The Master, or How PTA's Rorschach is spell-binding

The Master
Written & Directed by: P. T. Anderson
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams & Laura Dern.

Oscar Nominations: 3
Best Supporting Actor (Philip Seymour Hoffman), Best Supporting Actress (Amy Adams) & Best Actor (Joaquin Phoenix)

Few films baffled and challenged me more than Paul Thomas Anderson's cryptic The Master. Shot beautifully in 70mm, the film's opaqueness almost presents itself as a Rorschach test to its audience, not unlike the one featured early on as we meet Freddy (Phoenix). While the film clearly tackles issues of cult-like faith in the figure of L. Ron Hubbard-lookalike Lancaster Dodd (Hoffman), the film to me felt to me as the most searing look at post-war American masculinity I had seen on screen in a long time. As Naval-veteran Freddy, Joaquin Phoenix creates an amalgam of the post-war American male. Contorted in posture, crippled by unbridled lust and dangerously aimless, Freddy moves from job to job after coming back from fighting only to find himself stranded aboard the Dodd's boat. What follows is the improbable (albeit platonic) romance between Freddy and Dodd as the latter takes the former in as his disciple, intent on curbing Freddy's animal impulses and prove the efficacy of his own teachings. Following There Will be Blood, this is an important chapter in Anderson's continued interest in deconstructing the myths that make up the United States.

Anderson's meditative film is best experienced rather than described. Its dianetics-influenced structure of probing questions and unintelligible answers proves frustrating at times, but it is worth a dizzying gander. A-

Julie & Julia, or How Meryl's Julia Child is a treat

[Disclaimer. Excepting the title, this post has been edited to purposely exclude food puns. If you want those, please go ahead and read any and all other reviews about Nora Ephron's latest]

Julie & Julia

Written and Directed by: Nora Ephron

Starring: Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, Stanley Tucci, Chris Messina & Jane Lynch (!)

The premise is simple: Julie Powell, a lowly cubicle worker in NYC (living in Queens - eek!) decides to plow her way through Julia Child's 'Mastering the Art of French Cooking' and write a blog about it: 524 recipes in 365 days is no small feat but also not very cinematic. This explains why the other half of this film focuses on Child's years in Paris as she learns the art of cooking. Indeed, this double narrative gives Ephron a way to explore the larger than life Child figure and off-set the shrewish and at times off-putting antics of Adams' Julie. While the Queens-dwelling blogger's story is what drives the plot, I think the screenplay gives her little to do other than give a framing device for the much more exciting (and laugh-out-loud funny) story of her icon, Julia Child. This is of course, fine by me. I love Adams, but I love Meryl more.

There is a key therefore, to understanding this film and its centerpiece (namely, Streep's depiction of Julia Child). Since as audience members, we are put squarely in Julie Powell's shoes we are invited to see and explore Julia Child's life through Julie's eyes. The movie is very forthcoming about this in one of its final scenes, but I think it bears pointing this out because for all the strong work that Adams does as Julie, it is Streep (and to a lesser extent, Tucci as her husband and Lynch as her sister) who steals the show and does so by playing, not Julia Child per se but Julie's Julia Child. It is because Streep understands this that her depiction of Child hits the right chord: in a crowded NYC theater, every gesture (smile, look, grunt, you name it) from Streep delighted the audience. Just like Julia, Streep seems motivated by the motto: 'Never apologize' (and why would she? She's Meryl effin' Streep for goodness sakes!). This makes watching Julia's move from 'wife' to 'hat-maker' to 'cooking student' to 'cookbook writer extraordinaire' that much more thrilling; it gives the audience (and Julie) a way out of our own lives and into the cinematically enhanced world of Paris with Julia as our foodie guide.

Ultimately, Julie & Julia is a well crafted picture with a wonderful lead performance by Streep that has an obscenely hilarious first hour (the second half lags a bit) which effortlessly teeters between froth and funny without sacrificing character and offering up mouth-watering shots of food of all kinds. A-

Catch Me If You Can, or How what Leo touches turns into A-list gold!

Steven Spielberg's Catch Me If You Can (2002), based on the true story of con-artist Frank Abagnale Jr is a film I hadn't seen since its release. Only things I remembered: it featured one of Leo/Tom's most effortless (and humorous) performances, a quirky score and an array of great up and coming actresses. Upon re-watching it, I couldn't help but think of the film (and its young actresses) as a lovely preamble to what are turning out to be accomplished Hollywood careers.

Inspired by Nat's wonderful Vanity Fair series, I figure I would pay him a compliment by taking his concept/template and apply it to the women of Spielberg's Catch Me If You Can.

And so, without further ado:

Ellen Pompeo plays a flighty flight attendant who's quickly taken with Leo's Frank Abagnale Jr.

Before 2002, Ms Pompeo had been doing odd-jobs here (Law & Order) and there (Strangers With Candy). After Catch Me If You Can she still had a couple of years where she did small work (in Daredevil, who knew? in Friends?!) and it wasn't until she was cast as Dr Grey in Shonda Rhimes' Grey's Anatomy and she is now probably the most well-known whiny doctor on Network TV.

Jennifer Garner plays a high-paid...er... "model" (who was on the cover of 17 Magazine)

Before 2002, Ms Garner was probably best known for her work on TV (in Time of Your Life and her small role in Felicity). Catch Me If You Can came at a cross-roads moment for Ms Garner: JJ Abrams' Alias blew up into our screens only the year before and everyone was abuzz with the spy-centered show and it's kick-ass (and mostly flawless) first season. Daredevil would soon follow which made way for its horrid spin-off (Elektra - which was not warmly received). Many would have crumbled after such a misfire, but Ms Garner has alwaysbeen good at switching back and forth between comedy and action-dramas, so her rom-coms (13 Going on 30, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past) have kept her afloat. A high profile hubby and a family (hint: rhymes with Baffleck) would soon follow as well as her career-best work in a Best Picture nominee (Juno).

Amy Adams plays a braces-addled nurse whose wide-eyes are all oogly for Frank.

Before 2002, Adams was doing bit work around TV (most notably for us geeks in Joss Whedon's Buffy The Vampire Slayer where she played Cousin Beth to Willow's girlfriend Tara, but imdb lists other small roles in a variety of shows: Charmed, Smallville, Providence) so her role as Brenda in Spielberg's film was arguably her most high-profile role of her career. Stardom and bankability was still a while away: Amy had to wait a couple of years, but once Junebug hit theaters in 2005, well... a star was born. An Oscar nomination for this small indie film brought her into the fold and proving this was no fluke, she has since proven herself a box-office draw in a Disney flick (Enchanted), a funny girl with her stint at The Office as Jim's girlfriend (and her parts in Talladega Nights and Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian), and with a couple of Meryl films (last year's Doubt for which she received her second Oscar nom, as well as this week's Julie & Julia), Adams is now squarely a bona-fide actress in high demand.

Elizabeth Banks plays a flirty bank teller who falls head over heels for Mr Abagnale Jr.

Before 2002, Ms Banks had a couple of bit roles here (Sex and the City) and there (Spiderman - whose role she reprised throughout the trilogy), and while this role didn't quite catapult her anywhere (nor did her role in Best Picture nominee Seabiscuit the following year), she has been working hard since. One could argue that Ms Banks is still waiting for that one big breakout role but solid work in comedies (Meet Dave, The 40 Year Old Virgin, Fred Claus) and some dramas (Heights) have made her profile a bit more public. Everything suggested that 2008 was going to be bigger for her with a high-profile role in Oliver Stone's W. as Laura Bush, a suggestive Kevin Smith comedy (Zack and Miri Make a Porno) and a raunchy comedy role (Role Models) but not even this three-punch was able to materialize into anything other than some magazine profiles here and there.

BONUS:

Can you guess who's one of the lucky gals who gets picked as one of Frank's Panam girls?

Yep!

Fred/Illyria herself.

Or Whiskey/Dr Saunders herself.

Or, as imdb.com knows her: Amy Acker who before this smallest of roles didn't have much to show for her resume (and this hardly counted, I'm sure) but who had come crashing into fanboys' lives only months before with the introduction of Winifred Burkle in Joss Whedon's Angel. It seems Ms Acker is more at home in geek-ful shows (with stints in Alias and Dollhouse coming after Angel faded away) andwhose next project includes Happy Town on ABC this fall looks to follow on those same eerie, fringe-y footsteps.

Average age: 29
Collective Hardware (Emmys/Oscars/Golden Globes) stats before Catch Me If You Can: 0.
Collective Hardware (Emmys/Oscars/Golden Globes) stats after Catch Me If You Can: 2 Oscar noms (courtesy of Ms Adams), 6 Golden Globes noms (3 for Ms Garner, 2 for Ms Adams and one for Ms Pompeo) and 1 Golden Globe win (for Ms Garner in her first season of Alias) as well as 4 Emmy nominations for Ms Garner. Ms Banks only has an ensemble SAG nod while Ms Acker is a Saturn Award winner (as is Ms Garner) and a multiple nominee.
Fame levels in 2009, according to famousr, from most to least: Jennifer Garner, Ellen Pompeo, Amy Adams, Amy Acker, Elizabeth Banks.

Julie and Julia, or How: trailer love!

Meryl + Amy + Norah + Julia Child + Food + Stanley = I'm excited.

Sunshine Cleaning, or How I could watch Amy & Emily any day, really

Sunshine Cleaning

Directed by Christine Jeffs

Written by Megan Holley

Starring: Amy Adams, Emily Blunt, Alan Arkin, Clift Collins Jr & Steve Zahn.

To speak of Sunshine Cleaning and framing it in light of the burgeoning repertoire of 'dysfunctional family/people Indie Films' is at once a disservice to the film at hand, but also a required disclaimer as it does honor and work within the constraints that this new 'subgenre' imposes: dysfunctional relationships, alternate models of 'family,' "growing up" storylines, quirky little kids, death, etc.

And yet, I couldn't help but enjoy myself watching the film. This is, of course, due to the talent of its two leading ladies: Amy Adams plays Rose, a high school cheerleader who's never outgrown the potential she had, but has yet to show anything for it other than an 8 year old boy, a house-cleaning job and an affair with a married cop; Emily Blunt plays Norah, Rose's 'little sister' whose yet to find a footing in life and prefers instead to wander, linger and not take life too seriously. Both in their scenes together and in those where they're allowed to shine individually I was captivated by their performances (Blunt's scene at the train tracks and Adams' scene in the restroom had me in tears, I'll confess). 

Other than that, the plot of the film - while a bit hokey - works just fine as a framing device for these two actresses, which is why when we're off in Alan Arkin-land (reprising his Oscar winning role, basically) or following Oscar's life in school I found myself wishing we'd go back and focus on the girls. In two words (borrowed from the boyfriend), this film is "endearingly morbid" and works quite well at that. B

Best Supporting Actress, or How Desire is the Word

A Blog Next Door's Oscar coverage 2009: for the lit theory junkine in me and the Oscar watcher in you.

Best Supporting Actress 2009: 'Lacanian Desire' 

Okay so we dealt with the crazy supporting boys, the 'manly' leading men and the motherly leading ladies... so what is left? Well, we have a lovely bunch of supporting ladies (don't they make a gorgeous lineup?) who exemplify to one extent or another the different models of desire that (just like 'motherhood' in the leading ladies) these characters exemplify. 

And so here we have a mother, a nun, a stripper mother, a foster mother and a power of nature:

Viola Davis is "Mrs Miller" in Doubt

'I just want what's best for my son.'

&

Amy Adams is "Sister James" in Doubt

'You just want your simplicity, back.'

If I'm lumping the two Doubt girls it is not because of any attempt at diminishing the individual impact but because they both showcase (I think) a similar drive: to keep things as they are (or were, as it may). Both Sister James and Mrs Miller function in the film as character who don't wish to face (or can't fathom to face) the revelation which Sister Aloysius wants to bear on those involved. While one appears more troubled than the other, they both show us women whose desire is for the 'status quo.'  Interesting because this desire for not-change as a model of a world outlook comes at once from a place of faith (Sister James) and a place of social inequality (Mrs Miller), yet it hinges on their role as women pit against men. Our desire contains.

Marisa Tomei is "Cassidy" in The Wrestler

I elicit desire.

Here is a woman who makes money off of men's desire. Cassidy sells the image of her body and is able to make dance that fine line between harnessing desire and letting it out of control. Indeed, her relationship with 'The Ram' suggests that she can only apprehend relationships within a policed desiring structure (client-stripper) and has a hard time figuring out how that desire can either transcend or be turned into something else. My desire titillates.

Taraji P. Henson is "Queenie" in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

I desire to be a mother.

Here is a woman whose desires seem to be unconvincingly selfless. I say that because Queenie seems to not have any desire that is not directed/aimed at someone else (she wants to care for Benjamin, she devotes her life to helping older folks - all, it would seem at her own expense). The film (indeed the premise) cannot empower Queenie with any desire other than to be Benjamin's mother. My desire is muted.

Penelope Cruz is "Maria Elena" in Vicky Cristina Barcelona

I am desire.

Here is a whirlwind of desire - unstoppable, misdirected and at times violent (but then, aren't all warm-blooded European female artists like this?) If there's one thing that Maria Elena epitomizes is the temptation (and curiously dangerous allure) of unbridled desire - be it sexual (with Juan Antonio), artistic (with Cristina) or both (with both!) Whether Woody presents us with a prescription or a warning is up to the audience, but compared to the pale (and might we even go as far as say 'frigid' and 'clinical'?) Vicky and Cristina, we can't fault the camera and the characters from being so seduced by Maria Elena's "ge-nee-uss" which stems from and is projected within her desiring/able body. My desire disturbs.

Watch Out for 2009, or How what are you looking forward to?

Okay, so 2008 is far behind us, and it didn't quite make an impression on anyone (can someone tell me why Slumdog is taking every and all prizes other than because its competition is horribly weak?) In any case: let's look ahead people! I mostly look forward to films because of the people involved so that's why the list skews more towards films made by/starring people I love. "Big Movies" and the "Blockbusters" don't really get me excited though I do end up watching them, so that's why stuff like Watchmen, Terminator and Avatar don't quite make it to the list. Without further ado:

Top 20 Films I'm Most Looking Forward to

20. Cherie (Stephen Frears)

Michelle Pfeiffer in a costume drama. Need we say more?

19. Shutter Island (Martin Scorcese)

Despite The Aviator I still look forward to any Leo/Marty pairing.

18. Duplicity (Tony Gilroy)

You had me at Julia Roberts headlining a film. Add in Tony 'Bourne/Michael Clayton' Gilroy and a shirtless scene with Clive Owen and you've got me really intrigued for this film.

17. A Single Man (Tom Ford)

You have to give props to Mr Ford for bringing together three stars I love: Julianne, Lee & Colin. Also, I love the original story so I'm interested to see how this turns out.

16. An Education (Lone Scherfig)

If there was one deafening pronouncement coming from Sundance this year, it was the breakthrough of a certain Ms Carey Mulligan in this Nick Hornby-penned film. Add in Peter Saarsgard and an academic environment and I'm sold.

15. Rudo y Cursi (Carlos Cuaron)

Gael. Diego. 'Nuff said.

14. Brothers (Jim Sheridan)

Is it just me or was this supposed to be an '08 release? In any case, this remake of a Danish film of the same name has me intrigued, mainly for the talent involved (Ms Portman, Jake and Tobey).

13. Ponyo at the Cliff (Hayao Miyazaki)

I'm an animation freak, so of course I would be

looking forward to Miyazaki's new retelling of Anderson's Little Mermaid. Also, is this not the best voice acting cast since... ever? You had me at Tina Fey.

12. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (David Yates)

This was on my list last year: Warner Bros better make our wait worth while!

11. Los Abrazos Rotos (Pedro Almodovar)

Penelope. Pedro. 'Nuff said.

10. The Princess and the Frog (Ron 'n John)

These are the guys that brought us The Little Mermaid, Hercules and Aladdin, and while I'm unsure about the whole 'Randy Newman writes New Orleans tunes' is gonna work out, I have high hopes for this return to form among the Disney crowd.

9. Away We Go (Sam Mendes)

This is why doing research for upcoming films is fun: you realize John Krasinski, Maya Rudolph Maggie Gyllenhaal, Cheryl Hines, Alison Janney and Catherine O'Hara are starring in a new comedy film by Sam Mendes!

8. Julie and Julia (Nora Ephron)

Meryl. Amy. 'Nuff said.

7.The Lovely Bones (Peter Jackson)

The novel tells the story of a girl who watches from heaven as her family deal with her murder. Intriguing no? We'll see what Mr Jackson cooks up for us.

6. Scott Pilgrim Vs The World (Edgar Wright)

Have you really not picked up the wonderful comic books that trace the trials and tribulations of a certain Scott Pilgrim? What is wrong with you? And now, with a wonderful cast, I can't wait to see what this film looks like.

5. Sunshine Cleaning (Christine Jeffs)

Amy. Emily. 'Nuff said. (This film also closes the Amy-Emily-Meryl-Anne square - wait no. Amy and Anne now need to star in something...)

4. 500 Days of Summer (Marc Webb)

I already talked about how much I was looking forward to this film starring Zoey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt here.

3. Nine (Rob Marshall)

Nicole. Penelope. Kate. Sophia. Judi. Marion. 'Nuff said. Well, no - add to it the directorial vision of Rob Marshall and you've got yourself the most anticipated musical this year.

2. Talking Woodstock (Ang Lee)

When has Mr Lee disappointed us? (If you're answer was "Hulk" please go skulk in the corner right now, shame on you!) Also: Emile, Paul (Dano), Liev, Imelda, Demetri Martin (just saw him on Flight of the Conchords - so cute!) and Jonathan 'Spring Awakening' Groff!

1. Up (Pete Docter)

Is this a surprise to anyone? Of course PIXAR's latest installment would make my number 1 (the fact that Ratatouille and Wall‧E were my top picks for the last two years proves that I have yet to be disappointed by Lassetter & co).