WFP: La Dolce Vita

Weekend Flick Pick

La Dolce Vita is, quite simply put, filmmaking at its very best. It is also filmmaking at its absolute coolest. There is now so much mythology around the film and people associated with it, that you could easily write a book on the subject (and a very large one at that). For example, the word Paparazzi has now become part of the lexicon of British popular culture, but the word comes from the name of the character "Paparazzo" in the film. Also think of the Trevi fountain, and an image of the buxom Anita Ekberg, lolloping about in the water wearing her party frock, instantly springs to mind!

La Dolce Vita (The Sweet Life/ The Good Life) caused a sensation when it was released, and was banned in Italy for many years. It ushered in a different era of sexual identity and cultural awareness; and displayed a pessimism regarding Catholism which wasn't taken kindly to in certain quarters! The film was directed  by Italian cinemas' Enfant Terrible - Federico Fellini, and playing the lead character of bored hack-journalist Marcello, is the wonderful Marcello Mastroianni.

The cinematography, the attention to detail (in the clothes, the architecture, and nightclubs) and the acting are all sublime. If you are going to Rome for a holiday, this film is a must see, if not see it anyway!

WFP: La Vie en Rose

Weekend Flick Pick

The press blurb from the studio states: "The most astonishing immersion of one performer into the body and soul of another ever encountered on film". That's quite some claim, but on having seen the film I realise that this is not completely unjustified (mind you how about Robert De Niro as Jake LaMotta in Raging Bull, or Robert Downey, Jr, as Charlie Chaplin!)

Marion Cotillard dazzles as Edith Piaf, and one can only sit back in wonder as the film takes you on a whirlwind tour of high and low society, fame, drug addiction, illness and bereavement. There are scenes that are absolutely heart breaking. For example, the young Edith not wanted by her mother, is taken to live with her paternal grandmother - the madame of a brothel. Suffice to say, she saw things that a young child shouldn't really have to, which is quite shocking.

Edith's lovers were many, and the story of the real love of her life is one saddest scenes comitted to celuloid, but I'm not going to divulge this as I think you need to see for yourself.

One of the only slightly annoying things about the film was the way it jumped about. I'm not saying that I have a problem with films that have a different kind of narrative structure; it's just that there are times when you're not sure about the time frame of things happening (although the attention to historial detail is lovely and helps ground it a fair bit).

La Vie en Rose takes you back to a different world of the dance hall, bawdy coffee-house humour, endless glamour and running away with the circus; but the main themes were almost made for the current times. There are all too many artists today that seem afflicted with overburdening talent, addiction, illness and grief. Let's hope that their stories end a bit happier than Edith's and that they also experience the same moments of pure happiness.

Grace Kelly season at the BFI

As if by magic, the BFI are holding a month's screening of Grace Kelly films, including Rear Window this week (see recent "Weekend Flick Pick"). This is to be held at BFI Southbank and runs alongside the Fabulous V & A exhibition in Kensington which examines the style impact of Ms Kelly!
http://www.bfi.org.uk/whatson/

WFP: Rear Window

Weekend Flick Pick

I have many favourite Hitchcock films (well, OK, all of them really), but the one which I watch repeatedly, without ever getting tired of, is Rear Window. My goodness, Grace Kelly is the epitome of style in this film. She is the best Hitchcock actress on the block (Sorry Tippi you are amazing in The Birds, and Isabella, you really are quite the socialite in Notorious; but neither of you are quite in the same league as "the Princess"). The clothes are incredible, the storyline is totally unbelievable and Jimmy Stewart is the coolest actor in the world ever!!! (Yes, even cooler than Steve McQueen - but only just!)

OK, so lets look at the dodgy premise for the film.

Wheelchair bound journalist bored of convalescing at home, finds a pair of binoculars and takes up spying on his neighbours. Meets Grace Kelly, spies on her, witnesses a murder which puts him in a tricky situation totally of his own making because he is such a complete nosey parker. Moral dilemmas abound: should the guy go to the police, or let somebody know? Maybe he could hire a detective, I mean he's an American right?! Nope. He breaks into the murderers flat whilst he is out (what a total stupid)! Anyways, I'm not going to tell you any more. Instead I shall be Hitchcock's advocate and keep you in suspense with a gripping cliffhanger!

This film is paranoid, beautiful, claustrophobic and full of sexual tension. Please watch it and find out what happens to Jimmy!

WFP: Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Weekend Flick Pick

This film is the best film that Woody Allen has produced in an age!

I like Woody Allen Films; but prefer the ones from when he'd just started out (Bananas, Take the Money and Run). The comedy in the early films is very slapstick. Allen initially was a stand-up comic, and this really shows in these films. With "Hannah and her Sisters", Allen found the neurotic, nerdy, self obsessed blueprint for most of the work that was to come later. Cristina Vicky Barcelona is a bit of a departure from this. It's a wonderfully perceptive tale of the choices that young women make when looking for love. The story follows two young female American friends taking some time out in Barcelona. it's safe to say that they have very different personality types!

Vicky (Rebecca Hall) is the sensible one; her fiancé is her "ideal" man - steady, regular and reliable. Cristina (Scarlett Johansson), on the other hand doesn't really know what she wants, but does know what she doesn't want: A man that is - steady, regular and reliable! Cue Juan Antonio, played by the gorgeous Javier Bardem. Of course, the inevitable happens; they both fall for the same guy. What isn't expected however, is the return of Juan Antonio's dramatic, and possibly slightly insane ex-wife María Elena, played brilliantly by Penelope Cruz. Chaos ensues.

WFP: The Red Shoes

Weekend Flick Pick

This film is based on a story by Hans Christian Andersen, and is directed by inimitable British film duo Pressburger and Powell. In the film Moira Shearer plays the prima ballerina who has to choose between love and her career - quite a modern subject considering it was made in 1948! This film is wonderfully vibrant and melodramatic and contains one of the most beautiful dance scenes ever committed to celluloid. Martin Scorcese is a huge fan, and Kate Bush named an album after it. Pressburger and Power also made the superb Black Narcissus - a 40s melodrama about squabbling nuns trying to kill each other in the pressurised atmosphere of the Himalayas!

What Took you so Long?

So, finally, Kathryn Bigelow walks away with the first ever female Best Director award! And the delay for this was what exactly? One of the many reasons why the Oscars are so farcical. As I'm feeling a bit hurumfy, I will add a post of Audrey Hepburn at the 26th Academy Award, after winning Best Actress Award for Roman Holiday, rather than a recent pic ( I think the dresses were a bit meh this year; although I thought Meryl Streep looked like a queen!)

Audrey Hepburn  masterclass in elegance.

In the Gutter, Looking at the Stars

It's nearly here already: The year's biggest catwalk show of celebrity meat. And, as per usual I will just watch long enough to witness what frocks folks are wearing and check out the audacity of z-listers that have somehow managed to wangle the film calendar's hottest ticket (yes, we all know the casting couch still exists!)

After the initial flurry of fashion activity, if you do manage to be bothered to watch any of the "content" of the Oscars, the speeches are often worthwhile; if for purely comedic value. "Oh wow, gee thanks, I'd like to thank my Manager, my husband, my parents, my kids, my stylist, my hairdresser, the person that does my eyebrows, the nice young girl that removes my stubborn bikini line, my sister-in-law's tennis coach, all the local bin men in Beverly Hills that do such a great job every day of the year, Bob Geldolf, my cat and, God".

Lets be honest, there are only two types of speeches that us Brits want to see. There's the humble, self-depricating ones that the Britpack produce that makes us think wow they seem like really nice normal and unaffected people (even though we don't see the state of them later on in the evening when they're drunk and getting into fights over goody-bags). OR, the eye-wateringly embarrassing ones from young starlets that probably make the Academy officials wish they'd never given them that damn Best Actress gong in the first place (Halle Berry I'm talkin to you. Yes, you really rocked that Elie Saab dress, and yes, you became the first black woman to get a Best Actress award ever, but people will only remember that speech!!!)

But seriously, we all know the primary aim of the The Academy Awards is to recognise and reward industry professionals for artistic contribution to film... blah, blah, blah...

B******s. We all know that the stupid film about blue people will win everything.

GO TEAM FIRTH!

Twas brillig, and the slithy toves, Did gyre and gimble in the wabe...

I have one question to ask Tim Burton. Why would you want to totally destroy a story as beautiful as Alice in Wonderland? OK, so like everyone else, I've only watched the hideous trailer, but really was there any need to create such a spewing, overbloated Disney CGI jabberwocky of a nightmare? The original story lies chopped up and strewn on the editing floor! I'd only just forgiven Mr Burton for "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory". And I really wanted to forgive him, because he's created such beautiful films like "Beetle Juice" and "Edward Scissorhands".  Interestingly, the UK Odeon chain of cinemas is now boycotting the film (because of the stupidity of Disney wanting to bring the DVD out early, again for financial reasons). I so wish that Tim Burton would go back to his artistic roots and create his own stories again (instead of mangling classics). And what's this new obsession with CGI? Instead, can we have more of the visually stunning and spectacular, but nevertheless subtle and delicate character portraits that we saw in the earlier years please?

Edward Scissorhands anybody?