Love, sex and deception rule the day in this psychological drama from director Ray Lawrence. Detective Leon Zat (Anthony LaPaglia) dives headlong into a missing-persons investigation just as he’s grappling with guilt about his extramarital affair. His case crisscrosses the lives of four couples, all of which have secrets — including Leon’s wife, Sonja (Kerry Armstrong), and her secret psychiatrist, Dr. Sommers (Barbara Hershey).
“1001 Films To See Before You Die” points out that this film is very Australian in tone and deed. In fact the actors are Australian. It was the first time we had ever seen Anthony LaPaglia (now appearing in the TV series “Without a Trace”) who is at the center of the film. He was born in Adelaid, South Australia.
The film is a “Crash” film, meaning that many plot threads interweave just as “lantana” is an Australian creeper bush with flowers on top but a mass of sharp, nasty branches underneath.
One detail that I always remember is that LaPaglia has stolen a tape recording of one of his wife’s psychiatry sessions in which the therapist asks her if she loves her husband. He is so guilty about having an affair that he cannot bring himself to listen to the answer. You will have to see the film to hear the answer.
Naïve young poet Ewan McGregor falls in love with cabaret star Nicole Kidman, and their ill-fated romance serves as a convenient peg on which to hang a dazzling array of numbers that span musical idioms (from snatches of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “The Sound of Music” to Madonna’s “Like a Virgin”). But the real star of the show is director Baz Luhrmann, who came up with this infectious concoction.
You will either love or hate this film which was recommended by “1001 Films to See Before You Die” and won 2 Oscars. At the very least you have to like musicals. If nothing else, you get to see yet another side of the multi-talented Ewan McGregor.
Oscar winner Russell Crowe is Maximus, whom Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris) had picked to succeed him. But Marcus’s son Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) snatches the throne, ordering Maximus dead. Instead, he’s enslaved and learns to be a skilled fighter. When the Coliseum opens for gladiator games, Maximus finally has the chance for revenge. Ridley Scott directs this vivid epic, winner of the Oscar and Golden Globe for best picture.
This film (recommended by “1001 Films to See Before You Die”) was the first film in which I ever saw Russell Crowe and every time I see him I think of this film. In fact the same is true for Joaquin Phoenix who makes a wonderful warped bad guy. By its nature this epic is violent. But just as important as the pomp and fighting is the human side of the story.
Interesting side fact: Oliver Reed (who plays Proximo) died during the filming and his remaining scenes were generated using a stand-in and computer-enhanced filmwork.
In three interwoven vignettes, Traffic offers disturbing snapshots of America’s drug war. Drug czar Michael Douglas sees his life turned upside down when the drug problem hits home, while Tijuana cop Benicio Del Toro tries to keep his hands clean — and stay alive. Meanwhile, Drug Enforcement Agency operatives arrest a major dealer, forcing his wife (Catherine Zeta-Jones) to take over the family business.
Recommended both by “1001 Films to See Before You Die” and “NY Times 1000 Best”, this film is in the “Crash” tradition of many separate interrelated plot threads. As such, the film can be confusing.
Besides violence (e.g. torture) there is much ugliness (e.g. The U.S. drug czar finally tracks down his cocaine-addicted daughter as she is prostituting herself to an old man in order to get drug money). Another main theme is governmental corruption. This film, which won 4 oscars, is not an easy watch.
Gifted British filmmaker Stephen Frears brings to the screen the troubled life of bold 1960s writer Joe Orton (Gary Oldman) in this portrait of an obsessive, controlling coupling set against history. Orton’s infamous relationship with his tempestuous lover, Kenneth Halliwell (Alfred Molina), fueled but also eventually destroyed Orton — literally and figuratively — at a time when the world didn’t at all embrace or understand homosexuality.
Absolutely not for everyone. Vulgar, explicit, no-holds-barred British film about a possibly talented playwright who was egocentric, cruel, and enjoyed taking chances. Watching this supposedly true biographical exposé was a bit like playing peeping tom. However, it WAS interesting. You are warned!
