Wow-wow-wow! My Jacques Tati mini-festival hasn't yet begun. Netflix was slow this week. So, last night I was scrounging through a stack of DVDs looking for one we hadn't yet seen and I came across "Closer." This was a film that really perked my interest back when it was released but I didn't see it then. Bought the DVD who knows when and didn't watch it. Now why did I put it off??? I can only imagine it was my horror at having to watch a Julia Roberts movie. But the mitigating circumstances and redemptive qualities of CLIVE OWEN and JUDE LAW and NATALIE PORTMAN convinced me that last night was the right time to give it a shot.

I loved that film! Didn't know it had been a stage play before. It's essentially a film with four actors -- or I should say, three actors and Julia Roberts. I kept remembering her scene with Bruce Willis in the movie within the movie at the end of The Player.

Halfway through I'm thinking this is reminding me of an updated Carnal Knowledge. Then I notice it's directed by Mike Nichols. Clive is the Jack Nicholson character, Natalie is the Ann-Margret character and Julia Roberts is the Candice Bergman character. Jude Law isn't quite Art Garfunckel though.

When I get a chance, I'll watch it again. A beautifully compact film with a perfect song that bookends the the start and the finish. Wonder how it did at the box office.

The writer, Patrick Marber, doesn't seem to have a high opinion of women... The battle of the sexes. The war game of love.

5 ***** in spite of the unfortunate casting of movie star Julia Roberts.

Susan

PS What a tragedy!  Cate Blanchett was originally supposed to play the Julia Roberts' role but was pregnant at the time.  Now that would have made the movie perfect! 

     
“Half a truth is often a great lie.”

Ben Franklin

Yeah it is awful, but its what I like to call hilariously awful. I enjoyed it for the teribleness of it all. 

Hey Susan, I love it too... for so many reasons. First of all because I always liked Mike Nichols's movies (except maybe Wolf) and because the actors in it do an amazing job. Actually, I was also lucky to see the play written and directed by Marber when I was in London 6 or 5 years ago. Can't remember. Anyway, it was a little different, but incredible and Clive Owen was performing in Dan's role (which in the movie is played by Jude Law). I find the movie magnetic and Alice/Jane's character becomes the central and catalyst one. And she is truly amazing! I heard it was nearly a flop in the U.S. Europe didn't boo it, but they didn't even call it a masterpiece because of the big names in it and the theatrical profusion of love that seems to spread in each frame of this work. In my opinion cLOSER is a very pessimistic portrait of love relationships revealing human meanness and frailty towards love.

Unfortunately, I didn't see Carnal Knowledge yet. But I love The Graduate.

I don't totally agree with your thoughts on Roberts. I believe she is a good actress who is given (almost) always the same roles. I liked her in some movies, such as Erin Brockovich and Jane Eyre. Though I must agree with you if you say you hate her because of her terrible face. It looks like a cow!

I'd like to remember everybody that Patrick Marber is a wonderfully talented and romantic playwright, who also wrote entirely on his own Notes on a scandal. He's not an incompetent...

"Did they scoff the whole damn Smörgåsbord?" (Audrey) 

"Gimme a donut!" (Coop)

The Departed

Pretty fantastic action movie. Probably not the best film made last year, but it's solid.

I thought I knew who was falling off the building in the TV spots, but it turns out I didn't. Only one of many interesting developments over the course of the film.

Logic Hat Online- logichat.org

Zodiac -- very good film and the three actors aquit themselves admirably...I would recommend it and Fincher does a good job directing without getting too Fincher....the triumvriate of Gyllenhaal, Ruffalo and Downey Jr. were excellent...very moody piece, well, I know it has to be, but I really enjoyed the atmosphere and pace of the movie even though some might say it was too long...I have to say it was worth the wait...I'll probably go see Grindhouse on Friday with my Tarantino buddy Pauly (we saw bothKill Bill's together, not that you would remember that).

I like Mike Nichols, but Closer was not all that and a bag of chips for me...Clive Owen saved it for me, because he's a helluva actor and Natalie Portmann was great as well. Sory, Susan, I was surprised to see that you liked it so much, until I saw the comparisons you made to Carnal Knowledge and that made me see more why you liked it. I will give it another try sometime...now that's a great movie...has anyone on here ever mentioned what an amazing actress Faye Dunaway is...the two films she did with Jack, Carnal and Chinatown, her Academy Award performance in Network, Bonnie and Clyde and one of my personal faves The Eyes of Laura Mars and okay,.I'll mention Mommie Dearest. A painful movie to watch but Faye is still magnificent in it....glad to see you finally saw The Departed, PF. I had the same reaction to the first roof scene when I saw it in the theater "oh so that's who's falling in the trailer much to the chagrin of the audience... 

Also, speaking of Clive Owen, I purchased Children of Men on E-bay for a very resaonable price, bidding on Blood Diamond too and trying to get it for the same reasonable price.     

"Every day holds a new beginning and every hour holds the promise of an Invitation to Love." 

Too bad I didn't know you were looking for Blood Diamond (2 DVD set) and Children of Men, Smokey. Blood Diamond is currently with my neighbors -- one of whom cannot watch any violence! I warned her. They plan to fast forward through "those parts." I was not a big fan of this film. It's an action film to me although Leo redeems himself again. Good job, Leo! Good accent too! Maybe my problems with Leo have been all Scorcese related? (The Gangs of New York and The Aviator) Who was that annoying actress-love interest? Was it Jennifer Connally? I think it was. Completely uninspired performance. What most grabbed my attention in this film though remains the extras. WOW! I've never seen so many extras so maltreated but it gave the film that Battle of Algiers touch of reality. Before it became a buddy film again. An action-buddy film, neither genre being my faves. Not sure where they filmed this but I think it's safe to say there was not a high visibility of SAG officials monitoring the shoots. But, on second thought, I guess we should keep them for our DVD library anyway...

Children of Men. We got off to a late start watching it Saturday night so this is not the final word. I was awake for the first hour but my husband was sound asleep. He woke up and I backtracked to the last scene he remembered watching. Eventually got to the point where guys are chasing them as they escape with the two women heading for the shore. I had been very much looking forward to this film. Maybe it was the overall grim dirty look that got to me. It was well done -- just not the imagery I should have been watching this particular weekend. Maybe it was the fact that Clive Owen's eyelids looked soooooo recently surgically altered. They distracted me and I found myself daydreaming about Croupier, where I first fell in love with Clive Owen. Then the daydream continued as I thought about young actors getting their first breaks -- do they realize it's a given they will be coerced into a future of repeated "aesthetic" surgeries beginning at earlier and earlier ages? Part of the deal, I guess. Then there was Julianne Moore. Sigh. Smokey, I know you'll know the part I liked vis a vis Her Blandness. Basically all I can say right now is this was not the film I was psychologically fit for Saturday night and I will have to give it another full shot later. Shortly after giving up on it, I needed a quick sobering dose of the natural antidepressant -- the House and Garden channel.

Closer surprised me. I love to be surprised. Wish Cate Blanchett had been available to do justice to Anna, but still -- the script rules! This DVD is also "checked out" to my neighbors but when it's back, I really want to watch it again and see if it was just a quick seduction or if it will hold up to a second viewing. Look forward to catching a performance of the play one day also.

Oh, the Jacques Tati film festival? Netflix went weird. Maybe I'll get a DVD in today's mail but they have been VERY slow this week. Maybe they had to wait for their copy of Les Vacances to be returned? Anyway, I expect to watch one of them this weekend. And then to be all set for the FINAL SEASON OF THE SOPRANOS Sunday, April 8, 2007 at 9:00 pm. The phones will be off the hook. We will be glued to the screen. I cannot wait!

Susan

PS Just checked my Netflix account and they have not received my last DVD although it was mailed last Wednesday. Uh oh. Reported it. Hmmm. This is the first time I've had a problem. We'll see. The film was "Born Into Brothels" and I left it in my mailbox for the postman. Usually I drop it at the post office. Can't imagine anyone would steal it. Hmmmm.

PPS UPDATE:  After I made my missing DVD report, I received a later email saying it was received today!  Mon Oncle is in the mail.  But yes, Booth, I'm afraid I probably won't see it until this weekend. 

     
“Half a truth is often a great lie.”

Ben Franklin

"Every day holds a new beginning and every hour holds the promise of an Invitation to Love." 

The Fisher King

This is probably Gilliam's best film, and I've seen most of them. Unless Time Bandits or Baron Munchausen tops this, I stand by my statement.

The imagery and general weirdness is there, but this is still a story about real people, not giant sets. Jeff Bridges and Robin Williams play off each other wonderfully. This film actually moved me, something even Tideland was unable to do. The movie has a truly happy ending, a rarity in Gilliam's films. Whether he was pressured into it, or it was planned from the beginning, it's the best ending the movie could have had, I think.

Logic Hat Online- logichat.org

I agree with most of this list, but wouldn't have Donny Darko in the top 10 - that's just weird.

http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/story/0,23663,21502316-10388,00.html

Agreed!  Except for Clockwork Orange, which I am pretty sure is always on my top ten all time list.

     
“Half a truth is often a great lie.”

Ben Franklin

Uh, Mon Oncle is sitting here in my ready-to-view stack but now I'm starting to get all sweaty and nervous.

Susan 

     
“Half a truth is often a great lie.”

Ben Franklin

Yeah, I could see how it came across that way but I meant my OBJECTIVE list of all time best films. 

     
“Half a truth is often a great lie.”

Ben Franklin

The Holy Mountain is one of the best films I've ever seen. Not only is it shocking and beautiful, but laugh out loud funny.

twitter/ josephallenart 

josephallenart.com 

Sunshine

Theres nothing I love more than going to see a movie and being completly blown away by it. But it rarely ever happans, but it happeened tonight. This was incredible. Absoloutly brilliant. 

First I've heard of this film but how can you go wrong with these keywords:

 The Holy Mountain goes on the Netflix queue right after the Jacques Tati fest!

     
“Half a truth is often a great lie.”

Ben Franklin

"Every day holds a new beginning and every hour holds the promise of an Invitation to Love."