Behind the Candelabra

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Soldier's Girl

I weep for humanity. Occasionally I get to see films that remind me of the fact that we live in cruel world filled with monsters. Monsters who don't recognize the miracle of love - who are too blind and stupid to realize that this miracle doesn't just happen between people of two different genders. If I were to make a list of things that make cry and scream in anger at the same time, homophobia would be at the very top of the list.

Game Change

82/100 (117 min, 2012)
Plot: Follows John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign, from his selection of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate to their ultimate defeat in the general election.
Director:Jay Roach
Writers: Mark Halperin (book), Danny Strong (adaptation)
Stars: Ed Harris, Julianne Moore and Woody Harrelson

"I am NOT your puppet!"

Sarah Palin. If like me you don't live in USA what you know about her is probably only that she wears glasses, that she doesn't have much knowledge even you posses and you probably remember those horrible Fey/Pohler parodies (embarrassing for them too, since they were completely not funny). HBO's Game Change shows us a sympathetic look at her and with it comes one of the most outstanding performances from amazing Julianne Moore, who is long overdue for an Oscar, but at least with this film she is sure to win Emmy this year.

The movie begins in the midst of the presidential campaign when Obama is leading in the polls and McCain desperately needs something to win, he needs a game change. With the help of his advisers - Steve Schmidt (Woody Harrelson) and Rick Davis (Peter MacNicol) he decides he needs to find a woman in the party, that would, if he wins, become vice president. Davis finds Palin - attractive, feisty and energetic governor of Alaska. And she is more than happy to help the campaign.

Bag of Bones

25/100 (234 min, 2011)
Plot: Novelist Mike Noonan, a recent widower, holes himself up in Maine to unblock his writer's block. Unexplainable things begin to happen to him at the cabin and he's convinced that his dead wife is trying to communicate with him.
Director: Mick Garris
Writers: Stephen King (novel), Matt Venne (screenplay)
Stars: Pierce Brosnan, Melissa George and Annabeth Gish

Bag of Yawns

Good Lord, what a bad movie. What makes matters worse is that it's actually a two parter - TV production, so it contains a lot of prolonged and unnecessary scenes, which would not happen if it was a feature film. I can say that this is, without a doubt, the worst movie based on the novel written by Stephen King from the ones I've seen. I do not know how it holds up as adaptation, since I'm not familiar with the book, but from what I gathered - it does poorly in comparison.

The story is far from being original - of course, the protagonist is a writer. I'm beginning to think that writers, right after dumb college chicks, are the most unfortunate group in horror movies. As every writer who lost his wife - along with inspiration - Mike Noonan looks for consolation at the bottom of whiskey bottle. But he finds nightmares and ghosts instead. It gets even more cliche as we move towards the sweet promise of the ending.

Grey Gardens

(104 min, 2009)
Director: Michael Sucsy
Writers: Michael Sucsy (teleplay), Patricia Rozema (teleplay)
Stars: Drew Barrymore, Jessica Lange and Jeanne Tripplehorn

Freedom in the prison of memories

“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.”
― Oscar Wilde

Based on the life stories of the eccentric aunt and first cousin of Jackie Onassis (both named Edith Bouvier Beale aka "Big and Little Edie") raised as Park Avenue débutantes but who withdrew from New York society, taking shelter at their Long Island summer home, "Grey Gardens." As their wealth and contact with the outside world dwindled, so did their grasp on reality. They were reintroduced to the world when international tabloids learned of a health department raid on their home, and Jackie swooped in to save her relatives. 
- imdb.com

Had "Grey Gardens" been cinematic release instead of HBO movie, the history of the awards season in 2010 would be so much different.. This is a very unique, character driven film with two fabulous performances - Jessica Lange and Drew Barrymore, both in career best turns. The story alone is fascinating - two women, mother and daughter, relatives of Jaqueline Bouvier, refusing to leave decaying estate, living among the filth and stray animals. That story actually happened - in 1975 a documentary was made about the Beales and it was even screened in Cannes.

We meet Beales as Edith senior is still married, little Eddie is objecting to finding a husband and Grey gardens are in their prime. Both women were always very eccentric - Edith loved singing and threw extravagant parties, openly showing affection to her kids' music teacher, even in front of her husband. Little Eddie didn't want to get married, wanted to be an actress and a singer. Both women had incredible joie de vivre, one thing they would never lose. They were warned many times - that the money will run out, that they have to think about their future - but they insisted on living in the present, with no worries, only joy.