Meek's Cutoff (2010)

Jack loves westerns and we both liked this story of three pioneer families lost in 1845 Oregon, told from the perspective of the women. Director Kelly Reichardt and her crew researched technology of the era, from muskets to coffee grinders to knitting needles, and shot it in an aspect ratio of 1.37:1, close to 20th century TV of 4:3. When we bought our tickets, the seller warned us that the picture would not fill the screen and said, smiling, "So you don't need to come running out of the theatre telling us something is wrong." I grinned and said, "Is that because I'm the one that always does that?" He replied politely, "Oh, no, ma'am, we're telling everyone." But I am that person, sad to say. In the press packet (I recommend you read it after seeing the movie--go to this page and click Download press packet--it's fascinating) it is suggested that the reduced aspect ratio might be as much as the women could see from inside their bonnets. We liked being able to see the edges of the cinematographer's frame. Another production value is that in the long master shots, i.e. several actors all seen from head to toe during the scene, the dialogue is faint and was somewhat difficult for me to make out. Jack said he liked that, too, because it was from the women's point of view, and they can't quite hear what the men are saying over there.

Michelle Williams (after I wrote about her in Wendy and Lucy (also directed by Reichardt) she was in Shutter Island and then was Oscar-nominated for Blue Valentine) carries the movie wearing her bonnet, lots of dirt, and no apparent makeup. The other women are petite Shirley Henderson (my faves are listed in Life During Wartime) and Zoe Kazan (I covered her in Revolutionary Road and have seen her in The Private Lives of Pippa Lee, Me and Orson Welles, It's Complicated, Happythankyoumoreplease, and The Exploding Girl, in which she starred), and the menfolk are Will Patton (often plays scary men, e.g. in Desperately Seeking Susan (1985), After Hours (1985), The Rapture (1991), Spitfire Grill (1996), Inventing the Abbotts (1996) (all worth seeing), and many more), Paul Dano (I wrote about him, though he had but a cameo, in Taking Woodstock), Bruce Greenwood (after I wrote about him in Dinner for Schmucks I saw him in Mao's Last Dancer and Barney's Version) as Stephen Meek, and three who are new to me: Neal Huff, Tommy Nelson, and Ron Bondreaux. We really got the desperation that these people felt in their journey across the state. Jonathan Raymond wrote this, Wendy and Lucy, and co-wrote the HBO mini-series Mildred Pierce (we loved the first two and haven't seen the rest yet). It may be slow for some (I suspect Jon will not like it) but we thought the pacing to be just right.

The soundtrack, by Jeff Grace, is ethereal and scarce, and is available from Amazon as an mp3 download or they will make you a CD on demand. Go to the album page and click Play all samples. One of the producers, Anish Savjani, won the Piaget Producers Award at the Independent Spirit Awards for this movie. There is a real Meek Cutoff in Oregon, a supposed shortcut across the Cascade Mountains. One of our local cinemas is going to have a western series this summer and Jack and I discussed it. It's not my favorite genre but he's a huge fan (if I see any you'll read about it here). He's seen all of the ones they're showing and also has seen most of the TV ones in the past and reruns on the various channels. His favorite is Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) but he says the best is Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957). He also really liked the ending of Meek's Cutoff, which, from the sounds we heard in the theatre on Friday, may be controversial.

The Big Uneasy (2010)

We were lucky to see one of two sold-out shows when actor/comedian/musician Harry Shearer brought to our fair city his excellent feature documentary about engineering and political malfeasance in New Orleans which makes a case that the disaster following Hurricane Katrina was anything but natural. Interviewing people who agree with him and others who don't, Shearer (probably best known as bassist Derek Smalls in Spinal Tap, NPR's Le Show, and his work on 484 episodes of The Simpsons, he was also wonderful in the Christopher Guest oeuvre: Waiting for Guffman (1996), Best in Show (2000), A Mighty Wind (2003), and For Your Consideration (2006), as well as others of his 146 credits, which include Abbott and Costello Go to Mars (1953) when he was 10, and the pilot of Leave it to Beaver (1957)--he and his parents decided he should not continue (as Eddie Haskell!) so he could have a normal childhood) plays it serious here as director/writer/narrator, except for four words printed at the end of the credits and a few questions posed here and there by John Goodman.

Jazz pianist David Torkanowsky is credited with the music and, once again, I can't find tracks for you, but he plays in this video in which Shearer asks him about his experiences during the disaster. You may also like to see this interview with the editor Tom Roche. Shearer lives part-time in New Orleans and loves his adopted city but was willing to make this tour to promote his movie and do Q&A here, there, and everywhere. This is not on netflix's radar, probably because it doesn't have a real Hollywood distributor. I imagine it will be available on iTunes or something of the sort. For more info, see the official website.

Cave of Forgotten Dreams (2010)

This documentary is awesome in the original sense of the word. Director Werner Herzog got rare access to a cave in southern France with paintings that have been determined to be over 30,000 years old. Using 3D cameras specially made for this project, Herzog, a native of Germany, narrates in English (his accent, to my untrained ear, matches that of Christoph Waltz in Water for Elephants) and mixes in interviews and some computer imaging. After my unsatisfactory experience with 3D at Thor, this is a revelation. In fact one blogger calls it "the best use of 3D" he has yet seen. The computer imaging is a natural for the 3D, and when we are in the cave, the sides of the walls really seem to stick out around us. Herzog's (I wrote about him in Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans) choice of himself to narrate is inspired. We get the filmmaker's unique perspective (pun intended) when, for example, he tells us that there are no places for the crew to hide to get out of the shot. He had not previously been a fan of 3D, but was won over, and Jack and I were blown away. One of the things that makes the Cave de Chauvet Pont d'Arc special is that it was almost completely closed off due to a landslide, which preserved the cave painting, stalactites, stalagmites, bones, etc. inside.

The music, which includes choral singing and chanting, is spot on, save for one moment when the crew is instructed to be quiet and listen to the cave (I wanted to listen more to the cave when the music started up at that point). In fact, Manohla Dargis in the New York Times disliked all of Ernst Reijseger's music, but I thought it was good (I can't locate a track from this movie for you, but here is one from Herzog's last feature, My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done (2009)). Subtitle-phobes may celebrate: this is all in English. Even the French scientists' comments are translated in voiceover. Make every effort to see this in 3D if possible.

Potiche (2010)

Charmante! Jack and I loved this tale of a woman finding her power in 1977 France when she takes over from her chauvinist husband the umbrella factory founded by her father. Potiche means trophy wife in French. Catherine Deneuve (at 67 years of age she has 111 credits; my faves are Belle de Jour (1967), The Last Metro (1980), Indochine (1992) for which she was Oscar-nominated, and 8 Women (8 Femmes - 2002), among many) has aged beautifully. It must have been a little strange for her to play her current age in a piece set in a period in which she flourished as a young beauty. Back in Los Angeles in the 90s, I had occasion to sit across a room from Kate Walsh, before she became famous for playing Addison Montgomery on Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice. I was convinced that Walsh was Deneuve's relative (compare this photo with this and see if you agree) but never got around to asking her. In an episode of Grey's, someone flirting with Addison asked her the very question. No, both times. But I digress, as usual. 

Deneuve's character, Suzanne, has class and warmth, even when she doesn't (and you'll just have to see the movie to find out what I'm talking about). Much has been written about Gérard Depardieu (just two months younger than Deneuve, he has 187 credits--I can barely read through them all, much less name my favorites, but I did love Get Out Your Handkerchiefs (Préparez vos mouchoirs - 1978) and Jean de Florette (1986), among many) co-starring again with Deneuve as he did in The Last Metro and a number of others, and much has been written about how big he is now. Yep, he's big! His Maurice Babin is a reasonable man whom Suzanne pushes, just as she pushes her husband Robert, played by Fabrice Lucchini (I wrote about him in Paris). Suzanne and Robert's grown children are played by Judith Godrèche (was in the fabulous Ridicule (1996) and L'auberge espagnole (2002), to name a few) and Jérémie Renier (I wrote about him in Summer Hours), with co-starring roles by Godrèche's Farrah Fawcett haircut and the disco wardrobe on both of them (costume design by Pascaline Chavanne, designer on Under the Sand (2000), 8 Women, Swimming Pool (2003), Ricky, all by the same director as this one, François Ozon, and lots more).

Which brings me to Ozon, whose past work I covered in my post on Ricky. His timing is impeccable and the production values are high--not only the hair and wardrobe but also the sets--and he adapted the play by Pierre Barillet and Jean-Pierre Grédy on which this movie is based (I believe he has written or adapted the screenplays of all of his features). Ozon added the twists in the third act.

Ozon's regular composer Philippe Rombi once again does the honors, supplemented by pop songs of the period (here's a complete list with a window from which you can play two tracks). Sergi López, one of the stars of Ricky, has a cameo driving a camion (French for truck). And fans of The Sopranos will appreciate the name of the strip club, Badaboum. You don't need to have lived through the dawn of women's liberation (or remember when Jane Fonda instructed us to purse our lips to show that we were breathing while exercising) to love it, but having done so added a certain je ne sais quoi. Rated R for a couple of sex scenes with no actual nudity and highly recommended for all except subtitle-phobes.

Happythankyoumoreplease (2010) redux

I'm linking this to my September post, as Josh Radnor's movie was released to the general public this spring. I've added a teeny bit to the original.

Bridesmaids (2011)

Sally, Mike, Jack, and I laughed long and hard with the rest of the audience at this raunchy story of Annie, a woman on the edge who will be maid of honor at her best friend's wedding. Co-writer/co-producer/star Kristen Wiig has it goin' on with a fully developed character and a script that keeps on giving, co-written by co-producer Annie Mumolo (her feature screenwriting debut, after one episode of In the Motherhood, which I loved). Mumolo has acted a little, and has a cameo in this as a frightened airplane passenger. After I wrote about Wiig in Whip It she was in Date Night, How to Train Your Dragon, and All Good Things, and is fast becoming a big star. The bride Lillian is played by Maya Rudolph (I wrote about her in Away We Go) and the motley crew of bridesmaids is Melissa McCarthy (first came to my attention as Christina Applegate's friend in Samantha Who?, she also stars in the series Mike & Molly, and here's a photo of her in this, looking very different from her usual cuddly self), Rose Byrne (best known for the series Damages, she was also good in Marie Antoinette (2006), 28 Weeks Later (2007), Adam, and Get Him to the Greek), Ellie Kemper (Erin in The Office), and Wendi McLendon-Covey (new to me, she was in the Groundlings comedy troupe and more). McCarthy is outstanding, but they're all great, though I wish Kemper had had more to do. Don Draper, er, Jon Hamm is funny as Annie's sonofabitch f---buddy, and declined to take a credit, perhaps because he doesn't need to. Chris O'Dowd (played Simon, the guy whom January Jones (speaking of Don Draper) (this is a second Mad Men reference, for those keeping score) married in Pirate Radio, and the blind swordsman in Dinner for Schmucks) continues to be adorable as Officer Rhodes, whose Irish accent is never fully explained. That's Franklyn Ajaye (stand-up comedian, writer on Politically Incorrect and In Living Color, more) in the braids as Lillian's dad. Jill Clayburgh (I wrote about her in Love and Other Drugs) plays Annie's mom, someone who helps everyone but her own daughter. Clayburgh died of leukemia in November 2010 at age 66, and she looks pretty frail here. Trivia: the actor playing the guy McCarthy sits next to on the plane is her real-life husband Ben Falcone.

Most every reviewer talks about co-producer Judd Apatow (I wrote about him in Funny People) and compares this to The Hangover, but credit has to go to director Paul Feig (writer on every episode of Freaks and Geeks, director on many episodes of Arrested Development (2004-05), Nurse Jackie (2009-11), The Office (2005-11), and more).

Although the talented composer Michael Andrews (Donnie Darko (2001), Me and You and Everyone We Know (2005) (here's a track), Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007), Cyrus, more) did the soundtrack, what you're likely to come away with is the songs, some of which are on the soundtrack (this link has the list and clips from the album and this one has all the songs). Sally had asked if I wanted to see some chick flicks: this and Something Borrowed. Because this was rated in the high 80s on rottentomatoes and the latter at a woeful 15%, plus we decided to bring our dates, Bridesmaids was an easy choice. Jack's favorite scene is Wiig and Byrne squabbling over the microphone. You will have several, I predict.

No Woman, No Cry (2010)

Last month we saw and enjoyed this moving documentary about at-risk pregnancies in four countries. Narrated and directed (her debut) by former super-model Christy Turlington Burns, she starts with the story of her own pregnancy problems and then moves into stories of other women and the people who help them. She lives in New York City with her husband, director/writer/actor Edward Burns (who is almost as pretty as she) and their two kids. She talks with and shows women in New York, Florida, Tanzania, Bangladesh, and Guatemala.

It is streaming on youtube on the Oprah Winfrey channel right now (following an ad at the beginning and every time youf ast forward), but will be withdrawn May 16. The music is sparse but good, too, composed by Paul Brill (Freakonomics, Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work, others) and Martha Wainwright (sister of Rufus, daughter of Kate McGarrigle and Loudon Wainwright III), who provides the vocals, including a cover version of the Bob Marley song after which the movie is named, and is not credited on imdb. I played the youtube video on my computer while writing and paused it to reread the credits, which came after a conversation between Christy and Edward, talking about her inspiration for the movie, among other things. Here are some random songs by Martha, Rufus, Loudon, and Kate, who died last year, with her sister Anna. Sorry about the ads.

Anyway, the movie's good and inspiring. We were delighted to have Ms. Burns show up at the university to introduce it and take questions afterwards. It will be released on DVD, but no date has yet been announced.