and kickboxer Gary Daniels at his side. Subsequently, while trying to rescue the General’s idealistic daughter, Sandra (Giselle Itie), chaos, confusion and a barrage of violent explosions commences, turning everyone into virtual viscera or, as they put it, “red sauce and jello.”
The most memorable verbal banter occurs near the beginning when the shadowy CIA-agent known only as Mr. Church (Bruce Willis) offers the job to ex-Expendable Trench Mauser (Arnold Schwarzenegger), who turns it down, saying “I’m busy now.” “What’s his problem?” asks Church. “He wants to be President,” replies Ross. Cue laughter.
On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “The Expendables” is a savage, testosterone-propelled 6. Too bad the blast-from-the-past mayhem is so absurdly incoherent.
Susan Granger’s review of “Eat Pray Love” (Columbia Pictures/Sony)
Now I have to read Elizabeth Gilbert’s best-selling memoir – because this tepid travelogue of a self-involved yuppie writer can’t be what’s inspired so many women.
Radiant Julia Roberts plays Liz Gilbert, an ambivalent, well-to-do New Yorker who, after visiting an elderly guru (Hadi Subiyanto) in Bali, divorces her adoring husband Stephen (Billy Crudup) to embark on a New Age journey of self-discovery, beginning with a fling with a hunky, much younger actor, David (James Franco). Having seemingly unlimited time and money, she then decides to visit Italy – for the food – then India – to find God – and, finally, back to Indonesia – where, unbeknownst to her, awaits a delectable divorced Brazilian, Felipe (Javier Bardem), who’s smitten at first sight. But can Liz ever truly balance her need for independence with her longing to be loved?
Having achieved fame and fortune for creating the TV series “Nip/Tuck” and “Glee,” Ryan Murphy wrote the trivializing, episodic screenplay with Jennifer Salt and he directs it at what could be generously described as a leisurely pace with Robert Richardson’s cinematography emphasizing sumptuous scenery and succulent meals. Prominent Roman restaurants include L’Orso near Piazza Navona, famous for their antipasti, and Osteria Del Antiquario, between the Piazza and St. Peter’s, along with popular L’Antica Pizzeria Da Michele in Naples, which serves an awesome 180 pizzas every hour. And idealized, colorful scenes of these enlightening, edible orgies are spiced with appropriate music.
Wherever she goes on this earnest, if tedious, self-help quest, shrill, self-analyzing Liz makes empathetic female friends (Viola Davis, Tuva Novotny, Rushita Singh, Christine Hakim), but her most memorable encounter is at a Hindu ashram outside New Dehli, where she bonds with a cantankerous, straight-talking Texan, Richard (Richard Jenkins, delivering an authentic, astute performance), whom she accuses of “speaking in bumper stickers.” (As a side note: Roberts and her family reportedly converted from Christianity to Hinduism during the filming.)
On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Eat Pray Love” is an exotic, escapist, superficially spiritual 6. It’s shallow, indulgent, female wish-fulfillment, sailing off into the sunset.
Susan Granger’s review of “Scott Pilgrim vs. The World” (Universal Pictures)
Increasingly, movies are being made and marketed to a niche audience – and that was never more obvious than during the “surprise” screening of this techno-oriented romantic comedy at the recent Comic-Con in San Diego. Based on Bryan Lee O’Malley’s six-volume graphic series, it’s a coming-of-age story, set in Toronto.
The only thing 22 year-old Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) really loves is playing bass guitar in the garage band Sex Bob-omb, much to the consternation of his younger sister Stacey (Anna Kendrick), gay roommate Wallace Wells (Kieran Culkin) even fellow band members (Alison Pill, Johnny Simmons, Mark Webber). They blame his slacker mentality on his disappointment a year earlier when his then-girlfriend, aptly named Envy Adams (Brie Larson), not only broke his heart but became a rock star. And now he’s with Knives Chau (Ellen Wong), a soulful 17 year-old high school stalker.
But everything changes when Scott falls madly, passionately and obsessively in love with fantasy-inspired, fuchsia-haired hipster Ramona V. Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), who is burdened with “seven evil exes” whom Scott must vanquish to win her heart. And he does – in a series of colorful, action-packed, cartoonish duels, defeating caricatured suitors ranging from Chris Evans to Brandon Routh to Jason Schwartzman. These frenetically paced, artfully spliced skirmishes are musically linked together by alt-rock stars like Beck, Plumtree and Metric.
Steeped in a dizzying audio/visual barrage of synthesized pop culture references, British director/co-writer/producer Edgar Wright (“Shaun of the Dead,” “Hot Fuzz”), working with co-writer Michael Bacall, has successfully captured Bryan Lee O’Malley’s essential tone and timbre, encapsulating the angst of first romance and the empowerment of self-discovery, albeit in an overloaded, episodic format. Not surprisingly, Michael Cera once again nails the bright, sensitive and clueless insecurity, although it might have been a tad more interesting if he and scene-stealing Kieran Culkin had switched roles.
On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Scott Pilgrim vs. The World” is a splashy, stylish 7, specifically geared for youthful, hyperactive viewers who are familiar with contemporary video game/comic book culture.
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