Reviews

Time hasn't been kind to "Regarding Henry" I remembered it like pleasant enough bit of sentimental tripe. But now, 19 years later is truly an embarrassing movie for everyone concerned. Every common place in place, every line of predictable dialogue could be anticipated by a 7 year old. The characters, if you can call them that, are a walking cliché. As if this was not enough, Harrisson Ford, mugging his way through it. A truly epidermic performance as phony as anything I've ever seen him do. The strange thing is that Mike Nichols , one of my heroes, has always been so spot on in the casting department. Wonderful performances in all of his movies, so, how can anyone explain to me this, scholastic performance by Harrison Ford. His scenes with his physical therapist, a good natured, African American, made me cringe. Everything so premeditated an, I repeat, phony. The only one with a tinge of integrity is the girl playing Ford's daughter and out of respect for her I'm giving "Regarding Henry" a 2 not a 1. Phew!

I wanted to like this film more than any other. The Italian cinema needs a shot in the arm and who better than Giuseppe Tornatore to be the one who does it. I've waited three days to see if anything Tornatore presented to his audience would stick. An image, a thought, an idea. Not such luck. The film is an epidermic recount of the 1900's without getting in very deep and with a great deal of Morricone music. "Baaria" turns out to be a pretty succession of images, too pretty and too many, that hide, while you're watching it, a total emptiness. A tired, didactic trifle built into an epic. Maybe Tornatore, the business man knew what he was doing. Not to alienate an audience with new thoughts or ideas but provide instead a long video clip full of pretty people acting up a storm. We'll see, maybe this a formula to get into the Oscar nominations and the fact that the gorgeous male lead is a communist makes him appear, today as today, like a true romantic hero. As beauty is, was and always will be in the eye of the beholder, audiences may be taken but what is shown on the screen and stop there. Unfortunately I can't do that. I prefer a scene out of focus but that gives me something I can take with me forever.

Ennio Fantastichini, a wonderful Italian stage actor, weeps as he watches Meryl Streep in , I believe, "Out of Africa" He also establishes he is not gay but a fagot..."Isn't that the same thing?" "Yes, but I'm old fashioned" is his replay. I wish the tone had been like that, a bit more Almodovaresque. There is a need to be deep in Oztepek's world and that makes everything seem banal. Even death. Well I don't want to be too harsh. The Turkish filmmaker is one of the best Italian directors around but his universe seems to be tiny, tiny, tiny. He has a wonderful eye for beautiful men - Luca Argentero, a veteran from the the reality show "Big Brother" is scrumptious and Pier Francesco Favino is, without question, one of the best actors we've got. But, what was the film about? Friendship? Love? Death? Ping Pong? I couldn't tell and that's why I couldn't get into it. It seemed like a random trip without destination. Maybe that's it, maybe its about the aimless wondering of us humans during our brief stint on this earth. Wow! Around tables talking - with Sierra Yilmaz as a constant comic relief and a couple of wonderful moments. I wish the daringness that is, quite clearly, within Oztepek's range, could go all the way and tell us, in no uncertain terms, what its all about. He has the talent, the vision and the sensibility. Now he needs a story and a full proof script. Maybe next time.

A satire about greed and money, what? There is more greed in the intentions behind this fiasco than in any of the themes they pathetically try to make fun of. Jim Carrey's reign was certainly short lived. He is an unbearable presence on the screen. The insincerity of his portrayal is nothing short of creepy. He produced this, this "masterpiece" as well, so he can't blame anyone here. "The number one comedy in America" shout the desperate TV adds. Of course, Jim Carrey was suppose to guarantee full houses but the game is over. If I sound angry is because I am. I spent a sunny afternoon in California, plus, between tickets, parking, flat Cokes etc, almost 45 bucks on this thing, starring and produced by Mr Carry. Not anymore, do you hear? Not anymore.

Maddening and infuriating but also fascinating like most things we don't understand when we're told we should. I kept hearing people around me whispering - Who's that? - What are they talking about? - William Hurt!? I haven't shoosh people in a movie theater in years but I did throughout "Syriana". The most compelling aspect is that I felt let into something and hear things I shouldn't. They're all baddies one way or another but then, what else is new. Stephen Gaghan, the writer director, devices a devilish web for us to get lost into. I was mesmerized by his self assuredness and although I didn't have any kind of emotional connection with "Syriana" whoever she or it is, I couldn't dismiss the experience so, well done, cinema comes in all shapes and flavors.

There is much to admire in this surprising little movie. Joan Plowright gives one of the best performances of her career and that's no small claim. I connected with her immediately, she did reminded me of my own grandmother and I must admit I found myself with tears running down my face. Her brief encounter with a struggling writer, penniless but with a heart of gold and the face of a movie star becomes convincing against all odds. Ruper Friend displays a devastating charm and his goodness is actually believable. Even the great Anna Massey is given some magic moments on the screen but, perhaps, the biggest surprise is to find out that Ruth Sachs, the writer, is an 85 year old with no previous screen writing credits. The wit and youthful zest of her dialogs and that 1950's feel in a 2005 environment is the most startling aspect of "Mrs. Palfrey At The Claremont" The film suffers from a hesitant composition, we move from close ups to long shots without any rhyme or reason but that flaw, annoying as it is, doesn't spoil the ultimate delights that the film offers. The occasional voice overs are another stroke of genius of Mrs. Sachs. They are the most poignant, opportune and beautifully delivered voice overs in recent memory. Whatever your age, do yourself a favor. Go meet Mrs Palfrey at any theater near you

I went to see "Romanzo Criminale" with very high hopes. Michele Placido made one of the best Italian films of the 90's "Un Eroe Borghese" with a superlative Fabrizio Bentivoglio. There he touched a delicate real life story and treated with the vigor of a vintage Costa Gavras. I regret to inform, none of that is evident in "Romanzo Criminale" The great bunch of young Italian actors assembled in one film! A story of friendship and betrayal, paralleled to the turbulent 70's. But something, definitely, went tragically wrong. The film seems rushed and thoughtless. Kim Rossi Stuart, one of the best of his generation, is wonderful to watch but his character swings from gloomy to gloomier and we're ask to feel compassion for him - although we're not allow to grieve for his victims. Half way through the film I started to get impatient and glancing at my watch. I felt detached, unmoved. The last nail in the coffin of this unfortunate venture is the casting of Stefano Accorsi. It may have been a commercial decision, Accorsi is a big star in Italy, but the idea backfired in a big way. His story is as convoluted as it is unbelievable. He doesn't have the strength or the power to transmit the ambiguity of his character. The women are treated as virgins or whores and what else is new. This time, I don't think, nobody can complain of lack of funds. I suspect they went for a commercial operation with fast cutting and a popular score with several well known hits from the 70's on. All together a disappointing experience.