A Prairie Home Companion - 6-06

By Clayton Davis

It’s another glorious hit for director, Robert Altman. A Prairie Home Companion is a magnificent story intertwined with beautiful symbolism and wonderful comedy. We are thrown into the finale of one of America’s most celebrated radio shows although out-dated seems to bring joy to all who hear and are a part of the show. Everything is great about this film; the beautiful cinematography by Edward Lachman, a previous Oscar nominee who lost big time for Far From Heaven. The costumes are a delight coming from Catherine Marie Thomas known for her Kill Bill costumes and there’s so much more. The shine of the film is in the performances. Altman brings each character to the definition of what screenwriter Garrison Keillor intended them to be.

The great ensemble is pitch perfect starting with the dynamic duo that is Woody Harrelson and John C. Reilly who are a great combination of comedy and music. A lot of the laughs of the film come from this pair. Virginia Madsen brings a strong presence as the "Dangerous Woman" whose sole purpose is to bring mystery and humanity to the doomed radio show. Madsen is working well after her comeback in 2003’s Sideways and looking for roles that suit her rather than easy paycheck roles. Maya Rudolph portrays the pregnant "Molly," one of the stage managers who carries a bit more baggage than she’d like. Mary Louise Burke and L.Q. Jones are wife and husband, one of which is the Lunch Lady of the set and the other is "Chuck Akers" who gives an astounding final performance for his fans. Tommy Lee Jones is "Axeman," who purchases the building where the radio show is held in order to turn it into a parking lot. The standouts are from the veterans and a newcomer. Kevin Kline is "Guy Noir," a private investigator on the set who finds mystery and laughs in every frame that he’s in. Kline has been off the radar for a few years but has found a role that suits him beautifully. He has the best chance out of the male cast to make it to the shortlist. His screen time is used well and is a wonderful addition to the cast and gives it that perfect balance. Lindsay Lohan is "Lola Johnson," the daughter of "Yolanda Johnson" played stellar by the no less than brilliant, Meryl Streep. Lohan is a morose young woman/poet/songwriter trying to find a purpose in a world of fast moving times. Along with her upcoming Bobby, Lohan is really becoming a serious actress who brings a great presence to her roles. She is too new to the movie scene and doesn’t have that one scene that could get her to the Oscars but can find herself along with her other cast mates at a Screen Actors Guild ceremony.

The true revelation of this picture comes from Meryl Streep and Lily Tomlin who have one of the best chemistry of two actors I’ve seen on film in a long time. The two play "Yolanda" and "Rhonda Adams," sisters who have performed together since their childhood and find themselves reminiscing about the good old days and special times with their mother. The shine is in their singing and fantastic dialogue. Streep has the best character depth of the pair and we find ourselves feeling the most for "Yolanda." Yolanda has ghosts in her closet ranging from her previous husband, the father of Lohan, to a past flame with "G.K.," the radio show host portrayed exquisitely by Garrison Keillor. Lily Tomlin plays the great counterpart to Streep as the threshold of the Adams family. It’s in her strength that she shines and becomes the heart and soul of the film. Her singing with Streep is one of the best moments of the picture and we cannot have found a better pair to make this film what it was born to be; a marvelous revelation of film making.

Oscar prospects are in the Best Picture category of course with a possible directing nomination for Robert Altman. The thing that hurts Altman the most is that he just got an Honorary Oscar last year but that same thing happened with Paul Newman. Supporting nominations for Kevin Kline, Meryl Streep, and Lily Tomlin may be in order. Streep and Tomlin could both make it in unless there is a huge boost a women performance’s this year. Tomlin has never won which gives her the edge and Streep hasn’t been nominated in three years and that helps in Streep-language. A very likely nomination for Garrison Keillor in the adapted screenplay category will be in hand. Sound, sound editing, editing, score, and so forth can follow but with this early release date it will be a hard hurdle to jump. Crash pulled it off with an April release but Prairie doesn’t have the social significance or emotional impact to stay for a long time like Haggis' film did. Although, it does identify with older, veteran voters of the Academy which is a huge plus. This is now the frontrunner for Musical/Comedy slot at the Globes but we’ll see where it goes for the rest of the year with precursors and so.

Congratulations Altman on another wonderful experience that we all enjoyed despite age and generation.
Grade: ***1/2/****

Ask the Dust - 11-06

By Clayton Davis

The film starts off with a very melancholy flavor and a unique opening sequence reminiscent of Far from Heaven but the entire beginning of the film along with the narration feels like a radio cop show that should have been kept on the radio. Robert Towne, the acclaimed writer of the classic, Chinatown brings us into the story of Arturo Bandini, an American writer who moves to write a beloved tale of love. The film has a lot of trouble picking up and keeping the story moving. The pace is utterly off and ill-mannered in giving us a tale of what? I have no idea, but there’s some people talking and some entrances and exits unknown to the viewer.

The story itself while sounds like a little rip off Moulin Rouge is its own strange tale that fails to engulf the characters with modesty and honesty. The director also forgets to invite the audience into the story and illustrate a picture that we can admire. We’re lost somewhere between the land of reality and the beautiful world of motion pictures. Colin Farrell plays the strange Arturo, the Italian-American writer who has a gift of language but is unintelligent in choice and callous in words. Arturo becomes smitten by the beautiful but uncanny Camilla played somewhat skillfully by Salma Hayek. Camilla is a Mexican-immigrant who waitresses at a local restaurant and is in plans to become a citizen. The depth of these two characters is underdeveloped and coy, coy in the manner of allowing these two intimates to give some naked truth to their own lives and underdeveloped in letting them become the person rather than the outline. Farrell has been showing some promise the past few years and we’ve been waiting to see something special from him but the poor storyline doesn’t allow him to stretch his legs and walk. He stands inside his Arturo and is insipid, bland and bored. Actors often enjoy their characters but Farrell takes it on as a gig rather than an adventure. His body language and delivery of lines is quite cumbersome and awkward to say the least.

Hayek on the other hand does breathe some life into her Camilla but the direction of the film is astray and bewildered. Towne didn’t know if he wanted to create a love story or insult the notion of it. Camilla’s outbursts at Arturo gives us the necessary emotions needed to be acquainted with her but no real representation of her internal persona or sincere passion. Hayek is extremely sexy and beautiful but in that lies the performance, nothing “meaty” or spectacular just Frida minus unibrow, lesbians and paintings. Idina Menzel receives best in show honors for her stunning and haunting portrayal of Vera, the drunken mystery woman who finds her woes and sorrows in the eyes of Arturo. She inhabits Vera and gains the sympathy considered necessary for us to care and mourn for Vera. Despite her peculiar entrance, she does keep herself locked into the focal point of Vera and stays. Menzel alone is the redeeming quality of the film and keeps it from outright failing. In recent memory I cannot remember a love story that I just did not care about. Arturo and Camilla are just sketches, a muse of human beings in the world of fiction that never needed to be shared. The ending result is satisfying but plain resolution and unwanted reminiscing of parts of the film they should of cut. Consideration should focus on the beautiful cinematography but in terms of a Hayek nomination we can just wait for other contenders to roll down and take up the spaces. Ask the Dust is worth a watch and some people can find their love in it but I had no desire to ask anybody about the film, not even the dust.

Grade: **1/2/****

Flannel Pajamas - 10-06

By Clayton Davis

Flannel Pajamas is the new independent film about the relationship of two individuals who go through the step-by-step analysis from first-time meetings, to eventual physical affection and then emotional exchanges. Unknown writer/director Jeff Lipsky deconstructs the abnormal psyche of two people, Stuart (Justin Kirk) and Nicole (Julianne Nicholson) and shows the viewer intangible sphere of their association. Admiring the courage of two leading performances would be an understatement. Kirk and Nicholson completely engage themselves in their respective roles.

The story begins with Stuart and Nicole meeting on a double date. Flirting, paranoia, dilemma, and heated discussion both fuel each other to more intrigue in the other. After their meeting we begin on their relationship road, and a very bumpy road at that. At first, the two seem like such a perfect match despite their differences. Stuart is a confident, money making man, who gives off the sense of inner-conflict but exceptional at hiding it from the viewer as well as Nicole. Nicole on the other hand, has a cute as a button persona who just happens to be living in an apartment with a communal bathroom. Her yearn for a man with financial and emotional stability is evident and Stuart seems to be the answer for her. Unfortunately the film’s emotional centers aren’t really there. Even though you can find a bit of every love/relationship film ever made in this film, some real life issues need not to be shared. Lipsky’s heart was in the right place when writing the film but his choices of leading the viewer through the tale were falsified by the fact that this is a love/relationship film.

Justin Kirk, best known for his bravura performance in Angels in America, completely wears his role with such confidence and inevitable downfall of Stuart is shown remarkably by Kirk. The meeting with Nicole’s Anti-Semitic mother gives Stuart the freedom to stretch out his legs and walk through a film which many will/have not enjoyed and give it a more even potent center. Julianne Nicholson gives that brave and tortured performance that every actor dreams of. Despite spending half the film in the nude that is not the reason why it is “brave” as some critics like to throw in when someone does spend screen time like that. It’s what she does when she’s clothed and unclothed and her expression of words, her facial transformations in an instance, and even more, giving Nicole a sensitivity and humanity of sheer velocity. In the coming years, I have a feeling we could be hearing Nicholson’s name at some award ceremonies. Although I’m afraid the performances aren’t enough to carry a film like this through to the end. Hallow centers and underdeveloped characters are just too much of an imperfection in portrait already pre-painted a little fuzzy. Engagement is vague but emotion is manifested wonderfully.

Grade: **1/2/****

Aurora Borealis - 9-06

By Clayton Davis

The Indie film, Aurora Borealis directed by James C.E. Burke has created a fair and moving picture with sensitive undertones and subtle cultivation. The film tells the story of "Duncan Shorter," a young twenty-something with poor work ethic, an underlying affliction, and an ill-conceived perception of life. Joshua Jackson or better known as "Pacey" portrays the young passive "Duncan." Since the untimely death of his beloved father, Duncan has been quite engulfed and comfortable in his small town in Minnesota. A town where all your friends have been around since elementary school and everyone wallows in their entity and sheer irksome lifestyle with Duncan being no different. From his adulterous brother that uses his apartment for acts of infidelity to his unsupportive circle of friends, Duncan is in no way progressing or moving forward to a dissimilar lifestyle that is destined to take over. The only sanctity of his life is his grandparents, Ronald and Ruth played exquisitely by Donald Sutherland and Oscar winner, Louise Fletcher.

Ronald has grown ill over the years with his battle with Parkinson's disease and his steady decline of fragility. Ruth has been the sole caretaker of Ronald but as Ronald becomes more ailing and developing thoughts of suicide, the family must face the choice of a home for him or the inevitability of Ronald attempt at ending his existence. Duncan must now face not only the choice of losing another family member but past demons that surface throughout the film. The sheer tenacity that director Burke has to tackle such a sensitive subject as euthanasia and elderly anguish is electrifying and at times heartbreaking. The volume of humanity expressed throughout the film alone is worthy of viewing consideration. When Duncan meets the nurse of his grandfather, Kate (Juliette Lewis) we see Duncan's world start to be challenged for the first time. Only in the subtlety of sacrifice that the film shows could the film illuminate fully. Joshua Jackson breaks away from his television-type personality and gives a befitting performance. This is the first time he has taken am admirable first step into a leading character. His "Duncan" is tortured and multi-layered but during the approximate two hours of film length it's not always clarified. With perhaps a bit more research and shedding some insecurity, Jackson may have nailed the pivotal role. Louise Fletcher returns to glorious form as Duncan's grandmother, Ruth. Since her Oscar Win for 1975's "One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest" she's been missed from the silver screen with exceptions of cameos in Cruel Intentions and A Map of the World. Ruth is the champion of the family with her constant understanding of Duncan's insecurities, pain and misguided life to loyalty, passion and care for her feeble husband. There is excellent movie magic being made indeed for the veteran actress.

The standout of the cast is coming from the too often ignored and phenomenal veteran actor, Donald Sutherland; who is just waiting for that little bit of buzz to hurtle him into serious contention for a supporting bid from critics. The film has been flying under the radar with the low budget and lack of advertisement but rest assure if enough people see the film Sutherland could be a threat to many men seeking Oscar gold this season. Sutherland's "Ronald" is hilarious, completely likable and a beautifully written character. The courage that Sutherland shows in his character is just cutthroat fire of the film. Leave no mistake, "Ronald" fragility may seem like his weakness but the vulnerability he leaves you after a riveting speech or antithesis will leave you absolutely enthralled.

All technical aspects of the film are your average "Plain Jane" kind of independent film but Burke does capture the essence of the culture that we are thrown into. A beautiful musical score coming from Mychael Danna and a crisp clear cut editing style coming from Richard Nord known for his Oscar nominated editing in The Fugitive. Burke gladly invites the audience into the screen along with a family of heartache and sorrow. I felt compelled and satisfied with the outcome when the credits started rolling. The "northern lights" are evident in Aurora Borealis and are gladly incontestable. Post-experience will leave you in disposition and in wonderful serenity.

Grade: ***/****

The Devil Wears Prada 7-2006

By: Clayton Davis

How important is money and success? The Devil Wears Prada examines that question at full force with some comedic angles and struggles to engulf the viewer in the tale but comes up short like a blurb of research from a magazine column. Prada tells the story of Andrea, a naïve young woman wanting to be a journalist but ends up in the premier of the fashion world. Anne Hathaway portrays the ever-loving and innocent "Andy" who walks into the high-maintenance, sky rise building of the famous "Runway" magazine and lands the second-assistant position to the Editor-in-chief and starts her downward spiral into high heels, Gucci sweaters, and Coach Bags. It's there that she is tormented and verbally abused by many of her fellow co-workers and most of all by the editor of the illustrious publication, Miranda Priestly depicted by the great Meryl Streep. Andy finds herself being rudely ignored and spoken to from minute one. Through simple tasks to her "Plain Jane" attire she is pitiful to all around her. As a solution to her constant anguish she decides to give into the world of trend, shape and style and finds herself moving closer to Miranda and farther from friends, family, and long time boyfriend. This is where the film flaws; it's too much like a recipe and less like an original blueprint to present with admiration. It's a Cinderella story with the same exact formula we've all seen before. The three standout performances are what keeps the story moving and provides us with care and pleasure.

Stanley Tucci is truly an always dependable and reliable supporting player of film making. He is "Nigel," Miranda's right hand man and Andy's gateway into fashion expertise. "Nigel" is funny, witty and hugely charismatic. Tucci is definitely the character you could care the most about and gives the most natural performance of the cast but doesn't have that Oscar scene. Tucci's character is a bit flat in some areas and underdeveloped. Nonetheless, gives great mannerisms, fantastic quotes and exquisite chemistry with any of his co-stars. A scene about the character's background or sexuality could have sealed the deal for a nomination and unless the academy is feeling compelled to reward, which I think they aren't just yet, he'll be sitting out of the ceremony. He has one more film this year, "Four Last Songs" which could revive and increase his buzz by year's end so we'll have just wait.

Anne Hathaway is having a hell of time riding off some Brokeback Mountain love to land her some solid leading female roles. She is the true lead of the film but there's nothing that screams Oscar about the role, it's just a solid effort to show us that she can act and is ready to leave her cutesy Princess Diaries girl behind. Andy is a highly enjoyable character to inhabit and completely likable. How can you not? She's completely vulnerable and completely lovable. Hathaway will probably be going for a Knightley-Portman kind of year and if Becoming Jane is something great than she could find herself as the breakout star of the year like Terrence Howard last year. Andy's flaws and chink in her armor is where Hathaway truly shines. From putting on her first fashionable outfit to finding herself being relentlessly pursued by a business acquaintance, Andy is defenseless to the active world of media and glamour which leads to her character's downfall and inevitable rise up.

And of course, who could forget the wonderful Meryl Streep. She is brilliant, bitchy, cruel, unkind and malicious. That's a lot for a character to expose and then suddenly surges into a character to mourn for, to feel for and feel completely sorry for. Streep is having a hell of year thus far and along with her A Prairie Home Companion buzz she will undoubtedly land in the top 5 of the supporting category. Her Miranda is clearly a supporting role and it boggles my mind how people thought otherwise. This will hopefully be the year that Ms. Meryl will land her 14th and record breaking nomination but will most likely be for Prairie and not Prada. Her Yolanda is more Oscar bait and up Oscar's alley. Miranda has a lot to offer to cinema but not enough to go down in the books.The film has the a+b part of the equation but I was expecting a more capitalized "C" and got the anticipated "c." The film starts to build the gigantic climax and just leaves us somewhere between premise and resolution. Even though disappointing in some aspects, the film is quite enjoyable and you could get a few laughs but don't expect miracles to happen and new ideas to be made. The rest of the supporting cast is good with some showing some range and some just showing. Emily Blunt is a great character to look and watch as the first assistant to Miranda. Enjoy the film and expect some Globe consideration and nominations but don't hold your breath to her a "Prada" name or nom be called out on Oscar morning. It's all too cliché.

Grade: **1/2/****

Running Scared 3-06

By Clayton Davis

Well, now that the 2005 year is over, we are in the undeniable horrific part called the first quarter of the year. It’s this time of the year where movies don’t shine but you may get the occasional Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind or a Joan Allen somewhere in the mix. Running Scared written and directed by Wayne Kramer, who is responsible for penciling The Cooler which gained a nomination for Alec Baldwin, brings this twisted and sometimes unsettling film to the screen. The cinematography is unique but at times feels like a home movie wannabe Matrix with bullets and cameras panning in and out and going into reverse. It gets quite confusing but it works and makes the movie that much more interesting.

The plot is everywhere and is by far one of the most tangent driven stories I’ve seen since Vanilla Sky. You think the movie is going one way but then Kramer brings in the most random “coincidences.” I say “coincidence” very sarcastically. The film keeps you intrigued and wanting more of the story but I’m afraid it ends not wrapped up like a Christmas present and rather like a gift bag put together at your local drugstore. Loose ends and complicated story plots make Scared a fun time at the movies but no where on its way to a classic. The performances are something to be desired.

Leading the pack is Paul Walker with his on and off New York/New Jersey accent. Walker is pretty much just a pretty face and doesn’t really show any potential for Oscar in the coming years. Cameron Bright gives an endearing child performance but trust me; he is not Haley Joel Osment. His frightening “Oleg” is troubled and pained and Bright does a superb job of illustrating it in his face. His dialogue is often at times flat and misleading. If you were to give a standout in this film it would hands down be Vera Farmiga. Farmiga, who surprised critics around by winning the Los Angeles Best Actress award for Down to the Bone, can see at herself in a ceremony one day given the right role. The performance is similar and mirrors Maria Bello’s performance in A History of Violence but of course, doesn’t measure. She is sexy especially in her sex scene with Walker and is a ballsy wife which gives the qualities of Bello. The writing was just too corny and too cheesy for her to bring any depth to the character. The supporting cast is your typical Italian and Russian mafia and mob bosses but no Pesci’s, Hurt’s, or Brando’s here. Just stereotypical characters with bad acting attached.If you want to kill sometime this first quarter, catch Running Scared but don’t expect that last until next January. Oscar chances lie in cinematography and maybe some sound but don’t hold your breathe. Enjoy the film for what it is, an action flick with interesting “coincidences” (there goes sarcasm again) and funny plot twists.

Grade: **/****

2006 Film Reviews

Coming ahead I will include all film reviews of 2006 along with Top 10 and Awards...Hope you enjoy!

WELCOME

My name is Clayton Davis and I am a staff writer for The Oscar Igloo. I've also written publications for Oscarwatch, Zoo Magazine, The Cinema Source and other local community papers. This will be a site dedicated to awards from various sources but will likely focus on the coveted Academy Awards. Feel free to post comments and fill me in on any news. I will give credit where credit is due. Thank you in advance for staying with me.

Clayton