A Love Bizarre
April 20th, 2007
We all want the stuff that’s found in our wildest dreams. Apropos of absolutely nothing, a classic Prince video I just can’t stop watching. It comes in two parts:
Reds
October 23rd, 2006
Marvelous. We missed the 25th anniversary screening at the NYFF, where Warren Beatty held court afterwards, but we knew the DVD was on the way. I find it comforting that there are still great sweeping epics around that I’ve never seen, and this is one of the better ones. A love triangle between Beatty, Diane Keaton, and Jack Nicholson as Eugene O’Neill, before the backdrop of the unfolding Russian revolution–how could this not be great? The “Internationale” montage that ends part one (oh yes, there’s an intermission) is enough to make Ayn Rand misty-eyed, but my favorite moment was Jack’s plea: “Honey, can’t we just get out of New York? Let’s just go somewhere and write what we want to write.” Reds is Jack Reed’s story, played as slightly goofy idealist by Beatty, but it seems that Louise Bryant’s life was every bit as fascinating–where’s her biopic?
Reds. Warren Beatty, 1981. ****
Marie Antoinette
September 19th, 2006
New York Film Festival press screenings started today, so for the next four weeks, I’ll be at the Walter Reade. So far, not so good: Lincoln Center is under construction, the suave and soothing presence of Graham Leggat is painfully absent, the breakfast spread has been scaled back catastrophically, brand-new security guys kept asking me if I had checked in yet, and the first movie was a terrible disappointment. Off the top of my head, I can think of 50 reasons why Sofia Coppola’s poppy Versailles biopic doesn’t work, but for now, let’s just say that it’s every bit as decadent and clueless as its main character.
Update: my About.com review is now online.
Marie Antoinette, Sofia Coppola, 2006. *
[tags]1 star, film, nyff, sofia coppola, kirsten dunst, jason schwartzman, versailles, decadence, costumes, revolution, cake[/tags]
