Behind the Candelabra.

I have no qualms about gay cinema, having seen some classics of that genre including Frank Ribbloh’s Taxi zum Klo (1981), Fassbinders Querelle (1982) and the Australian movie Head On (1998) but what I do have a problem with is watching two extremely well known heterosexual actors acting out a guy scenario. The actors in question are Matt Damon and Michael Douglas. The film is Steven Soderbergh reputed last directorial outing Behind The Candelabra (2013). It’s an American drama film about the last ten years in the life of the pianist and vocalist known as Liberace (Douglas). His career spanned some forty years and included concert appearances, recordings, films and a TV series. During a period between the 1950’s and the 1970’s he became the highest paid entertainer in the world. He was also well known for flamboyant excesses. The movie is based on a book entitled Behind the Candelabra: My life with Liberace released in 1988 and written by Scott Thorson (Damon) who was the pianists chauffeur and lover who sued him for palimony. Although Liberace died of an AIDs related illness in 1987 he always denied being gay.

 

Liberace with Scott Thorson.

One is forced by this semi biopic to question how his giant fan base missed the fact that their idol was a gay performer? If the film is to be believed, and there’s no reason to doubt it, it was pretty obvious, perhaps the prejudice of that period excluded people thinking that such a big star could not possible desire the opposite sex, coupled with his many rumoured lesions with different woman. But don’t get me wrong this is a fascinating and well-acted movie that will certainly entertain you if you can ignore the fact that two of the world’s most famous straight actors are up on the screen having simulated sex!  

Side Effects

A clever man our Mr Steven Soderbergh, not only does he direct but he also edits most of his work under the name of ‘Mary Ann Bernard’ and is credited as ‘Peter Andrews’ for the cinematography as well. A director, rumoured to be retiring following this latest film, that has produced a varied body of work over the years some of which I’ve not been very keen on, for example 2008’s two part Che, which could have been so much better, the forgettable Haywire (2012) and The Informant (2009) which I found rather dull. But of course he has made some very good films like his debut feature film made in 1989 Sex, Lies, and Videotape, the award winning Erin Brockovich (2000) and Traffic (2000) for which he won an Academy Award for Best Director. Side Effects (2013) certainly swings towards the better side of his oeuvre pendulum.

The film manoeuvres the audience from what at first appears to be an exposé of the high end of the prescription drug market where psychologists can be paid vast sums of money to push certain types of drugs, not always in the interest of their patients, to an intriguing noir influenced psychological thriller.

Our main character is Emily Taylor, played by Rooney Mara who redeems herself after appearing as Lisbeth Salander in the dreadful American remake of Stieg Larssons The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011). Married to Martin (Channing Tatum,) an investment banker, who is just about to be released from a four-year prison sentence for insider trading, Emily is severely depressed after loosing their beautiful house and a considerable fortune. She attempts to commit suicide by driving her car into a concrete wall at speed. In hospital she is assessed by Dr Jonathan Banks (a great performance from Jude Law), who agrees to her release on the proviso that she attends his clinic and start’s on a course of prescription drugs. But when she attempts to kill her self again by jumping in front an underground train he feels something stronger is needed and signs up to trial a new antidepressant drug called Ablixa, which leads his patient even deeper into the dangerous dark depths of despair. This in turn leads to a tragic event which effects not only Emily but also her husband and Dr Banks, consequently drawing into the story Emily’s previous shrink the sinister Dr Victoria Siebert played by the attractive Catherine Zeta-Jones.

 Emily Taylor.

 

Dr Jonathan Banks,

Is carrying out a crime different from being guilty of a crime? Just one of the many questions raised by a movie that paints a picture of a sick society in which it is deemed there is a pill to cure any mental disorder: at a cost and not always financial. A very clever story, driven by Scot Z Burns sharp intelligent script originally titled ‘The Bitter Pill’. This absorbing movie is more Henri-George Clouzot than Hitchcock; as most of the critic’s seem too claim see Les diaoliques (1955) If this is Soderbergh’s swan song then he is definitely going out on a high.

 

The sinister Dr Victoria Siebert.

‘Pharmaceutical companies spend more money on lobbying than any other industry’ USA Today

Haywire

Gina Carano.

I’m quite partial to an all action-thriller, an evening of escapist entertainment never goes a miss but when the complete story escapes you, you know there something not quite right!! The latest release from director Steven Soderbergh Haywire (2012) only needs the addition of some flared trousers and the odd paisley shirts to make it a fully-fledged authentic 1970’s American B-Movie adventure drama, not a bad thing? Well the set pieces were great but the segment's in between lacked any logic or for that matter any real excitement. By the end of my evening I’d even got jet lag with the extensive travels worldwide!!

The film boasted some well-known actors including Michael Fassbender, Ewan McGregor, Antonio Banderas and Michael Douglas, none of which came away with any credit. The only person to make a mark was the rather splendid looking Gina Carano, who is a retired mixed martial arts fighter, her character Mallory Kane was involved in some sensational chases, fights and shoot outs, allegedly doing all her own stunt work. The narrative is a muddled mix of government agents double-crossing one another? To be honest when watching this type of genre your not looking for a complex story just one that makes sense! Emotional involvement was impossible and any hint of a back stories for the characters was non-excitant. Ms. Carano is the only reason to watch this rather forgettable film!!

Holiday Viewing 2011.

As many of you know we finally managed to take a break after a very busy year, revisiting Southern Spain. You can read about our exploits at Fort Bravo by following the link. Texas Hollywood - Spain 2011. This time I did not have to take a portable player and a pile of DVD’s! Thanks to the genius of Apple we have the iPad on which you can down load your viewing pleasure before you depart and watch a movie anywhere. So just to keep up to date I submit a short ramble on each of the films I managed to watch.

A Fish Called Wanda (1988) 

It was Charles Crichton most successful film, other than of course the brilliant Ealing comedy The Lavender Hill Mob (1951) in which Alec Guinness and Stanley Holloway hatch a plan to smuggle gold bullion out of the country disguised as Eiffel Tower paperweights, A Fish Called Wanda (1988) that I selected for the outward plane journey.  Not being a great lover of travelling at hundreds of miles an hour thousand of feet above earth I thought this particular movie would take my mind of it, and I was quite right.  The film is a cracking UK comedy crime drama co-directed and written by its star John Cleese. It boasts a first class cast headed up by two Monty Python stars the afore mentioned John Cleese as the lawyer Archie Leach and Michael Palin. The plot, which in this kind of film is never that important, involves one Wanda Gershwitz who is involved in a diamond hoist. Not satisfied with her share she attempts to manipulate the three men involved and the defence solicitor of one of them, endeavouring to keep the proceeds all for her self. The greedy Wanda is played by the attractive Jamie Lee Curtis, the other three villains are her so called ‘brother’ Otto West brilliantly overplayed by Kevin Kline, who won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, the London based gangster George Thomason who thinks he’s the brains behind the operation is played by the British actor Tom Georgeson best known for television work and Thomason’s right hand man and animal lover Ken Pile is amusingly portrayed by Palin.

Jig (2011)

Wigs and Dresses!!!!!

This movie, part funded by BBC Scotland, is the first time the competitive world of the Irish Dance has ever been filmed by an outsider. Sue Bourne, a documentary filmmaker, produced and directed Jig (2011), which documents the 40^th Irish Dancing World Championships that were held in Glasgow in March 2010. The competition lasts for one very intense week and involves three thousand dancers from all around the world, their families and their teachers. This obsessive world involves young competitors dressing up in wigs and outfits that can cost thousands of pounds, they sport fake tans and heavy makeup and reputedly love every minute of it, but after watching this rather melancholic affair I would suggest that these very determined youngster’s are in fact under extreme stress! An enjoyable film for around 60 minutes but after that it gets a little tedious.

Among Giants (1998)

Sheffield Yorkshire: A team of men lead by middle aged Ray and his young flatmate Steve find cash-in-hand employment painting electricity pylons.  When Gerry, a young fancy-free Australian backpacker, joins the team its not long before Ray, who has two kids and is separated from his wife, falls in love with her and wants to settle down. Problems arise when Steve realises that he is also in love with the girl and both men find out she is not quite ready for domestic bliss. Among Giants (1998) star’s the late Pete Postlethwaite as the ganger Ray with James Thornton as the slightly immature Steve and Rachel Griffiths as the worldly-wise Gerry. Direction is by Sam Miller, best known for the TV series This Life, and its written by Simon Beaufoy, who won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for Danny Boyles Slumdog Millionaire (2008). The original idea for the film came from a documentary Beaufoy wanted to make about painting giant pylons, an idea that was eventually turned into this work of fiction. It was on the back of Beaufoy’s other big writing success The Full Monty (1997) that a producer was found and the film was made. After training given by the Electricity Board’s climbing experts some of the shooting actually took place on real pylons, which looked hellishly scary. An interesting British romantic comedy drama with believable acting from both Postlewaite and Griffith but the script could have done with a little more oomph.  

The Informant (2009)

Maybe it was me, but I did not find The Informant (2009) very entertaining or exciting, to be honest I thought it was a bit confusing! Perhaps I was just not in the mood for this very talky political parody? The film is an American fact based “comedy” drama about Mark Whitacre (Matt Damon), a high level corporate executive who was involved as a whistle blower in the Lysine price fixing conspiracy, which was a deliberately organised attempt during the mid 1990’s to raise the price of animal feed.  This collusion involved five different worldwide companies including the American company that Whitacre worked for, Archer Daniels Midland (ADM). He was the highest-level executive in US history to become an FBI informant. Directed by Steven Soderbergh whose quality of work, does vary from the sublime (Sex, Lies and Videotape 1989,Traffic 2000) to the ridicules (Oceans Twelve and Thirteen, Che 2008).

Arlington Road (1999)

My journey home, accompanied by a strong head wind, included the very interesting conspiracy thriller Arlington Road (1999).  The plot involves the widowed University professor Michael Faraday (the ever dependable Jeff Bridges) who begins to suspect his new neighbours Oliver (Tim Robbins) and Cheryl Lang (Joan Cusack) are involved in a terrorist plot. Faraday gradually becomes obsessed with proving to the FBI that his suspicions are correct. Director Mark Pellington, who has been named to direct the remake of the brilliant Spanish/Mexican horror movie The Orphanage (2007), cleverly allows the viewer to continually question whether the Lang’s are really terrorists or is the professor, who we discover is a specialist on the subject and lectures a class, imagining the whole thing? Although not well received by the critics I thought it to be a stylishly tense and exciting movie, perhaps my opinion was affected by the turbulence?