Alienesque

Anyone cool enough to remember Mars Attacks!, that campy sci-fi film with the uncommonly accomplished cast--Jack Nicolson, Annette Bening, Glenn Close, etc--in which Sarah Jessica Parker gets her head put on the body of a Chihuahua? (It was like a joke the audience wasn’t let in on.) Anyway, Lily resembles the Martian that disguises itself as a woman.

Dunhill ad campaign: F/W 0809

Where are you in my life, Jude Law? There just aren’t enough beautiful British men making Sienna Miller’s life hell right now.
And here’s a nice piece of info: Jude is one of three actors (the others being Johnny Depp and Colin Farrell) who completed the role Heath Leger was filming before his death. All three will play the character Tony (in different dimensions, of course) in the upcoming fantasy/adventure film, The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus.

I want to like Anne Hathaway

But she keeps playing games with me.

The Princess Diaries (+1)
The Princes Diaries 2 (-1)
Then BAM BAM BAM with Havoc, Brokeback, The Devil Wears Prada and Becoming Jane.
And back to the ‘eh’ with Get Smart.

But finally, she says things like this and becomes that much easier to love

“I wanted a nose job, but now, my nose is what lets me change my face a lot - and I can be glamorous as Agent 99 (in Get Smart), then look rough as a drug addict for Jonathan Demme (director of her next film Rachel Getting Married). Your face needs to have character if you’re an actor - otherwise you’re just a face.”

so I'm getting there.

(*Anne's GAP ad portrait was used because it is her best. Ever. And Neoclassical grace is always noteworthy.)

[homo]eroticism at its best

The focal point is Fu'ad Aït Aattou (Foo-odd Ate Ah-too), a French/Lebanese model turned actor who looks to have been taken directly from a Caravaggio.
His first film, 'The Last Mistress' (Une Vieille Maîtresse), is playing in limited release now. It’s my soon-to-be favorite; click and see why.

Separate but equal

It bothers me when I hear the phrase “the book was so much better then the movie,” primarily because, even when it is, the film is seldom granted the right to be viewed as a separate entity, completely independent of the work that inspired it.

Movies aren’t just made to be literal adaptations of books. Most of the time, live-action is limited instantly by factors as rudimentary as time and sequence. When a movie is made from a book it is first and foremost an artistic endeavor of its own, something re-envisioned by a writer or director. Why should you expect the same story from the minds of two different people, or better yet, why would you want to? It’s far more interesting to watch a vision crafted imaginatively into something else. And for all the shit I give Tisch kids, I have to admit, actors play a major role in all of this. They breathe life into characters and afford them not only a physical presence, but an emotional and psychological one as well. Great actors can add new dimensions to written characters, allowing your eyes to engage subtleties in human expression that words could never capture.

This all stems from a movie I just watched, The Talented Mr. Ripley, virtually hours after reading the book. I’d seen the movie only once before, a long time ago, to the point where I was able to view it as fresh. And it was a damn good movie, only marginally loyal to the book. The cinematography and art direction were on par with the setting I imagined, but the score and the actors took it to another level. It wasn’t better than the book, but I’ll venture to say I enjoyed it more, or at least I certainly felt it more. That had a lot to do with Matt Damon, hands-down one of the best actors of his generation. And with dreamy Jude Law, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and two of my all-time favorite leading ladies (Cate Blanchett and Gwyneth Paltrow) rounding out the cast, you can expect nothing less than a film that delivers like a book you can’t put down.

Posthumous Academy? I Sure Hope So.

Of all the little annoyances I could itemize, an undeserved Oscar ranks somewhere around the top 10. Naturally, when the late Heath Ledger's name was linked to a possible nomination for his work as Joker in The Dark Knight, I found myself skeptical, a little peeved, and unusually disgusted.

I unrightfully presumed the buzz was part of some underhanded production scheme to incur more than double the projected profit -- a way of marketing a film through the untimely death of its star actor.

I've been more wrong, but I was pretty fucking wrong. We'll talk about him in a bit.

To start with, my friend and I caught the 12:01 AM showing (that's right; this film is being shown by the minute) which to no surprise was completely full.

Enter Batman. I'm not quite a "Balehead," but Christian delivered an expectedly solid performance. Phenomenal? I wouldn't go so far. He makes a wonderful superhero, but Bruce Wayne is a character we all know Bale can commit to. He normally takes on psychologically challenging and intense roles, fully submerging himself; he breathes life into his characters. For The Dark Knight, he was simply a good Batman. And I'll leave it at that.

Maggie Gyllenhaal was perfect for Rachel. She is homely enough for us to believe it. I mean this in the most endearing way, of course. You see, Bruce could have any woman he damn well pleases. (Hello, a billionaire with a never-ending trust fund and nothing short of gorgeous). But he chooses the loyal, honest, and emotional Rachel. It's mathematics, folks.

Morgan Freeman was Morgan Freeman and we've all come to expect nothing less. Dignified, moral, and always one step ahead. God, I wish he was my grandfather.

I want to briefly discuss Aaron Eckhart and Gary Oldman. These two were severely under-advertised in the trailers, which may have benefited them. Both take on very powerful roles and if you're paying enough attention to them instead of the reintroduced Batcycle, you witness unadulterated character development. Lieutenant James Gordon (Oldman) starts off as the somewhat desperate cop who is always subconsciously relying on Batman. By the end, following the chaos, destruction, and corruption, he must take a stand. Harvey Dent (Eckhart), on the other hand, is the meek but righteous district attorney. I don't want to spoil anything, but like Joker says, "Madness is, as you know, like gravity—all it takes is a little push."

If I were to tell you that Heath Ledger gave the performance of his lifetime, I wouldn't be doing him any favours and you still wouldn't get it. So just go and see The Dark Knight. I found myself, and not out of some teeny-bopper affection, genuinely wishing Ledger was on earth to see his work. The word "untimely" has taken on new meaning. Because before The Dark Knight, sure, we knew Ledger was talented. But this showcase was one of versatility, brilliance, commitment, and honesty. I'm raving about him until I cannot stand it.

Aside from comments on performances, I'm not sure what else can be said about this film. Cinematography? check. Thrilling action sequences? Check (and just wait until you see the tunnel/truck scene; I found myself yelling out "dayummm")

It's hard to believe The Dark Knight derived from a colourful, saccchrine comic. The raw emotions, analysis of the human psyche, and overall badass-ness propelled Batman a new genre: once-gimmicky-comics-turned-into-adult-action-dramas.

In all fairness, the only aspect of the film that might have audiences squirming is the length (2 hrs and 30-something minutes).

So, am I saying The Dark Knight was perfect? For you? maybe. For me? DEFINITELY.