"Certain Women"

"Certain Women" Movie Review

"Certain Women"

Posted on Oct. 28, 2016 on CWAtlanta.cbslocal.com

Wayback Machine Archive Post

“Certain Women” (2016)

When we first meet Laura (Laura Dern), she is lounging on a bed while her lover (James LeGros) is getting dressed. We will soon learn that her lover, Ryan, is a married man, and they are sleeping together during her lunch hour. It doesn’t seem to us that she is happy about returning to her job and tries to get Ryan to stay with her a little longer. She soon leaves her home and heads with her dog to her law office in a small town in Montana.

Waiting for her at her office, much to her abhorrence, is a client of hers, Fuller (Jared Harris). He is there to talk about his personal injury case. It is very evident that Fuller is not convinced that Laura is working her hardest for his case, and it also seems as if Fuller is more interested in spending time in the office with her than moving along his case. She finally shoos him away with a promise that they will meet with a lawyer who specializes in that type of case.

Later, Laura and Fuller are at another attorney’s office. He explains that since Fuller took payment from his company for the accident, he has no way to sue for more money. Fuller, much to the bewilderment of Laura, Fuller takes the news calmly and accepting. Fuller leaves and Laura comments to the other lawyer that she has been telling him just what she has been telling him for nine months. We cut to Laura in her car in a parking lot as she speaks in amazement with Ryan on how Fuller probably would have accepted her conclusions nine months ago if she was a man. Just then a car stops suddenly in front of her, and Fuller jumps out of the car yelling. The car speeds off, and Laura realizes she is going to have to give Fuller a ride back to their city. It’s a ride that Laura will soon regret as that ride will have lasting effects.

This is the start of writer/director Kelly Reichardt’s brilliant look into the lives of four very lonely women longing for something more. Laura Dern plays Laura, who is having trouble with a reckless and quick-to-anger client in Fuller, all the while not happy and very bored with her job and her personal life. Michelle Williams plays Gina, a mom that is married to an indifferent man, Ryan and has a daughter, Guthrie (Sara Rodier) who resents Gina’s attempts at parenting. Kristen Stewart plays Beth, a woman who recently became an attorney and begins teaching a night course on “school law” in a city four hours away. Lily Gladstone plays Jamie, a young woman working with horses on a ranch and becomes enamored with Kristen Stewart’s character.

Reichardt, who wrote the script based on the short stories of Maile Meloy, brings us a story that is low-key and often slow-moving, but that allows you to get under the skin of each character. What we see are slices of four lives. Those lives are real and powerful. The cinematography by Christopher Blauvelt is exquisite, full of dark colors contrasting with the light snow that seems to be continually falling. Reichardt uses these colors to make her characters seem even lonelier and isolated. These women, even Maggie, are almost always alone, whether it’s Gina lingering on a trail after a run or Jamie working on the ranch. Reichardt also uses long shots to show even Laura, in the midst of a small-town street, is isolated from the rest of the residents walking the streets.

This is a film that, while not a whole lot happens, it will linger with you for days because the performances of the four actresses are so powerful and real. I especially savored the performance of Lily Gladstone, who plays a soft-spoken woman who befriends the teacher, played by Stewart. She rarely speaks in the film but is so expressive in her features and body language. Her character is lonely, alone on a big ranch and is searching for someone to connect with, even if it means going to a class that she never intended to attend. Her performance is heartbreaking, especially the shots of her standing in the parking lot, watching Beth seemingly forever driving off.

“Certain Women” is a superb film full of small moments, most of which are poignant and distressing. It’s a look into the lives of four very lonely women hoping that they will eventually find happiness, even if it is short-lived.    My Rating: I Would Pay to See It Again

My movie rating system from Best to Worst:  1). I Would Pay to See it Again  2). Full Price  3). Bargain Matinee  4). Cable  5). You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again

“Certain Women” Website

The film is playing exclusively at Regal Tara Cinemas 4

"Clouds of Sils Maria"

Movie review of "Clouds of Sils Maria" starring Juliette Binoche, Kristen Stewart, Chloë Grace Moretz.

"Clouds of Sils Maria"

Posted on Apr. 24, 2015 on CWAtlanta.cbslocal.com

Wayback Machine Archive Post

Photo courtesy of IFC Films

“Clouds of Sils Maria” (2014)

Twenty years ago, actress Maria Enders (Juliette Binoche) got the role of a lifetime performing in a play called “Maloja Snake.” The world fell in love with Maria, who played a young executive assistant who suicide and then breaks up with her 40-year-old female boss. Now a hot, well-respected director wants to put the play back on, this time with Maria playing the boss instead of the assistant.

Maria’s personal assistant is Valentine (Kristen Stewart), a very capable but slightly controlling young woman. She is quick giving her opinion and most of the time Maria welcomes it. They are together constantly, and because of that, Valentine has become not just Maria’s assistant but also her confidant and friend.

Maria doesn’t want to do the revival, as she sees it as a way to stay away a very troubled past. At her assistant’s insistence, she is talked into meeting with the director, just as she has to appear at the memorial for the writer of the play, who has just committed suicide. Against her better judgement, Maria decides to take the role, swayed by Valentine’s instance. Valentine convinces Maria that Jo-Ann Ellis (Chloë Grace Moretz), who has already attached to the project, will be the perfect actress to play the part of the young seductress. By taking the job, Maria and Valentine are about to go upon a journey of discovery and pain. Their relationship will never be the same.

The performances in this film are the reason the watch. Oscar winner Juliette Binoche is perfection in this role, and she just might be seeing another nomination for her portrayal of Maria. It is a master class on how to command the screen without dominating the other performers. Binoche shines as the slightly neurotic actress who needs constant reassurance from her assistant and is prone to fits of self-doubt at a moment’s notice. I have a feeling that Binoche is more self-confident than the actress whom she plays, though I have a feeling that she is as bad in real life as Maria is in keeping up with what / who is the Internet fodder of the day. Binoche plays off of Kristen Stewart, and their constant banter is natural and unforced.

While Binoche is phenomenal in the role, it’s Kristen Stewart (yes that Kristen Stewart) that makes this film work. Playing the opinionated young American, Stewart gives a multilayer, nuanced performance that plays so well-off of Binoche’s portrayal of the demanding Maria. Stewart has a relaxed, easy presence on the screen, and it’s her best performance in her young career. Chloë Grace Moretz is a joy to watch playing the actress who has talent, but seems to make one bad decision after another, all being played out on TMZ. Moritz is perfect for the part, playing an actress who can be sweet in one moment and an absolute horror in another.

Writer / Director Olivier Assayas brings out the most out of his cast, letting their performances tell the story. He places the camera just in the right position to optimize the audiences being able to view both actresses’ reactions at the same time. The film spends a great deal of time with Maria and Valentine running lines, as the play starts mirroring the relationship that the two of them have in real life. The only fault that I find in this film is that the film gets bogged down at times when the running of the lines goes on too long.

Go and see this celebration of acting, and revel in the performances of the three strong actresses in the lead parts. It’s a rare film these days that give us such complex, dominate roles to women. And, after seeing “Clouds of Sils Maria,” like me, you too will be looking forward to Kristen Stewart’s next film.      My Rating: Full Price  

My movie rating system from Best to Worst:  1). I Would Pay to See it Again  2). Full Price  3). Bargain Matinee  4). Cable  5). You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again

“Clouds of Sils Maria” Facebook page

"Still Alice" Movie Review

My review of "Still Alice" starring Julianne Moore, Alec Baldwin, Kristen Stewart.

"Still Alice"

Posted on Feb. 6, 2015 on CWAtlanta.cbslocal.com

Wayback Machine Archive Post

Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics 

“Still Alice” (2014)

Dr. Alice Howland (Julianne Moore) is a renowned linguistic professor, known for her brilliant mind and her teaching skills. She is happily married to John (Alec Baldwin), a scientist, and they live near the Columbia University campus. They have three grown children; Anna (Kate Bosworth), a married working lawyer who is trying to get pregnant. Tom (Hunter Parrish) is a medical student who is always talking shop with his father. Lydia (Kristen Stewart) is the black sheep of the family who has quit college to become an actress. The subject of Lydia going back to school is a constant source of topic with Alice.

Alice starts noticing that she is having trouble concentrating, getting lost in her lectures for moments in time, losing track of her keys and forgetting appointments or dinner plans. At first, she attributes it to being overworked or tired. When she gets lost on her own campus while running, it becomes evident that it’s more than just being tired. She goes to see a specialist and gets hit hard with the news that she has early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. As the film progresses, she slowly tells family, friends and co-workers her condition as the disease becomes more and more a part of her life.

Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

This is another film in a long line of movies that I have seen recently where the sum of its parts don’t measure up to the cast’s performances, especially in this case, the brilliant leading lady. The film’s weakness is the script, written by the directors of the movie, Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland. The film never quite finds its footing, making the film seem, at times, a little empty. It’s a movie that should move you to tears but outside of a memorable scene between Moore and Stewart near the end of the film, there just aren’t that many emotional scenes. I also would have liked to have seen more from the perspective of her husband and children. Glatzer and Westmoreland seem only to want to make the husband and children as almost outsiders to Alice’s character. One of the many heartbreaking things about this illness is how it greatly affects the families of those stricken, especially those who are given the task of caretaker. There is very little action or discussion on how the family is handling Alice’s illness and why they are doing it a certain way. The kids, other than Stewart, are often an afterthought to the story, only showing up when it’s necessary.

Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

I liked Alec Baldwin in the role of the husband. It’s a hard role to portray because, as the disease progresses, we get to see more and more of John’s real character, making him almost unlikable near the end of the film. He and Moore have great chemistry together, making their early conversations believable and enjoyable to watch. Kristen Stewart gives an inspiring and moving performance as the daughter who is driven to be an actress and is willing to struggle to become one. It’s an impressive performance, as Stewart’s plays off of Moore, letting Moore carry the scenes with Stewart just reacting off her lead. It helps that Stewart is playing the most likable character in the film, as she sacrifices her own well-being to help her mother cope with the illness.

Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

Moore is the center of the movie and lets scenes just sort of roll through her. It’s a heartbreaking performance that lesser actors would stumble with, but Moore isn’t afraid of the role, and performs it with a passion. She is so good at playing off other actors, truly hearing and reacting to them, making her so believable in the role. Moore shows us the frustration in her face as her character struggles to remember something simple, like her kid’s names. She also gives us those few and far between little victories, where her character is able to remember how to do something or remember a person’s face. Moore’s most impressive scenes are in the first half of the film; especially the scenes where she realizes that she can no longer do her job. Day to day, living is going to be a struggle for Alice, and it shows in Moore’s face and body language. Moore seems to waste away before our eyes as the disease takes more and more from her. This condition is made harder by the fact that at the beginning of the film, we saw Alice at her most vibrant and confident, a woman that Moore portrays as whip-smart and sure in everything she does.

Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

The score of the film by Ilan Eshkeri does a masterful job helping set the mood of the scenes without being obvious or overbearing. I especially loved the cinematography by Denis Lenoir. His use of focusing the scene on Moore, as she stands out in focus and letting the rest of the background be blurry is a perfect technique to gives us the feeling of isolation and confusion that Alice is feeling.

While “Still Alice” has a memorable portrayal by Kristin Stewart and an Oscar worthy performance by Julianne Moore, it can’t overcome a script that doesn’t fully explore its characters and never delivers the knockout blow of emotion that a film of this type calls for. It’s still worth seeing due to Moore’s outstanding performance, but just know that you will walk away wanting more.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee 

My movie rating system from Best to Worst:  1). I Would Pay to See it Again  2). Full Price  3). Bargain Matinee  4). Cable  5). You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again

“Still Alice” is now playing in theatres nationwide.

“Still Alice” Website