The most gorgeous trailer of the year

I've written about Tom Ford's "A Single Man" before. A new version of the trailer was released this weekend. Still gorgeous, still really interesting. Based on this I just can't wait to see the movie even though it doesn't really tell me what it's about. It reflects a mood and world I want to be in.

I've always thought Colin Firth is kind of boring. Hopefully Tom Ford has drawn out of him something new. Julianne Moore is always interesting to watch. There are a also a few up and comers in the cast : Ginnifer Goodwin from "Big Love", Matthew Goode and the little kid from "About A Boy" all grown up, Nicholas Hoult. Hoult was just recognized by no less than the grey lady herself as a breakout star for this Holiday season.

This is now at the top of my must see list.

A Few Thoughts on "Precious"

Caution : Contains minor spoilers.

"Precious" is totally worth the hype. It is also sobering yet hopeful, a heavy drama that kicks you straight in the guts but still you leave feeling better for it.

It is not a very easy movie to watch. There is a lot of dark drama going on : abuse, incest, poverty. However there are also laughs, love and poignant moments. Most importantly there is hope throughout this story, you are pulling for Precious to make it through. Yes the changes to her life are not that significant by the end but you believe she's stronger and that there will be joy in her life.

And those performances. Mo'Nique is simply astonishing. She is so powerful and strong in building this character that she looms over the whole movie. I felt her presence even in the scenes where she was absent. Gabourey Sidibe is equally good although her performance has a definitive arc similar to Precious'. It goes from subdued to still subtle but strong as Precious goes from meek to willful. And who would've thought the star of Glitter had this in her. Mariah Carey is very effective in her few scenes. Paula Patton does the best with what I thought was a difficult part. I guess with all the grimness the teacher had to angelically perfect.

A lot has been said about the fantasy sequence and the sometimes jarring editing. However I found that both enhanced the story and moved it forward. Who doesn't escape to a fantasy where things are better when they are feeling down? And Precious needs to go there a lot more than most of us to escape her reality.

I also love that this movie and story stayed true to its heroine's circumstances. There was no knight in shinning armor and more importantly no white savior. We did not have a "white" guide through the movie as the case is almost always with movies with African and Black themes.

This is a very powerful piece of film making. I saw it a week ago and it is still very vivid in my mind.

And a movie that has this line "My favorite color is fluorescent beige" can't be all bad.

The most awful movie of the year?

I know that I should not give that label to a film I have not seen yet. But I think "The Blind Side" deserves it. Check out the trailer. It looks terrible. Saccharine, sappy, slow and you get the whole story from the trailer. No need to watch the movie. And do we really need another movie where an underprivileged black person gets a white savior? So 4 decades ago. I know it is kind of a true story but just because Sandra Bullock wants to win an Oscar we should not be subjected to this.

Precious based on the novel Push by Sapphire

What a title. And what a movie. The buzz is deafening. It has been going on for months, since the movie wowed audiences and won prizes at the Sundance Film Festival back in January. I am very excited to see it tonight but also overwhelmed by the media coverage. If you are like me i.e. read a half dozen movie blogs, in addition to EW, NYTimes and New York Magazine. Then you’ve been constantly reading about this movie. Here are some of the stories I read :
- shoo-in for best picture at the Oscars, this year’s Slumdog Millionaire
- Mo’Nique will win an Oscar
- Mo'Nique is being difficult and has lost the Oscar (the one she has not been nominated for yet).
- Lee Daniels (the director) is a genius.
- Lee Daniels is arrogant and is alienating everyone
- The movie is racist.
- The movie is uplifting.
- The movie is worse than Norbit!!!!! (Thank you for this gem Armond White).
- Critics love the movie.
- Critics hate the movie and what does this mean for its Oscar chances?
- Mariah Carey might get an Oscar nomination (and I have a chance to win the Nobel).
- Mariah Carey “uglified” herself for this movie.
- Mariah Carey’s rep denies that her moustache in the movie is “real”.

All of this does not matter if Precious is as good as it looks like in the trailer. So I rallied the troops and Union Square here we come. Tonight at 730 all will be revealed.

My Favorite Movie of the Year : (500) Days of Summer

I’ve been meaning to write about this for a couple of months now. I'm happy to finally get around to it. I’ve seen it twice so far and can’t wait for the DVD release. And believe it or not it was better the second time around.

(500) Days of Summer is a fantastic movie. Without doubt the best romantic comedy to come along in a long time. What makes it so good is that it is devoid of clichés in a genre known for clichés. Sure boy meets girl cute, boy falls in love with girl. But that is it. All that comes after that is fresh, new and most importantly feels a lot like what happens in real life. Things don’t go from cute to happily ever after. Sometimes they do not. What the movie says is that love is an accident; it may or may not happen.

Smart and sharply written dialogue. Very distinct in shaping out these characters. The first time I saw it I was totally on Tom’s (Joseph Gordon Levitt) side. The second time I understood Summer (Zooey Deschanel) better. I went from what’s wrong with her, can’t she see he’s the best thing that will ever happen to her to, you know what sometimes the heart wants what it wants. Exactly what happens in real life.

And these performances. Watching Gordon-Levitt come alive in this movie is witnessing a star being born. I know he’s been around for a while, but this is a new side of him. He emerges a funny and charming leading man. Deschanel has the more difficult role. The movie is told from Tom’s point of view. But she holds her own, you understand why Tom would fall for her and more importantly get why she does not fall for him. (These are not spoilers, you know how their story unfolds within the first few minutes).

Watch out for day 489. Devastating. If your heart has ever been broken, you’ll feel the pain. Right in your gut. Everyone who has ever asked themselves “why not me, you idiot?”, will know exactly what I’m talking about.

Did I bring you down? Don’t be sad. Here is the most joyful scene in the movie. Click away, your smile will back in no time.

Modern Family - An Appreciation

Modern Family must be the funniest new show on TV. Laugh out loud funny. Yet it is so relate able while being very smart.

Just watch the latest episode. You'll laugh but also you'll recognize these characters as true and honest. The dynamics in the relationships, mother to daughter, sister to brother, husband to wife, across generations are so true and honest.

Look at the one short scene in this episode between Julie Bowen and Jesse Tyler Ferguson as the adult siblings. For less than 2 minutes they chat about their parents. And in that short period you learn the complete history of this family. It is funny, brilliant and tells so much in such an economical fashion. Wow.

And what a cast. From the stars to the secondary characters to the guests, this is an ensemble that works like a charm. Lovely!

Watch it now and have a super super time.

5 Random Thoughts about "Bright Star".

So I saw Jane Campion's Bright Star this weekend. I was really looking forward to it, however I was totally disappointed despite the rave reviews I read.

1. Abbie Cornish is fantastic in it. Carried the movie on her shoulders, she is immensely watchable. She is particularly excellent in a devastatingly emotional scene at the end of the movie.

2. This movie looks gorgeous. It is like it was made by a painter. Every scene is a beautiful canvass. The lighting, the setting, the vistas...all beautiful. Check out the scene where Cornish sits on a bed by an open window while the wind blows a curtain towards her. I have not seen a more lyrically beautiful scene this year.

3. Ben Whishaw underwhelms. I think he looks the part, all small and handsomely sickly. But he did not deliver. I did not believe for a moment that he was passionate about anything, not Cornish, not poetry.

4. There were a few other good performances. Both Kerry Fox and Paul Schneider were good. And Edie Martin who played the young sister Toots, was a charming presence.

5. But that screenplay. This movie was long, dull and boring. Yes beautiful to look at with a couple of emotional moments, but it took forever and a day. I was never more bored at the movies this year. Dull, dull, dull.

Tom Ford made a movie!

Uber-celebrity designer and former Gucci honcho Tom Ford, presented his directorial debut at the Venice film festival a few days ago. It is called "A Single Man" and stars Colin Firth as a gay college professor in L.A. contemplating suicide after the death of his partner. Julianne Moore stars as his friend who still carries a torch for him.

You can see from the trailer that the movie looks exquisitely beautiful and that Ford is in love with the male form. That's so surprise, however the buzz from Venice is that it's a good movie too. It's a major contender for the grand prize, the Golden Lion and reviews have been good to excellent. I love what the Times of London, said "....It looks like a Wallpaper magazine photo shoot styled by Douglas Sirk". High praise indeed. It also apparently gives Firth the best role of his career and Moore her best role in years.

Could Ford be the next big gay auteur? Watch out Gus Van Sant.

The Song of the Fall

So I was hoping that Whitney will rule the fall and have the biggest comeback. Unfortunately her album is not diva enough, it's just mediocre. There are a couple of OK mid-tempo songs (Alicia Keyes' penned Million Dollar Bill & For the Lovers). But the rest, save for a cover of Donny Hathaway's Your Song, are not memorable.

So who is going to rule the fall? I'm betting on Leona Lewis. Her new song Happy is bombastic and totally diva and has all the right moves. I've heard it more than 10 times in the last few days. On facebook and twitter it is being mentioned like crazy.

Even Perez Hilton endorsed it. And while I hate to follow a trend started by him, I have to say I think he is right this time.

This song delivers. Expect to hear it everywhere, well into 2010.