Tuesday, July 17, 2007
I spoke to Lorraine on the phone yesterday and also today. She seems very calm, very composed. She even made a joke about me not being a bloater, and to make sure there is some food in the fridge for when she returns at the weekend. (On Saturday I bought a shitload of food for the week, most of which went straight into the freezer when I realised she wasn't home.) I suppose whatever grief there is going to be will happen when she gets back. I hate to see her cry, but I am ready for it.
Lorraine's Aunt's funeral will be on Thursday next week. Lorraine said that it is up to me if I go or not and that she won't hold it against me if I don't go.
Nothing much else to write about, except the two films that I saw at the weekend.
"4: Rise Of The Silver Surfer".
... Or to give it it's proper title, "Fantastic Four 2: The Contractual Obligation".
OK. That's very negative. As a superhero movie pitched towards very small children, I suppose that there is nothing wrong with "4: Rise Of The Silver Surfer", but really it should have been so much better. I know that a lot of people didn't like the first "Fantastic Four" movie very much, but I did (it was big, silly, technicolour fun), and sad to say it, "4: Rise Of The Silver Surfer" is nowhere near as good.
The great assets of the first film were Chris Evans, Michael Chiklis and Julian McMahon. The film came alive whenever those actors were onscreen. This time round they sleepwalked their way through their roles (I'm sure I saw one of them checking his watch), leaving Ioan Gruffudd and Jessica Alba (very nice to look at, but I hated your hair this time, Darling!) to drown in a plot of bad jokes and semi-romantic mush (both of which I sometimes have a disturbingly high tolerance for, but not this time). The Silver Surfer effects are magnificent, but the least you can expect in a Summer blockbuster are good special effects.
Should have been better. Much, much better.
"Molière".
Thirteen years before finding fame as a playwright, Molière (Romain Duris) is a debt ridden actor leading his own unsuccessful acting troupe. Thrown into gaol as a result of this debts, he is saved by a rich, middle aged benefactor Monsieur Romain (Fabrice Luchini) who, desperate to attract a young widow (Ludivine Sagnier), hires Molière to teach him how to act. While working with Monsieur Romain, Molière starts to develop feelings for Madame Romain (Laura Morante)...
I really liked "Molière", even if it did not turn out to be the full blown French farce that it could have been. It was a nice, gentle, warm comedy, with moments of great hilarity and great melancholy. Make sure you have a couple of handkerchief's ready before the end. You might need them.
Nicely written and nicely played. Good performances from everybody, especially Fabrice Luchini as Monsieur Romain who plays, frankly, a true horse's ass. Some very funny (and modern) observations on the art of being an actor, the pros and cons of the "method" and comedians who want to play it "straight" when really they should stick to making people laugh.
Yes, it does have subtitles. Sigh. Have a read.
Lorraine's Aunt's funeral will be on Thursday next week. Lorraine said that it is up to me if I go or not and that she won't hold it against me if I don't go.
Nothing much else to write about, except the two films that I saw at the weekend.
"4: Rise Of The Silver Surfer".
... Or to give it it's proper title, "Fantastic Four 2: The Contractual Obligation".
OK. That's very negative. As a superhero movie pitched towards very small children, I suppose that there is nothing wrong with "4: Rise Of The Silver Surfer", but really it should have been so much better. I know that a lot of people didn't like the first "Fantastic Four" movie very much, but I did (it was big, silly, technicolour fun), and sad to say it, "4: Rise Of The Silver Surfer" is nowhere near as good.
The great assets of the first film were Chris Evans, Michael Chiklis and Julian McMahon. The film came alive whenever those actors were onscreen. This time round they sleepwalked their way through their roles (I'm sure I saw one of them checking his watch), leaving Ioan Gruffudd and Jessica Alba (very nice to look at, but I hated your hair this time, Darling!) to drown in a plot of bad jokes and semi-romantic mush (both of which I sometimes have a disturbingly high tolerance for, but not this time). The Silver Surfer effects are magnificent, but the least you can expect in a Summer blockbuster are good special effects.
Should have been better. Much, much better.
"Molière".
Thirteen years before finding fame as a playwright, Molière (Romain Duris) is a debt ridden actor leading his own unsuccessful acting troupe. Thrown into gaol as a result of this debts, he is saved by a rich, middle aged benefactor Monsieur Romain (Fabrice Luchini) who, desperate to attract a young widow (Ludivine Sagnier), hires Molière to teach him how to act. While working with Monsieur Romain, Molière starts to develop feelings for Madame Romain (Laura Morante)...
I really liked "Molière", even if it did not turn out to be the full blown French farce that it could have been. It was a nice, gentle, warm comedy, with moments of great hilarity and great melancholy. Make sure you have a couple of handkerchief's ready before the end. You might need them.
Nicely written and nicely played. Good performances from everybody, especially Fabrice Luchini as Monsieur Romain who plays, frankly, a true horse's ass. Some very funny (and modern) observations on the art of being an actor, the pros and cons of the "method" and comedians who want to play it "straight" when really they should stick to making people laugh.
Yes, it does have subtitles. Sigh. Have a read.
# posted by Pynchon @ 7:24 pm 
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I don't understand why subtitles turn people off. Reading isn't hard and once you start you soon forget you are reading and just enjoy the story, much like a book. My favourite movie has subtitles.
I have to agree with the Fantastic Four review, but I did take my 6 year old and he did enjoy it which was all that mattered to me.
I have to agree with the Fantastic Four review, but I did take my 6 year old and he did enjoy it which was all that mattered to me.
I don't understand it either. There is a whole world of good movies out there that are not in the English language.
Re. "Fantastic Four". I feel very much the same these days about "Batman And Robin", although I hated it when I first saw it.
If it had been the first Batman film it would have been acclaimed as a fine continuation of the campness of the TV series, but coming after the first two Burton films it was seen as a disaster. It's a good kids film, nothing more and nothing less.
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Re. "Fantastic Four". I feel very much the same these days about "Batman And Robin", although I hated it when I first saw it.
If it had been the first Batman film it would have been acclaimed as a fine continuation of the campness of the TV series, but coming after the first two Burton films it was seen as a disaster. It's a good kids film, nothing more and nothing less.
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