“Buzzard”–Movie Review

 

With The Film Society of Lincoln Center’s New Directors/New Films series under way, I attended a screening of the new comedy-drama “Buzzard”, written & directed by Joel Potrykus and starring Joshua Burge.

Synopsis

When a young man embezzles money from his employer, can he evade the authorities or will he be forced to serve time?

Story

Marty (Burge) is a rudderless millennial stuck in a dead-end job. Bored with life and disgusted by society in general, he is on constant lookout for different ways to pull scams and work the system. Whether it’s getting a free bag of potato chips or complimentary medical care, he feels a great sense of entitlement to acquire anything he can, provided he doesn’t have to work too hard for it or spend much (if any) of his own money in order to do so. Marty has perfected being a Slacker to an art form – unfortunately, it’s nothing that can reliably generate any substantial revenue.

Currently working as an office temp in the mortgage department of a local bank in his Grand Rapids, Michigan home, Marty devises a scheme:  he’ll steal the refund checks to be mailed to the bank’s customers and cash them himself. Initially, after trying this with only a few checks worth a small sum of money, Marty successfully manages to pull off his scam. Unfortunately, his greed leads to excess and upon learning that the employer would eventually be able to figure out what he did, Marty gets scared that he will wind up having to do time in prison. As a result, he leaves his home to temporarily stay with his office buddy Derek (Potrykus).

With the cohabitation arrangement between Derek and Marty as hopelessly ill-conceived as the scheme that put Marty there in the first place, Marty comes to the realization that he must leave town altogether, so he hops on a bus bound for Detroit. Once in the big city, Marty tries to live off some of the other refund checks he stole – but that doesn’t last long when his bank freezes his account and blocks the use of his ATM card from doing any form of transaction. Quickly running out of money, Marty attempts to get some much-needed funds by going to a nearby check cashing business – but when the owner suspects something fishy is up, will Marty finally be caught or can he escape the law?

Review

The cynicism and (dare I even say the word?) nihilism of “Buzzard” is prevalent throughout the movie and is only part of what makes it work so brilliantly. While this is truly a story for The Great Recession, it is also timeless in its subject matter, telling the tale of a Generation Y slacker who seems not only destined to drown in his own hopelessness but also reveling in it simultaneously. Its dark comedy gradually takes an even darker turn, transforming “Buzzard” into perhaps more than merely a drama, but rather a tragedy instead. The character of Marty is wonderfully portrayed by Joshua Burge, who (to me, at least) looks like a young Steve Buscemi in this film.

One minor criticism I have with “Buzzard” is the ambiguity of its ending. Since I like to maintain spoiler-free reviews, I won’t give away anything essential to the plot. Suffice it to say this: while Director Potrykus employs a clever visual trick in the final scene, it’s rather unclear as to exactly what it means or what the director was trying to convey. Fortunately, Potrykus attended the screening and was available to provide his interpretation, which certainly made sense. But unless he intends to attend every screening, there might be more than just a few audience members scratching their head.

As mentioned above, Potrykus joined his star Joshua Burge to field questions from the audience after the screening. Potrykus said that he would love to remain in his hometown of Grand Rapids to shoot his movies; he’s not particularly interested in moving to Los Angeles, but admitted that he would be more than happy to accept major studio funding. Potrykus feels confident that with the relatively modest budget he needs for each film combined with the speed with which he completes projects, he could turn out about five movies a year. When a question was raised about the motion picture’s ending, Potrykus said he intentionally left it up to the audience’s interpretation.

Irish Whiskies: Another Look

 

For a change, this year I decided to be well-prepared for St. Patrick’s Day.  That’s why I attended a tasting at The Astor Center Of New York City called Irish Whiskey Revival so I would know which brands to buy in order to properly celebrate the big day.

Upon entrance, we were immediately greeted with a welcome cocktail called The Emerald.  Basically, The Emerald is identical to a Manhattan, except for the fact that the rye which is typically used in a Manhattan is substituted with Jameson’s Irish Whiskey; the other ingredients included orange bitters and Carpano Antica sweet vermouth.  Although we were not scheduled to include Jameson’s in the evening’s tasting, it was appropriate to at least acknowledge the famous brand in a cocktail because of its longevity and popularity – for every three bottles of Irish Whiskey sold worldwide, two of them are Jameson’s.    

Irish whiskies come in different styles:  Some are double – distilled, while others are triple – distilled.  Some are peated (like Scotch), but most are unpeated.  Some are blended, others are not. 

Beginning the evening’s tastings was Greenore.  Aged eight years, it is a single grain whiskey, 80 proof.  Light in color and gentle in flavor, it has a mild aroma; some detected honey or even a fruitiness in its scent.  Aged in oak casks (formerly used for bourbon, like scotch casks).  On the tongue, it has a slightly viscous feel; we were told this came about as a combination of the distillation, aging and amount of water. 

Next was Kilbeggan, manufactured in Cooley (located in northeastern Ireland).  A blended whiskey, its nose is somewhat similar but richer.  Its taste is more flavorful, with a nutty, soft feel.  Kilbeggan is a blend of grain and malt, containing Irish barley. 

This was followed by Green Spot Pot Still out of New Midleton and has not been around for very long.  Aged for eight years, 75% of the time in ex-bourbon casks and 25% in casks formerly used for sherry. 

We then moved on to Redbreast, a cask strength whiskey aged for 12 years; of all the Irish whiskies tasted this evening, it was the highest in alcohol at nearly 120 proof.  Also out of New Midleton, it is triple-distilled, in comparison to most American whiskies, which are double-distilled.  Half of its aging is done in ex-bourbon casks, while the other half is done in ex-sherry casks.  Because of its high alcohol content, it is highly recommended that you add a drop or two of water when sipping this one. 

Ransom Emerald lowers the alcohol content considerably, but at 43.8% alcohol by volume, it’s still a bit higher than many.  Aged for a total of three years, it consists of approximately two-thirds malted barley, but also contains rye and a small bit of unmalted barley.  Its color comes directly from the barrel in which it was aged; no caramel is added, unlike some other whiskies, which add caramel to enhance the color of their spirit. 

Last but by no means least, we were given Bushmills, a company that’s been around for over 200 years.  Aged 21 years, it’s a triple-distilled single malt whiskey.  Its aging process is very interesting – half of it is aged for 19 years in ex-bourbon casks, while the other half is aged for the same length of time in ex-sherry casks.  In the final step, the two are married and finished for two years in ex-Madeira wine casks.  Despite its velvety feel on the tongue, I found its finish to be somewhat reminiscent of a pair of wet socks. 

“Le Week-end” – Movie Review

 

This weekend in my movie class, we had a bonus screening of “Le Week-end”, a romantic comedy/drama starring Jim Broadbent, Lindsay Duncan and Jeff Goldblum

Synopsis

When a married couple celebrates their wedding anniversary with a weekend vacation, they are forced to come to terms with whether or not their marriage should end.

Story

Nick and Meg (Broadbent and Duncan) are a British couple married for a long time.  Maybe too long.  They are at the point where they can’t live with each other nor can they live without each other.  Now experiencing something of an empty nest syndrome, they seem to be able to succeed in doing nothing more than getting on each other’s nerves.  They decide to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary by traveling to Paris to spend a long (and hopefully romantic) weekend.  However, given the fact that Nick has just lost his job as a college professor, the timing of this vacation may have been ill-advised.

Arriving at their small hotel in Paris, Meg is immediately upset about the accommodations and storms out.  With Nick in pursuit, they wind up finding a high-end hotel where they try to check-in, despite the fact that they don’t have a reservation.  Eventually, they secure a suite – one that they can’t afford, especially now that Nick is unemployed.  Nevertheless, they decide to try to make the best of things and enjoy their mini-vacation, but that’s easier said than done – particularly since Meg has fallen out of love with Nick and refuses to be physically intimate with him. 

While out one evening, they run into Morgan (Goldblum), a former colleague of Nick’s.  Morgan, an American, is now living in Paris; he has had a significantly more successful career than Nick, having become a highly-acclaimed best-selling author of many books.  Unable to detect Nick’s jealousy, Morgan invites both of them to a dinner party at his place the following night.  With nothing else better to do – and now short on money because of their extravagant behavior – they decide to attend the party.  But when the party forces them to publicly confront the issues in their relationship, will it serve as a wake-up call or the death knell of their marriage?

Review

There are some incredibly good performances in “Le Week-end”, especially by Lindsay Duncan, but due to a few problems I had with the script, I have some slight reservations about recommending this movie.  First off, the story feels like it takes an unusually long time to get going, despite the fact that the film is only about an hour and a half in length.  The viewer needs to hang in there with the characters for a while to get a better understanding of exactly what is at risk here and why; unless you feel a greater emotional investment in them, you might become impatient waiting for that moment. 

Another script-related problem that made “Le Week-end” a challenge was that the characters weren’t exactly the most sympathetic.  On the one hand, Nick is written as an ineffectual milquetoast loser while Meg merely comes across as vicious, angry and spiteful.  One is left to wonder what these two saw in each other in the first place?  While Meg is seen as the one with all of the strength and power here, she only seems capable of manipulative and temperamental behavior, making rooting for her difficult, at the least. 

So are these shortcomings enough to skip “Le Week-end” altogether?  Probably not.  In addition to the performances, it features some clever directing by Roger Michell.  There is, however, only so much a good director and a talented cast can do to overcome failings with the screenplay, which is probably one more draft away from being something really special.  As it is, “Le Week-end” is nice, but certainly nothing remarkable.  One positive thing is that this is yet another story about romance in the life of mature adults – a demographic that some independent filmmakers apparently feel is still worth tapping.  

 

6.5/106.5/10

“On My Way” – Movie Review

 

This week, The Film Society Of Lincoln Center kicked-off its Rendez-vous With French Cinema series and I attended its opening night screening, the World Premiere of “On My Way” starring Catherine Deneuve.

Synopsis

When a woman learns her former lover has married someone much younger, this prompts her to leave her life behind to have new experiences.

Story

Bettie (Deneuve) has her life taken up by working hard in her restaurant in a small French town as she cares for her elderly mother. Her world is turned upside down when she learns that a man who was once the love of her life has married a girl even younger than her own grown daughter. Traumatized by this news, she resumes smoking and becomes so stressed that she walks out on both her restaurant and her mother, hopping in her car and going for a drive. Obsessed with the urge to smoke, she manages to find a bar where she was told it would be possible to purchase cigarettes.

Once in the bar, she finds more than cigarettes. Bettie is befriended by a group of similarly-aged women out for a night on the town, which then results in her meeting the bar’s black market cigarette salesman – a 30 year old man who gets her drunk on Caipirinhas and then proceeds to hit on her. Embarrassed after her inebriated tryst with this young man, she immediately takes off the next morning, barely saying good-bye to him. On the road, Bettie receives a panicked telephone call from her daughter Muriel (Camille); after a long period of unemployment, she finally secures a job – the only problem is it’s out of town and she cannot take her son Charly (Nemo Schiffman). As a result, Muriel is now forced to impose upon her long-estranged mother to take the boy to his paternal grandfather so he can mind Charly.

Despite encountering a number of obstacles along the way, Bettie manages to pick-up Charly at Muriel’s house and sets off on the long drive to the grandfather’s house. During their trek, Charly and Bettie both wind up getting on each other’s nerves. When Bettie is hospitalized after a brief fainting spell, the grandfather arrives to pick up Charly and take him back to his house; grumpy from the inconvenience, he gets along with neither Bettie nor Charly, who by now has bonded with Bettie and insists she join them. Upon arriving at the grandfather’s and subsequently being reunited with Muriel, will Bettie be able to patch things up with all involved or is she doomed to remain at odds with everyone?

Review

Despite a few (perhaps more than just a few) uncomfortably tight close-ups and a couple of plot point contrivances that didn’t quite parse for me, “On My Way” is ultimately a pleasant story, in no small part due to Deneuve’s patently sympathetic portrayal of Bettie. As the legendary actress plays her, Bettie has clearly been beaten down by life in her later years, even before being dealt the blow that becomes the catalyst for this road trip. This one-time beauty pageant contestant has suffered plenty as she’s matured and is long overdue for a bit of good luck around about now – but it’s not completely certain if it’ll be coming her way any time soon.

Regarding the director’s shot choices, Emmanuelle Bercot (who co-wrote the screenplay with Jérôme Tonnerre) makes regular use of extreme close-ups; if you suffer from claustrophobia, you might be somewhat taken aback here (and if you’re not claustrophobic, you may soon be). Also, the script contains some moments that may make you feel as though you missed something: We find out that Bettie’s restaurant is in trouble, yet every time we see her there, it’s always extremely busy. Bettie repeatedly rejects a reunion of fellow beauty pageant contestants, yet for some reason, she winds up attending anyway. Lastly, Charly goes from being Bettie’s worst enemy to her best friend so fast, it almost gave me whiplash.

Prior to the screening, a representative from The Film Society introduced a number of the filmmakers whose work was being featured during this series; among those present was Deneuve herself, who briefly spoke to the audience (much to her surprise, apparently).  This was a little disappointing because in their promotion of this screening, The Film Society mentioned Deneuve was going to be in attendance, but I assumed she would be interviewed either before or after the screening.  Sadly, this was not the case; I would’ve enjoyed hearing her talk about her career and the experience of shooting this movie. 

 

6.5/10442 votes6.5/10447 votes

“The Face Of Love” – Movie Review

 

This weekend in my movie class, we saw a bonus screening of the drama, “The Face Of Love”, starring Annette Bening, Ed Harris and Robin Williams.

Synopsis

When a widow starts dating her late husband’s doppelgänger, will he break-up with her when he learns the reason for her interest in him, or can they somehow work through it together?

Story

Five years after her husband’s accidental drowning death during their Mexico vacation, Nikki (Bening) remains in mourning.  Barely able to move forward in her life, she’s of no mind to pursue any romantic relationships until running into Tom (Harris), an art teacher who happens to be the spitting-image of Garrett, Nikki’s late husband.  After flirting with him for a while, she finally coaxes Tom to ask her out to dinner; they begin dating for a while and all appears well between them, except for the fact that Tom has no idea that Nikki is with him for no reason other than that he’s a double for Garrett. 

Nikki and Tom’s happiness is much to the consternation of Roger (Williams), Nikki’s friend and neighbor.  Like Nikki, Roger’s spouse died; although still in mourning to some degree, he seems to be in a bit better shape than Nikki because he is ready to move on with his life – in fact, he desperately wants to date Nikki himself, but she would prefer to maintain a more platonic relationship.  Understandably, when Roger learns that Nikki is seeing someone else, jealousy trumps joy for his friend.  Subsequently, when Roger sees Tom, he’s shocked by his resemblance to Garrett. 

Searching to resume her life with Garrett through an unsuspecting Tom, Nikki suggests they take a vacation to Mexico – in fact, through no mere coincidence, they wind up staying at the exact same resort where Garrett died.  In spite of the fact that Tom knows Nikki is a widow, he has learned little else about Garrett due to Nikki’s reticence.  However, during their vacation, Tom begins to suspect that something is up when he becomes aware of some new information about Nikki’s past.  When Tom confronts Nikki about this, will their relationship end or can they manage to get beyond it and stay together?

Review

Vacillating between melancholia and magical thinking, neither the motion picture “The Face Of Love” nor its heroine Nikki appear to know the direction in which it wants to go.  Does it want to be some kind of psychological thriller?  A romantic drama?  Is its theme “Love Triumphs Over All” or “Loss Can Be Overcome”?  Maybe none of the above.  Ultimately, I’m not sure exactly what this movie is supposed to be and perhaps that’s due in large part to its ending, which is supposed to be symbolic (I guess).  The good news is that it’s only an hour and a half long. 

Although Nikki is supposed to be the protagonist in “The Face Of Love”, she is hardly the most sympathetic character and thus rooting for her is difficult, to say the least.  Nikki, Roger and Tom have all lost their spouse, in one way or another.  Yet both Roger and Tom – and especially Tom – earn more compassion from the audience than Nikki, who is selfish, obsessed and, quite frankly, sick.  If there’s anything you’re rooting for when it comes to Nikki, it’s hoping that she both seeks and obtains the professional help this woman so clearly and desperately needs.  She seems to have no compunction about ruining the life of everyone around her, including her own grown daughter.

Director Arie Posin leaves no question that he certainly possesses the capabilities for telling a story both visually and verbally (he co-wrote the screenplay with Matthew McDuffie) – at least, at times, anyway.  The foundation for “The Face Of Love” seems to be a little shaky part-way through the second act before collapsing altogether in the third act.   Up until then, however, he has done a yeoman’s job of setting up what had the potential to be a really interesting story – if only he knew exactly which story it was that he wanted to tell. 

 

7.3/1098 votes

 

The 2014 Bacon & Bourbon Expo

 

If you were forced to make something of a classic Hobson’s choice of nibbling on bacon, sipping bourbon or none of the above, which one would you select?  Fortunately, I wasn’t forced to make that choice – I spent part of my Saturday evening both eating bacon and drinking bourbon because I attended The 2014 Bacon & Bourbon Expo held at The Astor Center of New York City. 

 

With mixologists staffed at the bar, I decided to begin the evening with one of the three bourbon-based cocktails being featured on this very special night, The Overlook Old Fashioned.  It’s made with Elijah Craig 12 year old bourbon, Oloroso sherry and Byrrh Vermouth.  I enjoyed this while noshing on passed snacks, which included Neuske’s Applewood Smoked Pepper-Coated Bacon Buttermilk Biscuits. 

Next, I found a table that was being worked by people from a highly-regarded New York City-based restaurant, Fatty Cue, where it appeared as though sliders were being served.  In fact, they pulled pork on a bun with a side order of cole slaw.  After these bites, I now had a firm foundation on which to build a serious drinking experience. 

Returning to the bar, I ordered the second of their featured cocktails, The Smash And Grab Job.  Start by muddling several sprigs of mint, add lemon juice and a drizzle of honey, then the bourbon (in this case, Bulleit was used).  All the ingredients are shaken together in an ice-filled shaker; strain it into a glass with ice, then add a lemon wheel as a garnish.

Following a few more nibbles of the bacon buttermilk biscuits, I requested the final featured cocktail of the evening, Ole Faithful Punch.  The recipe for this one is as follows: 

• Two slices of a blood orange muddled
• One muddled strawberry
• Three-quarters of an ounce of lemon juice
• A half ounce of simple syrup
• Half an ounce of Aperol
• An ounce and a half of Rye (here, Rittenhouse Rye was used)

After stirring all of the ingredients together, pour into either a rocks glass or a highball glass filled with ice.  Top it off with a little bit of club soda, then garnish with a quarter slice of blood orange.  Technically, this wasn’t a bourbon-based drink (although I suppose you could probably substitute it with that if you prefer it over rye), it was nevertheless mighty tasty. 

Some of the more interesting bourbons I tried on this evening came from Wild Turkey.  Although the menu only mentioned Wild Turkey 101 and Rare Breed, I also sampled their Kentucky Spirit; while this one wasn’t officially on the menu, they did decide to include it in the evening’s tasting. 

Both the Wild Turkey 101 and the Kentucky Spirit are 101 proof, but other than that similarity, they are quite different.  The Wild Turkey 101 is aged between four to eight years but is blended in such a way as to avoid any kind of a burn when swallowing.  The Kentucky Spirit, on the other hand, is blended and aged in a single barrel for up to 12 years.  It is somewhat sweet and has only the slightest burn on the palate.  By contrast, the Rare Breed is even higher in alcohol at 108.2 proof.  Aged anywhere from eight to 10 years, it presents itself with more of a burn up front – understandable, given its alcohol content. 

“In Secret” – Movie Review

 

This week in my movie class, we saw the crime drama, “In Secret”, starring Elizabeth Olsen, Oscar Isaac and Jessica Lange.

Synopsis

When a young woman is forced into a loveless marriage, she takes a lover – but once they plot to kill her husband, will they be caught or can their secret be kept indefinitely?

Story

In 1860’s France, Thérèse Raquin’s mother has just died; unable to care for her himself, the child is deposited in a countryside house by her father, who returns to Africa to work and promises to regularly send money for his daughter’s welfare. Thérèse is then raised by Madame Raquin (Lange), her aunt and the house’s occupant; Madame Raquin is also caring for her own sickly son, Camille. Growing into a young adult, Thérèse (Olsen) now becomes acutely aware of her own sexual urges – but without any men around, she reaches frustration more easily than orgasm.  After her father dies, Thérèse learns that she must marry the still-sickly Camille (Tom Felton) and move with him and Madame Raquin to Paris, where he has an office job waiting.

Dolefully yet dutifully, Thérèse does as she is told until one day Camille introduces her to Laurent (Isaac), an old childhood friend of his who happens to be a co-worker in the same office. Thérèse and Laurent eventually develop an attraction to each other and wind up engaging in a torrid love affair unknown to either Camille or his mother. Expressing wishes to leave her husband, Laurent convinces Thérèse that they must do away with Camille, so they murder him while in a rowboat, but insist to everyone that Camille’s death came by way of an accidental drowning.

After some months, Laurent and Thérèse marry, but gradually, it seems that the fire in their romance is being extinguished as they are consumed with guilt over their deed. Eventually, Madame Raquin falls ill when she suffers a stroke that causes her to lose both the ability to speak and most of her ability to move. Things worsen between Laurent and Thérèse as they resent being required to care for her. When Madame Raquin overhears them talking, she realizes that both Laurent and Thérèse are equally responsible for her son’s death. Despite her infirmity, can Madame Raquin somehow inform the authorities about what she now knows or will Laurent and Thérèse literally get away with murder?

Review

A case can certainly be made for “In Secret” being visually appealing; one class member commented on the costumes and someone else said the cinematographer’s lighting made certain shots appear as though they could have been a Rembrandt painting. Despite this, though, the movie doesn’t have very much going for it – including its title, which wasn’t terribly creative. The film is a bit corny and a few scenes evoked laughter from the audience, which was a bit uncomfortable since it wasn’t completely clear if they were in fact done with comic intent. Overall, I’d say you could probably either wait for this movie to appear on cable TV or even skip it altogether and instead read the Emile Zola novel on which it was based (“Thérèse Raquin”).

“In Secret” – in spite of whatever uncomfortably humorous moments, intended or not – takes a pretty dark turn the further into the story it progresses. Its primary problem is that it’s difficult to find a protagonist for whom to root in this story; at the outset, we feel compassion for Thérèse because of the unfortunate predicament – but because of her selfish nature, her character evolves into someone who is ultimately rather unsympathetic. Neither Madame Raquin nor Camille are sufficiently sympathetic either, although you could make an argument that you are rooting for Camille in absentia by virtue of the fact that the audience simply wants to see justice done.

Prior to the screening, our instructor interviewed former “Today” show co-host Jane Pauley, who was there to promote her new book, “Your Life Calling”. Pauley mentioned that even as a young woman, she was aware the fame she acquired from the “Today” show was not necessarily due to any particularly spectacular accomplishment or unusual talent; as she put it, she was a star who didn’t twinkle. Although people are often told, “follow your bliss” to make a career choice, Pauley felt she didn’t have any specific calling in her life until she realized late that she enjoyed telling other people’s stories. Since she came to this realization late in life, Pauley decided to assemble a book of stories about other Baby Boomers who substantially changed either their career or lifestyle after turning 50.

7.3/10215 votes

Therese Raquin: Emile Zola, Edward Vizetelly Surbiton: 9781482721362: Books ISBN: 1482721368 ISBN-13: 9781482721362

Your Life Calling: Reimagining the Rest of Your Life: Jane Pauley: 9781476733760: Books ISBN: 1476733767 ISBN-13: 9781476733760

“Winter’s Tale” – Movie Review

 

 

This week in my movie class, we saw the fantasy-drama, “Winter’s Tale”, starring Colin Farrell and Russell Crowe.

Synopsis

When a man thought to be dead a century ago suddenly reappears in the present day, he tries to avenge the death of his girlfriend – but will his devilish former employer, endowed with immortality, ruin his plans?

Story

As an infant in the late 19^th century, the parents of Peter Lake (Farrell) try to emigrate to the United States after sailing to New York City from Europe – but when they are denied entrance due to the father’s illness, they decide to leave their baby behind so that he may have a chance for a better life in America. Orphaned, a teenage Peter is eventually taken under the wing of Pearly Soames (Crowe) an evil gangster who leads a group of thieves; Pearly decides that Peter will become his protégé and teaches him how to become a master burglar. Peter then sets off in his new career as a youthful criminal.

Maturing, Peter realizes that this lifestyle is wrong, but when he tries to flee from Pearly’s clutches, Pearly sends his gang after him. During the chase, Peter finds a mystical white horse with special abilities; the horse helps him escape from Pearly’s gang – but Pearly won’t let it end there. Suddenly on his own, Peter realizes he needs one last burglary before he can go straight – but he aborts his attempt when breaking into the Manhattan home of the wealthy Penn family and discovers the beautiful Beverly (Jessica Brown Findlay), a talented pianist struck ill with consumption. The two fall in love with each other, but Beverly suddenly dies after being poisoned by Pearly; despite Peter’s best efforts, he cannot revive her.

In a later confrontation with Pearly, Peter is badly beaten and left for dead in the waters of The East River at the foot of The Brooklyn Bridge. After a century’s absence, Peter mysteriously resurfaces in the present day of New York City; he doesn’t appear to have aged, but he does seem to have amnesia as he can’t even remember his own name. Obsessing over an image of a young red-headed woman, he can’t recall that the image is of Beverly. Finding mementos from his past, Peter tries to jog his memory about who he is; in his journey, he encounters Virginia (Jennifer Connelly), a journalist with a cancer-stricken daughter who aids him. Meanwhile, Pearly, a demonic disciple of Lucifer, has survived all these decades; when he learns of Peter’s return, can Pearly stop Peter before he has a chance to save Virginia’s daughter?

Review

Prior to the screening, our instructor lectured us on the unusual genre of “Winter’s Tale”, which is called “Magical Reality” – not quite fantasy, it is essentially a reality-based story that contains occasional magical occurrences interspersed throughout. Upon hearing this, I was immediately struck with a dreaded fear that this movie would be a real challenge for me; generally, I try to go into each one of these screenings with a more or less neutral feeling so I can at least make an attempt at being objective. Unfortunately, my worst fears were confirmed – “Winter’s Tale” is a confused mess of cluttered, mawkish thoughts on spirituality, miracles and love in its various forms.

This movie is of course based on the successful novel of the same name by author Mark Helprin; the screenplay was adapted by noted screenwriter Akiva Goldsman, who also made his directorial debut with “Winter’s Tale”. Despite Goldsman’s rather impressive credentials, the storytelling technique in this film is particularly muddled; given how much trouble I had understanding the logic of the magical world these characters inhabited, it would be hard to fault the filmmaker for encountering similar difficulties. “Winter’s Tale” might be more well-received (and better understood) by those who actually read the novel that was its source material, as may have also been the case with “Cloud Atlas”.

Following the screening, our instructor read us some information from the production notes sent by the studio; this served to provide a little insight to the movie (and possibly, what went wrong here). When the studio initially read the script for the film, they determined that the budget necessary would likely be somewhere around $75 million, but they were unwilling to commit to that figure; instead, they decided on a budget of slightly more than half of that amount, $41 million. Goldsman was a huge fan of the novel and had long been interested in participating in its adaptation to the big screen. His desire to make this motion picture was restored after his wife passed away prematurely; Goldsman decided to donate his director’s fee to help fund the picture and called in a bunch of favors to people whom he’s known over the years – the big-name talent all worked for scale.

While “Winter’s Tale” may have been successful in serving as much-needed cathartic therapy for the mourning filmmaker, there’s not much of use for filmgoers. Romantics may flock to it in its Valentine’s Day weekend opening, but regardless of whether or not they are enthusiastic about it, the movie will likely fall off everyone’s radar rather quickly, I’m afraid.

6.0/10127 votes

“Omar” – Movie Review

 

This week in my movie class, we saw the Palestinian thriller “Omar”, which has been nominated for Best Foreign Film in this year’s Academy Awards.

Synopsis

When a young Palestinian man is accused of killing an Israeli soldier, he tries to clear his name – but will doing so require him to betray his friends and lover?

Story

Omar, a bakery worker from The West Bank, looks forward to his regular visits with childhood friends Tarek and Amjad. Whenever they get together, they practice paramilitary routines as they aspire to be freedom fighters who oppose what they view as the Israeli occupation of their rightful land. Tarek, the ostensible leader of their troika, plans to attack an Israeli army base so they can shoot one of the soldiers.  Secretly, Omar and Nadia, Tarek’s younger sister, are madly in love with each other. Together, the two conduct their romantic relationship chastely, in a chiefly epistolary manner.

On the night of their mission, Tarek informs Amjad that he must shoot the soldier. Despite his initial protests, Amjad eventually relents and pulls the trigger on the rifle, killing the Israeli guard. Amidst a barrage of return fire from the remaining soldiers in the base, the three young men escape – for now. Subsequently, Omar is arrested and through deceptive techniques by Agent Rami, an Israeli police officer, Omar inadvertently admits to having knowledge about the crime. Rami then coerces Omar into spying for him; Omar is then released so that he can attempt to clear himself of the murder.

Upon returning to his village, Omar is looked upon with great suspicion by his friends and neighbors alike. Loyal to him, however, is Nadia, who believes he is innocent, but still wants to know the truth. Following another arrest when he is part of an attempted ambush on other Israelis, Omar is now confronted with the reality that he must either face a life-long prison term or do the bidding of Agent Rami in order to remain a free man. But when Omar begins to suspect that his friends may have betrayed him in various ways, will he remain loyal to them or will he turn into a traitor in order to save himself?

Review

As a thriller, “Omar” attempts to focus more on the lead’s friendships and romance. However, it seems virtually impossible for any Palestinian movie to be completely absent of any political aspects, especially when Israel is involved. Given the tempestuous and acrimonious relationship the two have had for so long, it would admittedly be hard to imagine otherwise. That said, I don’t think that it would be either fair or accurate to say this film is clean of any political axe-grinding any more than it would be fair or accurate to say that it is some kind of political thriller. In point of fact, I suppose it is probably somewhere in between.

When watching “Omar”, I tried to look for what made this worthy of an Academy Award nomination in the category of Best Foreign Film. While I had some trouble with the way the story was laid out – both in terms of the script and visual techniques – I can certainly see what aspects there were to appreciate. Yet I can’t help but wonder if the nomination was done simply for political purposes – to encourage Palestinian filmmaking as a way of expressing disagreements in favor of blowing up innocent people. If that was the case, good luck. Strengths of the movie include the way the action scenes were shot and the suspenseful twists and turns of double and triple-crosses.

Following the screening, our instructor interviewed “Omar”’s director Hany Abu-Assad and one of its stars, Waleed Zuaiter, who played Agent Rami. The movie was shot over a period of about a month and a half for a budget of approximately $1.5 million. Abu-Assad sent the script to Zuaiter after previously seeing him in various other motion pictures and stage plays; he asked Zuaiter to read the script and consider playing the role of Agent Rami. Zuaiter wound up not only agreeing to play the part of Rami, but also offered to assist Abu-Assad in raising money to fund the picture. For many of the crew working on the film, this was their first experience as a primary participant; their previous jobs had been assisting on other projects.

7.8/10970 votes

 

Great Scot! It’s A Burns Day Celebration!

 

Did you have a happy Burns Day?  What’s Burns Day, you ask?  Well, if you’re fan of a certain brown-colored spirit manufactured in Scotland, then you may already know – but if you don’t, I’ll be more than glad to explain.  Robert Burns was a Scottish poet whose birthday is celebrated around the world (but especially in The United Kingdom) every January 25th.  He is perhaps best known for writing the lyrics to the song many of us sing every New Year’s Eve. “Auld Lang Syne” and for a certain poem called “Address To A Haggis”, dedicated to a rather infamous Scottish comestible that has been the brunt of many jokes over the years (including a few by Yours Truly).  By now, you may be asking, “OK, so what’s a haggis?”.  All in good time, my dear friends, all in good time  …

 

The array of Scotch Whiskies was intimidating (to put it mildly), so I decided to take it a bit more slowly and instead try the cocktails.  Naturally, I began with the one named after the day’s guest of honor, The Bobby Burns Cocktail. 

Made with Scotch, Carpano Antica, Benedictine and a couple of dashes of Angostura bitters, this tasty treat is sure to make Mr. Burns proud.  Served in a coupe glass, you’ll notice that it’s garnished with an orange peel; this garnish should not be underrated because it’s the real key to making this drink work – the outer side of the peel is run around the rim of the glass so that you can inhale the sweet scent of orange as you imbibe.  Should you choose to make this drink on your own, don’t neglect the garnish!

Next was The Highland Mule.  This cocktail consists of a Highland Scotch, ginger syrup, orgeat and lime juice.  Again, let’s focus on the garnish here, which in this case was a lime wheel.  Notice that the lime wheel goes for a swim in the drink rather than having a small slice in one side and perched along the rim of the glass.  I asked the bartender about her choice here and she said that it was merely for the sake of appearance – she thought it looked better.  While that may be true, I would suggest that there might be more to it than that.  Dunking the lime wheel into the mixture allows some of the flavor of the lime to be imparted to the cocktail and vice versa, for those who like to nibble on the garnish afterward. 

Last but not least was something called The Kings County Punch – Scotch, cherry heering, lemon juice and a splash of club soda.   Normally, I don’t particularly care for anything that would be branded as a “punch” because they can tend to be a bit too sweet for my taste.  In the case of Kings County Punch, however, the other ingredients managed to cut through the sweetness added by the cherry heering, making it somewhat more palatable to me. 

OK, I guess I’ve kept you all in suspense long enough.  Did I try the haggis?  Yes.  What was it like?  Well, hold on to your neeps and tatties boys and girls, here we go …

First of all, just what exactly is haggis?  A good question.  I ate it and I’m still not sure what it is.  Technically, it’s considered a pudding, but not the sweet kind with which you might be familiar.  It consists of sheep innards (such as heart, liver and lungs) combined with spices, salt, onion and other ingredients; the mixture is then packed into the sheep’s stomach, sewn up and simmered for hours in a stock before serving.  Sound yummy yet?

Since this was Burns Day after all, the haggis could not be served without first reading Robert Burns’ poem, “Address To A Haggis”; normally, the poem is recited and a bagpiper plays.  Unfortunately, there was no bagpiper available, but what we did have was a rather fun dramatic performance of the poem, at which point the haggis was sliced with a knife to great cheers from the crowd.  

The haggis was served with the traditional neeps and tatties – or boiled turnips and potatoes mashed up together.  So how was it?  I have to admit in all honesty that it wasn’t bad.  It’s a little embarrassing for me to have to say this after all of the years I’ve spent making jokes about this stuff.  Would I eat it again?  Put it this way – at this celebration, I had two helpings!  As far as the turnips and potatoes were concerned, this was a far more conventional taste to me – very reminiscent of Thanksgiving dinner.