TO ROME WITH LOVE (2012)

Written & Directed by Woody Allen


Where & When: Arclight Cinemas, Hollywood, CA.  June 24, 2012  4:30PM


"To Rome With Love", the forty-sixth film written and directed by Woody Allen, is a manic farce set in the Eternal City with an all-star cast of American and Italian performers. Given that this film was highly anticipated, due to Mr. Allen's comeback smash comedy, "Midnight In Paris", "Rome" is sadly just as generic and uninspired as it's title. The film is surprisingly bland and unfocused as it manages to deliver only very brief moments of charm, wit or actual humor.

The film is played out in four unrelated vignettes; Hayley (Alison Pill), an American visiting Rome, asks a passing stranger for directions. The handsome Roman, Michelangelo (Flavio Parenti) is more than helpful and soon the two fall madly in love. Hayley's parents, Jerry (Allen) and Phyllis (Judy Davis) come to the city to visit their daughter and to meet this new man in her life. Jerry, who is a bored, retired music teacher, over hears Michelangelo's father, Giancarlo (Fabio Armiliato), singing opera in the shower and he has a spectacular voice. With dollar signs flashing before his eyes, Jerry is determined to get this man on the stage but Giancarlo declines as he is just a simple mortician, not a singer. After Jerry wears him down, Giancarlo finally auditions but discovers that he can only actually sing in the shower. Unfazed, Jerry is not about to let a little thing like that stop his plans.

John (Alec Baldwin) is an another American visiting Rome but he had been to the city many years ago as a younger man while studying to become an architect. Deciding to revisit his old neighborhood, he runs in to a another American, Jack (Jesse Eisenberg) who recognizes him. This young man is studying to become an architect and just happens to live in the same building that John used to live. His sweet girlfriend, Sally (Greta Gerwig) informs Jack that her broken-hearted friend, Monica (Ellen Page), a high-strung actress is coming to Italy to stay with them for a visit. She warns her boyfriend that she's a reluctant seductress but he's not concerned until he meets her. Despite John also warning him as he's been in a similar situation when he was his age, Jack still winds up being swept away by this actress. Are Jack and John the same person, looking back on his life or is John a figment of Jack's imagination? No idea.

Leopoldo (Roberto Benigni) is a simple, unasuming man who eats breakfast with his family every morning before going to work at his routine job. His life is turned upside down when one morning, he becomes a sought-after celebrity for no apparent reason. He's at first very annoyed by all this attention but soon learns to easily enjoy the perks of his new-found fame.

The best segment involves a newlywed couple from a small town who come to the big city for the opportunity to start a new life. Antonio (Alessandro Tiberi) is nervous about meeting his relatives who could help lead him to a better career but his wife, Milly (Alessandra Mastronardi) is only concerned about having her hair done before they arrive. As Milly becomes hopelessly lost trying to find the salon, there is a knock on their hotel door. Anna (Penelope Cruz), a comely, local working girl, pounces on Antonio, informing him that she has been paid for to fulfill his wildest dreams. Although a mistake has been made but his high-class relatives arrive early, so Antonio has no choice but introduce this lady as his wife. Meanwhile, Milly stumbles on to a film set where she becomes star-struck by meeting an Italian movie star (Antonio Albanese) as he becomes focused on seducing her.

"To Rome With Love" is a heavy handed affair, combining surreal fantasy with broad comedy but it all ends up feeling pretty stale. It seems like Mr. Allen whipped these dusty, random sketches out of the bottom of a drawer and tied them together to make this film. However, if Mr. Allen wasn't going to put any real effort to update or improve these wheezy stories, he really should have left them where he found them. I am a very big fan of the writer/director and what makes this latest film so disappointing is that I have seen what great work he is able to do when he puts a little effort such as "Crimes & Misdemeanors", "Bullets Over Broadway" or "Hannah and Her Sisters" to name just a few of my favorites.

Mr. Allen returns to the screen for the first time since his last appearance in his 2006 film, "Scoop" and he, once again, plays a high-strung New Yorker. While he is still more than capable of selling a joke but his routine feels just as tired as the rest of the film. The actors don't seem to have been given much guidance so they just rely on their own instincts which leads to some wildly, varied performances that also throws the film out of whack. Ms Cruz is able to do much with very little as she effortlessly brings much needed warmth and charm as she is the true comic highlight of this misfire. Mr Benigni, also long absent from film, delivers delightful moments of hilarity with his rubbery face alone but since Mr Allen didn't rein the comedian in, his antics become overbearing, most especially during his segment's final act. Rising indie star, Greta Gerwig is completely wasted and no offense to the talented Ellen Page (who was perfect in her breakout film, "Juno") but she is never believable for one moment as an irresistible femme fatale, no matter how hard she tries.

While "Midnight In Paris" played like Allen's lovely valentine to that city, "Rome" feels more like an unnecessarily hostile assault on this ancient city. Rome deserves much better and so does the audience.

2012 LA FILM FEST

The 2012 Los Angeles Film Festival will be held downtown at the entertainment venue, L.A. Live. This film fest will not only host a wide selection of American and international independent feature and documentaries but there will also be free outdoor screenings, television premieres, musical performances at the Grammy Museum and conversations with filmmakers and artists.

L.A. Film Fest runs from June 14th through June 24th with the opening night film being Woody Allen's latest, "To Rome With Love" and the closing film will be Steven Soderbergh's, "Magic Mike".

This year's Guest Director will be William Friedkin who will present his controversial new film, "Killer Joe" starring Mathew McConaughey.

For the complete list of films, purchase tickets and additional information, please go to:

LA FILM FEST 2012

DARK SHADOWS (2012)

Written by Seth Grahame-Smith


Directed by Tim Burton


Where & When: Mann's Chinese 6, Hollywood, CA. May 15, 2012 5:30PM


The most amazing thing about Johnny Depp's career as a movie star is that he achieved it without ever having to rely on his ruggedly handsome face. He managed to do it on his own terms by playing many colorful eccentrics and quirky oddballs that were (for the most part) far removed from the actual actor. Depp is fearless as there's no character too bizarre or grotesque for him to explore. It's clear he has no interest in playing it safe or expected as he enjoys hiding behind heavy make-up and extravagant costumes to become something that might only exist in his own imaginary world. The few instances when he attempted to portray more conventional people, he was much less successful and even appeared slightly bored. Although it took some time before the public came around to fully embraced these strange characters but by the time they met Captain Jack Sparrow in the "Pirates of The Caribbean" franchise, he was welcomed with open arms and a major star was born.

Mr. Depp's latest creation or rather, recreation, is the soap opera vampire, Barnabas Collins in the film, "Dark Shadows" which is based on the 1960's television program. The actor has once again teamed-up with director, Tim Burton for the ninth time (including both live-action and animation) as they both shared an affinity to the original show. Although the film pays a warm and loving homage to their memories but as an engaging entertainment, it's not quite as successful.

During the eighteenth century, the Collins family left England to move to America. They end up in Maine where they achieve great success by creating a fishing port. The town became known as Collinsport, and the family built a spectacular manor and called it Collinswood. Their only child, Barnabas grew-up to become handsome, wealthy and eligible which serves him well as this allows him to have his pick of any of the ladies in town. However, he has the misfortune of having a brief affair with his servant, Angelique (Eva Green) before becoming smitten with the lovely, Josette (Bella Heathcote) as the jilted woman turns out to be a witch. After she jealously causes the demise of his new lover right before his eyes, Angelique bitterly turns Barnabas in to a vampire. She rallies the townspeople against him so that they chain him inside a coffin and bury him where Barnabas Collins will have to spend the rest of eternity.

Cut to two hundred years later, a working crew, while doing construction, discover the ancient coffin. Barnabas is released from his tomb and, unfortunately for the men, he's very thirsty. He manages to find his way back to Collinswood manor only to find his old home in sad shape. He meets his descendants who still live in the decrepit house; his cousin, Elizabeth Collins-Studdard (Michelle Pfeiffer) who runs the household, her brother, Roger (Jonny Lee Miller), his troubled, young son, David (Gulliver McGrath) and Elizabeth's rebellious teenage daughter, Carolyn (Chloe Grace Moretz). This family is so highly dysfunctional that even David's psychiatrist, Dr. Hoffman (Helena Bonham-Carter) lives in the home although it's questionable how much help she actually is as most mornings are spent struggling to recover from a hangover.

A recent arrival has joined the house; Victoria (also played by Ms Heathcote), as David's new governess who startles Barnabas by her striking resemblance to his lost love and finds himself being drawn to her.

Elizabeth is the only one who's aware of their lost relative's true nature and explains to him how the family ended up in this troubling misfortune due to a rival fishing company that is run by witch who imprisoned him. Angelique, willing to let bygones be bygones, is more than happy to rekindle their romance but Barnabas wants no part of her which leads to an explosive showdown between her and the vampire

Mr. Burton started out his career as an animator for Disney so, it's not really surprising that as a filmmaker he tends to place a higher importance on the visuals. There has also always been elements of darkness and  kitsch to his work and "Dark Shadows" is no exception except this time it's actually quite appropriate. He is helped to achieve this by the impressive work of cinematographer, Bruno Delbonnel as he mutes the colors that highlight the inky blacks and icy blues to create an atmosphere that is perfectly gloomy and costume designer, Colleen Atwood who has worked regularly with Burton (and won her third Oscar with their last collaboration on 2011's "Alice In Wonderland") delivers her clever twist of the garish, over-the-top fashions of the 70's.

Although there are quite a few witty lines that provide some out-loud laughs but the script is convoluted and doesn't offer much of memorable story. The real problem is that the movie doesn't know whether it wants to be a campy comedy or a dramatic horror tale leaving the audience off-balanced. As "Dark Shadows" progresses, it rapidly loses steam with the laughs becoming fewer until we reach a wildly manic ending that feels rushed and unsatisfying.

Mr. Depp has created another fun and memorable character and it's clear he's having a good time. After Depp, the other highlight is Ms Green who brings delightful menace and tough sexy charm to her role as the demented witch. It's always an absolute pleasure seeing the amazing Ms Pfeiffer on the screen but her visit is too short and she's not at all utilized to the best of her abilities.

Despite some wonderful visual razzle-dazzle and a hilariously creepy performance by Mr. Depp, this updated "Dark Shadows" ends up not feeling improved or invigorated. It only comes across like some old, creaky relic but with some fresh paint slapped on it.

WINNERS FROM THE 2012 CANNES FILM FESTIVAL

"Amour", the latest film from writer/director Michael Haneke took home the Palme d'Or at this year's Cannes Film Festival, making him the first filmmaker to win the grand prize twice as well as winning for his consecutive films with his previous feature, "The White Ribbon" in 2009.

This French-language film is the tragic story of a elderly, retired music teacher who is struggling to care for his wife after she has suffered serious medical ailments that have left her unable to speak or move on her own. Acclaimed veteran actors, Jean-Louis Trintignant and Emmanuelle Riva play the couple with Isabelle Huppert as their daughter who wants to place her mother in a nursing home but her father refuses.

Palme d'Or:  "Amour" directed by Michael Haneke



Other winners include:

Grand Prix: "Reality", directed by Matteo Garrone



Prix Du Jury: "The Angel's Share" directed by Ken Loach



Prix de la Mise en Scène (Best Director): "Post Tenebras Lux", directed by Carlos Reygadas



Prix du Scenario (Best Screenplay): Cristian Mungiu,"Beyond the Hills"



Prix d’interpretation feminine (Best Actress): Cosmina Stratan and Cristina Flutur,"Beyond the Hills" 

Prix d’interpretation masculine (Best Actor): Mads Mikkelsen, "The Hunt"

Camera d'Or (Debut Film): "Beasts of the Southern Wild", directed by Benh Zeitlin

THE SKINNY (2012)

Written & Directed by Patrik-Ian Polk


Where & When: Laemmle's Music Hall, Beverly Hills, CA.  May 16, 2012  7:30PM


Patrik-Ian Polk, the writer/director who created the terrifically, sassy comedy, "Punks" that followed the friendships of a group of gay African-Americans which lead to the groundbreaking television show, "Noah's Arc", the first weekly program to focus on gay African-American friends, has returned with a new feature, "The Skinny". Mr. Polk has stuck with what he feels he does best as this romantic-comedy deals with yet another group of gay black friends who also struggle with life, sex and love. But this version is no where near as successful as his previous accomplishments.

Magnus (Jussie Smollett), a sexy, young med student has been happily involved with his blue-collar boyfriend, Ryan (Dustin Ross) for five wonderful but very frustrating months as the couple has decided on waiting a total of six months before they become intimate. This is a way of making sure they know each other well before having sex.

Four college friends of Magnus have come to New York to party during the gay pride celebration; Langston (Shanika Warren-Markland), a lesbian medical student, the fun-loving, Joey (Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman), the sex-hungry Kyle (Anthony Burrell) and the sweet but naive Sebastian (Blake Young-Fountain) who has a crush on Kyle and plans on losing his virginity to him during this trip.

While cruising a hook-up site, Kyle discovers an ad inviting him to a sex party that looks suspiciously like Ryan. Crushed by this news, Magnus insists on going to this party to catch his man in the act. Once there, he can't go inside so Kyle volunteers but manages to get too distracted to find Ryan. Magnus finally goes in to witness for himself which puts an end to their relationship.

The gang decide to attend the pride celebration with the hope of cheering up the heartbroken, Magnus. Instead, everyone focuses on themselves with Langston and Joey lusting after the hot bartender and the equally hot stripper, respectively but both are somehow too nervous to approach them. Kyle and Sebastian become close hanging out together but later while drinking in a club, Sebastian insists on trying the drug, ecstasy with Kyle. Tragedy befalls the drugged-out Sebastian after he is separated from Kyle when two men lure him back to their place to take advantage of him.

I really wanted to like "The Skinny" as I am a fan of Mr. Polk's previous work yet due to a preposterous plot and lazy, inane dialogue, this film is one unbearable slog. There are plenty of cringe-worthy scenes but the highlight has to be the step-by-step instruction on how to properly administer an enema but I guess we should be grateful we didn't receive a visual demonstration. The major problem is that this film wants to be a raunchy sex comedy while also attempting to be a PSA lecture warning about the dangers of drugs and the consequences of promiscuity with both ideas fighting each other and ending up muddled. This makes "The Skinny" about as erotic and exciting as a text book.

The performers work hard but even with the brief appearances of Darryl Stephens (the sexy lead of "Noah's Arc") and Wilson Cruz as medical technicians who give detailed advice on what you can do if you could have been exposed to HIV,  no one is able to help save this dreary comedy.

"The Skinny" wants to provide thoughtful humor and useful information regarding sexual relationships but the film is not well thought out enough to do this which leads to nothing more than a melodramatic mess.

BERNIE (2012)

Written by Skip Hollandsworth & Richard Linklater


Directed by Richard Linklater


Where & When: The Landmark, West Los Angeles, CA.  May 4, 2012 5:05PM


Jack Black and writer/director Richard Linklater who had great success with the 2003 film, "School of Rock" have come back together with "Bernie", a much darker comedy. This time they take on a story based on an unbelievably true incident but despite an exuberant performance by Mr. Black, their attempt to craft a droll and whimsical tale out of a senseless crime only ends up being wan and uninspired.

Bernhardt "Bernie" Tiede (Black) was a mortician and a beloved member of the small community of Carthage, TX. People noticed that Bernie was a little different from the other men in town as he wasn't much of an athlete, he showed little interest in dating any of the eligible women and he was passionate about musical theater but he was such a warm, goodhearted gentleman who helped anyone in need as well as being a very active member of the church that his quirks were overlooked.

The exact opposite can be said about Marjorie Nugent (Shirley MacLaine) as she's considered one of the most despised people in town. With her also being one of the wealthiest citizens (with a tight grip on her money), this allowed her to be unnecessarily unpleasant and cruel without repercussions.

After Marjorie's husband passes away, Bernie does what he does best; he goes to the home of the grieving to comfort them in their time of need. However, Marjorie has no interest in being comforted by Bernie but he is patient and persistent. Inexplicably, these two very different personalities with a forty-year age gap bonded with Bernie and Marjorie soon becoming very close, much to the confusion of the townspeople. This odd couple are inseparable as Bernie introduces Mrs. Nugent to the finer things in life as they dine at the best restaurants, shop at the most chicest stores while traveling around the world together, all on the newly generous widow's dime.

It doesn't take long before Bernie learns firsthand why Marjorie is so disliked by the entire town and even her own family as she constantly nags, berates and demands all of his time. Apparently fed up and much too nice to ever tell her off, Bernie loses it, shoots Marjorie in the back four times in her garage and places her body in a large food freezer. Bernie manages to cover up her disappearance for several months but inevitably, he is caught.

After he confesses to the crime, everyone in town comes to his defense as they can't believe that Bernie could ever possibly do anything so malicious and that she probably provoked him to the killing. The D.A., Danny "Buck" Davidson (Matthew McConaughey) is far from convinced of Bernie's momentary loss of reason as he successfully earns a conviction of first degree murder.

The film sticks closely to Bernie's version of events but doesn't bring-up or question any of the possible other motives for the murder such as rumors that he actually killed Marjorie because she found out he had been stealing from her and was going to report him to the police or that she had changed her will so that only Bernie would inherit her vast fortune, cutting out her son. This version of Bernie also presents a problem as he doesn't seem to possess a single notable fault well, except for killing a woman in cold blood which is explained away as him simply being very frustrated. We are never shown even the possible hint of anything sinister in his personality which seems really hard to believe considering the crime committed.

The flat direction is not helped with the use of a faux-documentary style which does a great disservice to "Bernie" as everything seen is presented like actual facts when we know that's not possible considering this  story is only coming from the side of an unreliable, convicted felon. The screenplay (co-written with Skip Hollandsworth who wrote the 1998 article in the Texas Monthly magazine in which this is based) is much too concerned with remaining completely faithful to the source material that causes the film to lack any narrative tension or any opportunity for creative verve. It would have been interesting to have seen what someone like Charlie Kaufman, the idiosyncratic writer of the films, "Adaptation" and "Being John Malkovich" would have done with this story.

This is all too bad because Mr. Black actually delivers quite an impressive performance. He is able to showcase the strengths he's best known for like his comedic skills and a pretty decent singing voice but also display his lesser seen dramatic range. The other headliners fare less well as their appearances amount to not much more than cameos with Mr. McConaughey sleep-walking through his typical Texan "good ole boy" routine while Ms MacLaine's character is nothing more than a cartoon with the actress not given anything to do but screech and look very sour. The only moments when the film actually comes to life is during the interviews with several of the residents of Carthage who colorfully express their opinions and ideas of what exactly happened between Bernie and Marjorie.

"Bernie" is an underwhelming comedy that offers too few laughs about a sensational murder case that should have provided at least a few interesting or shocking revelations but it's so safe that it isn't able to raise even an eyebrow. The film's point-of-view is so one-sided that it shamelessly short-changes the victim as it seems that even Mr. Linklater, like most of the people of Carthage, is so convinced that such a nice guy couldn't possibly be guilty of committing premeditated murder.

ELLES (2012)

Written by Malgorzata Szumowska & Tine Byrckel


Directed by Malgorzata Szumowska


Where & When: Nuart Theater, West Los Angeles, CA.  April 28, 2012  7:30PM


I have previously stated that Juliette Binoche is one of the greatest actresses working today and it bears repeating, most especially after witnessing her most recent performance in "Elles". As a feminist writer for Elle Magazine struggling to complete an article on college girls who turn to hooking to earn extra money which causes her to reexamine her own views and look at her privileged upper middle-class life and how she fits in, the actress is utterly beguiling and endlessly fascinating. Whether looking completely tortured while trying to complete her mundane house chores when she should be finishing her long overdue assignment, the sense of disappointment as she discovers her husband and teenage son both watch porn or giggling like a teenage girl when she gets drunk for the first time with one of the young working girls she's interviewing, Ms Binoche never delivers a single false moment. It is largely an internal performance as she spends much of her time alone on screen as we watch the joy, frustration or indifference flicker across her beautifully translucent face.

Anne (Binoche) searches for subjects for her article by calling ads and arranging appointments with these girls in the hope that they will share their stories with her. She finds two girls and while both are reluctant to speak to her, Anne manages to earn their trust. Charlotte (Anaïs Demoustier), who goes by the working name "Lola", comes from a modest middle-class background who feels that turning tricks is much easier than flipping burgers to earn money while attending school. However, Charlotte's unsuspecting boyfriend is feeling the effects of her occupation as she doesn't have much desire to satisfy any of his needs. Alicja (Joanna Kulig) is a street-smart Polish immigrant who has come to France to attend college but all of her belongings are stolen shortly after she arrives. With few options available to her, Alicja soon turns to prostitution as a way to help supply income for her education.

Anne is quite surprised to learn that these girls are far from traumatized by this work and appear to be well-adjusted and content. As she spends more time with these girls, Anne abandons her own moral judgements which allows her to openly share her views and feelings with them. This leads to Anne to question her comfortable lifestyle as she is feeling greatly unappreciated by her family. The exploits of these young women also make Anne realize how frustrated she is sexually as she wishes she could be more at ease as these girls

Malgorzata Szumowska, a celebrated Polish filmmaker who co-produced Lars von Trier's 2009 creepfest, "Antichrist", has taken an uncommon approach on the world's oldest profession as she touches on a feminist perspective of prostitution that these women are still victims despite making their own choices but also seems to offer the glossy male fantasy of gorgeous young women who are sweet-natured, happy-go-lucky and love their job. "Elles" is not told chronologically which makes the film seem choppy and fragmented as the scenes are not assembled together in a clear, associative way. Since we are not given much back story or proper introduction to some of the characters, this adds confusion as to where we are in the plot or how these new additions fit.

The scenes showing how the girls make their living are quite graphic and earned "Elles" the dreaded NC-17 rating which was accepted, surprisingly, without fanfare or argument. The sexuality is not presented to necessarily titillate but to simply show how these modern young women looked at this as nothing more than a part-time job in which they are in full control but also uninhibited enough to the point where sometimes they even enjoyed certain aspects of the more kinky sex acts they're paid to perform.

Although it offers nothing particularly fresh to the age-worn topic of working girls, "Elles" is slight but still fairly entertaining. The real reason to catch this film is to view another outstanding performance by Ms Binoche who is capable of making even the most simple gestures or mood seem effortless, rich and captivating.