The Great Beauty (La Grande Bellezza)

I’d recently been bemoaning the paucity of great non-English speaking films this year.

There have been good, even very good, films like Blue Is The Warmest Color, Touch Of Sin and Blancanieves, but no The Intouchables, Tell No One or The Secret In Their Eyes.

However, today, I saw The Great Beauty (La Grande Bellezza), whose protagonist, writer Jeb Gambardella (Tony Servillo), has spent his life searching in vain for “the great beauty,” and, unfortunately, didn’t see this film…which might have provided his success. 

 

It’s been over 50 years since Federico Fellini’s great La Dolce Vita hit the screen, but, according to Writer/Director Paolo Sorrentino, not much has changed in the way of decadence and emptiness.  But, Rome, in which the story takes place, is the Eternal City and these themes are, also, eternal. 

Gambardella is a one-book novelist, who has been a feature at every party and event of Rome’s glitterati for over 40 years.  But, turning 65, he is, now, reviewing the meaning of his life…his personal losses, failings and despair.

 

Thanks to the incredible cinematography of Luca Bigazzi, crisp editing of Cristiano Travaglioli and music of Lele Marchitelli, the viewer is treated to modern Rome’s high life and low morality.  They, aptly, support Sorrentino’s love/hate relationship with the Italian capitol. 

I’m not going to delve into the lush and deep story, so I don’t ruin the experience for you. 

The Great Beauty is a must-see and, if it does not get the Oscar for Best Foreign Film, something is very, very wrong.  I give it a richly deserved 5 out of 5.

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues

A patron in the men’s room summed up Writer/Director Adam McKay’s Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, very well, by saying, “That was dumb…but, I liked it.”

The film starts off with a too many jokes and bits that fall flat as Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell) goes through his angst period, having been fired from his job while his wife (Christina Applegate) is promoted to the job he coveted.  Much of the reference humor, also, seems a bit too dated for the core audience of young adults.

However, once the old gang of Brick Hamland (Steve Carell), Brian Fantana (Paul Rudd) and Champ Kind (David Koechner) join Burgundy, the film, jokes and bits pick up and keep rolling to a knock out ending rumble in the park that includes an amazing array of all-stars, ranging from Tina Fey to Marion Cottilard and Sacha Baron Cohen to Liam Neeson.

Some of the best scenes are between half-brain Hamland and wallflower Chani (Kristen Wiig) as they fall in love, as well as those in which boss lady Linda Jackson (Meagan Good) attempts to seduce Burgundy and, then, takes him home to meet her family.

Yes, it’s all silly and dumb, but I did like it, too. 

I give Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues a 3+ out of 5.

The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug

Writer/Director Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug is a feast for the eyes and, besides the excellent script by Jackson, Fran Walsh, Phillipa Boyens and Guillermo del Toro , is worth seeing just for Production Designer Dan Hennah’s and Cinematographer Andrew Lesnie’s amazing work.

This film has none of the middle-of-a-trilogy issues I mentioned in my review of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.  There are enough new obstacles and monsters to confront and the introduction of exciting new characters to make this segment wholly interesting in itself. 

Chief among the new characters is Evangeline Lilly’s superb portrayal of the Elvin warrior Tauriel.   This Elf puts Katniss Everdeen to shame.

Continued excellent performances are also turned in by Martin Freeman as Bilbo, Ian McKellen as Gandolf and Ken Stott as the standout Dwarf Balin.  Luke Evans as Bard is, also, a welcome addition to the overall splendid cast.  Casting Directors Victoria Burrows, Amy and John Hubbard, Liz Mullane and Miranda Rivers deserve a shoutout for their stellar work in this regard.

Story creator J.R.R. Tolkein would be proud of this production.

I give  The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug a 4+ out of 5.

American Hustle

Writer/Director David O. Russell’s American Hustle is a fun romp, mainly due to the fact the main characters…Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, Jeremy Renner and Jennifer Lawrence…are playing against their usual types and, for an extra treat, Robert DeNiro gives one of his most frightening performances in a small, but memorable, role.  (You’d never want to meet the guy he played.)

The film’s only flaw is that it gets off to a slow start with a bit too much setup.  However, once Jennifer Lawrence comes on the scene, sparks fly and continue to build into an intricate and surprising plot that produces complete viewer enjoyment.

 

It’s truly amazing to see Ms. Lawrence in comparison to her role in The Hunger Games. She is at the top of her game and elevates herself over the excellent performances by the rest of the cast.

As usual with a good story, I won’t discuss it because I don’t want to spoil your enjoyment by giving anything away.  All I'll say is that the art of survival is a story that never ends.

I give American Hustle a 4+ out of 5.

Inside Llewyn Davis

Co-Writers/Co-Directors Joel and Ethan Coen’s Inside Llewyn Davis is an exploration of the Greenwich Village folk singer scene in 1961, focusing on a week in the life of one of them.

First off, Cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel brings out images of the era with his usual mastery, Production Designer Jess Gonchor and Art Director Deboreh Jensen provide a true feeling of the time and Costume Designer Mary Zohphres is spot-on with the clothing.  Altogether, we’re given a true picture of the early-‘60s.  And, T-Bone Burnett's Music Production is sterling, providing the sound of the era.

Oscar Isaac as Llewyn, along with Cary Mulligan and Justin Timberlake as his friends, are admirably directed by the Coens and all turn in admirable performances. 

  

The question I have is, “Why?”  Why this lame story and what is it about?  

We’re treated to a talented, but stupid character, who, other than having a good voice, does little to make us care about him. 

 

And, what trials is he put through?  Leaving the apartment of friends, who let him sleep over, their cat escapes.  While catching it, Llewyn is locked out.  Instead of going to the Superintendent of the  building that has a live elevator operator, he ends up carrying the cat with him and foisting it on his friends and, then, allows it to escape again.  This is the stuff of a television sitcom, not a Coen movie as I’ve known them.

Llewyn bounces through several other nonsensical scenes to further prove he’s a loser until, finally, a scene that starts the film is repeated as its ending.  The point?  It’s beyond me.  Are we to think he’s caught in loop of repeating idiocy.  Has the film been a flashback?  Or, did the Coens just give up on an ending to their story or realize they had none?

What amazes me is the response of Critics and Reviewers, who see no problem here and are pouring on the accolades.  It reminds me of last year’s The Master disaster (reviewed 9/16/12).  I guess you can fool some of the people all of the time.

I must say, the theater was full and the audience was polite, i.e., no texting was happening.  Perhaps, however, they were as stupefied as I was.  At one point in the film, a policeman taps on the car window of the dozing Llewyn.  I was thankful to the character as the act brought me out of my stupor.  

 At one point, F. Murray Abraham as a music manager comments after Llewyn's audition, "I don't see much money here."  I didn't see much excitement here. And, I noticed there was no applause at the end by anyone in the audience. 

If you liked The Master, you’ll probably drink the Kool-Aid on this one, but, in all good conscience, I can’t give Inside Llewyn Davis more than a 3 out of 5.