"Licorice Pizza" -- Movie Review

 

This week at Lincoln Center, I attended a special screening of the award-nominated romantic comedy “Licorice Pizza”, which featured a 35mm print as well as a post-screening interview with the director and several cast members. 

Synopsis

When a teenage boy falls in love with a young woman, will their age difference keep them apart?

Story

In the early 1970’s, poor Gary (Cooper Hoffman) gets hit directly in the heart; even though he’s only a 15-year-old high school student, he already knows he’s met the love of his life.  Unfortunately for him, the love of his life happens to be Alana (Alana Haim) – an adorable young woman who’s about a decade older.  Dauntless, Gary pursues her, despite the fact that she looks down on him because he’s so much younger.  Inexplicably – especially to Alana – she is drawn to him.  You can’t explain this kind of thing, so don’t even bother trying.  Young love is what it is and you just have to ride the wave to wherever it goes.

Together, Alana and Gary pursue a life like no other; the adventures they experience and the people they meet are, shall we say, “unique”.  The two introduce each other to aspects of life neither likely would have seen had they not met.  Whether they know it or not, they are beginning to understand what makes each other an incredibly special person.  He’s an actor, but also wants so much more – to start and run his own business, to make money without necessarily being dependent on someone else.  He encourages her to go outside of her own comfort zone by doing such things as delving into an acting career as he has. 

They become business partners in a waterbed company until circumstances bring an abrupt end.  Alana finds an interest in politics when a local mayoral candidate captures her imagination; she tries to get Gary involved, but he only sees business opportunities rather than the ideological policies.  As a result, they wind up parting ways – Alana to fight for her own political beliefs and Gary to find the quickest way to become wealthy.  What neither one wants to acknowledge, however – at least until it’s brought to their attention by a mutual acquaintance – is that each of them complements the other.  Can they overcome their differences in order to find their destiny as a couple?     

Review

Once you get past the alluring Alana Haim (which, it should be stated, is no easy task) and the excellent soundtrack (which will make you awash with memories, at least if you are of a certain age), what else is there?  Well, there’s certainly the charming love story between Alana and Gary and the crazy adventures and varied oddball characters they encounter during their on-again/off-again romance.  In between, however, it’s a scattered story that seems to lack focus and a strong narrative spine, despite the adoration the critics have bestowed upon this film; it’s all over the place and you get the sense that you’re watching the Director’s Cut Version rather than the final cut of the released motion picture. 

One of the things that keeps the viewer engaged in “Licorice Pizza” is the performance by Alana Haim.  Here, Haim portrays a young woman with precious little sense of direction in her life; she is desperately in search of discovering the woman she must become.  Although considerably older than Gary, she is not necessarily the more mature of the two; while he has a strong entrepreneurial sense, she comes across as more of a follower than a leader.  With Gary, she tries to seem a real boss who’s in charge of every situation – but she gets set straight by him when he reminds her that without him, her life would be less interesting.   

Following the screening, there was an interview with writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson and cast members Alana Haim, Cooper Hoffman and Ben Safdie.  The most obvious question:  why the title, especially since it was never clearly explained in the movie?  Anderson said that he wasn’t sure what to call the film; initially, he was going to title it “Soggy Bottom”, a reference to something in the story.  Ultimately, he wound up with “Licorice Pizza” because it was the name of a popular record store in that area during this time.  It appealed to him because they are two words that don’t make sense, but when put together, remind you of pleasant childhood memories.  

"Mothering Sunday" -- Movie Review

This week at Lincoln Center, I attended an advance screening of the new romantic drama, “Mothering Sunday”.  

Synopsis

When a young maid begins a relationship with a man above her station, how will this experience alter the course of her life?

Story

“Mothering Sunday” is a holiday in the United Kingdom similar to “Mother’s Day”.  In 1924, Jane (Odessa Young), who works as a maid for the Nivens family (Colin Firth and Olivia Colman), is fortunate to have the day off on this year’s Mothering Sunday.  Jane makes good use of her rare free time by having a tryst with Paul (Josh O’Connor), the son of Mr. and Mrs. Sheringham, friends of The Nivens.  Paul is currently in law school and coming from a family of means, he certainly has a bright future ahead of him.  The fact that Paul is engaged to marry Emma (Emma D'Arcy) doesn’t bother Jane one bit.

Paul and Jane seem to be infatuated with each other, but both also appear to realize that they are not destined to be together.  Unfortunately, Paul is somewhat less enthusiastic about marrying Emma – something which his fiancée is quick to surmise.  The fact that she will embark on a loveless marriage that is only being done to maintain familial wealth leaves Emma understandably upset.  When a tragedy occurs, everyone’s plans are scotched.  This brings Jane to realize that her time working as a maid for The Nivens has come to an end, so she resigns her position.    

Taking a job as a clerk in a bookstore, Jane is gifted a typewriter by the store owner; this inspires her to try her hand at becoming a writer herself.  While working at the store during the day, she meets Donald (Sope Dirisu), a new customer.  The two strike up a quick friendship, which soon turns romantic.  Unable to deny their attraction to each other, they marry.  Jane develops a successful career as an author, but her blissful life with Donald is disrupted unexpectedly when he falls ill.  While caring for Donald, will Jane still be able to fulfill her destiny as an acclaimed novelist?  

Review

Good grief!  Between the elliptical nature of the storytelling, the flashbacks, flash-forwards and the numerous characters introduced throughout, “Mothering Sunday” can be a movie that’s a bit of a challenging watch.  When you go from one timeframe or another, the audience is taken out of the story momentarily (maybe longer than momentarily) while we try to get our bearings in terms of what we’re seeing and with whom.  Ultimately, the conclusion of the film is supposed to present itself as an emotional haymaker to the viewer, but by that point, one may find oneself too exhausted to care.  

If you’re looking for any positives in “Mothering Sunday”, it would be that it’s beautifully shot – that gorgeous English countryside certainly doesn’t hurt one bit.  Also, for those who look forward to seeing some not-so-brief nudity in their film-going experience, it’s a guarantee that both men and women will find plenty to drool over (wearing a bib is highly recommended here).  Expect Mr. Skin to include this one on his site before too long in order to help you “fast-forward to the good parts”, as he likes to say.  Just don’t let the occasionally ponderous nature of the film turn you off too much.      

Following the screening, there was an interview with “Mothering Sunday” director Eva Husson and its star Odessa Young.  Young said that she was able to connect with the character of Jane because she was described as an “occupational observer of life” and she believes that as an actress, she is the same.  When she played Jane decades later, she had to use prosthetics and she described that experience as her entry point into that phase of the character’s life.  Young added that in her portrayal of this character, she could understand that we all know loss so we can relate to that; sometimes, our life decisions are made from a tragedy.    

"Madeleine Collins" -- Movie Review

 

On the final weekend of Lincoln Center’s French Film Festival, I attended a screening of the new psychological thriller, “Madeleine Collins”, starring Virginie Efira, (from Paul Verhoeven’s controversial “Benedetta”). 

Synopsis

When a woman lives two lives, will she be able to maintain this deceit without being discovered?

Story

Judith (Efira) leads a fulfilling life in France.  From a professional standpoint, she works as a translator and frequently must travel internationally.  Unfortunately, this takes her away from her beloved family:  her husband Melvil, a renowned orchestra conductor and their two adolescent sons.  Margot lives in the French region of Switzerland; married to Abdel, a more blue-collar worker, they both dote over their little daughter Ninon.  Ninon is always upset when her mother must travel for weeks at a time because Margot also works as a translator.  This is no mere coincidence.  Both Judith and Margot are the exact same woman. 

When being Judith, she tries to be supportive of Melvil as his career begins to take off; meanwhile, her oldest teenage son is suspicious that something is up with his mother – their relationship deteriorates as he finds he can no longer trust her.  Betraying his father is one thing, but she appears to be betraying the entire family.  During her life as Margot, she seeks to be super-human as mother, wife and career-woman; she plays with Ninon and attempts to keep Abdel happy in her role as the dutiful wife.  Unfortunately, she’s spread herself a bit too thin and things start falling apart both at home and at work.

All of this is beginning to wear her down both emotionally and physically; she’s having increasing episodes that require medication – which she explains away as being low blood pressure.  Eventually, her parents become aware of what she’s been doing and her mother (Jacqueline Bisset) is so upset that she distances herself from her daughter, whereas her father is more sympathetic.  She even has to venture into the black market in order to purchase fake identification – which is not always terribly convincing.  When a police investigation finds some rather fishy behavior, will she wind up in jail, causing her to lose her family and job?

Review

Whether or not it is done intentionally, “Madeleine Collins” is one of the best homages to Hitchcock you could possibly see.  The structure of the film is a bit puzzling; you don’t quite know it at the time, but you are discovering the ending at the beginning – something which completely makes sense by the resolution.  The initial scene is particularly well done because it is all shot in one fluid motion via Steadicam – no edits.  From the point of view of the screenplay, care is taken not to reveal too much early on – you never can be certain exactly where the story is going and that is what keeps you engaged throughout. 

The superb performance by Virginie Efira really enhances the experience; her character – whomever she may be at any given moment – is melting down and unraveling the further she gets into her cover-up.  She ultimately realizes she’s burrowed herself so far down a rabbit hole, not even she can climb herself out of this labyrinthian warren of trickery – and it’s not entirely clear she wants to get out, at least not all of the time.  Her sense of desperation and isolation makes the audience feel a sense of ambivalence -- we are sympathetic towards this woman, despite the fact that she’s deliberately trying to fool everyone close to her in her life (possibly even herself).  Efira’s character is not portraying different people so much as the same person in different contexts.

Following the screening, there was an interview with director Antoine Barraud.  He said that the key to directing actors is 75% in casting and 30% whom they play against.  In other words, – will the actor playing opposite them in a given scene cause the actor to give their best performance?  Although many people have compared his film to “Vertigo”, Barraud claims that he thinks of it as more of a family drama like “Kramer Vs. Kramer”.  Barraud mentioned that he never actually attended film school; for him, he instead studied film by spending a quarter of a century watching other people’s movies.      

"Anaïs in Love" -- Movie Review

 

On the opening weekend of Lincoln Center’s French Film Festival, I attended a screening of the romantic drama “Anaïs in Love” (AKA “Les Amours d'Anaïs”)

Synopsis

When a young woman leaves her husband to be on her own, she finds a new lover in an unexpected way – but will this relationship last?

Story

As she nears 30, Anaïs (Anaïs Demoustier) is still somewhat adrift in life.  Having recently left her husband because she felt claustrophobic (both emotionally and physically in their tiny flat), she rents a small apartment where she now lives by herself – unfortunately, she is facing eviction because she’s overdue on the rent.  In her graduate studies, she’s working on a thesis about 17th century literature – and she’s late with that, as well.  Life is a swirling vortex for her – and she seems quite pleased about the situation.  The only negative touching her life right now is that fact that her mother’s cancer has unexpectedly resurfaced.

Attending a friend’s party, Anaïs meets Daniel (Denis Podalydès), a man old enough to be her father.  They strike up a chat and she discovers he left his first wife after a dozen years for a woman who he’s also been with for the same amount of time.  His current wife, Emilie (Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi), is a successful author – and a woman more age-appropriate for him.  Nevertheless, he and Anaïs embark on an attempt at having an affair; although things don’t exactly work out the way either expected, she winds up learning more about Emilie and becomes increasingly fascinated by her. Anaïs’ mission now is to finally meet this woman.  

Anaïs attends a symposium where Emilie is speaking.  She quickly befriends this woman without letting her know about her trysts with Daniel.  Over time, they exchange a great deal of personal information with each other and it soon becomes clear that they are developing a deeper and more meaningful relationship.  When the two finally get some time to be alone, this relationship quickly becomes physical.  Suddenly, Daniel turns up and immediately becomes suspicious – not to mention upset that Anaïs may be trying to blackmail him.  Will Anaïs and Emilie be able to continue their affair or will Emilie return to Daniel?  

Review

There’s a tonal change in “Anaïs in Love”, but it happens so organically that you almost don’t even notice until the end.  Anaïs starts out as a carefree young woman who is virtually without responsibility – and mostly shirks the few responsibilities she does have.  But once she develops feelings for Emilie, that all changes – she becomes more grounded, more serious and more mature.  Considering the fact that this is the director’s first feature, it’s rather impressive that she was able to pull off such a feat – it’s something that even more experienced filmmakers have a tough time doing.  

In watching the film, you can’t help but notice that Anaïs is engaging in this relationship with a woman more than 25 years older than she is while her own mother is dying of cancer.  One might wonder if the relationship with Emilie is developing out of a sense of loss or a need for healing in some way; even before her mother is dead, she seems to be trying to replace her with a mature woman.  Is it merely a coincidence?  Perhaps.  But it’s certainly one hell of a coincidence, especially when you consider the fact that Anaïs has only been in relationships with men up until this point.   

After the screening, there was an interview with writer-director Charline Bourgeois-Tacquet.  She said that there was very little in the way of rehearsals, except for one scene which took place on a beach, that had to be carefully choreographed with the Director Of Photography.  Her use of color in the film came from her desire to shoot during the summer (which was also obviously complicated by Covid); Bourgeois-Tacquet chose summer because she wanted to make use of all the natural light outdoors.  Anaïs is frequently seen running; the director equates the speed to the character’s own sense of disorientation – she doesn’t know what she wants and it isn’t until she gets involved in a serious relationship that she finally slows down. 

"Deception" -- Movie Review

 

On the opening weekend of Lincoln Center’s French Film Festival, I attended a screening of the drama “Deception” (“Tromperie”), directed and co-written by Arnaud Desplechin. 

Synopsis

A novelist cheats on his wife with a much younger woman who herself is married and with a son. 

Story

Philip (Denis Podalydès) is a successful American author living in London during the 1980’s.  Despite being married for a long time (or perhaps because of it), he engages in a romantic relationship with a young woman in her early 30’s (Léa Seydoux), who is similarly disillusioned with her own marriage; experiencing no love from her husband, she merely stays together for the sake of their young son.  When Philip leaves home to head to his office, he uses it as a place for his trysts rather than to work on his next book.  Between moments of intense passion, the two engage in various intellectual discussions. 

Although in fact working on a new novel, Philip is too distracted by his lover to devote much of his time and attention to actually writing.  There is quite a bit going on in his life right now and he only seems to be sabotaging himself – perhaps intentionally so because he doesn’t really want to work on the book at this particular time.  Most of his energy is spent on making love to his paramour and he has very little left for anyone or anything.  Even his wife doesn’t get much of his time and their dinners together are mostly conducted in silence.  The only communication they have is when she accuses him of cheating on her.  

Eventually, Philip and his younger lover come to a point where their liaisons are losing steam.  Their time together becomes increasingly infrequent and even when they do get together, they are mostly engaged in discussions rather than spending time in bed.  As their passion fades and they stop seeing each other, Philip reflects on their past and begins his new project:  writing about how they both deceived their spouse.  Once the book is published and gains increasing notoriety, what will her reaction be when she learns that their private moments are now shared with the public?

 Review

“Deception” is based on the 1990 novel of the same name by author Philip Roth.  Over the years, attempts have been made to adapt Roth’s work into films; he has historically been a difficult writer to adapt to the screen and many of the motion pictures that have attempted this haven’t been terribly successful.  Noted director Arnaud Desplechin takes his turn at this – and it is with great hubris that it is attempted.  With the character of Philip being so self-centered, he hardly makes for a sympathetic protagonist and it is not long before the viewer loses interest in this meandering tale that doesn’t really go anywhere.      

The self-absorbed nature of the characters combined with the interior life of the main character result in a film that is ultimately impossible to grab an audience either emotionally or intellectually.  How you feel about the movie may depend on how you feel about Roth, this book or his work in general.  If you find none of these particularly interesting, then it’s quite likely that “Deception” as a motion picture will be even less interesting.  There’s very little about either the lead characters or the picture itself that is either appealing or worth recommending.  It may be better to just read a book (but not necessarily this one). 

Following the screening, there was an interview with director Arnaud Desplechin.  He said that it was his intention to remain faithful to the Roth book; however, Desplechin admits to having changed the order of some of the scenes in the book.  One of the reasons why he did this was because he intentionally didn’t want the audience to know when the lovers were together or not.  Desplechin confessed that after finishing his studies in film school, he had no voice as a filmmaker.  It wasn’t until he was 25 years old that he finally read Roth’s “Portnoy’s Complaint” and realized he was using himself as the source material for his own work.  Desplechin alluded to Hitchcock’s advice of never trying to adapt a novel to the screen; that it was better to adapt a short story than a novel. 

"Fire" -- Movie Review

 

This week was the beginning of Lincoln Center’s French Film Festival; on opening night, I attended a screening of the new romantic drama “Fire”, co-written and directed by Claire Denis and starring Juliette Binoche. 

Synopsis

When a woman’s ex-lover re-emerges in her life, does she remain loyal to her husband or leave him to capture a past romance?

Story

It’s clear from the very beginning that Sara (Binoche) and Jean (Vincent Lindon) are madly in love with each other.  In fact, if you didn’t know better, you might think that they had been together for decades.  Actually, it’s only been a few years.  After Jean got out of prison, they wound up marrying, although they had been introduced to each other by Sara’s then-lover François (Grégoire Colin).  Jean and François were acquaintances at the time, while Jean was still with the mother of his teenage son, Marcus (Issa Perica).  Once Sara and François were no longer a couple, she took up with Jean. 

Jean and Sara have their love compromised when François enters their life once again.  With Jean trying to get back on his feet professionally, he decides to go into business with François when his friend starts a sports-related agency to recruit young new soccer players and develop them to reach a professional level.  Since Jean himself is a former athlete whose career was cut short due to an injury, it would only make sense that he could help make François’s venture a success.  But will this complicate matters with Sara, who still harbors feelings for François?  Neither François nor Sara are completely able of shaking each other. 

Meanwhile, Jean is trying to restore his relationship with Marcus, from whom he has been estranged for years; with his mother living abroad and his father imprisoned while he was a child, Marcus has mostly been raised by his paternal grandmother and has virtually no connection with his biological parents.  Regardless, Jean is aware of the fact that Sara and François remain drawn to each other once it becomes apparent that they have reconnected once he and Jean have become business partners.  But will this romantic triangle interfere with either the burgeoning agency or with the long-standing marriage?    

Review

When watching “Fire”, you can’t help but being reminded of the fact that the great Juliette Binoche is such an incredibly powerful actress – powerful not just because of her emotional expressiveness in her role, but also powerful in terms of how beautiful and sexy she is.  If you are not transfixed by her feminine beauty, then now might be a good time to check your pulse.  Simply put, this is quite an impressive woman.  Having said all of that, this movie is elevated by its cast – her chemistry with Vincent Lindon is extraordinary; in order to buy into this film, you must believe that they are a couple deeply passionate about each other.  That certainly comes through.

Despite this, it remains extremely disappointing that “Fire” is something of a letdown.  In some ways, it’s a little hard to believe that this is the same team that worked on Claire Denis’ “Let the Sunshine In” from just a few years ago, yet it feels like a much darker version of the film.  Denis does not allow Binoche’s character off the hook – she is in fact just as much at fault here as any other, if not more so.  Also, the way the story is told is somewhat scattered, almost as if it is trying to emulate the internal nature of Sara, who can’t quite seem to be able to know exactly what it is she wants in life.

One does not always quite understand whose story this is:  Is Sara supposed to be the protagonist here or should it be Jean?  As an audience, for whom should we be rooting?  Ultimately, we invest our emotions in neither character and perhaps that is the fatal flaw of this movie.  We desperately want to love both of these characters, but neither one totally seems worthy of our time and/or attention.  Even a woman as utterly delicious as Binoche or a storyteller as expert as Denis is quite capable of saving this one.  This is curious as such a story seems rather clearly in their wheelhouse.  If you are curious about this film, “Fire” is also known under the French title of “Avec amour et acharnement” (AKA, “  Both Sides Of The Blade”). 

 

"After Yang" -- Movie Review

 

Recently at Lincoln Center, I attended an advance screening of the new science fiction drama “After Yang”, starring Colin Farrell. 

Synopsis

In the future, when a family’s android breaks down, can they get it fixed in order to appease their daughter?

Story

Jake (Farrell) finds himself incredibly dependent on Yang (Justin H. Min) – as does the rest of his family.  In fact, Jake and his wife Kyra (Jodie Turner-Smith) almost consider Yang to be a member of their family – the key word here is almost because Yang is not actually human.  In point of fact, Yang is an android which they bought a few years ago in order to be a companion for their adopted daughter Mika (Malea Emma Tjandrawidjaja).  Mika is of Chinese descent so Jake and Kyra purchased Yang because he was programed to have a considerable amount of Chinese heritage and cultural information which he would impart to Mika over time. 

Eventually, Yang does what all things do:  he breaks down.  Jake’s mission now is to get Yang fixed.  But can he?  Is it really all that simple?  Yang is still under warranty, but trying to get either the manufacturer or the distributor to adhere to that warranty is another matter altogether.  Some say that the warranty does not apply here because the part that has broken down on Yang is not covered by the warranty.  Other sellers no longer exist over time, so it becomes almost impossible to have that warranty enforced.  Now, it becomes an economic matter for Jake:  should he pay to have a part fixed although it is not covered by warranty or merely buy another android? 

It's a simple question.  Unfortunately, as with many simple questions, it does not have an easy answer.  This is because Mika has become very attached to Yang – she almost sees him as a big brother who has not only taught her but protected her.  What complicates matters is that along the way, Jake discovers that Yang has collected some extremely personal matters stored in his internal memory.  What would happen if this information was leaked and private family issues suddenly became public?  Certainly, Jake could have someone on the black market take care of matters, but is there a greater good to be served here by having society learn about how Yang works?   

Review

“After Yang” is an incredibly ambitious effort by Kogonada, who directed and co-wrote the screenplay, which is based on the short story, "Saying Goodbye to Yang".  Where it ultimately disappoints is in the fact that it is aimed more for the head than towards the heart.  It is an exploration of existential philosophy when it could have been more of an examination of family life and the importance of good parenting – or perhaps more to the point, the cost of absentee parenting when the focus is in career rather than raising a child.  Had the humanity been more on display here, it would come closer to hitting the bullseye. 

Taking many twists and turns in the plot, “After Yang” can be something of a challenge to follow – not necessarily because of its complexity, but because it’s a bit trippy.  This is one of those movies that some will say is better viewed while high; others might argue that it’s better not viewed at all.  It tries to address too many topics all at once while maintaining its science-fiction credibility and just winds up feeling all over the place without leaving terribly much for the viewer to hang onto insofar as holding interest in either the story or its characters.  Despite a good cast, the experience and the ending will leave you a bit flat. 

Following the screening, there was an interview with the director.  He said he had been recommended several short stories to adapt into a film and this was one of them.  When he read it, he envisioned the movie version as a science fiction story along the lines of “The Matrix”.  To him, it was a family story about catching up to feelings of grief following the loss of someone integral to their family – a deep sense of loss as a result of the robot’s malfunction.  Since he is of Korean origin, he also found interesting the aspect of the robot designed to be Asian.  He wanted to make a film that explored questions of what it means to be Asian and what is people’s perception of Asians.