Is the new Total Recall better than the original? I don't know that I would call it better, but it was certainly a lot less fun, and there was a lot less action...or at least the action was a lot more boring. Yeah, I am pretty sure the new version doesn't come close, but take a few minutes and listen to the full review.
Lockout and The Dark Knight Rises
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Could The Dark Knight Rises really ever be the movie that everyone wanted it to be? All Nolan would have to do would be to make not only the greatest comic book movie of all time, but maybe one of the best movies in general. Well I hate to spoil things for you, but TDKR did not outdo it's predecessor, or perhaps it is even the worst of the bunch...at least to one of us. Then we thought it was a good idea to watch Lockout. I have never shared the same dislike for the French that many Americans seem to have, but if this is the kind of films they are going to make, I may jump on the wagon. To be fair, I also blame Patrick Morris, who told me it was soooo good! Patty also suggested I watch Running Scared, which I also talk about in this show.
Damn you Pat!!!
Or instead of ever watching Lockout, watch this trailer instead. We both think it looks pretty awesome.
The Amazing Spiderman & Moonrise Kingdom
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You may not see the connection, but I believe these two movie share a common thread. To many people, Spiderman and the newest film by Wes Anderson seems like just more of the same thing that we've seen before. It would be easy to dismiss either film based on that assumption, but would you be missing out on the best example in both line of films? I guess you will just have to listen to what we have to say, ignore what we say, and make up your own mind.
Spider
Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Miranda Richardson Directed by: David Cronenberg
Cronenberg, as a director, has intrigued me as of late. Stylistically I almost always enjoy his films, but his choice of scripts has been hit or miss for me. The first film of his I ever saw was The Fly, but when I was very young. The first film of his I saw after becoming really interested in film was History of Violence. And I didn’t really care for it. Same with Eastern Promises.
The problem for both of these, I believe, was high expectations. Not only were they both extremely well received by critics, but both also saw Academy Award Nominations. In particular, after watching History of Violence I was aghast that William Hurt, who was in the movie for about five minutes and did nothing more than grow a goatee and overact, was nominated for best supporting actor.
I don’t want to get too far down that road though. Maybe reviews for those films some other time. I do want to briefly mention I absolutely love Videodrome, and recently revisited The Fly and found it quite enjoyable as well. So when Spider was mailed to my front door, I didn’t know what to expect. Cronenberg had, to this point, been a mixed bag.
Safe to say that trend continues.
Spider is a film about a recently released mental patient named Dennis Cleg (Ralph Fiennes), whose nickname is Spider. Apparently he is released to some sort of halfway house, where he gets his own room and a new steward, Mrs. Wilkinson (Lynn Redgrave).
A lot of the film is spent in Spider’s past, as he tries to piece together his childhood memories. As they come to him he scrawls illegible symbols in a notebook he carries with him everywhere. His mother (Miranda Richardson) is remembered as a perfect angel, beautiful and protective. His father (Gabriel Byrne) is remembered as a drunken sod, overly stern with no real motivation to do any work, and little love or faithfulness for his wife. And, eventually, his step-mother (Alison Egan and Miranda Richardson) is seen as similar to his father; an unloving, uncaring, drunken tart.
The entire film, both past and present, is seen almost entirely through Spider’s point of view. Miranda Richardson is wonderful in the film playing, at one point or another, all three of the main female leads as seen through the fractured psyche of Spider. Gabriel Byrne also has a solid turn as Mr. Cleg, although Spider remembers him mostly as an uncaring, unsympathetic figure.
There are two “surprises” in the film. The first I didn’t see coming, but is necessary so the second may eventually be revealed. The second “surprise,” however, wasn’t a very big surprise at all. And I became a little confused here, because it feels like it is supposed to be a revelation, but I’m also not sure it’s supposed to be. If you are paying any attention to the film at all, they practically explain away the final scene before it occurs. This is fine, as not every film is not in need of a twist ending. The problem is, without a twist ending, this particular film feels a little flat.
Cronenberg is a great director, no doubt about it, and the film looks fantastic. Drab and dark to reflect the desolate world in which Spider resides. But the pacing is infuriatingly slow. A lot of this has to do with the character of Spider. There is an understanding he is a recently released mental patient, but he doesn’t really talk, he shuffles around laboriously, he wails and cries a lot, and he spends long amounts of time writing incoherently in a journal. This makes trying to find a reason to pay attention in scenes where he is on the screen alone a questionable use of time.
If the final scene in the film is not meant as a “gotcha!” then perhaps the script should be a little more involved, and the lead character a little more engrossing. If the final scene in the film is meant as such, then probably the script writers should have buried the clues a little deeper. I feel this film fell between. What promised an interesting look into the reasons behind Spider’s mental breakdown turned instead in to a tedious affair where the end question (“Was he just crazy all along?”) should have been shrouded in mystery, leaving a haunting feeling after you’ve turned off your television. Instead it is explained almost completely and absolutely, which doesn’t fit the feel of the film at all.
Written by Ryan Venson
Prometheus and John Carter
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A lot of revelations in this podcast, in particular Drew admits John Carter wasn't as bad as he though it would be (although it is hard to be disappointed by a film like John Carter when your expectations are so low). And speaking of expectations, Prometheus didn't meet either of ours, although we did delight in Fassbender's turn as a mostly malevolent android. But the podcast also leaves a lot of questions hanging. Who are the "engineers" in Prometheus? Did they have some greater plan in mind? Who's a better actor, Taylor Kitsch or Noomi Rapace? Why are so many of the "martians" just humans in different colored capes? And, even though it was written a 100 years ago, couldn't Carter's "super power" be more exciting than jumping real high?
The Long Kiss Goodnight
Starring: Geena Davis, Samuel L. Jackson Directed by: Renny Harlin
You know those 3-4 packs of movies you see at Target (or Wal-Mart…..but I don’t like to go there. The foyer always smells a little bit too much like hobo) that you pick up and there is always one stinker in there, making the price not as good as it seems? Like Big, The Princess Bride, and…..Nim’s Island? Or Commando, Predator, and……Aliens Vs. Predator? Schwarzenegger has a dozen great cult classics, why do you have to throw a complete dud in there? I mean, Hellraiser 4, Hellraiser 5, Hellraiser 6, and Hellraiser 7?! I think we all know where the weak link is there…………
Which is why it was quite a surprise when I came to find a 3-pack at Target that didn’t have a single miss. A Samuel L. Jackson 3-pack. The Long Kiss Goodnight, Deep Blue Sea, and Snakes on a Plane. A dream come true. And I watched each and every one of these over my recent vacation weekend in Evansville. No reason, I suppose, not to just review these chronologically, which puts The Long Kiss Goodnight first.
Samantha Caine (Geena Davis) is a wife, parent, and teacher who has been suffering from amnesia for the past eight years. After a car wreck Caine starts to display an odd skill set. Deadly accuracy with a knife, an adeptness at hand- b to-hand fighting, even the ability to knock out a mysterious intruder. And also break his neck.
Mitch Henessey (Samuel L. Jackson), meanwhile, is a private investigator hired to find information on Mrs. Caine. After an old suitcase once belonging to Caine is found in an old boarding house, Henessey goes to deliver the goods to her. Inside an address and phone number are found, and Henessey and Caine set off to try and uncover more of her past.
After contacting the man indicated on the newly discovered evidence, Nathan Waldman (Brian Cox), a meeting is set up at a nearby train station. Of course nothing goes as planned, and after a series of events involving a gun fight, grenades, and a blind plunge out of a third-story window, Henessey and Caine eventually meet up with Waldman, who tries to convince Caine she is actually Charly Baltimore, a CIA operative dealing mostly in assassinations. Henessey and Caine both think he is either A.) Crazy or B.) Somehow trying to set her up.
Eventually, as is the case with this sort of film, we find that somebody working with their own set of motives is worried Caine or, rather, Baltimore, might have knowledge of an operation that they don’t want her to have and, accordingly, need to shut her up. As the danger for Caine increases, her previous ego of Baltimore starts to reflexively emerge until, after a particularly brutal bit of torturing, she completely remembers her past life.
Despite treading a bit of familiar territory, The Long Kiss Goodnight is a solid entry in the action genre. Nothing here is groundbreaking, but the script is above average and bolstered by strong performances from both Davis and Jackson. Davis goes from frumpy housewife to sexy assassin remarkably well. While Jackson’s main focus here is comic relief, it is better scripted than most. We aren’t subjected to a set of obvious jokes and cheesy one-liners. Jackson’s humor comes from his demeanor, as well as the interplay between him and Davis.
While watching I couldn’t help but think about the similarities between The Long Kiss Goodnight and Die Hard 2. Both take place around Christmas, have scenes filled with snow, a lone vigilante against unrealistic odds where the villains seem incapable of even vaguely aiming the automatic guns they are all toting, scenes with snowmobiles, and both Geena Davis and Bruce Willis look surprisingly good as blondes. Wait, maybe that was The Fifth Element. It’s hard to say. I haven’t seen either of those films in a long, long time.
Renny Harlin did, however, direct both films, so there’s probably a reason they sort of feel the same. Which is a perfect way to segue in to the next film on the list, one which shares a star (Sam Jack), a director (Mr. Harlin) and a hot blonde (Thomas Jane).
Deep Blue Sea review at http://inthequeuereviews.wordpress.com/.
Written by Ryan Venson
The Puffy Chair
Starring: Mark Duplass, Katie Aselton, Rhett Wilkins Directed by: Mark Duplass, Jay Duplass
I don’t watch romantic comedies. I simply don’t like them. I usually find them formulaic and schmaltzy, and very, very, very predictable. Being an underrepresented genre in my movie viewing, I decided it might be time to take in one or two. So it was I came to decide on “The Puffy Chair.”
This was mainly because it was written and directed by brothers Mark and Jay Duplass. Jay is more of a behind the scenes fellow, but I had become familiar with Mark as star of the overlooked FX comedy “The League,” and figured if I was going to give a “rom-com” a try, might as well go with someone’s work I enjoy, at least.
Duplass plays Josh, a wannabe musician who has been relegated to a minor booking agent. The movie opens with Josh having dinner with his girlfriend, Emily (Katie Aselton). He is preparing to go on a trip from New York to Georgia for his father’s birthday. Along the way he means to stop and pick up a vintage chair he purchased off EBAY (oh, my bad, EBUY) just like the one his father owned when he was a child. He is also to stop and visit with his brother Rhett (Rhett Wilkins). During the dinner Emily and Josh have an argument, and to make up for it Josh invites her to come with him on his road trip.
The first stop is to meet Rhett, who has some sort of unorthodox, beatnik, spiritual mojo going on. He talks a lot about the energy in the room, or between people. Also he really likes lizards, apparently. When Josh mentions he’s going to Georgia to see Dad on his birthday, Rhett admits he had forgotten the date, and asks if he can tag along, much to the chagrin of Josh and Emily. Then hilarity and hijinks ensue! This is a regular “You, Me and Dupree!” ROAD TRIP!!
Actually, this is probably the antithesis of that sort of film. Although I have to admit, I haven’t seen “You, Me and Dupree.” I will go so far as to say you would have a greater chance of seeing me drink hot lava straight from an erupting volcano than watching it. Rhett isn’t really introduced to be the over-the-top comedy relief; he’s just another character in the story, one for the other two to play off of in different ways so you can learn more about their personalities.
As a matter of fact, this movie isn’t really a comedy at all. If you are going in thinking it is, you will be sorely disappointed. This is a dramatic look at the relationship between Jay and Emily. You are invited to their petty arguments, their oddball conversation, even their awkward, unbalanced baby talk moments. It looks in to why they are together, if they should stay together and examines how we make those decisions in relationships.
The film flounders, however, when it isn’t focused on the main duo. A few scenes are dull and repetitive, feeling as though they are there just to fill run time. And Duplass’s sparse direction is not going to keep your attention during these downturns.
Fortunately there are a handful of scenes with dialogue so unbelievably well written, reflecting perfectly conversations most all of us have engaged in, that you can forgive the shortcomings of the other parts of the film. Not the kind of overwritten, overly-dramatic drudgery written in something like, say, “The Notebook,” dialogue nobody would ever really, truly utter written specifically to illicit a certain response, most often crying. Rather believably real, gritty, relationship dialogue. I swear I have had some of these conversations before.
Not only is the dialogue eerily familiar to anybody who has been in a troubled relationship, but Duplass and Aselton deliver said dialogue in flawless fashion. They have a great chemistry, probably attributable to their real life marriage.
“The Puffy Chair” is nowhere close to a perfect film, but when it is hitting on all cylinders it is achingly familiar and introspective without having to rely on preposterous stereotypes to get the point across. It’s certainly not for everybody, some would probably describe it as boring at worst and droll at best, but it sets out to make some interesting observations about relationships without cramming the ideas down our throats, and in this it is very successful .
Written by Ryan Venson
Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope
I have never been to a comic-con, and I have never really had much desire go. The subject of this film may not appeal to everyone, but the story behind the story is universal. Take 7 minutes and listen to this little review.
The Avengers and Dead Heat
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Of course everyone in the world will be watching The Avengers, so our opinion is just a drop in the sea of comments about Joss Whedon's crazy successful film. Rather, enjoy learning about the Treat Williams/Joe Piscopo horror/comedy/action/buddy cop film, Dead Heat. Few movies are as bonkers as this one. Remember that time you dropped a few tabs of acid and thought you were being attack by lunch meat? All of that basically happens in Dead Heat, and I dare say that isn't even the weirdest part of the movie. It was the perfect movie to pair with one of the biggest movies of the year. Which of the two movies were better? I guess you'll just have to listen to the show. ...The Avengers was better.
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Cabin in the Woods and Birdemic
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What? Two podcasts in one week? I know, your dreams have finally come true. And what a podcast this one happens to be. The Whedon/Goddard penned (and long shelved) Cabin in the Woods, and the highly overlooked...............horror? film, BIRDEMIC. Shudder in terror as "eagles" dive bomb unwitting townsfolk. Laugh as a man is attacked by a unicorn. Cower as Alan Bagh delivers each and every line of dialogue. It's all here friends, all here.
21 Jump Street and The Hunger Games
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Believe it or not, we originally planned on watching Wrath of the Titans.It appears as though some higher power is looking out for us, because we watched The Hunger Games instead. I can't say for certain that Wrath of the Titans was going to be a bad film, but the first Titans films was one of the worst movies Ryan and I have watched together. I know that we should be watching more bad films, but until theaters start letting us walk in for free, you are going to have to listen to reviews of movies were are actually interested in watching. I wouldn't hold you breath for a review of The Three Stooges...you might get one for The Raven.
Chronicle
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I kept expecting a talking lion and some Christian allegory, but perhaps I was thinking of a different Chronicle. Has the "found footage" genre finally jumped the shark? Can a low budget superhero movie possibly hope to succeed in a world with $250,000,000 behemoths like John Carter out there? Can the snap of a Slim Jim be picked up on on our microphones during the show? These answers and more in the new episode.
Academy Awards 2012 Post-Game
The second part of our Academy Awards Podcast Extravaganza. How did Billy Crystal do hosting the show? Who won the coveted Best Supporting Costume and Make-up Intern award? What was the biggest surprise? Who made the best acceptance speech? All of these answers and more...
Academy Awards 2012 Pre-Game
Our annual Academy Awards Pre-Game Podcast! We were joined by Courtney Felix and Chad Jewsbury to talk about our predictions and hopes for the evening to come.
So, if you DVR'd the Oscars, or just live under a rock and don't know who won yet - this podcast is perfect for you. Even if you already know who won everything, this show will still make you chuckle. Enjoy!
The Italian Job (1969)
Directed by: Peter Collinson Starring: Michael Caine, Noel Coward
Ah, the perfect crime. Four million dollars in gold up for grabs. Every detail planned, escape routes noted, backup plans made. And the planner tossed over a cliff in his flashy sports car, courtesy of the Mafia.
Of course, this guy even has a plan (and instructional film) ready in case of death. And that's where Charlie Croker (Michael Caine) steps in.
Fresh out of prison, Charlie's prepared to embark on an Italian job. Picked up from the clink in a stolen car by his girl Lorna (Margaret Blye), Charlie has just enough time to visit the tailor and have a nice welcome-back party before his briefing on the job. To Charlie's surprise, instructions about the job are delivered by the planner's widow, and he's no longer just part of the gang – he has to lead the heist.
Charlie can gather the gang, but he also has to get the funds together for training and travel. For this he has to persuade Mr. Bridger (Noël Coward) to back the job. Which involves breaking into a lavatory, and then a little luck with a well-timed news article regarding a multi-million dollar deal for China to back a Fiat plant. There's a guarantee of gold, a program in place to hack the computer-controlled traffic system in Turin and an Italy-England football match in place to cover the presence of the Brits running the job. All they have to do is dodge the cops and the Mafia and they're good to go.
The second half is the most entertaining bit, covering transport car training (e.g. crashing a lot of Mini Coopers), the nervous heist crew arguing about who's going to sit in the back of the motorcar, a Land Rover creeping through tiny Italian alleys like a stealthy beast, and three hot getaway cars being tossed over a cliff. Oh, and there's also that legendary car chase, with the Mini Coopers racing down sidewalks (and one of the heisters snatching a Cornish hen off an unsuspecting sidewalk café patron's plate), up ramps, over the rooftops, through the sewers, and pretty much on any terrain they can.
If you:
- Like Ocean's 11/12/13
- Like car stunts and chases
- Find the idea of 1960s computers being run by what look like giant spools of film amazing
- Like an action film that's witty but not slapstick
Put it in the queue!
If you:
- Can't imagine a G-rated film being entertaining to anyone over the age of 5
- Never side with the 'bad guys'
- Get panic attacks at the mere thought of a traffic jam, much less watching a full-blown traffic cluster with horns honking, etc.
Don't put it in the queue.
One For the Money
Directed by: Julie Anne Robinson Starring: Katherine Heigl, Jason O'Mara, Daniel Sunjata
About four years ago, I became familiar with Stephanie Plum's Trenton, NJ. The eighteen novels – plus several 'between the numbers' novellas – have all been books I enjoyed to various degrees. So I was definitely in the target audience when One For the Money was adapted for the silver screen.
Stephanie (Katherine Heigl) falls into the bounty hunting profession by sheer necessity. Downsized from her job as a lingerie department manager, she is behind on her bills, relieved of her car, and past due on her rent. She needs some financial stability quick, and would prefer to find another job rather than troll for a husband (much to her mother's dismay).
Her last resort for employment is in her cousin's bail bonds office, tracking down people who fail to appear (FTA) at their court dates. Fortunately, there is one big fish for Stephanie to catch with a fat $50,000 capture fee. Even sweeter is the identity of this skip – Joe Morelli (Jason O'Mara), who once broke her heart. She got even by breaking his leg with her car, but revenge is best when served again, right? Especially if it's lucrative? Of course!
Stephanie doesn't initially own a gun, can't shoot, unashamedly approaches the 'hos on Stark Street looking for information, and nearly gets assaulted in an MMA cage as she questions the looney tunes fighter Benito Ramirez (Gavin-Keith Umeh) about his missing girlfriend. On the plus side, her first capture is relatively easy to apprehend (though he is an elderly male neighbor who believes in staying in the natural, unclothed state in which he was born, even on the way to the police station to reschedule his court date), she gets some shooting lessons and help on a few captures from expert and very attractive bounty hunter Ranger (Daniel Sunjata), and Morelli actually helps save her bacon a few times.
As a devoted fan, I really enjoyed this movie because it did an AMAZING job with casting. Even though I think Betty White probably would have been better as Grandma Mazur, Debbie Reynolds was convincing as this quirky character. Ana Reeder had Connie's hairdo, cleavage and attitude portrayed to a T. Vinnie Plum – who I'd always imagined as looking somewhat like Leisure Suit Larry – was all I'd expected via Patrick Fischler. And I really liked Katherine Heigl as Stephanie Plum though I thought she could do with fewer pairs of heels and a couple more pounds on her frame. I also heard a lady a couple rows back complaining Stephanie wouldn't have been wearing the necklace they put on her for the film.
Much like I expect secret passageways and a car chase from an Indiana Jones movie, One For the Money also included a couple scenes with Stephanie's hamster Rex and most of the classic gags from the series:
- Stephanie having to drive Uncle Sandor's giant blue Buick
- A vehicle Stephanie had recently been driving getting destroyed
- Grandma Mazur doing something humorously ridiculous (such as accidentally turning a roast chicken into target practice)
- Ranger calling Stephanie 'babe' and Morelli calling her 'cupcake'
The only thing I was really missing was some Cluck in a Bucket and a box of donuts. Maybe next time.
I have no idea how long it will be until One For the Money will be available in the queue since it's still in major theaters. If you already know you don't like this book series and don't really care for goofy female quasi-crime fighters, I'm not sure why you'd bother to go see it. Unless you have a strange compulsion to see all films in which John Leguizamo has at least a minor role.
p.s. Shout out to Heather Purdum, who was a sport and went to see this movie with me. Even though I nearly lost the parking pass.
Best Films of 2011
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I know everybody is filled with fingernail-biting anticipation to hear me and Drew's favorite films of 2011, so I have placed two pics here on the page as a sort of podcast teaser. One represents a top five film for me, and one represents a top five film for Drew. I don't want to give away which is which, so I supposed you will just have to listen in...
In The Loop
Directed by: Armando Iannucci Starring: Tom Hollander,Peter Capaldi, James Gandolfini
As the United States has ended its involvement in Iraq, a film about the international political machinations behind war seems an appropriate choice. In the Loop starts with a verbal gaffe by British Minister for International Development Simon Foster (Tom Hollander) during a radio interview. When asked about the likelihood of military involvement in the Middle East, he replies war is 'unforeseeable' rather than regurgitating a slightly more equivocating party line. Despite the acquisition of a new aide, Toby (Chris Addision) and heavily profane warnings from communications manager Malcom (Peter Capaldi) to keep his mouth shut unless he can stick to the party script, things go from bad to worse.
Simon's clumsy attempts to seem more important than the minor career politician he is and to correct his previous mis-statement with vague metaphors actually thrust him into the spotlight as a war hawk. Unwittingly, Simon has become tangled up in a bit of a power struggle between two US Assistant Secretaries.
Rather than figuring out how to extract Simon from international dilemmas and local constituents making a laughingstock of him in the press, Toby stirs the political pot behind the scenes with information leaks. The layers of maneuvering on all fronts – among the aides, between the pro- and anti-war groups, within the party – are ultimately like a multi-tiered concoction of cake and filling: sickening overall, though some parts are highly enjoyable.
Perhaps if it would have been more A Modest Proposal and less plausible, I would have enjoyed this movie more overall. Also, I didn't really like any of the characters. Regardless of their motives and stance on the war, they were all a bunch of manipulative, self-centered turds in one way or another. Plus, it was too long I did not find the ending satisfactory at all. I like my movies idealistic and have to say I far more enjoyed the ending of She's The Man (which I inadvertently started watching on TBS and was inexplicably compelled to sit through the whole thing).
If you:
- Are connoisseur of creative profanity
- Find strategic maneuvering thrilling
- Like watching people who think they're powerful act like ass-hats (i.e. throwing temper tantrums, shouting threats, stomping the crap out of fax machine in a manner that rivals the printer destruction scene in Office Space).
Put it in the queue!
However, if you:
- Prefer to escape from reality when you watch movies
- Cannot fathom why anyone would really want a career in politics
- Don't find farce enjoyable
Don't put it in the queue.
Senna
In an attemp at not wasting so much time during the regular show, I decided to start recording shows that just run a few minutes about one movie. Senna was the first movie I watched for this little experiment. I know that a documentary about F1 racer may not seem like your thing, but just give me 5 minutes to try and change your mind.
Midnight in Paris
Directed by: Woody Allen Starring: Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams
Even before I read The Great Gatsby, I wanted to live in the 1920s. Beads, jazz, bobs, long cigarette holders, the Charleston, speakeasies…it all sounded like great fun. Then once I found out about all the American expats living it up in Paris…the artistic/intellectual community of that era is the Elysian Fields for any wannabe author of the next Great America Novel.
Judging by Midnight in Paris, I am not alone in that regard. Gil (Owen Wilson) is a successful screenwriter longing for a more 'authentic' writing career. In Paris with his fiancée Inez (Rachel McAdams) and her parents, he longs to ramble around the city in the rain with very romantic notions of what it was like in the golden age of the 1920s where authors and artists partied and mingled in a French mecca of creativity. Inez is definitely not on the same wavelength, preferring wine tasting, gallery tours and late nights of dancing with her pseudo-intellectual American friend Paul (Martin Sheen) and his lady friend Carol (Nina Arianda).
One night Gil is off on a late-night walk, resting on some stone steps when an old-time car pulls up. The jovial passengers offer him a lift, and Gil is spirited off to a fine party where the women are dressed like flappers, Cole Porter is playing the piano, and Zelda and Scott Fitzgerald invite him to pal around for the evening, ultimately leaving him at a café to chat with Hemingway (Corey Stoll). Amidst talk of courage, grace and war, Hemingway refuses to read and comment on the gobsmacked Gil's novel in progress but suggests Gertrude Stein could provide a more fair opinion on it. Hurrying off to get his manuscript, Gil wanders back into his world.
Determined to get back to the roaring twenties again, Gil is in a hurried daze, tolerating Paul's blathering and Inez's putdowns only because he is whiling away the hours until the evening. Paul particularly mocks Gil's infatuation with 1920s Paris as he says living in the past and nostalgia is all a big romantic fallacy. Gil tries to share this fantastic journey with Inez, but she refuses to wait with him for the car, and Gil again travels into the partied past alone to take his manuscript to Gertrude Stein (Kathy Bates). While there, he meets Picasso's beguiling young mistress Adriana (Marion Cotillard) and she loves the first sentence of his novel. Gil is charmed, particularly because this woman who has been the mistress of many famous artists is willing to engage in idle chatter with him.
Over the next few days, Gil rewrites the first few chapters based on Stein's feedback, evaluates the gulf between his ideals and Inez's, and attempts to woo Adriana in the 1920s (despite competition from Hemingway). I won't spoil the unfolding of the plot, but it does end with Gil taking an evening stroll in the rain with a lovely young woman.
Overall, this movie is absolute paradise for anyone who revels in literary/artistic references (there is even a nod to a film I previously reviewed, Luis Buñuel's The Exterminating Angel). I also found the film even more fantastic after I had a few glasses of wine (everyone in the movie was drinking; I felt silly not joining in). And with a Hemingway-ian sentiment, I should have disliked this movie because I didn't think of it first.
If you:
- Have ever felt you belonged to a different time period.
- Have taken far too many Humanities classes and go nuts for both overt and semi-obscure references to artists and authors of the given era.
- Have been scoffed at for having very romanticized notions of certain times and places
- Are a real intellectual that has ever been annoyed by a pseudo-intellectual
Put it in the queue!
However, if you:
- Think the present is the golden age
- Prefer disco to the foxtrot
- Look down on France because of their politics and/or are a Tea Party Republican
Don't put it in the queue!