AFTER THE WEDDING (2019)

Written & Directed by Bart Freundlich



Where & When: Landmark Theatres, West Los Angeles, CA. August 7, 2019 7:30 PM



In "After The Wedding", a well-to-do family is nearly crushed by the weight of so many secrets they have held and lies they have told each other. This glossy drama from writer/director, Bart Freundlich begins with interesting promise before dissolving in to overwrought and highly implausible histrionics. And the solid performances from Michelle Williams and Mr. Freundlich's wife, Julianne Moore are unable to keep the film from flying off the rails.

We first meet Isabel (Williams), an American who helps run an orphanage in Kolkata, India. With the school struggling financially, a wealthy American philanthropist makes a surprising offer with a large donation for the orphanage. But in order to get the potential funds, Isabel must go to New York and meet the benefactor in person to prove it is a worthy investment. Reluctant to leave but desperately needing this financial lifeline, Isabel decides to go back to the States.

When Isabel arrives in Manhattan, she is greeted by a car, taken to a five-star hotel and provided with a personal attendant who will cater to anything she could possibly need. Living very modestly and surrounded by abject poverty, all of this fuss and opulence is jarring for her to witness.

The benefactor is Theresa Young (Moore), a woman highly successful in business and life with her handsome artist husband, Oscar (Billy Crudup), their lovely daughter, Grace (Abby Quinn) and two adorable twin boys. As Isabel tries to convince her of all the good the money will do to help the children in the orphanage, Theresa is clearly distracted. Since Abby is about to be married the next day and with plenty of preparations still needing to be completed for the elaborate affair , this discussion should happen after the wedding. And Theresa insists that Isabel attend the nuptials.

When she arrives at the wedding, Isabel is shocked to discover that she knows Theresa's husband and eventually realizing that her being summoned to New York was an intentional plan. This sets off a series of life-changing events where painful and difficult truths are finally revealed.

This is not the first time this story has been told. It was originally a 2006 Danish film, "Efter brylluppet" from Academy Award-winning director, Susanne Bier. The film was a critical and box-office hit, receiving plenty of accolades including a Best Foreign-Language Film Oscar nomination.

For the American version, Mr. Freundlich's script has switched the gender of the lead characters from male to female which certainly adds a fresh perspective to the narrative. But "After The Wedding" suffers from the same problem that plagues many remakes that are set in foreign countries. As the story has being translated to accommodate U.S. audiences, the film loses much of the compelling character development, complexity and restraint that made the original so appealing in the first place. While the intentions for all of this deception should appear to be out of love and protection yet as depicted in this film, the dishonesty comes across more as self-serving and cruel.

But that doesn't mean this family melodrama won't hold your attention and that is largely due to the committed work by Ms Williams and Ms Moore. As a woman who has devoted her life to caring for abandoned children in order to escape a difficult decision from her past, Williams is quite riveting. And Moore is endlessly fascinating as a controlling businesswoman who soon discovers that there are some things that money and power cannot buy.

"After The Wedding" manages to feel heavy-handed and lightweight. The performers give their all to deliver moments of genuine emotion yet it's muted by the narrative trappings of a stylish, American soap opera. This leaves us with a film that doesn't feel distinctive or necessary. And that leads directly to the point that sometimes there is no good reason to remake a perfectly good film. Even if it's in a language other than English.

2019 VENICE FILM FESTIVAL

The 76th Annual Venice Film Festival is set to begin on August 28th and will conclude on September 7th. This Italian-based fest is the oldest in the world and will be the first opportunity to see some of the interesting and award-worthy films that will reach theaters this fall.

"La Verite (The Truth)", the latest by Hirokazu Kore-eda who received several honors last year including the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival and an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign-Language Film for "Shoplifters", has been selected as the Opening Night Film. This mostly French language film stars the legendary Catherine Deneuve as a legendary French film star who has just published her memoirs. Her daughter (Oscar-winner, Juliette Binoche), who has returned home with her American husband (Ethan Hawke) and their child for a visit, is triggered to confront her mother about some long-held resentments due to this book.

The latest works by some of the world's most acclaimed filmmakers will be represented in the competition field and will include Steven Soderbergh ("The Laundromat"), Olivier Assayas ("Wasp Network"), James Gray ("Ad Astra"), Todd Phillips ("Joker"), Pablo Larrain ("Ema"), Atom Egoyan ("Guest of Honor"), Noah Baumbach ("Marriage Story") and the highly controversial, Roman Polanski with "J'Accuse (An Officer and a Spy)" which centers on the notorious 19th century political scandal, "the Dreyfus affair" and features Oscar-winner, Jean Dujardin, Louis Garrel, Melvil Poupaud and Mathieu Amalric.





"The Burnt Orange Heresy", an erotic-thriller by Giuseppe Capotondi and based on the cult novel by Charles Willeford, will be the Closing Night Film. Set in Italy in 1970, the story deals with an art-world heist that goes very wrong and features an international cast that includes Donald Sutherland, Elizabeth Debicki, Claes Bang and Mick Jagger.

And Costa-Gavras, the politically-minded, Greek filmmaker behind such films as "Missing", "Music Box", "Hanna K." and the 1969 Oscar-winner for Best Foreign-Language Film, "Z", will receive this year's Jaeger-LeCoultre Glory To The Filmmaker Award. The eighty-six year old writer/director will also premiere his new feature film at the fest, "Adults In The Room" which examines the 2015 Greek financial crisis.

PETER FONDA (1940 - 2019)

Peter Fonda, son of Hollywood legend, Henry Fonda who followed in his father's footsteps along with his older sister, Jane to have a remarkable acting and film making career, has passed away on August 16th at the age of seventy-nine after a battle with lung cancer. The 1969 film, "Easy Rider", which he starred and co-wrote, would become a landmark touchstone for a generation and make Fonda an iconic symbol of the counterculture movement.

Fonda was born on February 23, 1940 in New York City and the only son of Henry and his second wife, Frances Ford Seymour. His mother died when he was ten but did not find out that she had actually committed suicide while in a mental hospital until he was fifteen.

Fonda went to college in his father’s hometown of Omaha, Nebraska and studied acting at the Omaha Community Playhouse where his father also attended. He would find work on Broadway and guest-starred on television shows in the early 1960’s. The fledgling actor made his film debut with the romantic-comedy, “Tammy and the Doctor” in 1963 with Sandra Dee and had a supporting role in the WW II drama, “The Victors” which would win him a Golden Globe for a now defunct category, Most Promising Newcomer.

But despite this early attention, Fonda was not seen as a conventional leading man (even though he looks almost exactly like his famous father). Hollywood roles soon dried up for Fonda and it wasn’t helped by him embracing an anti-establishment stance. He grew out his hair, took plenty of hallucinogenic drugs and hung out with rock musicians like the Byrds, Gram Parsons and the Beatles.

Fonda would meet Roger Corman, the king of the B-movies, and he was cast as a biker in the producer’s 1966 low-budget film, “The Wild Angels”. Based loosely on the real-life L.A. chapter of the Hell’s Angels, this outlaw drama (which also featured Nancy Sinatra, Bruce Dern and his wife at the time, Diane Ladd) became a box-office smash. After starring in another Corman production, “The Trip”, a psychedelic film written by Jack Nicholson, Fonda was inspired to write what would become “Easy Rider”.

This road trip drama (co-written with Terry Southern and Dennis Hopper who also directed) about two bikers traveling across the American Southwest would bring attention to the hippie lifestyle and casual drug use. With a budget of under $500,000, “Easy Rider” would gross over sixty million dollars worldwide, receive two Academy Award nominations and helped usher in the New Hollywood era of indie filmmaking during the early 1970’s.

Fonda would soon move behind the camera and directed three features including the 1971 western, “The Hired Gun” and the 1979 comedy, “Wanda Nevada” where he also co-starred with Brooke Shields. But Fonda never stopped acting and appeared in such films as “Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry” (1974), “Futureworld” (1976), “Esacpe Fom L.A.”(1996), “The Limey”(1999) and “Ghost Rider”. (2007). And in 1997, Fonda would receive critical praise for his performance in “Ulee’s Gold” about a stoic Florida beekeeper trying to save his son and granddaughter from a life of drug abuse. He would win a Golden Globe for Best Actor In a Motion Picture (Drama) and receive an Oscar nomination for this role.

Peter Fonda is survived by his third wife, Margaret DeVogelaere and his two children from his first marriage to Susan Brewer, Justin and Bridget who had a successful acting career throughout the 1990's before retiring in 2002.

THE FAREWELL (2019)

Written & Directed by Lulu Wang



Where & When: Arclight Cinemas, Hollywood, CA.  July 16, 2019 5:15 PM



We're all aware that our personal existence on this planet will someday come to an end but if you only had months to live, would you prefer not to know? They say ignorance is bliss yet what if this information was willfully being kept from you? This is the premise of "The Farewell", a warm yet slightly unsettling look at a family's decision to keep a fatal diagnosis from their beloved matriarch. The writer/director Lulu Wang has based her film on an actual lie that happened within her family involving her dying grandmother in China. With her second feature, Wang has created a whimsical clash of cultures and traditions that manages to be wildly absurd as well as lovingly poignant.

Awkwafina, a musical performer who has recently gotten attention as an actress with supporting roles in the films "Ocean's 8" and "Crazy, Rich Asians", appears here in a star-making turn as Billi, a struggling New York artist who is the fictional stand-in for Ms. Wang. Billi is the daughter of Chinese immigrant parents, Haiyan (Tzi Ma) and Jian (Diana Lin) try to be supportive of their only child yet they don't fully understand her choices in life.

One evening over dinner with her parents, Billi senses something is wrong. They reluctantly explain that her grandmother, Nai Nai (Zhao Shuzhen) has terminal lung cancer and not expected to live long. But what shocks Billi more than this devastating news is that Nai Nai will not be told that she's fatally ill which apparently is not uncommon to do in China.

Fearing that Billi will be unable to maintain this secret, her parents insist she stay home while they go off to see her grandmother in Changchun, China under the guise of a lavish wedding. But Billi decides to attend anyway. When she arrives, none of her relatives are particularly thrilled to see her except her adoring Nai Nai. Her uncle, Haibin (Jiang Yongbo) stresses to Billi the importance that the truth of this reunion not get out while the family carefully have Nai Nai's medical test results manipulated and arrangements are made for the fake wedding of Haubin's son, Hao Hao (Chen Han). With limited Mandarin and a very American mindset, Billi struggles to make sense of this elaborate deception and find a way to properly communicate with her grandmother for possibly the last time.

Ms. Wang had difficulty getting anyone interested in turning this story in to a feature film until she shared her tale on a 2016 episode of the "This American Life" podcast which included interviews with select family members. But another obstacle was Wang's insistence on keeping her film's focus solely on the family grappling with keeping their composure during this difficult situation while Nai Nai is blissfully unaware and simply just enjoying her reunited clan. And the director is proven correct that the addition of distractions like a comforting love interest or a wacky best friend who would be a sounding board for Billi's dilemma is completely unnecessary. The complex dynamics of this headstrong family is what makes "The Farewell" standout as a bittersweet yet heart-warming experience.

Along with the impressive Awkwafina, the rest of the cast provide expert support through their wonderful performances.  But it was Ms Shuzhen as Nai Nai who stole my heart with her warm expressive face and bold lively spirit.

"The Farewell" cleverly explores the extreme measures a family will do in the name of love, even if the conduct may not be common nor seem completely rational. This film crosses a cultural and generational divide that manages to make this offbeat story universally charming and appealing. And "The Farewell" also announces the arrival of Lulu Wang as a fresh and exciting voice in the world of cinema.

WINNERS FROM THE 2019 OUTFEST FILM FESTIVAL

"Jules of Light and Dark" received the Grand Jury Prize for Best U.S. Narrative Feature Film at the 2019 Outfest Film Festival. Set in modern-day Texas, this coming-of-age drama tells the story of two teenage girlfriends, Maya (Tallie Medel) and Jules (Betsy Holt) who find themselves stuck in some backwoods after crashing their car. A divorced oil worker (Robert Longstreet) comes to their aid and he begins to face his own repressed desires during conversations with these young women. This feature film debut from writer/director Daniel Laabs also received the Grand Jury Award at last year's Newfest LGBT New York Film Festival.

Here is the list of most of the winners from the 2019 Outfest Film Festival:

Grand Jury Prize for U.S. Narrative Feature Film: "Jules of Light and Dark"
Grand Jury Special Mention for Directing: Rhys Ernst, "Adam"



Grand Jury Prize for Best Screenwriting: Rodrigo Bellott, "Tu Me Manques"
Grand Jury Prize for Best Performance: Nicole Maines, "Bit"
Special Mention for Ensemble Performance: "Mother’s Little Helpers"
Grand Jury Prize for U.S. Narrative Short Film: "Baby"
U.S. Narrative Short (Special Mention): "Skin"
Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary Feature: "Unsettled"



Documentary Feature (Special Mention): "Why Can’t I Be Me? Around You"
Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary Short: "Sweetheart Dancers"
Grand Jury International Narrative Feature Film: "The Ground Beneath My Feet" (Austria)



Grand Jury International Special Mention for Directing: Lisa Zi Xiang, "A Dog Barking At The Moon" (China)



Grand Jury International Narrative Prize for Screenwriting: Santiago Loza, "Breve Historia del Planeta Verde (Brief Story From The Green Planet)" (Argentina)



Grand Jury International Narrative Prize for Best Performance: Juan Pablo Olyslager, "Temblores (Tremors)" (Guatemala)
Grand Jury International Narrative Special Mention for Performance: Juan Barberini, Ramon Pujol and Mia Maestro, "Fin de Siglo (End of the Century)" (Argentina)



Grand Jury Prize for Best International Short Film: "Thrive"
Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature: "Top 3"
Audience Award for Best Narrative First Feature: "Saint Frances"
Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature: "Changing The Game"
Audience Award for Best Documentary Short Film: "How To Make A Rainbow"
Audience Award for Best Narrative Short Film: "Time and Again"
Audience Award for Best Experimental Short Film: "Framing Agnes"
Special Programming Award for Freedom: "Queering The Script"
Special Programming Award for Emerging Talent: Elegance Bratton, "Pier Kids"
Special Programming Award for Artistic Achievement: Rodney Evans, "Vision Portraits"

And here are some reviews of films I saw at the festival. "Vita & Virginia" tells the story of the passionate yet tumultuous love affair between the bold aristocratic poet, Vita Sackville-West (Gemma Arteton) and gifted but emotionally fragile writer, Virginia Woolf (Elizabeth Debicki). Adapted from the 1993 stage play by the British actress, Eileen Atkins, Sackville-West (who was involved in an open marriage to Sir Harold Nicolson (Rupert Penry-Jones) who was equally sexually fluid) becomes infatuated with the married Woolf and pursues her with ardent determination until she finally captures her heart. However, Sackville-West moves on not long after making her conquest which devastates Woolf but leads her to write what is considered her greatest novel, "Orlando". "Vita & Virginia" is a glossy period drama that strangely manages to feel overly stylized and features a jarring electronic soundtrack by Isobel Waller-Bridge (the sister of "Fleabag" creator, Phoebe) that throws the film further off-balance. But the heartfelt performances from Ms Arteton and particularly by Ms Debicki do help in making the film highly engaging. And there is a delightful bonus with a far-too-brief appearance by the always captivating Isabella Rossellini as Lady Sackville.



The documentary, "Jonathan Agassi Saved My Life" unflinchingly examines the life of an Israeli gay porn star from the beginning to eight years later in his career. We see the expected cliche of what can happen when someone finds employment in the world of pornography as the fun-loving yet sensitive Agassi (who struggles with daddy issues and suffered from homophobic abuse as a child) finds rapid success in his field before succumbing to drug addiction. But what is unexpected is the loving support of his mother who actually offers encouragement during her son's rise as a porn star. The award-winning Israeli director, Tomer Heymann captures Agassi during some of the high and extreme low points of his life to create a difficult yet fascinating film.



And we have "Les Crevettes pailletées (The Shiny Shrimps)", a silly yet charming French farce by Maxime Govare and Cedric Le Gallo. Based very loosely on a real-life gay water-polo team called the Shiny Shrimps (which Le Gallo actually played on), the film begins when a French Olympian swim champ (Belgian actor, Nicolas Gob) uses a homophobic slur while being interviewed on national television. The swimming federation decides that in order for him to make public amends, he has to coach this wildly flamboyant water-polo team training for the upcoming Gay Games in Croatia. Following in the tradition of "The Birdcage" and "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert", this outrageous comedy certainly delivers plenty of laughs and filled with warm, likable characters. Yet "The Shiny Shrimps" never reaches the fabulous heights of those classic films due to a few stereotypical characters and some sloppiness in the narrative execution.

THE 20 BEST PERFORMANCES IN QUENTIN TARANTINO FILMS

No one should ever underestimate Quentin Tarantino. The idiosyncratic filmmaker's latest (and possibly final) feature, "Once Upon a Time in. . .Hollywood" surpassed box-office expectations by making over forty million dollars in it's opening weekend. Many had doubted the film being able to draw major crowds due to it being a historical drama (and an almost three hour one at that) and the late summer release date. But it became clear that audiences will be more than willing to turn out for a fresh and interesting movie on the big screen even if it doesn't involve special effects or costumed heroes.

In celebration of this grand achievement, Vulture has decided to look back on the brief yet highly influential filmography of Tarantino and rank the twenty top performances in them. The fifty-six year old writer/director has used some of the same actors in many of his films so it was decided to only use the best from each performer in one of his nine feature films.

Click below to read the article:

The Twenty Best Performances in Quentin Tarantino Films