Category Archives: Ballet

2014, Abandoned child, Ballet, Crude Talk, DNA, DO NOT MISS, Drama, Explicit sexual discussion, Failed Father, Father-son relations, Fatherless child, Gay theme, Happy ending, Kanopy streaming, Marijuana, Narcissist, Plot Twist, Promiscuity, Psychological Drama, Psychological Tension, Reconciliation, Revenge, Sexual promiscuity, Tender, Unhappy Marriage, Unusual

Match (2014)

From IMDB:

As a Juilliard professor is interviewed by a woman and her husband for her dissertation on the history of dance in 1960s New York City, it becomes increasingly clear that there are ulterior motives to the couple’s visit.

From Kanopy:

Patrick Stewart is riveting as a Manhattan ballet instructor concealing a sordid past in this explosive drama of sex, secrets, and lies based on the Tony(R)-nominated play.

From Kanopy you can stream this 1 hour 32 minute film drama.

There are three characters in this superb but harrowing drama:

  • Patrick Stewart plays the ballet teacher Tobi Powell.  His character is a mixture of guilt,  libertine,  and genuine caring for others.  WARNING:  His conversations offer some of the most explicit sexual discussions I have ever heard. You might be offended.
  • Carla Gugino plays Lisa Davis the unhappy wife of Mike Davis.
  • Mathew Lillard plays Mike Davis the policeman on a mission.

You may never have heard of Gugino or Lillard, but their IMDB resumés are extensive.

Once again, it would be worthwhile to join Kanopy (it costs nothing) just to see “Match”.

DO NOT MISS!

 

2011, Acceptable for teenagers, Action Film, Action sequences, Amazon Prime, B-movie, Ballet, Bureaucracy, Corny at times, Fantasy, Happy ending, Love Story, Mediocre, NOT violent, Ridiculous plot, Suspense

The Adjustment Bureau (2011)

From Amazon Prime:

A prominent politician meets a beautiful ballerina and instantly falls in love. However, when mysterious men conspire to keep the pair apart, he is forced to make the wrenching choice between his predetermined path and the only woman he has ever loved.

From Amazon Prime you can stream this 1 hour 46 minute romantic fantasy film.

Matt Damon has managed to keep getting acting roles.  As a person he is very appealing while as an actor he is so-so.  Speaking of so-so, so is this foolish plot. Supposedly there is this supernatural bureaucracy that plots the life of each person and keeps that plot in some magical notebook.  Need I go on?

Pleasant enough to watch. Give it a B minus.

2009, Ballet, Based on true facts, Detective, Disturbing Image, Imperfect, Mental Illness, Murder Investigation, Nudity, Psychological Thriller, Sex Scenes, Suspense, True Story, Unusual

In Her Skin (2009)

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From NetFlix:

When pretty 15-year-old Rachel (Kate Bell) goes missing, the police dismiss the incident as a runaway, but her parents don’t believe it. Soon everyone suspects envious 19-year-old Caroline (Ruth Bradley), a heavyset, acne-ridden daughter of a domineering father (Sam Neill). Simone North writes and directs this Australian drama, which is based on a 1999 news story. Guy Pearce and Miranda Otto also star.

Why does it seem that almost every Australian film I watch is somehow out of the ordinary or even a piece of eccentric originality? “In Her Skin” fits this description even though it is oddly imperfect in certain aspects.

Stay with the film because the beginning seems like a dull, ordinary film about a missing girl. What held my attention was the fact that the story is a true one based on a 1999 news story. You meet many familiar Australian film stars:

  • Guy Pearce (Rachel Barber’s father) is currently in “Prometheus” and “Lawless”. He has here a somewhat secondary role.
  • Sam Neill (Caroline’s father) plays an aloof, ego-centric, uncaring father. He was 62 during the filming. When he was a mere 30 years old he played Harry Beecham in “My Brilliant Career”, which was the first time I ever saw him.
  • Ruth Bradley (Caroline) was 22 at filming. She OWNS this film. She delivers a believable and utterly chilling portrayal of a psychotic who craves the approval of her cold fish of a father. In fact one thread that kept me interested was to see how and how soon her clever plot would unravel. This film is NOT a mystery. You get to watch Caroline’s unraveling in detail. Expect one ugly murder scene.

    If you look for Ruth Bradley in IMDB you see a photo of a very attractive woman. Somehow in this film she is anything but attractive. Conceivably she put on weight just for the film just as Robert De Niro did in “Raging Bull”.

Unfortunately the film drags on after the climax. We have to sit through a funeral, family grieving, and Caroline’s continuing fantasies in prison. However, at the very end the screen text tells us a bit about the Barber family.

One irritation for me was that the skeptical police who refused to investigate never seem to be admonished in the film. But then the film and story itself is more than enough of a reminder of their abject failure.

Worth watching if only because it is somewhat unusual.

2011, Ballet, Complicated, Could be boring, Fantasy, Flirting, Imperfect, Love Story, Religious Theme, Suspense

The Adjustment Bureau (2011)

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From NetFlix:

A congressman (Matt Damon) who’s a rising star on the political scene finds himself entranced by a beautiful ballerina (Emily Blunt), but mysterious circumstances ensure that their love affair is predestined to be a non-starter. Screenwriter George Nolfi (The Bourne Ultimatum) makes his directorial debut with this romantic adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s classic sci-fi short story “Adjustment Team.”

Matt Damon comes across as a nice down-to-earth person. For years I have tried to convince myself that he can act. I am still trying. It is true that his flirting conversations with Emily Blunt come off as being very authentic and natural. Perhaps he was chosen for this role because there is a lot of running involved, something he does in many of his films (example, the “Bourne” movies). At 41 years of age I suppose he can still run.

Based on a pseudo-religious gimmicky idea, for me the film got tiresome if for no other reason than there were just too many doors to open. Of course, there was no way David (Damon) could explain his behavior to Elise (Blunt) without showing her all those doors.

Finally, I really did not need a final sermon on free will (of which I am a big fan despite the film).

Emily Blunt was another Emily in “The Devil Wears Prada” and was also “The Young Victoria”.

John Slattery, who played the angel Richardson, for me will always be one of the “Mad Men” of HBO fame.

An acceptable film on a night when you just don’t want to exert any effort thinking.

2004, Ballet, Biographical, Documentary, Feel Good For All

Born to be Wild (2004)

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From NetFlix:

Fans of the American Ballet Theatre will delight in this documentary about the renowned company’s four lead male dancers: Angel Corella, Vladimir Malakov, Hose Manuel Carreno and Ethan Steifel. Find out how each dancer got started in classical ballet, learn about their individual approach to the discipline, their backgrounds and their strengths onstage, and view clips of their best performances from the beginning to the apex of their careers.

It’s hard to believe that human bodies can do what these 4 men can do. The climax of this documentary will be all 4 men dancing together to the finale of Robert Schuman’s 4th piano quartet in a dance choreographed by Mark Morris. But interspersed with the rehearsals are biographical interviews with the dancers. Who knew that ballet was alive and well in Castro’s Cuba ?