The Film Fatales: March 2014

Wednesday, March 19

A Few British Treats: Austenland, Summer in February, & The Invisible Woman

For those of you who don't know, The Film Fatales are featured columnists on a wonderful Britophile blog called SMITTEN BY BRITAIN. At this site, we review films with a British slant and hope that you'll visit us there often, as well here, on our comprehensive blogger site.

Here are just a few of our recent posts...

AUSTENLAND: Read Review

Available on DVD and On Demand. 2013. PG-13. 97 minutes. Starring Keri Russell, JJ Feild, Jennifer Coolidge, Bret McKenzie, Jane Seymour. Directed by Jerusha Hess.

“Obsessed with Pride and Prejudice (1995), a woman travels to a Jane Austen theme park in search for her perfect gentleman.” [IMDb]
- See more at: http://www.smittenbybritain.com/film-review-austenland/#sthash.xaTBhI0h.dpuf

Available on DVD and On Demand. 2013. PG-13. 97 minutes. Starring Keri Russell, JJ Feild, Jennifer Coolidge, Bret McKenzie, Jane Seymour. Directed by Jerusha Hess.

“Obsessed with Pride and Prejudice (1995), a woman travels to a Jane Austen theme park in search for her perfect gentleman.” [IMDb]

Available on DVD and On Demand. 2013. PG-13. 97 minutes. Starring Keri Russell, JJ Feild, Jennifer Coolidge, Bret McKenzie, Jane Seymour. Directed by Jerusha Hess.

SUMMER IN FEBRUARY: Read Review

Now On Demand. 2013. NR. 100 minutes. Starring Dominic Cooper, Dan Stevens and Emily Browning. Directed by Christopher Menaul.

“Based on Jonathan Smith's novel about love and loss among a bohemian colony of artists, which flourished in the wild coastal region of Cornwall before the First World War.” [Metrodome Distribution]

THE INVISIBLE WOMAN: Read Review

Available on DVD April 15th. 2014. Rated R. 111 minutes. Starring Ralph Fiennes, Felicity Jones, Kristin Scott Thomas, Tom Hollander. Directed by Ralph Fiennes.

At the height of his career, Charles Dickens meets a younger woman who becomes his secret lover until his death. [IMDb]

April DVD & On Demand Releases a la the Film Fatales

The Film Fatales give you a quick rundown recent films we previously reviewed that are slated for April release on DVD and On Demand. Here's the scoop:

APRIL 1st:

ANCHORMAN 2: THE LEGEND CONTINUES

HOW WE SAW IT:

Nicole: I’ve waited long for this day…and I’m relieved to say the sequel to Anchorman did not disappoint. Phew! If you’re worried that this movie won’t be filled with the same brand of ridiculousness, the same flavor of sassy one-liners, the same tasteless and unPC gags – let me allay your fears: It’s just as wonderfully tacky and quotable as the first.

elizabeth: I was laughing to myself. I do that often. It keeps people away from me. It had nothing to do with Ron Burgundy and his entourage. Okay, full disclosure here – Steve Carell did a good job playing a man who isn’t quite wired like the rest of us. His childlike antics did propel a chuckle or two out of me. He was the only good part of this film. And that guy Champ made me very uncomfortable while Paul Rudd is still adorable in plaid. But the movie sucked. There I said it.

The Film Fatales give ANCHORMAN: THE LEGEND CONTINUES

(Well, one of us would like to give it only ½ stilletto).

APRIL 8th:

THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG

HOW WE SAW IT:

Nicole: Enough can’t be said about Jackson’s WETA team. From special effects, to costuming, to set dressing – this movie is a feast for the eyes. Just wait till you get a load of Smaug (brilliantly voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch). Fanboys and Fangirls around the world have been clamoring to see The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug and it’s no wonder –it’s pure genius. I find it hard to leave the theater after Jackson’s forays into Middle-Earth…wanting to linger a little longer in his imagining of Tolkein’s universe.

elizabeth: Please get out of Middle-Earth and join the rest of us. And you can bring your new friends Thorin Oakenshield and Tauriel. I am sure they are in need of hot shower or two. I’ll bring the soap.

The Film Fatales give THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG

AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY

HOW WE SAW IT:

elizabeth: Humor can masterfully mask great pain, while great pain needs humor in order for the human spirit to survive. I went into this movie knowing that it wasn’t going to be a love fest, but a close look at what happens when emotional wounds do not heal and are left to fester and grow. For anyone going to this movie and believing that you are going to a see comedic piece with a brilliant cast (thanks to the moronic advertising campaign out here), prepare to be mistaken. There is really nothing funny about August: Osage County. It is the great American Tragedy. Whatever humor makes its way out of the muck is to keep the audience from leaving the theater screaming.

Nicole: Can I just give you a slow, praise-worthy round of applause here? That was so perfectly summed up, I don’t really have anything to add that could remotely do your description justice.

The Film Fatales give AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY

APRIL 15th:

THE INVISIBLE WOMAN

HOW WE SAW IT:

For our review, please visit our home across the pond at SMITTEN BY BRITAIN.

March DVD and On Demand Releases a la the Film Fatales

The Film Fatales give you a quick rundown recent films we previously reviewed that are slated for March release on DVD and On Demand. Here's the scoop:

Tuesday, March 18th:

AMERICAN HUSTLE

How we saw it:

Nicole: American Hustle was, to coin a phrase, a Disco Inferno of a movie. David O. Russell’s engrossing tale of two-bit con artists forced to turn tricks for the Feds in order to save their hides is a tangled, messy web. Like O. Russell’s Silver Linings Playbook, it may be a shade too long and could have achieved the same result in a shorter telling. But, I won’t chide him too much on that point, because this was a really enjoyable film.

elizabeth: I got Saturday Night Fever on my record player (look that up) and I think I might have inhaled a tad too much polyester, but I think this could be one of my fave movies of 2013. Inhaling some strange substances and starring into lava lamps makes me a kinder person. I don’t like that about me.

Nicole: Look, what you do in your private time is none of my business, but know this: I am silently judging you. I’m not entirely sure I enjoyed this movie so much for the plot, which wasn’t anything mind-blowing, but more so for the performances. Can I just say that Christian Bale is just ridiculous? He might be the male Meryl Streep. He just disappears into a role, making you forget entirely that this is the same guy who brought Batman and The Fighter to life. His ability to nail accents is truly remarkable and his mannerisms are so intuitive; he’s really a pleasure to watch.

elizabeth: I did like the storyline even though the hopelessness of these characters was palpable. They all had such unremarkable lives that bordered on manic sadness. But it seemed once their paths crossed, a certain amount of electricity filled the screen. Their lives started to matter even if it meant working with the FBI as a way to stay out of jail. I have to talk about Christian Bale, also. His character, Irving Rosenfeld, was physically repulsive to me, but as the movie went on and a certain amount of vulnerability came out of Irving, I no longer saw the double wrap-around hair, but a man just struggling to love and be loved…to matter in this world. His eyes told stories beyond the script. I also have to say that I feel he should win the Best Actor Oscar. His absolute brilliance on the screen has made me a fan although I don’t think I will sit through Batman, but I would watch American Hustle again just to see Bale become Irving.

Nicole: Bradley Cooper, too, wowed me. I like that he can do turns in zany, crass comedies like The Hangover and then pull out a really top-notch, compelling performance of a career-driven Fed who gets in over his head. The perm was a bit unfortunate, but hey – it was the late ‘70s. Everyone had one, and they…were…fabulous! (Glad we, as a society, have come to our senses on that one.)

elizabeth: Cooper’s perm was perfect…perfectly ugly. It did pain me to see a good looking man looking so bad, but he nailed the role of Richie DiMaso. I thought he was wildly sexy and intelligent and then – ick, he is bloody nuts! And there you go again, calling The Hangover a comedy and zany at that. Who are you anyway?

Nicole: My name is Nicole…and I’m a crass-a-holic. Jennifer Lawrence, was, as usual a joy to watch. I predict she’s going to be around for a long, long, long time. But I’m not entirely sure what all the fuss is about Amy Adams’ performance. It was a fine performance, but nothing to rave about. Certainly not akin to the caliber of performance that Meryl Streep brought in August: Osage County – but then again, no one can really compare to Streep, who is in a class all by herself.

elizabeth:   Yes, I agree with you about Jennifer and Amy. I must be overdoing it with the lava lamp. In case the Best Actor award does not go to Bale, I would like to see Meryl Streep come up to receive her Oscar and then relinquish it and give it to Christian Bale. Now I don’t know how he would take getting a Best Actress Oscar…and I am not going to watch him in American Psycho to find out.

Nicole: OK now, ‘scuse me while I put on my, my, my, my, my boogie shoes…

elizabeth: Do my platform shoes make my butt look big?

The Film Fatales give AMERICAN HUSTLE

Also out this month, 12 Years a Slave, The Wolf of Wall Street and Inside Llewyn Davis...

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Will the Film Fatales be checking into The Grand Budapest Hotel?

2014. Rated R. 100 minutes. Starring almost everyone who has ever made a movie--even the Film Fatales had a guest cameo, which was savagely cut by director Wes Anderson. Let’s start over. Starring: Ralph Fiennes, F. Murray Abraham, Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum, Jude Law, Tilda Swinton, Edward Norton, Bill Murray and Tony Revolori (to name a few).

The adventures of Gustave H, a legendary concierge at a famous European hotel between the wars, and Zero Moustafa, the lobby boy who becomes his most trusted friend. (IMDb)

elizabeth: I am not going to wait till the end to say how I feel about this movie. I went in loving some of Wes Anderson’s movies like Moonrise Kingdom and then not tripping-out over some of his other works (but I know he has avid fans and I don’t need hate mail) so let me state for the record: The Grand Budapest Hotel is just a delightful and heartrending movie wrapped up in a world that you would love to visit and then in the next frame you shudder to see what unfolds. And, Anderson packs a wallop with his brilliant cast and stunning scenery. You almost want to believe that this hotel and its inhabitants really did live in a time between the two wars.

Nicole: Unlike you, I’m going to risk potential hate mail here. Here goes: This is the very first Wes Anderson movie I’ve enjoyed. Perhaps enjoyed is too mild. I loved it. And, naturally, I was extremely leery about seeing it because of how tedious I’ve found his other movies. Anderson has a style all his own, and that’s admirable in an industry that churns out unoriginal crap. But sometimes I think he’s being different for the sake of being different; i.e. quirky just to be quirky. (God, I can feel Williamsburg and Park Slope rising up against me as I type…) But, I may have been converted (does that redeem me at all?) because this movie was absolutely delightful—on every level.

elizabeth: Ralph Fiennes keeps getting better and better in each of his movie roles. Sometimes I think he does not get enough credit for all his masterful performances, but his Gustave H, the legendary concierge at a famous Grand Budapest Hotel (who has quite the fondness for women of a certain age) is right up there along with his contemporaries Daniel Day-Lewis and Colin Firth. His relationship with Zero, the Lobby Boy, will make you laugh because the dialogue is so sharp and witty (one man in the audience laughed through much of the movie. He might have been ingesting vodka-flavored popcorn) and part of the brilliance of Anderson’s direction is that it will grab you by the heart in the next scene.

Nicole: Couldn’t agree more. For moi, Fiennes stole the show. All of the performances (from the pivotal roles to the cameos—and there are mannnnny) were terrific, but Fiennes was outstanding. What a joy to see him exercise his comedic muscle. His delivery was just perfection. I hope he gets the recognition he deserves for this role, ‘cause it really shows off how versatile he is as an actor.

elizabeth: There is a quite a bit of violence in this movie – some rather necessary to go along with the brutality of some of the characters. Willem Dafoe is just repulsive in his look and behavior and there is one scene that some animal lovers (such as Nicole and me) did not find necessary at all. We have to thank Adrien Brody’s Dmitri for that. So the story does come down to good vs. evil and as you know some days we win and some days evil scores a homerun. But I would still check into the Grand Budapest Hotel.

Nicole: I would definitely check in, preferably in its heyday when Gustave H was the concierge and Zero his loyal lobby boy. I could certainly go for some of Mendl’s pastries, that’s for sure.

The Film Fatales give THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL

Monday, March 17

Veronica Mars

Resurrected from TV to the big screen—The Film Fatales investigate Veronica Mars.

Veronica Mars. In theaters AND On Demand. 2014. PG-13. 107 minutes. Starring Kristen Bell, Jason Dohring, Enrico Colantoni, Jamie Lee Curtis, Chris Lowell, Jerry O’Connell and many, many familiar faces.

Years after walking away from her past as a teenage private eye, Veronica Mars gets pulled back to her hometown - just in time for her high school reunion - in order to help her old flame Logan Echolls, who's embroiled in a murder mystery. [IMDb]

Nicole: Everyone’s favorite teen detective is back in this reboot from small screen to big screen, giving hope to fans of cancelled (or finished) TV series everywhere. (I’m talking to you Bryan Fuller. Let’s get Wonderfalls and Pushing Daisies resurrected to Netflix, pretty please?) So, where does this new installment of VMars find our intrepid heroine (Bell)? In Manhattan, shacking up with Piz (Lowell) and interviewing at a law firm…um, what? Can you say fish out of water? What happened to the old Veronica? Well, she resurfaces fast and furiously when ex Logan (Dohring) is accused of murdering his girlfriend. Angst thus ensues…

elizabeth: There are so many things that I would like to see resurrected, but I think I will take pass on digging up this show from the land of where canceled TV shows go. It sounds like someone’s nephew wrote the storyline. I wonder how it is going to end? ZZZZZZZZ….

Nicole: *rolling eyes* What fans will love about this movie is it gives them a chance to catch up with all their favorite (and not so favorite) characters about 10 years later. What fans may notice, however, is that not every one of these TV actors translates well to film. Bell holds her own; obviously, she’s well used to the medium. But the same can’t be said for her leading man, Jason Dohring, who does a miserable job at bringing Logan to the big screen. He’s awkward and uncomfortable, and his performance pulls you right out of the viewing experience. (Makes you wonder why VMars ever had a thing for him in the first place.)

elizabeth: if I was ever going to push to see a TV show to be brought to the big screen I would pitch Will & Grace, Frasier, or Third Rock from the Sun. But then again, perhaps not. They ran their course and they left on a high note. I would hate to see Will and Grace on blood thinners, Jack wearing Rosario’s Members’ Only jacket or Karen running an AA meeting in flats. Leave me to remember my TV friends the way they are. All in their 30s. Just like me. Do not go there.

Nicole: There are a lot of fun cameos…and I’m not giving anything away by saying so (they’re listed on the credits). Be on the lookout for laugh-worthy scenes from James Franco (who’s always keen on self-deprecation) and Bell’s husband, actor and comedian, Dax Shepard – just to name two. I could have done with more screen time from Keith Mars (Colantoni), but there was a lot of ground to be covered here and I get why the screenwriter made the choices he did. Overall, it’s a satisfying reunion with an open ending to the possibility of more to come. Now, excuse me while I go sign a bevy of petitions to give my favorite shows a new lease on life.

THE FILM FATALES GIVE VERONICA MARS