Resurrecting the Movies thread...

[southendmd]

After drying my tears from "Buck", I headed to another venue to see "We Were Here", another documentary, about AIDS in San Francisco.  I know that Bay City John has promoted this film and it was different from other such films, much more personal.  Non-stop tears this time.

[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCxqJgpejbs[/youtube]

[southendmd]

Boy did I need a change after those two.  The third film of the day was "Weekend", a British film billed as "Brokeback Mountain" meets "Before Sunrise".  

It was neither.  

Now I need a break.  

[Front-Ranger]

Paul!! 

[serious crayons]

Say I heard a review that, surprisingly, Midnight in Paris is supposed to be good? Anyone seen it?

Saw it last night. I was fascinated for a while. I like Owen Wilson, and thought he did a great job of mastering a combination Owen Wilson-Woody Allen persona. In the tradition of non-Woody-Allen Woody Allen heroes, he assumed that classic Woody Allenesque halting, stammering delivery, which I love, while also seeming entirely himself. I also liked the tense, unpleasant, not overwritten dynamic between him and Rachel McAdams.

But ultimately I started to drift off. That could have partly been me, because I went following an evening that involved both work and strong beer (writing about a beer event). But I also think that the sequences in the past, while an interesting concept on the surface, eventually lost excitement. With the possible exception of Kathy Bates' Gertrude Stein, the historical figures were kind of wooden and two-dimensional and stereotypical.

And why force Michael Sheen to speak in an American accent? For one thing, his American accent is not that great. He's a wonderful actor, but accent-wise he's no Hugh Laurie or Christian Bale. And for another, I thought his character would work just as well, if not better, as a Brit.

I thought it approximately as compelling as the last one, which is to say so-so.

[southendmd]

Paul!! 

Greetings again from Provincetown and the film festival.

Well, today's fare was a bit lighter than yesterday's emotional tour. 

First up, was a French animated feature "A Cat in Paris"  aka "Une vie de chat" en francais.  Standing in line next to Kathleen Turner, who was eating an ice cream cone and doing her best Tallulah Bankhead voice, I looked forward to something whimsical.  And whimsical it was.  Apparently all hand-drawn cels, the film was a charming story of a cat, Dino, who is a faithful pet by day, and an accomplice to a cat-burglar by night.  It's also about Dino's girl, who lost her father, and her policewoman mother.  Exciting climax at Notre Dame de Paris.  Very popular with the audience!

Here's a trailer in French, although the version we saw was dubbed by British actors.

[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7e07c52VWg[/youtube]

[southendmd]

The next film I was really looking forward to.  It was "Higher Ground", Vera Farmiga's directorial début, also starring her.  An honest depiction of a woman who chooses faith, almost literally by accident, and then continues to have doubts, Ms. Farmiga brilliantly portrays her character's ambivalence.  

Spanning a few decades, the film shows her as a child and adolescent before Vera herself appears.  I was blown away by how much the adolescent Corinne resembled Vera, only to later discover that it was in fact Vera's younger sister in the role (younger by 21 years).  Also in the wonderful ensemble cast were two BIG Broadway actors:  Donna Murphy and Norbert Leo Butz.  However, Dagmara Dominczyk, as the best friend, stole the show.

Vera was present for a Q&A, and was a bit, um, rambling, but charming nonetheless.  She noted that she was 4-5 months pregnant as she shot this film.  

I couldn't find a proper trailer, but here's this:

[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YULG0QcP4qA&feature=related[/youtube]

Her Brokie connection:  she has acted with BOTH Heath and Jake:  with Heath in the Aussie TV series "Roar" (1997) and this year with Jake in "Source Code".  

Jake and Vera with Michelle Monaghan at South by Southwest.

[Mandy21]

Paul, I swear, you are a neverending bounty of trivial knowledge of all topics.  What would we ever do without you?

[Front-Ranger]

Vera has it all...looking forward to seeing this! 

[serious crayons]

 I was blown away by how much the adolescent Corinne resembled Vera,

I was wishing you had posted a picture, but I saw her in the video and see what you mean! Though does the sister have brown eyes? Vera's are so strikingly light blue.

Her Brokie connection:  she has acted with BOTH Heath and Jake:  with Heath in the Aussie TV series "Roar" (1997) and this year with Jake in "Source Code".  

I love Vera Farmiga. I guess I've always thought of her as Brokieish, even though the first movie I ever saw her in, The Departed, has arguably no first-degree Brokie connections. Maybe when I like people I tend to just want to bring them under the Brokie umbrella.

[Penthesilea]

I love Vera Farmiga. I guess I've always thought of her as Brokieish, even though the first movie I ever saw her in, The Departed, has arguably no first-degree Brokie connections. Maybe when I like people I tend to just want to bring them under the Brokie umbrella.

Yes, probably. At least that's clearly the case with me. I don't know Vera Farmiga, even though I might have encountered her name over on HHH. I saw Source Code last night, and reading Paul's post about her Brokie connection made me grin from ear to ear.