2006, British Mystery Series, Car Chase, Complicated, Conspiracy, Drama, Gay theme, Gritty, Love Story, Suspense, TV Series, Violent

The State Within (2006)

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From NetFlix:

Jason Isaacs stars in this Golden Globe-nominated political thriller as Mark Brydon, a British ambassador to the United States who finds himself caught up in a complex conspiracy that could prompt a dangerous shift in political power. After a plane explodes over Washington, D.C., under suspicious circumstances, Brydon must scramble to uncover the truth before war breaks out. Sharon Gless, Ben Daniels and Lennie James also star.

Of the two discs, disc 2 is the better, so please persist. The story just gets better and more tense as it progresses. Just about all the actors in this British TV series (6 episodes on 2 discs) are excellent. Jason Isaacs is the perfect tower of strength in this involved conspiracy to start another war in the fictional former Soviet republic of Tyrgyzstan. Sharon Gless, the Secretary of Defense who is trying to start another war for personal gain, played Coleen Rose in 5 episodes of ‘Nip/Tuck”. Perhaps the Wikipedia article will help you remember who plays what government position.

There is violence. One scene involves a gruesome execution.

Often I can interrupt a film and return later (a benefit of NetFlix). But in this case the conspiracy was so compelling that I was glued to my seat. As is so often true, these British TV series are dynamite. Don’t miss this one!

2009, Could Be Hard To Watch, Drama, Imperfect, Mediocre, Occasional gore, Revenge, Suspense, Violent

Law Abiding Citizen (2009)

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From NetFlix:

Traumatized by the atrocious murders of his wife and daughter — and the flawed justice system that set the killers free — Clyde Shelton (Gerard Butler) gives in to his rage and sets out on a course of vengeance. He soon takes on not only the prosecutor involved in the case, Nick Rice (Jamie Foxx), but also the city of Philadelphia. Director F. Gary Gray’s bold crime thriller co-stars Viola Davis and Michael Gambon.

Ever since Dear Frankie (2004) I have been waiting for Gerard Butler to become a good actor. Alas! In the current potboiler he is somewhat adequate. His character, Clyde Shelton, is unbelievably omnipotent. As I see it, the only reason to watch this mediocre film is to see all the tricks Clyde plays on Jamie Foxx and the rest of Philadelphia. Vengence sets the entire tone of this film.

Warning: There are almost gratuitous gory and violent scenes. Don’t say I didn’t stress the mediocrity of this film.

1993, Book Review, Manic, Sexual Episodes, ShortStories

The Pugilist At Rest (1993)

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Pugilist 1 Pugilist 2 Pugilist 3

For background on the author Thom Jones see the Wikipedia article.

If you read nothing else from this set of short stories, you must read the short story entitled “The Pugilist At Rest” for which the book is named. The above photos are different views of a Roman copy of the Greek original “Pugilist At Rest” attributed to Apollonius which copy is found in the Palazzo Massimo, Rome, Italy.

It helps if you read each of Jones’ short stories quickly as if you were having a manic attack because that’s fairly close to the author’s reality. Note that he suffers from temporal lobe epilepsy and diabetes. As noted in the Wikipedia, he has two more collection of short stories: Cold Snap (1995) and Sonny Liston Was a Friend of Mine (1999).

I just finished “Cold Snap” and I assure you it is just as manic as “Pugilist”. There are some wild and very explicit sex scenes. There is a lot of drug use. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Enjoy the roller-coaster ride!

2008, Biographical, Documentary, Fashion, Gay theme, Italian, Love Story, True Story, Unusual

Valentino: The Last Emperor (2008)

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From NetFlix:

Tracing Valentino’s life from his 70th birthday to his final couture show, this fashionable documentary captures the spirit of the legendary designer’s influence on the style and substance of the way we look. Highlights include an intimate, behind-the-scenes peek at his relationship with longtime business partner and lover Giancarlo Giammetti, as well as an up-close and personal look at the designer’s creative process.

"Tony, I want to see 'Valentino: The Last Emperor"
"Kathy, you mean that fashion film ?"   "Yes"
"Why would anyone want to watch an hour and a half about a fashion designer ?"
"You get all those NetFlix DVDs that I don't even care about, and I really want to see this one"
"Ooooooookay, if you insist"

Had this fashion documentary not been made, we would have lost some notable moments in a part of the world’s culture that I certainly did not know even existed. It’s a bit like a tour of Machu Picchu or seeing the exquisite terracotta army of the first Qin Dynasty ruler Shihuangdi. Who knew ?

One of the dominant themes of this documentary is the 50 year relation between Valentino and his life partner Giancarlo Giammetti. Kathy’s comment is “Giancarlo must be some kind of saint”. It was fun watching the two bicker about trivia, as in “you have applied too much tan today”. But what came through loud and clear was that they truly love and need one another. Valentino is the impractical dreamer, the creative force, but without Giancarlo’s gentle guiding hand, Valentino would have gone nowhere.

In fact the minutiae involved with fashion must be daunting. There are an awful lot of unsung heroes. In a certain sense everything depends on the skill of the seamstresses. It’s a lot like computer programming: omit a semi-colon and the program stops working. Today it would be impossibly costly to sew by hand thousands of sequins on a gown. I buy my clothes at Target (pronounced “Tar-jay”).

Every now and then I see a fashion photo of some female model. Quite often they are made to look like freaks. Not so with Valentino. Of course, all his beautiful models are stick thin (dare I say anorexic ?). But his trademark was long flowing gowns that really made the models beautiful.

I copied the following paragraph from the internet:

Produced and directed by Matt Tyrnauer, Special Correspondent for Vanity Fair magazine, Valentino: The Last Emperor provides a first-time glimpse into Valentino’s world of bygone glamour. Filmed from June 2005 to July 2007, the crew shot over 250 hours of footage with exclusive, unprecedented access to Valentino and his entourage. The resulting non-fiction film is a portrait of an extraordinary partnership, the longest running in fashion, and a dramatic story about a master confronting the final act of his celebrated career.

Indeed the film leads up to Valentino’s sensational farewell celebratory show and party in Rome. It’s fun seeing how many celebrities you can recognize (Princess Di, etc). But the circumstances are not entirely happy. Valentino’s company is purchased by a giant corporation in which only the bottom line is important (sound familiar ?). His world has changed so much that Valentino retires. Little by little his former group of loyal workers are replaced.

And don’t miss his five pugs!

2008, English Dubbing, Love Story, Occasional gore, Revenge, Swedish, Vampire, Violent

Let the Right One In (2008)

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From NetFlix:

Twelve-year-old Oskar (Kåre Hedebrant), the constant target of bullies, spends his time plotting revenge and collecting news items about the grisly murders plaguing his town. But things change when he meets a new girl named Eli (Lina Leandersson), a misfit vampire who steals his heart. As a serial killer continues to prey on teen boys in their small Swedish village, Eli helps Oskar find the courage to stand up to his tormenters.

Quiet, almost sweet, this is not your mother’s vampire film. Although made in Sweden, it is dubbed in English. The dubbed English script does not quite match the English subtitles available on the DVD.

If you want spooky special effects, you will be disappointed. This is what I have to call a “natural” vampire film. Every now and then there is some minor special effect, but that is not the point. There is not a single fang showing. Our sad forever-12-year-old girl vampire befriends a quiet and shy schoolboy who is being bullied. Yes, the poor girl does indeed drink blood and from time to time kills to obtain that blood. But she loves the schoolboy and clearly intends never to harm him. There might be one small bit of gore, but it hardly matters. To be sure I really understood the ending I had to read the Wikipedia article.

1986, British Mystery Series, Conspiracy, DO NOT MISS, Drama, Gritty, Made For TV, Suspense, TV Series, Violent

Edge of Darkness (1986)

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From NetFlix:

When police detective Ron Craven (Bob Peck) witnesses the murder of his environmental activist daughter (Joanne Whalley), he vows to track down her killer. Little does he know, however, that the trail will lead straight to the heart of Britain’s nuclear power industry. The suspense ratchets ever upward in this award-winning BBC miniseries, as Craven finds himself smack in the middle of a top secret government project. Joe Don Baker co-stars.

This “Edge of Darkness” is the original 6-episode British TV series as opposed to the 2010 Mel Gibson remake. As such it proceeds at an unhurried calm pace. Alongside the conspiracy plot there are the psychological after effects of Craven’s having seen his daughter gunned down. There is some violence, but no gore. And of course the villains are cool and calculating.

According to the Wikipedia article, this series as been acclaimed as one of the best and most influential pieces of British television drama ever made. Be prepared for pessimism and a bit of magical realism.

As an extra, the very appropriate “Edge of Darkness” electric guitar theme that runs throughout is by Eric Clapton.

2009, Biographical, Drama, Love Story, Nudity

The Last Station (2009)

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From NetFlix:

Set during the last year of Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy’s life, this biopic explores the fractious relationship between Tolstoy (Oscar nominated Christopher Plummer) and his wife (Oscar nominated Helen Mirren), as he embraces a life of asceticism. Paul Giamatti co-stars as impassioned Tolstoy devotee Vladimir Chertkov, with James McAvoy playing the aging writer’s assistant, Valentin, who is caught in the middle of various struggles.

Leo Tolstoy died in 1910 at the age of 82. The biography in Wikipedia speaks of his deteriorating relations with his younger wife towards the end of his life. Reviews of this film criticize it for “over acting”. But Mirren’s histrionics may well be justified.

We all know Mirren, PLummer, and Giamatti. James McAvoy, who does a fine job, has played in Atonement (2007) , The Last King of Scotland, and State of Play.

Seeing this film in a theatre is worthwhile because the scenery is beautiful. Be sure to stay past the end of the film because you then see actual films made of Tolstoy himself. Remarkable to think that movies were made prior to 1910.

2002, Could Be Hard To Watch, Drama, Gangs, Melodrama, Not Feel Good, Occasional gore, Revenge, Suspense, Violent

Gangs of New York (2002)

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From NetFlix:

Amid the savage Irish and Italian rivalry that dominated New York City in the mid-1800s, Amsterdam Vallon (Leonardo DiCaprio) hunts down his father’s hateful murderer, Bill “the Butcher” Cutting (Daniel Day-Lewis). Along the way, Vallon falls for the charms of a streetwise pickpocket (Cameron Diaz). Director Martin Scorsese’s riveting epic — nominated for 10 Oscars — also stars Jim Broadbent, Liam Neeson, John C. Reilly and Henry Thomas.

Before seeing this film, at least read the Wikipedia article which at the very end gives historical references. According to this Wikipedia article, the New York scenes were very accurate. But the history itself is a different matter. Many liberties were taken with the facts. Still the underlying theme of the persecution of the Irish is quite valid. Moreover there were historical figures such as Bill Cutting (who was a butcher), but the film is at odds with their real history.

Violence is the chief characteristic of this film, and gory violence at that. Daniel Day-Lewis plays his usual blood-thirsty villain. For my money this was a black and white melodrama whose main attraction was indeed the many slaughters. And for some reason I have never been able to convince myself that Cameron Diaz can act.

Netfilx sends the film as two discs.

2006, Could Be Hard To Watch, Drama, Explicit sex, Love Story, Nudity

Little Children (2006)

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From NetFlix:

The lives of several adults who have yet to surpass adolescence intersect in unexpected ways in this twisted relationship drama from director Todd Field that’s set on the suburban streets of a small town. While on-the-go wife and mother Kathy (Jennifer Connelly) is focused on her career, Sarah (Kate Winslet, in an Oscar-nominated role) copes with her domestic plight by having an affair with Kathy’s husband, a stay-at-home dad (Patrick Wilson).

“Little Children” is NOT for little children. On the plus side there are lots of fun nude scenes of love-making between Winslet and Wilson. Also there is some fun footage of rough adult football. On the minus side there are two scenes of masturbation and one scene of self-mutilation.

The book was written by Tom Perrotta who lives in Belmont, MA. There is a voiced-in narrator that reads some of Perrotta’s text.

Don’t let the above warnings scare you off. This film captures the early 21st century with lots of current references. It especially captures surburban stay-at-home moms.

Kate Winslet is no stranger to this blog. See Revolutionary Road (2008), and Romance & Cigarettes (2005), as well as The Reader (2008) .

Patrick Wilson is young, handsome, and likeable in this film. For a completely different Patrick Wilson see Hard Candy (2005)

Hats off to Noah Emmerich as the sad former policeman Larry Hedges.

However, for my money, the most amazing piece of acting was presented by Jackie Earle Haley as the pervert. His reaction to his mother’s death was devastating.

I loved this possibly hard to watch film.

2009, Acceptable for children, Car Chase, Conspiracy, Sci-Fi, Suspense, Violent

Surrogates (2009)

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From NetFlix:

Based on Robert Venditti’s graphic novel of the same name, director Jonathan Mostow’s sci-fi thriller is set in a futuristic world in which humans hibernate at home while living their lives vicariously through robot surrogates. When a series of mysterious surrogate murders occurs, FBI agent Greer (Bruce Willis) ventures out into the world for the first time in years to investigate. Radha Mitchell and Ving Rhames co-star.

Easy to understand, clever digital effects, action sequences make this sci-fi suspense thriller fun to watch. But more importantly the film asks the question: Is it better to live your life through some physically perfect doll than to face your mortality and live a normal life ? Bruce Willis was lucky to get this part which he plays perfectly. When the film begins we see Willis looking really handsome and fit. It doesn’t take long to realize that we are seeing his young surrogate double. There are other surprises in store. You might call the plot predictable, but just the same I enjoyed watching this sci-fi yarn that lasts only 89 minutes.