Some Classical Music

Fans of "There Will Be Blood" may recognize this as the music that goes with the end credits. But I've found a terrific live version of it on YouTube, and thought I would share it with all of you.

Absolutely beautiful.

A Few Thoughts About the Oscars. . .

Well, it's over now. So just a few thoughts about the winners.

"Elizabeth: The Golden Age" copped a costume Oscar, even though I preferred the dark and colorful costumes of "Sweeney Todd." I was happy that it did win an award for Art Direction.

"Ratatouille" won the animated feature Oscar, which I agreed with. A better film than the wonderful 'Persepolis."

The visual effects of "The Golden Compass" was at times too fake for my taste, and although a bad film "Transformers" did have some terrific effects.

"La Vie en Rose" copped the makeup Oscar-it was the best of the three, but I was secretly hoping I could say the words "The Oscar Winner Film Norbit."

I think a big surprise to us technical geeks were the three wins for "The Bourne Ultimatum," which won for Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, and Editing. I did think these three techniques were put to great use in the film, but films like "No Country for Old Men" and "There Will Be Blood" had some fantastic use of sound, and it was no question that "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" should have won Best Editing, at least in my eyes.

My two short film picks-"Peter and the Wolf" and "The Mozart of Pickpockets" ended up taking the gold, and I was happy.

While I did like "Once"-not love to the extent that I have seen-I really didn't like "Falling Slowly," and have heard it several times at the Angelika where it played on the music before the movie started.

I only saw "Sicko" out of the documentaries, and wanted it to win because 1) I liked it very much and 2) I wanted to see what Michael Moore would say. He was booed off the stage in 2002 when he started going anti-war, Anti-Bush, but if he said it now he'd probably be cheered. Ironic, eh?  Instead we got Alex Gibney with "Taxi to the Dark Side" which I did not see in NYC last month when it was playing. I am just getting a little tired of these Iraq War docs, and would have preferred to see one of the best films of last year-"The King of Kong"-on the ballot. I did like Gibney's last doc "Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room," and was rooting for him that year.

I did not see any of the five Foreign Language films (the Academy REALLY screwed those up this year) but I wanted to see "The Counterfeiters" and this just means it'll be out for a longer time in the city, upping my chances to see it.

"Atonement" had good music, but I was more a fan of the music in "Michael Clayton," which was simple but very haunting. I cleaned this theatre at work often to just hear it.

The cinematography award could have went to any of the five and I would have been happy. My personal vote would have been for "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly," but the images in "There Will Be Blood" were so jaw-droppingly beautiful, and the derrick explosion scene in the middle is still in my head. Roger Deakins did a great job with his two films-"No Country" and "Jesse James," and "Atonement" had a nice looking scene in the dunkirk. But I'm content.

The Coens naturally won Best Screenplay for "No Country for Old Men," but other picks like "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" and "There Will Be Blood" would have been fine with me too. After all, I can't stop saying 'I Drink Your Milkshake."

Diablo Cody's win for "Juno" was one of the biggest "eh's." It was expected, for sure, but I personally felt that "Juno" was more of an actor's piece than a writer's piece. If I read "Juno" as a script before I even saw the movie or its trailers, it would have left a rather sour taste in my mouth-as if it was written by a sixth grader. But the actors made this rather sloppy writing strong, and I can't give much credit to its script, which is quite flawed. I was rooting for Tony Gilroy's "Michael Clayton" which is a great film-both in writing and acting. The opening monologue alone is worth more than the entire screenplay of "Juno."

Best Supporting Actor was clearly going to be Javiar Bardem, although my personal pick was for Tom Wilkinson. But any of the five could have won and I would have been pleased. Wilkinson with his paranoia, Bardem with his evilness, Hal Halbrook with his tender "Into the Wild" performance, Philip Seymour Hoffman with his anger in "Charlie Wilson's War," and Casey Affleck with his haunting work in 'Jesse James." It was a strong category, for sure.

Although my pick was Amy Ryan in "Gone Baby Gone," I was very pleasantly surprised with Tilda Swinton's win for "Michael Clayton." The whole category was very up in the air, and I'm glad the Academy didn't succomb to Ruby Dee.

Best Actress was Marion Coltillard for "La Vie en Rose," a film I thought was long, dull, generic, and had a leading performance that really did nothing for me. I was rooting for the underdog-in this case Laura Linney-but would have been content with Julie Christie as well.

Best Actor was Mr. Daniel Day Lewis, who did win as he should have. 

Best Director was the Coens, who had nothing to say from the last time they were up, although I was personally rooting for my favorite film of the year, "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly." Paul Thomas as my second, and Tony Gilroy as fourth. Jason Reitman didn't have a chance among these ambitious and masterful directors.

And of course, Best Picture of the year was "No Country for Old Men." While my first choice was "There Will Be Blood," and the third "Michael Clayton," any of those three could have win and I would have walked away content, although I do feel "Blood" will sustain more energy over the next few decades, and will soon be declared a "classic." "No Country for Old Men" is terrific, though, and I'm glad we didn't get an upset with "Juno" or "Atonement" written on the envelope. 

And so thats it. We start from scratch again. We begin once more. Sundance was last month, and perhaps this year's Oscar contenders have been born there. We shall see. 

The Signal Opens This Week!

I saw "The Signal" at the Two Boots Pioneer last August, when Magnolia had a special free screening for it. Expecting it to open in September, and then October before settling on its Feb. 22 release date, its been some time since I've seen 'The Signal," but recalled it being well worth the price of admission-which for me was free, so thats not a good example.

You can find "The Signal" in select cities all over Manhattan, and my original review written last August for this horror/comedy here.

Vantage Point, Charlie Bartlett, and Definitely, Maybe

I don't exactly feel like writing full reviews for any of these three films, but I did manage to sneak in a couple of entries in Hollywood film history-nothing special, but nothing exactly terrible either. A short little writeup follows.

Vantage Point **1/2

A decent little action thriller, which does a good job at telling a rather exciting story but never really getting involved with any of the characters to the point where you care about anything thats happening on the screen. When the president ends up getting shot during a big convention in Spain, we see the incident in regards to a certain number of people around at the time. And with every perspective we get another little piece of the puzzle. This is a rather interesting plot device, but after the third or fourth story it begins to get tiresome a bit, and only some of the perspectives end up being very interesting. We don't learn much about the side characters, with the exception of Dennis Quaid as a Secret Service Agent who took a bullet for the president a year ago, and Forest Whitaker who is divorced from his wife and two children, which makes it hard to really want to relate to any of them, and tense moments involving a little girl and her mother end up being just completely pointless and don't add to the story at all. However, "Vantage Point" remains oddly entertaining and holds mild amusement for its ninety minute running time, but thankfully its nothing more than that. 

Charlie Bartlett **1/2

"Charlie Bartlett" actually played at last years Tribeca Film Festival, but to sold out shows so I could not get a ticket. Finally in a minimal release, the film stars Anton Yelchen, a rather talented young actor who is carted from poor script to poor script-but this is a step above the blase 'House of D" and "Fierce People." He plays our title character, a rich young boy who has advantages, but also a knack for doing things that get him in trouble. After getting kicked out of another private school, Charlie goes to public school, where- in a desperate quest to be universally liked, begins to gives the other kids advice in the men's bathroom, and give out medication that he gets from the family shrink. Things grow worse for Charlie when he begins to date the rather mellow Susan, the daughter of the principle-played by Robert Downy Jr. "Charlie Bartlett" has some fine acting-especially by Downy Jr. who steals every scene he's in as usual-and it does have some funny moments, but too much happens in this story and we shift from episode to episode that it stopped feeling like a narrative and more like a mini-sitcom. It's script is just uneven, and at times the film becomes simply tiresome to the viewer. But the ending achieves a rather poignant level where you leave satisfied, and it was pleasant to see a film dealing with the constant quest for popularity that we all try to achieve in high school, and even perhaps-as this film suggests-later on in life.

Definitely, Maybe ***

All in all, "Definitely, Maybe" is quite a sweet little movie-a romantic comedy that ends up being both likeable and entertaining, and I really did fall under the spell that this movie casts on the viewer. Ryan Reynolds-the rather annoying and grinning mug from films like "Van Wilder" and "Waiting. . ." does a rare heartfelt lead role as William Hayes, who at the beginning of the film suffers a divorce from his wife of a few years. He does get his daughter for half of the time, and she begs him to tell her the story of how he met her mother. Changing the names and some of the events, William tells a story of three of his loves-his college sweetheart Emily (Elizabeth Banks), a copy girl named April (Isla Fisher), and an intellectual who had an affair with Emily years ago, Summer (Rachael Weisz) all while charting his rise in his career, as a worker for the Bill Clinton campaign in 1992. Following conventional romantic comedy formulas, but doing it right and in an entertaining and fresh way, "Definitely, Maybe" becomes a very good watch-a light and enjoyable little movie that holds your attention consistently. And I applaud all three of the female leads, all three of them doing a fine job, and young Abagail Breslin who is a mild step down from her wonderful work in "Little Miss Sunshine,' and whose cuteness sometime feels overbearing. And there's even a fun cameo by Kevin Kline! Of all the standard Hollywood fare at this point in the year, this is certainly the winner.

Final Oscar Picks and Predictions

First of all, I encourage all readers to tell me their own personal Oscar picks by leaving a comment in the comment section at the bottom of the post.

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With the Oscars just a few days away, I have revised my picks and predictions since my initial commentary last month. Here is the list of the people I feel should win, and the list of those who I think will end up winning Academy Awards this weekend.

You can find the nominees on the link to my initial commentary, as I don't find it needed to relist them all again.

For Documentary, Short Subject Documentary, and Foreign Language Film I am not going to have either because I only saw one of the documentaries and none of the other nominees.

Best Picture

My Pick-There Will Be Blood

My Prediction-No Country for Old Men

Best Director

My Pick-Julian Schnabel for "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"

My Prediction-The Coen Brothers for "No Country for Old Men"

Best Actor

My Pick-Daniel Day Lewis for "There Will Be Blood

My Prediction-Daniel Day Lewis for "There Will Be Blood

Best Actress

My Pick-Laura Linney for "The Savages"

Mr Prediction-Julie Christie for "Away from Her"

Best Supporting Actor

My Pick-Tom Wilkinson for "Michael Clayton"

My Prediction-Javier Bardem for "No Country for Old Men"

Best Supporting Actress

My Pick-Amy Ryan for "Gone Baby Gone

My Prediction-Cate Blanchett for "I'm Not There"

Best Animated Film

My Pick-Ratatouille

My Prediction-Ratatouille

Cinematography

My Pick-The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

My Prediction-No Country for Old Men

Makeup

My Pick-La Vie en Rose

My Prediction-La Vie en Rose

Best Musical Score

My Pick-Michael Clayton

My Prediction-Atonement

Adapted Screenplay

My Pick-There Will Be Blood

My Prediction-No Country for Old Men

Original Screenplay

My Pick-Michael Clayton

My Prediction-Juno

Art Direction

My Pick-Sweeney Todd

My Prediction-Atonement

Costume Design

My Pick-Sweeney Todd

My Prediction-Sweeney Todd

Film Editing

My Pick-The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

My Prediction-The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Music Song

My Pick-Happy Working Song for "Enchanted"

My Prediction-So Close for "Enchanted"

Sound Editing

My Pick-There Will Be Blood

My Prediction-There Will Be Blood

Sound Mixing

My Pick-No Country for Old Men

My Prediction-No Country for Old Men

Visual Effects

My Pick-Transformers

My Prediction-Transformers

Short Film Animated

My Pick-Peter and the Wolf

My Prediction-I Met the Walrus

Short Film Live Action

My Pick-The Mozart of Pickpockets

My Prediction-At Night

Good luck to all, and expect some critiques on Monday afternoon!

In Bruges

Alright, so I've only really seen about six movie from 2008, but I can tell already that "In Bruges" will end up being one of my favorites. Who knows? If the year ends up being shoddy and nothing special, maybe this film will end up on my final Top 10 list-a rare feat for anything that comes out this early in the year. It is the best film of the year so far, even though that isn't really saying much. But I kind of fell in love with this dark thriller comedy-yet another trip into the world of hitmen and professional killing. But this is different. They aren't drunk, like in "The Matador" or "You Kill Me," but it combines elements from all of those films- the buddy comedy of the former, the love story of the latter, and at the same time managing to find its own little niche and creating something original, funny, suspenseful, and supremely entertaining. And it might even make you want to visit Bruges.

But where is Bruges?

Well, its in Belgium.

And our main characters Ray and Ken (played by Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson) have been told by their superior Harry (Ralph Fiennes) to hide out there after a killing goes horribly wrong. Harry tells them to quietly sightsee for two weeks and await further instructions. Ken is perfectly happy in Bruges-looking at all the gothic art and architecture. But Ray wants out. He hates Bruges. So since he can't leave, he looks for enjoyment elsewhere- mostly in the arms of Chloe, who works on a movie set that is using a midget for a dream sequence. And Ray has some kind of odd fascination with this midget-or midgets in general-although this midget has a theory that there will one day be a war between the blacks and whites-but that’s something else altogether. Eventually the true nature of Harry's plans for Ray and Ken come to light, and when instructions are not followed Harry finds himself in Bruges himself bent on making sure what he wants done is completely done.

I did not realize how hard it would be to write a plot summary for the film, but it is impossible without revealing any of the twists and turns that go out throughout. This is a packed movie- and where there isn't something going on that is moving the plot forward, there is enough going on with the characters to make everything interesting. Writer/director Martin McDonagh, who directed Gleeson in the wonderful short film "Six Shooter," which won the Oscar two years ago for live action short, puts so much dimension and depth into all of his characters, and through their conversations you learn so much about them within just little minute details. He likes to work with two characters on screen at a time, and its rare that there is something going on with several people-the group cocaine scene is one of the few exceptions I can think of.

Colin Farrell is absolutely fantastic as Ray, and when he isn't using his big mug in films like "Alexander" or "SWAT" he proves himself quite well. I thought he was very good in "Cassandra's Dream," but this is certainly his best role to date. Perhaps its because he's comfortably in his own native voice. Without revealing the true nature of Ray's anger and confusion, Farrell plays it wonderfully-at times he makes you want to laugh, and at others he makes you want to cry, and McDonagh's smart and sharp script balance the two elements perfectly. Gleeson is great as always, and I would have to mention a terrific shot of him on the phone talking to Harry, learning what he must do to set things right. It's all in one take, no more than a few minutes, but Gleeson works amazingly well in the scene. And Ralph Fiennes, turning in one of the funniest supporting roles in recent memory, also has his own share of depth and despair in his character, and even though we laugh or grimace in fear at him, he really does have some beautiful and poignant moments. The whole movie manages to have this unexpected air of poignancy in almost every single scene, and the final moments are haunting, but hilarious, all at the same time. And the visuals! The visuals are just quite beautiful, and the film really makes you want to visit Bruges.

I honestly kind of loved this film. I loved everything about it, and commend McDonagh on his wonderful work. As a big fan of "Six Shooter" the few times I saw it, I was looking forward to this when I first saw its trailers a few months ago, but I was surprised by just how perfectly everything clicked. How the mixed genres felt so natural, and how involved in the story I was- especially the third act which at times could have easily fell into farce territory (the way it brings all the characters from the film as a whole together again), and avoids that and becomes something rather sweet and hauntingly beautiful. And the great score by one of my favorite composers Carter Burwell adds something to the mix.

Final Grade-
"In Bruges"-**** of ****

The 2007 Oscar Nominated Shorts

February ends up being one of my favorite times of year because it gives me a chance to catch up with some of the short films that have been nominated for awards. This is the fourth year that I managed to see all the Oscar shorts, and they have become increasingly popular each year, which is why Magnolia Pictures continues to even bother distributing them. Three years ago I saw a mish-mosh of several of the short films, but not all, but this marks the third time where I've been able to see both programs-the animated shorts and the live action, each with a separate admission, but usually well worth the trip. And it gives you a chance to see some of the films from the two categories that are usually glossed over the most-although the short subject documentaries probably don't get much audience attention, and I still have no clue where you'd be able to see those. And so, for a cheap price of twenty-three dollars, you are able to see the ten shorts up for Academy Awards.

I saw the animated programs first, and you must understand that as in all short films complilations-and I've seen quite a few from the "Animation Show 2005," to Jim Jarmusch's "Coffee and Cigarettes,"-there are some duds and there are some real winners. I think the best year for the Oscar Shorts was in 2006, when all five of the live actions were dark and seriously witty and kind of brilliant, and most of the animations were worth the ticket as well. Last year I wasn't impressed by four of the live actions, and the animated ones had left much to be desired.

The five films in the animated category were-

MEME LES PIGEONS VONT AU PARADIS (EVEN PIGEONS GO TO HEAVEN)
France, 9 minutes, French w/ English subtitles, CGI

We were off to a good start with this rather cute little tale about a greedy Frenchmen that allows himself to be conned into buying a machine from a man that promises to take him to heaven. It's short, very entertaining, and the simple animation looks quite appealing. The ending is dark, but extremely clever.

MY LOVE (MOYA LYUBOV)
Russia, 27 minutes, Russian with English subtitles, Drama

"My Love" probably suffered mostly from being too long. It's animation is unlike anything that I have ever seen before-done in a watercolor effect where every single shot and image looks like something out of a painting. It follows the story of a young Russian boy who has affections for two very different women. I did lose interest in the story, despite the visuals being quite striking, and this was certainly a lull in the program.

MADAME TUTLI-PUTLI
Canada, 17 minutes, Claymation/CGI, Drama

"Madame Tutli-Putli" started off quite witty and smart. A women is on a train and checking out all the wacky characters aboard with her. Two of which are playing a chess game where the pieces move themselves every time the train hits a bump on the tracks. One of which makes disgusting hand gestures to her in suggestive fashion. But what started off in one direction quickly turned into something darker-something that seemed right out of a David Lynch film. And it began to just get plain incoherent at the end, something that it never recovers from, leaving a rather blase image in my head.

I MET THE WALRUS
Canada, 5 minutes, English, 2D Animation, Documentary

I am quite convinced that "I Met the Walrus" will end up winning the Oscar, even though it isn't my pick if I were an Academy voter. It was also the only one of the five that got applause at the end of it. It is an interview that a young boy had with John Lennon, only with some rather neat visual animated tricks to go along with it. I did like this little film, but it was more of spectacular that actually being something moving and original. Sure enough the audience clapped, but I doubt they clapped at the actual film itself and instead was just excited to hear Lennon talk about war, peace, and everything in between.

PETER & THE WOLF
United Kingdom & Poland, 27 minutes, Drama

My pick for the Oscar is "Peter and the Wolf," set to a classical piece tells the story of a young boy, his pet duck, his pet bird with a balloon tied to it, and the evil cat that lives with them, and their struggle to survive a hungry wolf. The animation is great, its very funny, and sustains interest despite the rather long length. I really liked this little film and I hope that it walks away with the Oscar come Feb. 24th.

One thing to note this year was how long both of these programs were. In past years, the animated films total running time barely extends over an hour, and Magnolia has to throw other noteworthy animated films from the year to just give it an eighty minute running time, but this year all five of them managed to do that one their own. I think last year's shorts (which are reviewed on this site!) barely hit forty minutes, and I sat through another forty minutes of rather medicre little films from the year. The live action shorts this year totaled to about 137 minutes, and they are usually about 95.

The five films in the live action category were-

TANGHI ARGENTINI
Belgium, Comedy, 13 minutes, French w/ English subtitles

A completely wonderful thirteen minutes is to spend it with "Tanghi Argentini," a story of a man who meets a woman on the internet and lies to her about being a tango expert. He goes to the help of one of his co-workers to help him learn the tango in three weeks time to impress this woman at a big dance. Funny, smart, and with a sweet Capra-esque twist ending, this was a terrific start to the program. It reminded me a little of "Shall We Dance" almost, just in the chemistry between the two men working hard for our hero to impress his girl.

AT NIGHT
Denmark, Drama, 40 minutes, Danish w/ English subtitles

A long, depressing, and sometimes tedious short, "At Night" tells about three women in a cancer ward who manage to find friendships with each other in their great time of need. What could have been a beautiful little piece sometimes gets a little melodramatic and some of the little segments just felt a little long winded and occasionally too much. I have a small feeling that the Academy will end up voting this one as the best short film in this category, even though the real winner comes later.

IL SUPPLENTE (THE SUBSTITUTE)
Italy, Comedy, 17 minutes, Italian w/ English subtitles

I still don't really know what to make of "The Substitute," but it was quite enjoyable regardless. We have a man come into a high school classroom saying that he is the sub. for the day, and ends up giving wacky assignments and taking a signed baseball off one of the students-much to his dismay. The first half is rather off the wall and humerus, but it isn't until the second half where the film really hits its stride and begins to develop some sort of philosophy-but I still had a hard time behind what they were trying to say with it, and who this man really was.

THE TONTO WOMAN
United Kingdom, Drama, 36 minutes, English

The slowest and most unusual of the five, "The Tonto Woman" is yet another western-and 2007 was the year of the modern day western, if you can recall-about a cattle wrangler that ends up meeting the wife of the man whose cattle he plans to steal, who has been held prisoner for eleven years by a group of Indians. The visuals are quite striking, and the script is quite decent, but the slow pace becomes a bit tedious at times, and some of the acting (especially the part of the woman's husband) is almost laughably bad. Not a bad addition to the genre, but compared to the other fantastic westerns of the year this is a minor work.

LE MOZART DES PICKPOCKETS (THE MOZART OF PICKPOCKETS)
France, Comedy, 31 minutes, French w/ English subtitles

My pick for the award is "The Mozart of Pickpockets," an absolutely wonderful film about two con men that end up taking a young deaf boy under their wing, and using him to hustle wallets off a people in movie theatres. This film is very funny, has great chemistry between the two leads, and offers enough surprises in its thirty minute running time to never feel overlong or burdensome. I actually kind of loved this film, right down to the rather deserving and very funny finale.

The Oscar nominated shorts are playing right now at the IFC Center in Manhattan, and selected theatres all across the United States-a little over 60 in all! Some of them make sitting through the entire program worth the admission and the trip, and its a fun way every year to make your Oscar conversations just a little more interesting. I am always the only one in my groups of have seen these, and it makes you feel just a little bit better than everybody else. Ha, ha, ha. . .

Final Grade:
Animated Shorts-*** of ****
Live Action Shorts-*** of ****

Diary of the Dead Opens This Week. . .

George A Romero's return to the zombie genre comes out this weekend with "Diary of the Dead." After the rather commercial "Land of the Dead" from 2005, Romero does something a little experimental, but more true to his former from the earlier "Dead" movies. While not perfect, it should hold fans over and make them believe in Romero a little more than they did two years ago.

I saw the film at the Toronto Film Festival, and you can find the review here, and the movie is playing in limited release in Manhattan.

Some Academy Award Nominated Scenes. . .

No I don't have any new movie reviews for you, but I promise I will have an update next weekend with an actual movie review. Even if I were in the great city of New York, there isn't much to see out there, and I just didn't have the stomach to venture out and check out this weeks offerings-'Fool Gold" and "Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins." 

So instead to hold some of you over, thanks to the fellows at YouTube, I managed to find a few of my favorite scenes from some of the Oscar nominees this year. So watch at your lesiure, and as always, be warned of spoilers. Just click on the name of the actor for a great scene from their nominated film, and click on the film's title for my review of the movie from whenever I wrote it.

Philip Seymour Hoffman (Best Supporting Actor nominee) yells at his boss in "Charlie Wilson's War."

Javier Bardem (Best Supporting Actor nominee) in the popular coin toss scene in "No Country for Old Men."

Tom Wilkinson (Best Supporting Actor nominee) and George Clooney (Best Actor nominee) in "Michael Clayton." as well as an additional scene featuring Clooney and Tilda Swinton (Best Supporting Actress nominee) 

Daniel Day Lewis (Best Actor nominee) in "There Will Be Blood"-classic milkshake scene

Casey Affleck (Best Supporting Actor nominee) in the title sequence of "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford."

Cate Blanchett (Best Supporting Actress nominee) in the Bob Dylan "biopic" "I'm Not There."

Ellen Page (Best Actress nominee) and Michael Cera's sweet musical finish of "Juno."

Julie Christie (Best Actress nominee) in "Away from Her."

Viggo Mortensen (Best Actor nominee) in the brilliantly staged bathhouse fight sequence in "Eastern Promises." 

That's all the scenes I could scope out, but suffice to say it is a tough race this year, and it really is anyone's game.

Except Daniel Day Lewis. He just has it in the bag.

The Band's Visit Opens This Week

Opening Friday at the Angelika, and I believe the Lincoln Plaza Cinemas, is the wonderful Israel comedy "The Band's Visit." Not many people saw the film during its week long awards consideration run at the beginning of December, but if you did not this is a great chance to see this wonderful, funny, warm, and somber comedy. Sadly, a complete bonehead move by the Academy ended up disqualifying this film for Best Foreign Language Film because more than fifty percent of the film is in English- but that technicality is part of the moral of the film- and the emotional core is strongly defined by the English language usage.

For a full review of the film that I wrote two months ago, click here.