First up, Ira & Abby. This was one of those small, indie romantic films that Netflix recommended to me and I took a chance, mostly because I like the main star Jennifer Westfeldt. She also happened to be the writer of this film, and it was very charming all around. Ira is a typical tightly-wound, over-thinking kind of NY character who often shows up in Woody Allen films (and little did I know I'd see the same previously unknown-to-me actor again the next day in an actual Woody Allen film), unlucky in love and paying a lot of money in therapy bills to talk too much about it. Abby is a free spirit, sweet and friendly and caring towards everyone she meets - sometimes spreading herself too thin and neglecting those she's actually in a relationship with. They meet cute and fall in love, and get married way too quickly. That's the setup, and what follows is the story of their break-ups and make-ups in trying to make a modern marriage work.
Their parents feature prominently in the story as well, well-played by Judith Light and Robert Klein (his stuffy analyst parents) and Fred Willard and Frances Conroy (her hippy-dippy jingle-singing parents). Also featured: a super-hot and scruffy Jon Hamm, Jennifer Westfeldt's actual bf, as one of her many exes. This is an enjoyable weekend afternoon kind of a movie, and I give it a B+.
Next, I settled in for a loooong evening with
Baz Luhrmann's Australia. I just can't do 3 hour movies in the theaters anymore, so DVDs really are a perfect format. I'd been really unsure of this movie back when it was in theaters, cuz from the trailers you could never really tell what it was trying to be -- epic romance? war movie? Western? Baz-style extravaganza? Well, it falls somewhere in between the first three. The good news is that I liked it a lot more than I expected. Nicole Kidman, who often plays very fragile, breakable characters, shines in this movie playing a much stronger, sassier, more resourceful character than we've seen from her in a while. I think Baz has found a good way to bring some of that spirit out of her, and I hope they keep working together. And I'm not always a Hugh Jackman fan, cuz sometimes he seems much more suited to being a Broadway baby than a really rough-and-tumble character, but he really sells it as The Drover. And their chemistry is great. So, though the movie is a bit too long and sometimes stretches with the CGI-plus-Aboriginal-magic hoo-ah, it's a good story and you end up rooting for them both, and their adopted son Nullah, in the end. I also give this a B+. And, finally, I spent my Sunday night in a world that I found so appealing, I'd just love to live there forever. That's Woody Allen's vision of the world, this time in Spain, with Vicky Cristina Barcelona. I like Woody and have seen most of his movies over the years, and I always think one of his hallmarks is that he "elevates" people and the world we live in, as he always creates articulate, artistic characters who spend their times in cafes, art galleries, or gorgeous homes, talking about poetry and disaffection in meaningful ways. No one ever seems to work or worry about everyday problems like bills or being stuck in traffic. They're all content to live and play in these beautiful places and debate the meaning of life and love. Yes, I want that! Here, Woody does it again, with what feels like almost a perfect film... two American tourists (Rebecca Hall and Scarlett Johanssen as Vicky and Cristina) head to Barcelona and get romantically entangled with an artist (Javier Bardem) and his ex-wife (Oscar winner Penelope Cruz). That's the story in a nutshell, but it's so beautifully played out, with such captivating and sensual performances, that I just didn't want it to end. Penelope really comes alive with a ferocity and a humor that comes through the screen, both Hall and Johanssen do a fine job playing sort of 2 sides of the same coin, both yearning for what they don't have, and Javier? Oh, Javier. How do you sigh in Spanish? I loved this movie, and as soon as it ended I clicked on to Amazon and bought a copy to have myself. I give it an A. I mean, really, just look at him!
1 comment:
I netflixed Ira and Abbey, too (when I had netflix) and watched it "instant" online. Enojyed it! Also liked Vicky Christina surprisingly a lot! Chose to see it when there was not much else playing... good choice, especially because i don't often like Woody.
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