anjanette comer biography
Transcription
anjanette comer biography
Reel Take Reviewers: ∑∑∑∑∑ - Fantastic ∑∑∑∑ - Pretty darn good ∑∑∑ - Has some good points ∑∑ - The previews lied ∑ - Only if you must M- Forget entirely Chip Kaufmann is a film historian who also shares his love of classical music as a program host on WCQSFM radio. Michelle Keenan is a long time student of film, a believer in the magic of movies and a fundraiser for public radio. For the latest reviews, theater info and movie show times, visit www.rapidrivermagazine.com Illustration of Michelle & Chip by Brent Brown. Questions/Comments? Brent Brown is a graphic designer and illustrator. View more of his work at www.brentbrown.com. Monthly Reel W Whether renting a DVD or looking for new titles at the theatre, there’s plenty from which to choose this month. At the theatre you’ll notice the race to the Oscar’s has already begun. Woody Allen’s Blue Jasmine has a distinct l’eau d’Oscar, and Lee Daniels’ The Butler will definitely be an audience favorite. The World’s End The good Professor Kaufmann and I didn’t get to everything we wanted to review, but if you are a fan of the nerdy, British comedy duo, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (and even if you’re not), we implore you to see The World’s End. It’s not Oscar bait, but it’s far more enjoyable than most titles that are. The Kings of Summer, currently playing at The Carolina Cinema, is another overlooked title that is worth your time. You’ll see plenty more releases on the road to Oscar in the coming weeks. Titles to look for include: • 12 Years a Slave • Aint Them Bodies Saints • All is Lost • Captain Phillips • The Counselor • Gravity • Inside Llewyn Davis • The Monuments Men • The Wolf of Wall Street Until next month, enjoy what you watch and watch what you enjoy. You can email Chip or Michelle at [email protected] 2 Guns ∑∑∑1/2 end. Edward James Olmos’s Mexican drug lord seems like a character out of a Robert Rodriguez movie and he plays it accordingly. While 2 Guns offers nothing new, it does offer a pretty good time at the local cinema. Simple, well crafted movies which have nothing more on their mind than entertaining an audience for a couple of hours deserve their place in the movie pantheon alongside the big budget extravaganzas and the art house/indie flicks. In fact the older I get, the better these movies look. Short Take: Old school buddy movie benefits from above average plotting, crisp action scenes, and winning performances from Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg. Reel Take: August seems to be the month of retreads as opposed to remakes as far as my movie going is concerned. All three of the films I review in this month’s issue are reworkings of basic ideas and/or movies that have been made before. Of course “borrowing” ideas has been a staple of filmmaking since the earliest days of movies. How creative the borrowing is determines how good or bad the movie turns out to be. Case in point…the new Denzel Washington-Mark Wahlberg opus 2 Guns. There’s nothing in this movie that hasn’t been done before especially in Walter Hill’s Beverly Hills Cop movies with Eddie Murphy. However the complex plot full of double & triple crosses along with ingratiating performances from Mark & Denzel (they Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg are an oddly matched pair of undercover investigators in 2 Guns. have great chemistry together) help to raise 2 Guns to the level of a little something extra. Even if it doesn’t stick with you once the movie is over, you won’t feel cheated by it. Icelandic director Baltasar Komakur, who had previously collaborated with Mark Wahlberg on last year’s Contraband, once again weaves a complicated story of a heist that goes wrong with serious consequences. This time he borrows a critical plot detail from Don Siegel’s Charley Varrick (1973) in which undercover agents Wahlberg & Washington rob a bank which has far more cash in it then it’s supposed to have. Turns out that the money is a slush fund for the CIA and a ruthless agent (Bill Paxton) will break every law to get it back. Then there’s drug lord Papi (Edward James Olmos) who also wants a piece of the action since there’s a huge payoff involved. Throw in Washington’s girlfriend (Paula Patton) whose drug enforcement boss may be on the take and things start to get real complicated, real fast. There’s a brutal death on the horns of a bull awaiting our heroes if they don’t return the money and that’s just what the drug lord has in mind. Unlike Contraband which was done with a completely straight face, there’s a lot of humor here thanks to the two leads’ playing off each other. There is also some serious violence when things go awry that comes as something of a shock after the amusing opening set in a diner which is known for its killer doughnuts. Bill Paxton’s CIA agent Earl is a thoroughly nasty piece of work although you know he’s going to get it in the Rated R for violence throughout, language, and brief nudity. Review by Chip Kaufmann Blue Jasmine ∑∑∑∑1/2 Short Take: A former socialite teeters on the brink of insanity in the wake of her husband’s Bernie Madoff-like fall from grace. Cate Blanchette is arrogant, pitiful and just plain bat shit crazy in Woody Allen’s very nearly perfect Blue Jasmine. REEL TAKE: Woody Allen’s Blue Jasmine gives off the distinct odor of Oscar bait. While it doesn’t have the warmth and general appeal of Midnight in Paris, Allen scores big in this story of former socialite on the brink of insanity. Based ever so abstractly on Tennessee Williams’ Streetcar Named Desire, Woody Allen breaks new ground even for him [with a track record of 40 some-odd films to his credit]. Jasmine, played by Oscar winner Cate Blanchett, is our Blanche Dubois. Ginger (Sally Hawkins), Jasmine’s sister, serves as the Stella character and her blue collar boy‘Movies’ continued on page 24 Vol. 17, No. 1 — Rapid River ArtS & CULTURE Magazine — September 2013 23 R A P I D R I V E R A R T S & C U L T U R E M A G A Z I N E film reviews ‘Movies’ continued from page 23 friend Chili (James Carnavalle) is a Stanley of sorts. As the film opens Jasmine is flying to San Francisco to stay with her estranged sister Ginger. Jasmine is a [now] former socialite fleeing NYC in the wake of a BernieMadoff-like scandal that brought down her fabulously wealthy financier husband Hal (Alec Baldwin) and the posh life she knew. As she balances ever so precariously on the edge of reason, often sticking more than just her right foot on the bus to crazy town, she reveals the gradual undoing of her previous life. Allen brilliantly choreographs the scenes, masterfully dancing back and forth between the past and present. In the past Hal swindled the lottery winnings belonging to Ginger and her then husband, Augie (Andrew Dice Clay). It crushed their hopes and dreams and eventually ruined their marriage, while Jasmine and Hal moved on like a hit and run; hence the estrangement between the two sisters. In the present, Ginger, a wonderfully goodhearted gal, takes pity on her sister and offers to put her up until she can get back on her feet. Jasmine is contemptuous of Ginger’s low brow digs and aspirations and Theatre Directory Asheville Pizza & Brewing Company Movieline (828) 254-1281 www.ashevillepizza.com Beaucatcher Cinemas (Asheville) Movieline (828) 298-1234 Biltmore Grande 1-800-FANDANGO #4010 www.REGmovies.com Carmike 10 (Asheville) Movieline (828) 298-4452 www.carmike.com Carolina Cinemas (828) 274-9500 www.carolinacinemas.com Cinebarre (Asheville) www.cinebarre.com The Falls Theatre (Brevard) Movieline (828) 883-2200 Fine Arts Theatre (Asheville) Movieline (828) 232-1536 www.fineartstheatre.com Flat Rock Theatre (Flat Rock) Movieline (828) 697-2463 www.flatrockcinema.com Four Seasons (Hendersonville) Movieline (828) 693-8989 Smoky Mountain Cinema (Waynesville) Movieline (828) 452-9091 even more so of her boyfriend, Chili, an apparent clone of Augie. Possessing no skill set for the 21st century job market, she draws from what little skills her former lifestyle afforded her and decides to become an interior designer. She wants to go to school for it online, after she learns how to use a computer. Yep – she’s in denial, she’s stalling and she’s pickled in vodka and psychotropic pharmaceuticals most of the time. Jasmine is incredibly self absorbed, arrogant and unlikable. Yet Blanchett pulls off the amazing feat of making us care, actually making us empathize with this God awful woman. The picture belongs entirely to Blanchett, but that’s not to say she’s in shabby company, everyone in the ensemble turns out terrific performances. Sally Hawkins is marvelous, Baldwin is a smooth and smarmy, and Carnavalle is big old lug with a heart of gold. But perhaps the biggest revelation in the cast is Andrew Dice Clay. It’s not a large part, but his performance as Augie is pitch perfect and is a far cry from The Adventures of Ford Fairlane. From behind the camera Allen delivers a five star performance too. His talent for dialogue and jazzy soundtracks are a given. But what he achieves here is something on a whole new level. Blue Jasmine is not a comedy or even a dramedy, but only Allen could infuse such a story with marvelous comedic moments and deliver the punch. Allen’s touch and Blanchett’s performance turn an otherwise unpalatable story into a strangely compelling, gem of a film. Chip Kaufmann’s Pick: “Charley Varrick” September DVD Picks Rated PG-13 for mature thematic material, language and sexual content. Review by Michelle Keenan Charley Varrick (1973) Since I have referenced director Don Siegel in two of my reviews this month (2 Guns, Paranoia), it seems only fitting that my DVD pick be one of his films. After some deliberation, I chose his 1973 crime caper film Charley Varrick. Siegel is best known for the 1956 Invasion of the Body Snatchers and the Clint Eastwood pictures Dirty Harry and The Beguiled but he made a number of other high quality movies and Charley Varrick is one of his best. The plot is very similar to 2 Guns though not nearly as complex. Walter Matthau stars as a stunt pilot down on his luck. Needing money, he and three others knock over a bank in a small New Mexico town which results in the deaths of two of the robbers. Instead of the several thousand they were expecting, they wind up with several HUNDRED thousand. Charley then realizes that they have inadvertently stolen Mafia money. Before they can give it back, the mob sends a brutal enforcer ironically named Molly (Joe Don Baker) who proceeds to muscle in by killing one of the gang members. In order to save himself, Charley devises a plan involving his stunt plane but will it work? As the title character Matthau is his usual, dependable self but he’s aided by top flight performances from Baker, Andy Robinson, and John Vernon. Don Siegel’s usual taut direction doesn’t hurt either. If you admire the movies of Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez then you’ll enjoy Charley Varrick. Its influence can be seen in a number of their movies 24 September 2013 — Rapid River ArtS & CULTURE Magazine — Vol. 17, No. 1 (Resevoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Once Upon a Time in Mexico) and, in an odd aside, Ray Davies of The Kinks says in his autobiography that it’s his favorite movie. To the Wonder (2013) Writer / Director Terrence Malick is a profound if not prolific filmmaker. While he doesn’t make many movies, when he does you generally hear about them. I was caught off guard when I came across a title the other day, To the Wonder written and directed by Terrence Malick. My first thought was, “So soon after Tree of Life? That seems odd [for Malick].” My second thought was, “How did I not know about this?” While I don’t always like Malick’s films I am usually fascinated by them. His eye for photography trumps his sometimes esoteric pretentiousness. Inevitably they are beautiful, poetic spectacles to behold. To the Wonder is Malick’s sixth film and it’s no different in this regard. It does however seem to challenge some of Malick’s own conventions in filmmaking. The result is a heart wrenching essay on emotions and relationships. It doesn’t work perfectly, but for a Elysium ∑∑∑1/2 Short Take: With Earth an over-crowded wasteland and Elysium a sparkling space station in the sky that knows no sickness, a man suffering from radiation poisoning endeavours to get to Elysium to cure himself and maybe save the planet. REEL TAKE: Neil Blomkamp’s Elysium is good film that could have been – and should have been a great film. In the time that has passed since seeing the film, the detracting elements that kept it from greatness annoy me even more. That said, it is good and the concept is fairly fascinating. Like great science fiction books, it makes a statement on the issue facing the world, but speculating on what the world ‘Movies’ continued on page 25 Michelle Keenan’s Pick: “To the Wonder” film geek, it is certainly worth watching. Neil (Ben Affleck) is an American in France who has an affair with divorced single mother, Marina (Olga Kurylenko). Their affair is beautiful, the kind that moves your soul. After Marina and her daughter move from France to Oklahoma to be with Neil, cracks begin to form in their relationship. They love each other, but they don’t communicate well. Marina seems a bit manic and Neil a bit closed down. Marina’s daughter is not happy and that doesn’t help matters. The footage of the relationship in France, complete with a trek through Mont Saint Michel, is gorgeous and everything a romantic affair should be. In stark contrast, once in America, more specifically, Oklahoma, the footage is desolate, cold and unsettling; vulnerability and insecurity set in. As their relationship begins to crumble we are introduced to a priest (Javier Bardem). A committed and dedicated shepherd to his flock, but a desperately sad lonely, he is a man suffering a spiritual crisis. As distance between Neil and Marina grows, Neil reconnects with an old friend from childhood, Jane (Rachel McAdams). While Jane seems happier than the other three, all four are lonely; something is missing in the lives of all four. Dialogue is minimal to say the least. It’s a stark work in so many ways, but it’s emotional impact is massive. Apparently To the Wonder was minimally received and distributed too, but I found it fascinating, as usual. R A P I D R I V E R A R T S & C U L T U R E M A G A Z I N E film reviews ‘Movies’ continued from page 24 Set in the 22nd century, Matt Damon saves the second class citizen of Earth in Elysium. may be like in the future because of its current actions. In this case, suffering from pollution and pillaging, Earth is a shadow of its former self. The haves [versus the have nots] have built Elysium, a space station of sorts where everything is perfect, the manicured people, manicured lawns and opulent homes. Best of all, there is no illness; disease, wounds and any health issues can be fixed in these special beds. However, rather than share this technology with the rest of Earth’s citizens it is saved only for the 1%, er, I mean the citizen’s of Elysium. Blomkamp claims the film is not an allegory for the issues of today, but there’s no denying he’s certainly touching upon some hot buttons – immigration, economy, depletion of Earth’s resources, and so on. However, much is subject of interpretation as he offers no back story, no explanation of what exactly happened. We also only see the decimated and over-crowded L.A. of 2154 and Elysium. The only back story we are given is a brief glimpse to into our hero’s past. Max is an orphan who dreams of doing something important some day and of going to Elysium. His best friend is a little girl named Frey; Max loves Frey. Fast forward thirty-some years – Max is a factory worker and Frey is a doctor and single mother of a dying child. When Max receives a fatal dose radiation at work (Earth apparently provides the labor force for Elysium’s economy), his only chance of survival is to get to Elysium, which of course will be easier said than done. With nothing left to lose, a band of revolutionaries, upfit Damon with an exoskeleton of a droid and an implanted data chip that allows him to find out what’s happening on Elysium. Their hope is that not only will he be cured, he will be able to secure the benefits of Elysium (i.e. healthcare) for the 2nd class citizens of Earth. What’s happening on Elysium is an intended coup by Elysium’s head of security (Jodie Foster). She enlists the service of a unscrupulous agent/mercenary (Sharlto Copley) and eventually both storylines collide. Ridiculously long fight sequences ensue and at three quarters of the way through the film, Copley’s character becomes the main villain, not Foster’s. It’s not that this plot shift can’t work, it’s just that its implementation seems slightly awry. Damon delivers spot on as usual. Copley delivers a despicably good performance. Foster’s performance seem to drown in her Praetorian-esque accent. Blomkamp’s District 9 was a tremendous movie. Like Distrct 9, Elysium is smart and brutal, but compassionate. Unlike District 9, Elysium gets caught between Blomkamp’s style and Hollywood sci-fi blockbuster. Blonde (2001). In addition to captivating but not overly confusing visuals, Luketic edits the film in a manner that exhilarates rather than exhausts. The screenplay by Jason Dean Hall and Barry Levy is Espionage Thriller 101 but it moves the story along and keeps us engaged. The contemporary music score by Junkie XL uses a number of recent hits to engage a younger audience. The performances were the most enjoyable part of Paranoia for me. Hemsworth is a likeable and engaging protagonist while Amber Heard manages to register as the co-worker and later love interest despite her limited screen time. However Rated R for strong, bloody violence and language the film belongs to Gary Oldman (in a role throughout. intended for Kevin Spacey) and especially Review by Michelle Keenan Harrison Ford who, at 70, shows that he Paranoia ∑∑∑1/2 still has a magnetic Short Take: A paint-byscreen presence. He numbers urban thriller has also become an about financial chicanery actor of stature in his and corporate espionage later years. Check that manages to be very out his final screen entertaining thanks a top appearance here and flight cast and solid noyou’ll see what I nonsense direction. mean. Reel Take: I have had it So don’t let up to here (place either hand an online review Harrison Ford is the unscrupulous as far above your head as you decide whether or head of a global software corporation can) with important critics not you see a movie. in the unfairly maligned Paranoia. who trip over themselves to The best gauge come up with snarky phrases still remains word for telling us what’s wrong with a movie of mouth from people you know whose without bothering to tell us what might be judgment you trust. I went to see Paranoia right with it. Paranoia is a case in point. The because of the corporate espionage theme day after it opened it received a 2% approval and to see the performers. I was very pleased rating on Rotten Tomatoes. 2%!?! Even the with the results and so was the audience biggest box office disaster of all time, last with me. Unfortunately it opened poorly year’s The Oogieloves rates better than that. and may not be around for long. At last check it was up to 5%. Rated PG-13 for some sexuality, violence, and Yes, Paranoia offers nothing new and language. yes, it’s predictable and disposable entertainReview by Chip Kaufmann ment but, like The Tourist, there’s nothing wrong with that when it’s well done. While Lee Daniels’ The Butler ∑∑∑∑ watching this I was reminded of the efShort Take: A compelling and ficiency of Don Siegel (Invasion of the Body emotionally rewarding story of hate Snatchers, Dirty Harry), one of my favorite and humanity and the Civil Rights second tier directors whose nuts and bolts movement as told through the eyes of approach came as a relief from the excesses the black butler who served eight U.S. of 1970s filmmaking. No doubt it’s my age Presidents. showing but that approach would be a welcome sight today in mainstream filmmaking REEL TAKE: In 2008, The Washington not just in art house or indie movies. Post ran an article, “A Butler Well Served by The story is basic. Young hotshot comThis Election.” The feature told the story puter whiz (Liam Hemsworth) goes to work of Eugene Allen, a butler who served eight for software magnate (Gary Oldman) who presidents at the white house. Danny Strong enlists him to steal company secrets from his (who received accolades earlier this year for rival and one time mentor (Harrison Ford). writing and producing Game Change, the Naturally more is involved than first meets HBO movie about Sarah Palin and the 2008 the eye. Complicating matters are a young election) adapted the story for big screen, Oldman employee (Amber Heard) that fictionalizing the name of the main character Hemsworth must use without her knowland playing loosely with Allen’s personal edge to get at Ford. story for cinematic and emotional impact. Australian Robert Luketic directs the Directing the emotionally manipulative but film with a stylish flair more reminiscent ‘Movies’ continued on page 26 of 21(2008) than his breakout hit Legally Hendersonville Film Society If you think they don’t make them like they used to, you’ll enjoy these great classic films. Coffee and wonderful flicks are served up on Sundays at 2 p.m. at Lake Pointe Landing in Hendersonville. For more information call (828) 697-7310. HFS features a classic film with a young Maggie Smith, a French Costume epic, the 1933 Oscar winner for Best Picture, an adaptation of a Philip Roth novel, and the 1950’s biography of Harry Houdini. September 1: The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969) Maggie Smith won an Oscar for her portrayal of an outspoken teacher in a girl’s school in 1932 Edinburgh. Stars: Maggie Smith, Robert Stephens, Pamela Franklin and Gordon Jackson. Directed by Ronald Neame. September 8: The Horseman on the Roof (1995) Set in 1832, this French film relates the story of a young Italian nobleman in France raising money for the Italian revolution against Austria. In French with English subtitles. Stars Olivier Martinez and Juliette Binoche. Directed by: Jean-Paul Rappeneau. September 15: Calvacade (1933) Noel Coward’s epic play about the lives of an upper class British family and their head servants over a 30 year period bears more than a passing resemblance to Upstairs, Downstairs. It won Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director. Stars Diana Wynyard, Clive Brook and Una O’Connor. Directed by Frank Lloyd. September 22 – The Human Stain (2003) A solid adaptation of the Philip Roth novel about a college professor and the shameful secret he has kept hidden for half a century. Stars Anthony Hopkins, Nicole Kidman and Ed Harris. Directed by Robert Benton. September 29: Houdini (1953) Fanciful biography of the famed magician was made to showcase the talents of then husband and wife Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh. Entertaining hokum in the old Hollywood tradition. Stars Tony Curtis, Janet Leigh and Torin Thatcher. Directed by George Marshall. Vol. 17, No. 1 — Rapid River ArtS & CULTURE Magazine — September 2013 25 R A P I D R I V E R A R T S & C U L T U R E M A G A Z I N E film reviews Asheville Film Society The Asheville Film Society will show the following films on Tuesday nights at 8 in the Cinema Lounge at the Carolina Cinema on Hendersonville Road. Tuesday night screenings are free, but membership dues for the society are only $10. Membership gets you into any special membersonly events and screenings. September 3: Be Kind Rewind (2008) Two bumbling store clerks inadvertently erase the footage from all of the tapes in their video rental store. In order to keep the business running, they re-shoot every film in the store with their own camera, with a budget of zero dollars. Stars Jack Black, Mos Def, Danny Glover. Directed by Michel Gondry. September 10: Gangs of New York (2002) In 1863, Amsterdam Vallon returns to the Five Points area of New York City seeking revenge against Bill the Butcher, his father’s killer. Stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron Diaz, Daniel Day-Lewis. Directed by Martin Scorsese. September 17: The Loved One (1965) Satire on the funeral business, in which a young British poet goes to work at a Hollywood cemetery. Stars Robert Morse, Jonathan Winters, Anjanette Comer. Directed by Tony Richardson. September 24: Darjeeling Limited (2007) A year after their father’s funeral, three brothers travel across India by train in an attempt to bond with each other. Stars Owen Wilson, Adrian Brody and Jason Schwartzman. Directed by Wes Anderson. Big Screen Budget Film $5 for members, $7 general. Show time is 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, September 18: Wings (1927) Two young men, one rich, one middle class, who are in love with the same woman, become fighter pilots in World War I. Stars Clara Bow, Charles ‘Buddy’ Rodgers, Richard Arlen. Directed by William. A. Wellman Carolina Cinemas, 1640 Hendersonville Rd. (828) 274-9500. For more information go to www. facebook.com/ashevillefilmsociety What doesn’t play out quite so well is the all-star and somewhat bizarre casting of the occupants of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, in particular Robin Williams as Dwight D. Eisenhower and John Cusack as Tricky Dick. However, Whitaker’s graceful and utterly believable performance pretty much trumps any missteps. Oprah Winfrey is slightly distracting at first, only because she’s ‘Oprah,’ but as she settles into the role, she shines. Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Lenny Kravitz as fellow butlers and witnesses to history are both excellent. British born David Oyelowo Forest Whitaker gives a graceful and nuanced turns in a very strong performance performance in Lee Daniels’ The Butler. as Cecil’s son, and I fully expect that both he and Whitaker will be nomieffective proceedings is Lee Daniels. nated come award season. Before we go any further I should Lee Daniels’ The Butler succeeds on clarify that the film is titled Lee Daniels’ many levels. It’s far more mainstream and The Butler for legal reasons, not egocentric approachable than Daniels’ Oscar-nomigratification. Daniels takes us on a Forest nated Precious and, in this case, I think its Gump-like, encyclopedic look at the civil universal appeal makes it the more powerful rights movement through the journey of film. Daniels is unsparing in his depiction one man. For creative license, Allen has of the inequality for African Americans in been re-dubbed Cecil Gaines, and the film the 20th century. To balance atrocities born recounts his story from pivotal moment in of hate with grace and the unifying bonds his childhood in 1926 through the election of humanity (and to make it entertaining to of President Obama. The narrative voice is boot), is quite an accomplishment. Cecil (Forest Whitaker), now an elderly man At a time when we’ve made great strides looking back on his life. but have such a long way to go in the fight To the filmmaker’s credit, there’s a lot for equality, Lee Daniels’ The Butler is a of ground to cover, but the story never feels must for everyone. hurried or ill-paced. The film unfolds like Rated PG-13 for some violence and disturbing chapters in a good book without ever seemimages, language, sexual material, thematic ing episodic. elements and smoking. Cecil is the son of a share cropper. Review by Michelle Keenan Though it’s technically 1926, one would think Lincoln never issued the EmanciUnfinished Song ∑∑∑∑1/2 pation Proclamation. Trained as a house Short Take: This story of a misanthropic servant after the death of his father, Cecil elderly man dealing with the death learns to anticipate the white man’s every of his wife by joining her unorthodox need, but to act like he doesn’t exist. This choir is elevated by the remarkable training serves him well. As a young man he performances of Terence Stamp and comes up through the ranks in fine hotels Vanessa Redgrave. until he is ‘discovered’ at The Excelsior Hotel in Washington D.C. and recruited as Reel Take: Unfinished Song (Song for a White House Butler. It’s 1957. Eisenhower Marion in the U.K. and Europe) is another is President. (The real life butler, Mr. Alexample of a film that covers no new ground len, started under Truman, but the movie but is taken to a higher level thanks to a doesn’t suffer for the liberty.) number of fine performances spearheaded Cecil’s job at the White House serves by Terence Stamp and Vanessa Redgrave. as the framework for the movie and it is Writer-Director Paul Andrew Williams, interesting, but it’s not where the film’s whose previous efforts include two shorts, strength lies. Strong and Daniels raise the some TV shows, and a couple of horror bar, making an otherwise straightforward films, is aiming for a wider audience with narrative truly dynamic by interweaving this film and he has succeeded. The subject Cecil’s experience throughout the Civil material is tailor made for the over 40 set Rights movement and that of his son Louis who, until recently, have generally been (David Oyelowo). When Louis goes off to ignored by mainstream moviemakers. college, he becomes deeply immersed in Arthur Harris (Terence Stamp) is a the movement, becoming a Freedom Rider grumpy retiree with a critically ill but upbeat and activist. The deeper his involvement, wife (Vanessa Redgrave) who sings with a lothe more fractious the relationship becomes cal elderly choir. This choir is led by a much between father and son. The arc of this younger teacher (Gemma Arterton) whose plotline plays out brilliantly. personal life is a shambles. Her choice of ma‘Movies’ continued from page 25 26 September 2013 — Rapid River ArtS & CULTURE Magazine — Vol. 17, No. 1 terial for the choir is decidedly unorthodox as she has them singing pop standards with a little rap music thrown in for good measure. Arthur wants nothing to do with them or anyone else for that matter including his hardworking son (Christopher Eccleston). We know from the very beginning that Marion is not long for this world but the 76 year old Vanessa Redgrave makes her tried & true (some critics have suggested “trite & true”) material seem fresh and powerful thanks to her dynamic presence. The movie, however, belongs to Terence Stamp who at 75 has been transformed from a beautiful young man into a beautiful old man. He takes his standard material and infuses it with a depth and believability that makes the actor disappear and the character come alive. Choir director Gemma Arterton hugs retiree Terence Stamp after his moving rendition of a Billy Joel song in Unfinished Song. Youngsters Gemma Arterton and Christopher Eccleston hold their own with the old pros which gives this movie an appeal to those under 40 as well. Arterton’s choir director remains relentlessly upbeat in spite of her personal problems and is the key to getting the oldsters to try new things and to believe in themselves. Her scene of self revelation with Stamp is one of many emotional highlights that give the film a lasting resonance. Christopher Eccleston as the neglected and rejected son also gets the chance to shine in two key scenes leading up to the heartwarming and uplifting finale. While all of this is familiar territory and shamelessly manipulative, director Williams takes a simple, straight forward approach that draws us in and allows writer Williams’ material to seem better than it is. The movie builds to a predictable push button emotional finale but thanks to Stamp it transcends its limitations and becomes something truly special. His rendition of Billy Joel’s “Goodbye My Angel” will stay with you always. If you enjoyed Quartet or Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, then you’ll love Unfinished Song. Don’t be ashamed if you have a strong emotional response during this movie. That, after all, is what Unfinished Song is all about. Rated PG-13 for some sexual references and rude gestures. Review by Chip Kaufmann