Friday Minute
No. 186 | October 22, 2010

The Crystal Ball

Our theme this week
Movies that open later in 2010

Featured this week (theme introduction)
Monday         —   Fair Game
Tuesday         —   The Way Back
Wednesday    —   The King’s Speech
Thursday        —   Somewhere

Biutiful

The story
Uxbal is a man who leads séances in which he communicates with the recently deceased.  He is diagnosed with a terminal illness, given months to live, and must reconcile the conflicts of his life and provide for the well-being of his children. 

Reasons to see it
Set in the underworld of Barcelona, Biutitul is the latest from Mexican director Alejandro González Iñárritu (Amores Perros, Babel).  He’s back with another tale about death, his favorite subject.  Oscar winner Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men) stars as Uxbal, winning Best Actor honors this May at Cannes, and the film is Mexico’s selection for Best Foreign Language Oscar.  The word is it’s a grim story.  González Iñárritu has never been a stranger to tragedy, but his heroes often find a measure of the redemption they seek.  He is not working with his frequent collaborator, writer Guillermo Arriaga, this time out (perhaps this explains why).  In the past I’ve found González Iñárritu’s work to be especially moving, and I look forward to seeing what he’s been up to lately.

Release date (U.S.)
December 29 (limited)

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Biutiful (2010)
Alejandro González Iñárritu, director
Alejandro González Iñárritu, Armando Bo, Nicolás Giacobone, writers
Rodrigo Prieto, cinematographer
Javier Bardem, Blanca Portillo, Maricel Álvarez, Rubén Ochandiano
Trailer

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Quote of note
“All I know is that the boy was my charge, and if he was not the word of God, then God never spoke.”
—The Man (Viggo Mortensen), The Road (2009)

…58…59…60.

Thursday Minute
No. 185 | October 21, 2010

The Crystal Ball

Our theme this week
Movies that open later in 2010

Featured this week (theme introduction)
Monday         —   Fair Game
Tuesday         —   The Way Back
Wednesday    —   The King’s Speech

Somewhere

The story
Johnny Marco, a Hollywood actor living at the Chateau Marmont hotel, gets a visit from his 11-year-old daughter, who causes him to reevaluate his life.

Reasons to see it
Last month the film won the Golden Lion at Venice, which usually does a good job in choosing worthy films (The Wrestler and Brokeback Mountain, among recent winners).  This year’s pick caused a bit of controversy.  The film divided critics, and some claimed Quentin Tarantino, jury president at Venice and ex of director Sofia Coppola, may have had a conflict of interest.  In any case, the jury’s decision was unanimous.  Coppola grew up the daughter of a Hollywood legend, and the story figures to be one close to her heart.  Not to mention, she was certainly taking notes along the way, and has become a first-rate director herself.  Stephen Dorff (Public Enemies) and Elle Fanning (Reservation Road) star as the father and daughter.

Release date (U.S.)
December 22 (limited)

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Somewhere (2010)
Sofia Coppola, director
Sofia Coppola, writer
Harris Savides, cinematographer
Stephen Dorff, Elle Fanning
Trailer

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Quote of note
Michael:  I did what I could, Kay, to protect all of you from the horrors of this world.
Kay:  But you became my horror.  The children still love you, though.  Especially Mary.
Michael:  Well, that’s something.  We can build on that.  For their sake, let’s try.
—Michael Corleone (Al Pacino), Kay Adams Corleone (Diane Keaton), The Godfather Part III (1990)

…58…59…60.

Wednesday Minute
No. 184 | October 20, 2010

The Crystal Ball

Our theme this week
Movies that open later in 2010

Featured this week (theme introduction)
Monday         —   Fair Game
Tuesday         —   The Way Back

The King’s Speech

The story
Based on the true story of George VI:  he took the throne when his brother, Edward VIII, abdicated, despite doubts, including his own, that he was fit to be king.  Among his problems was a terrible stammer.  An Australian speech therapist named Lionel Logue tried a series of unorthodox techniques to help the king find his voice and lead the nation during the war.

Reasons to see it
The talent behind the film are worthy of attention.  Director Tom Hooper made his film debut last year with The Damn United, and is probably best known for the 501-minute mini-series John Adams.  Colin Firth was an Oscar nominee last year for A Single Man.  Helena Bonham Carter, playing the queen, won Best Actress at the Hollywood Film Festival.  The movie has done great on the film festival circuit, winning audience awards at Toronto and the Hamptons.  The story behind the making of the film is an interesting one.  Writer David Seidler had had a stuttering problem as a child and was inspired by the king’s example to overcome his handicap.  He had asked permission from the Queen Mother (the Bonham Carter character) to write the story, which she granted with the stipulation “not in my lifetime.”  She lived to the age of 101, and Seidler had to wait 30 years for the chance to do the film.  The early word is, it was worth the wait.

Release date (U.S.)
November 26

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The King’s Speech (2010)
Tom Hooper, director
David Seidler, writer
Danny Cohen, cinematographer
Colin Firth, Helena Bonham Carter, Geoffrey Rush, Guy Pearce
Trailer

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Quote of note
Fox:  You see that the king did not write his own speech, Mr. Pitt.
Pitt:  The king will do as he’s told, Mr. Fox.
Fox:  Then why not be rid of him?  If a few ramshackle colonists in America can send him packing, why can’t we?
—Charles James Fox (Jim Carter), Prime Minister William Pitt (Julian Wadham), The Madness of King George (1994)

…58…59…60.

Tuesday Minute
No. 183 | October 19, 2010

The Crystal Ball

Our theme this week
Movies that open later in 2010

Featured this week (theme introduction)
Monday         —   Fair Game

The Way Back

 

The story
In 1940, a group of soldiers escaped from a Soviet gulag in Siberia.  They set out on a long walk to freedom, a 4,000-mile trek across treacherous terrain, including the Gobi Desert and the Himalayas, on their way to India.

Reasons to see it
The film credits say the story was “inspired” by the book The Long Walk, by Sławomir Rawicz, an officer in the Polish army.  Rawicz’s account is supposed to be his own true story, although there is some controversy about whether he escaped from the Soviets or was released.  Last year, another Polish WWII veteran, Witold Gliński, claimed the story was in fact true, but it was Gliński, not Rawicz, who escaped and made the journey.  The book, ghost-written by Ronald Downing, was published in 1956, sold half a million copies, and was translated into 25 languages.  The story, whatever its origins, has captured the attention of a wide audience.  The film adaptation is directed by Peter Weir, who has been less active in recent years but has a number of notable films to his credit (The Year of Living Dangerously, Witness), and he has shown a flair for capturing conflicts between different cultures, which is certainly a part of this tale.

Release date (U.S.)
December 29 (L.A.)

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The Way Back (2010)
Peter Weir, director
Sławomir Rawicz (book), Peter Weir, Keith Clarke (screenplay); writers
Russell Boyd, director of photography
Jim Sturgess, Ed Harris, Saoirse Ronan, Colin Farrell, Mark Strong
Trailer

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Quote of note
“I find I’m so excited, I can barely sit still or hold a thought in my head.  I think it’s the excitement only a free man can feel, a free man at the start of a long journey whose conclusion is uncertain.  I hope I can make it across the border.  I hope to see my friend and shake his hand.  I hope the Pacific is as blue as it has been in my dreams.  I hope.”
—Red (Morgan Freeman), The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

…58…59…60.

Monday Minute
No. 182 | October 18, 2010

The Crystal Ball

If you’re a regular reader of MAD About Movies (and why wouldn’t you be?), you may have noticed that all of the movies featured on the front page up to now have one thing in common—each is a movie that has already been released.  I find it much easier to write about movies that I’ve actually seen.

This week, however, something completely different.  Each day will feature a movie I haven’t yet seen—and very likely, neither have you.  All are movies that are not yet out, at least not here in the U.S., but are due to be released between now and the end of the year.

Recent weeks here have featured stars and movies from the not-so-recent past, so I’m rather interested in looking ahead for a change.  The good news about doing this now is that end-of-year movies are typically among the year’s best.  I won’t be surprised if a few of this week’s films make top ten lists and get recognition at awards time.  (You may note that Jackass 3D has already opened, so it does not qualify).

Since I’ve yet to see the films, I’ll have less to say than usual (which is not only convenient but necessary, since I have some other pressing commitments).  Also, despite the title above, don’t expect any predictions about who’ll take home statuettes on Oscar night.  Yes, there are sites that will do that for you, but making predictions, or even caring who wins, before seeing the films seems to miss the point entirely of what movies are all about in the first place.

Without further ado, let’s get to it:  a few of the movies I look forward to seeing later this year.

Our theme this week
Movies that open later in 2010

Fair Game

The story
The Valerie Plame story:  U.S. ambassador Joseph Wilson authored a controversial 2003 op-ed questioning evidence that the Bush administration had used to justify the invasion of Iraq; the White House retaliated by leaking his wife Valerie Plame’s status as a CIA agent to a friendly source in the media.  It was a case of dirty tricks in high places, based on Plame’s memoir of the same name.

Reasons to see it
The Plame affair is one of the most important stories of the past decade, a window into the corrupt powers that led our nation into war under false pretenses and worked to destroy anyone who dared to get in their way.  In this case, the media didn’t bring down the presidency when wrongdoing was discovered, but did the administration’s dirty work when needed.  Director Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity) has shown he knows how to make a good thriller (though slick effects aren’t needed here as much as telling the story straight).   Naomi Watts is almost always worth watching.  Sean Penn costars.

Release date (U.S.)
November 5 (limited)

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Fair Game (2010)
Doug Liman, director
Valerie Plame (book, Fair Game); Joseph Wilson (book, The Politics of Truth); Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth (screenplay); writers
Doug Liman, director of photography
Naomi Watts, Sean Penn, Sam Shepard
Trailer

 

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Quote of note
“The Watergate burglary, it was a Haldeman operation.  The whole business was run by Haldeman, the money, everything.  It won’t be easy getting at him.  He was insulated somehow, you’ll have to find out how.  Mitchell started doing covert stuff before anyone else.  The list of the people involved is longer than anyone can imagine.  It involves the entire U.S. intelligence community—FBI, CIA, Justice.  It’s incredible.  The cover-up had little to do with the Watergate foul-up.  It was mainly to protect the covert operations.  It leads everywhere.  Get out your notebook.  There’s more.  I think your lives are in danger.”
—Deep Throat (Hal Holbrook), All the President’s Men (1976)

…58…59…60.