MAY MOVIE QUIZ EDITION 2014
INSIDE
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Crispin Glover ’s “IT IS FINE!” reviewed RIP Hal “In A World ...” Douglas
REVIEW
In A World... Bell’s script [takes] aim at industry sexism without being didactic about it.
Lake Bell is an engaging actor with decent sexist trailer voiceover fraternity wrong, by comic timing, but her status thus far has grabbing the gig herself. been largely limited to supporting roles in underwhelming films. Bell’s script is crammed with the sort of lowkey zingers that populate Seinfeld or the However, with her amiable directorial films of Woody Allen; but it’s distinctly female debut Bell proves she is adept behind both in perspective, taking aim at industry sexism the camera and the scriptwriter’s pen. IN A without being didactic about it. In amongst WORLD is a witty film that makes an impact, the amusing skits and humorous prodding even if its conclusion lacks catharsis. of neanderthal attitudes, it has time to deal with the more cynical side of gender politics Bell plays voiceover artist Carol Solomon, the and domestic drama. daughter of highly successful voiceover artist Sam Soto (Fred Melamed). She struggles to Marino is once again excellent as the overly find work beyond accent coaching, leading to confident Gustav, and Bell’s Carol is a witty the humorous sight of Carol surreptitiously lead, balancing a difficult mix of optimism recording anyone with an interesting voice. and cynicism. Despite a slightly limp finale, the sharp dialogue and comedy drives the The industry is abuzz with the news that film for its fairly brief run time. a major new ‘quadrilogy’ (a very faintly disguised HUNGER GAMES parody) is to An accomplished feature debut, IN A revive the famous trailer intro “In a world…”, WORLD… shows there should be more to making it a highly coveted slot. Amongst the come from Bell as writer/director. In breaking contenders are Gustav Warner (Ken Marino), out from constant supporting turns, it seems whom Sam has taken under his wing. Carol, the best material for her may come from her however, is keen to prove her father and the own pen. - Jim Ross
rip hal “in a world...” douglas 1924 - 2014 we pay tribute to hal in this month’s movie quiz.
NOW SHOWING
The Sea
A tale both harrowing and tender, told in sensitive elegance and intensity. Stephen Brown’s THE SEA is intense. It begins with a man staring out to sea, an opening which partly indicates what is to come, yet one cannot anticipate the depth of feeling we are to experience as an audience. THE SEA is the tale of a broken man surviving one loss by revisiting another. Adapted from the John Banville novel alongside the author himself, the story follows art historian Max Morden (Ciarån Hinds) as he copes with the death of his photographer wife Anna (Sinead Cusack). In the hauntingly idyllic setting of a faded seaside village, we see him relive memories of a childhood summer once spent there, a summer flooded with excitement, strange glamour and tragedy. This is no messy flashback movie, however (a risky feat, even the director himself admits), as we are taken back to hazy days in a manner that seems natural in transition. Soft light and colours and sunlit tracking shots abound, as the only-child Max (Matthew Dillon) runs about smitten after the mysterious and fabulously chaotic Grace family, falling in love with the madcap charm his own family lacks, as well as with the spoilt Chloe and, one senses, her flighty mother (Natascha McElhone). This happy summer haze is interspersed with darker days, however: his last heartbreaking and tension-ridden weeks with the dying love of his life, and his descent into lonely drunkenness. Here three lives are lived out in one, each as tragic and beautiful as the next, as touched with grace and sadness. A spare, understatedly soulful violin and piano score accentuates the profound emotions with which each is tainted and blessed. A tale both harrowing and tender, told in sensitive elegance and intensity, THE SEA possesses a muted grandeur, an emotive rhythm which ebbs and flows with the tide. The film ends as it begins, with a man staring out to sea, where his tempestuous emotions might either drown or be brought up in waves. - Hannah Clarkson
REVIEW
It Is Fine!
Everything Is Fine. IT IS FINE! EVERYTHING IS FINE is a glossy, saturated thriller in the style of The Rockford Files. Writer and leading man Steven C. Stewart pitched the script to Crispin Glover having worked with him on WHAT IS IT?, and Glover helped him realise his vision. The protagonist, Paul, is a ladykiller whose character is handicapped but far more coherent and sexually attractive than Stewart himself. It’s possible to acclimatise to his inarticulate delivery, partially due to his powerful on-screen presence, which is infused with humour and idiosyncratic charisma. There are stylistic touches of Hitchcock’s VERTIGO – from the hyper-real backdrops to Fassbinder favourite Margit Carstensen‘s sensual, natural performance, and Paul’s stubborn obsession with long hair. He nuzzles it, brushes it, winds it like wool in his fists. Paul’s cry of triumph, once a hapless lover has been throttled, is “Now you won’t ever have a haircut again!”.
visit crispinglover.com to find out when he will be bringing his slideshow and films to your area Stewart was committed to an institution when his mother died, and it’s tempting to infer a theme of anti-maternal resentment when Paul gazes at his own mother’s photo during the film. Glover describes IT IS FINE! as “a documentation of one person’s fantasy”, whose “beautiful naïveté” he strove to preserve, and to honour with an opulence which matches the screenwriter’s old-fashioned, flowery style. This sentimentality is offset by closely choreographed sex scenes which find Stewart’s character finally able to meet his fellow actors on common ground. In flagrante delicto, Paul is no more palsied, dribbly or incoherent than any other man would be in his position. He’s just like you and me. Stewart died shortly after the film was made, and Glover has given him a unique legacy in sponsoring and realising his screenplay. “They’re gonna think it’s weird”, Glover and his codirector David Brothers warned Stewart before filming began. “OH yeah,” replied the writer, with relish. - Rosy Hunt “thankyou @yourspaceapts for sponsoring my show with use of a beautiful apartment. i appreciate it!” @crispinglover