DVD Alert: 'Brideshead Revisited' Miniseries

    It took several nights to recently watch this acclaimed 1981 miniseries of Evelyn Waugh's novel on DVD. I saw it when it was first broadcast but I don't remember a lot except for specific scenes that still linger in my head. So how does has it aged after many years?  It's as good as anything you will ever see if you have the patience to watch the story unfold over eleven hours. Some viewers might find it slow going but that's where its charm lies. A fortune was spent in providing the novel's details to readers and those unfamiliar with it will soon be sucked into a glorious recreation of a time and place no longer with us.  If you want fact pacing, move on. If you enjoy seeing the equivalent of reading a great novel, watch a chapter every night. The boxed set includes a 'making of' documentary explaining how this production was a labor of love.

   Besides getting a tour of England's stately homes inhabited by aristocrats trapped by their traditions & surroundings and traveling to different countries between the wars, there's the joy of watching a marvelous cast that will never be equaled. We saw Jeremy Irons in a Tom Stoppard play years ago and stood next to him while he signed autographs before entering the theater. His back was to us and I remember how tall and lean he was with his long limbs. He's the center of the miniseries narrating his story about how he came a part of the Brideshead family, first as a friend to Sebastian and later as a confidant to his mother, and a lover to his sister. Catholicism and its guilt is a major theme theme here as it guides the family while Irons observes as an agnostic.

     Forget the recent movie version; athough it's shorter, it omits characters and distorts the novel. If you haven't read the novel, you might enjoy the new movie as something like Atonement. Here's a review of the DVD miniseries and check out the original broadcast review on the same page: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/24/arts/television/24brid.html?ref=movies

'Righteous Kill' Review

Robert De Niro and Al Pacino in Jon Avnet’s Righteous Kill. Watch the trailer: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/righteous-kill/30163/main

    The reviews have been mixed, mostly disappointing for this second pairing of De Niro and Pacino.  The story has a gimmick that I guessed about a half hour into the story but it's cleverly done when you think it over. These seasoned actors star as cops on the trail of a serial killer who disposes of criminals who were freed in court and found with  poems on their bodies.  After a while, a cop is suspected of performing his own brand of justice and it's up our leads to find him. 

    The trailer hides an important fact that I won't reveal here. I will only say that a cop does the killing but you have to see the movie to learn his identity. There's plenty of red herrings to lead you astray so pay attention.

   It's always good to see two of our finest actors working together again and they didn't try to upstage each other. In the early 80's I saw Pacino onstage in American Buffalo and he's actually short but stands tall in any medium. 

   Righteous Kill needs to be seen a second time to savor their performances as well as the rest of the cast but to examine the plot twists & turns that are tied up perhaps too neatly at the end.

    And Mom, a 90 year-old Italian, was happy to see her boys in action.

The Ahn Trio

Here's two recent CDs of these three young Korean sisters who play piano, violin & cello.  They perform all kinds of music:  tango, classical, rock, movie sounndtracks, old standards, etc. but with their own stamp. As you see here, they're as easy on your eyes as well as your ears. I purchased both these CDs on vacation in Portsmouth and I never get tired of listening to them. The one on the left is their latest and worth owning if you prefer an eclectic mix of music.  Listen to samples on their website: http://www.ahntrio.com/v2/

The Ahn Trio will be playing nearby on Nov 14 and we have our tickets.

'The Women' Review

Annette Bening, left; Jada Pinkett Smith, center; and Debra Messing are some of  The Women, directed by Diane English.  Watch the trailer:  http://www.moviefone.com/movie/the-women/30317/main

Reading reviews should be considered a starting point before seeing a movie, hearing music, or reading a book. It's best to read a few to learn what each reviewer likes or dislikes about his subject and then form your own opinion. How convincing they make they points will probably influence you. But the best rule of thumb is: go see what interests you, not what others think. Then make up your mind.

    The Women got mixed reviews and lead me to believe it was to be disappointing. After seeing it yesterday, it was better than I expected. It's a pleasant comedy about friendships, trust & betrayal, and following your own conscience & goals.  Each character learns a life lesson that results in some pain but they learn to grow from their experiences. All performances were pleasing and men will enjoy this movie too.

   It took years to finally make this remake of the 1939 version  with Joan Crawford and Norma Shearer and some updating had to be included. There's enough laughs to carry you along at a leisurely pace to its rightful conclusion. I woukl have prefered more cattiness between the gals but that's not how they behaved with each other, a minor quibble. A good bitch-slapping fest would have been nice too. Nothing too heavy here and you've seen similar stuff on episodic tv shows. A perfect matinee movie for a rainy day. I loved the NYC sights and can't wait for my next trip to the Big Apple. 

   Yes Mom enjoyed it too.  And why not?

DVD Alert: 'I Claudius"

    Watch the trailer although it hardly gives you a hint of what's to come: http://www.videodetective.com/?publishedid=3378

 

 We missed watching this acclaimed British miniseries when it debuted on PBS in 1977. The DVD set is expensive but I used a Borders' 30% discount coupon. I Claudius is based on two novels about the Roman emperor Claudius who managed to live a long time while everyone around him was killed off for political or personal reasons, usually the former choice.  Imagine history told as a classy soap opera but with lots of violence & sex. Not the usual toga party.....

  This enthralling saga is spread over 13 sections/hours and you will get hooked after watching the first one. Ancient Rome's upper class is a vipers' nest of opportunists who will stop at nothing to achieve their goals. Poison seems the easiest and untraceable method of disposing of rivals and enemies but there's plenty of stabbings when they are in a hurry. You will see many famous actors of the 70's and some who became famous later. You will never think the same about Patrick Stewart who later went on to the second  Star Trek TV series. Spoiler Alert:  He's not very nice here...  If you saw the movie Dune and thought Sian Phillips was a plotter there, she's an amateur there compared to her character as the Empress Livia. You will be dazzled by her performance as she steals every scene. I was afraid the series would suffer without her presence but it's evenly good though to the conclusion.  John Hurt is creepy and fascinating as the mad Caligula. As for the title character. Derek Jacobi deserved every accolade for his performance as he ages with his role, playing the stuttering, limping fool who survives by not posing as a threat to anyone's ambition.  

    This production is stagy because it was filmed in studios but it's the venomous dialogue and acting that carries you into this dark era. Example: When a soldier protests killing a young child because she's a virgin, his superior orders him with "Well make sure she's not a virgin when you kill her.'' Your imagination fills in what's not shown. The aging makeup for the cast is marvelous.  A DVD bonus is a documentary about an aborted movie attempt in 1937 using surviving footage and is a must for film buffs.

   Maybe your library or rental store has the set. Watching every chapter is like reading a good novel. The Mrs. bought the novels so I hope to read them soon. Here's a website for the miniseries with plot summaries and  fiction vs. history comparisons: http://www.anselm.edu/internet/classics/i,claudius/

DVD Alert: 'Cold Comfort Farm'

For those who enjoy British comedies and period pieces, here's a little gem I found on a Border's bargain table. Watch the trailer: http://www.videodetective.com/titledetails.aspx?publishedid=79693

Here's a summary:

Stella Gibbons' popular novel was published in 1932, and it has been adapted twice for British television, first as a miniseries in 1971, then by director John Schlesinger in 1995. That version proved so popular that it was released to theaters in the U.S. The heroine of Gibbons' story, Flora Poste (Kate Beckinsale), is an aspiring young writer with two needs: material for her first novel, and a cheap place to live and work. A wealthy friend (Joanna Lumley) encourages her to take advantage of her country cousins and impose upon them for lodgings. Flora finds Cold Comfort Farm to be a ramshackle affair populated by eccentrics including the imperious Ada Doom (Sheila Burrell), her daughter Judith (Eileen Atkins), Judith's rough but handsome son Seth (Rufus Sewell), and Amos (Ian McKellen), an amateur preacher whose sermonizing seems to release some kind of demons within him. Undaunted by this menagerie, Flora gets to work organizing the household, and she comes to realize that the material for her book is right in front of her. ~ Tom Wiener, All Movie Guide

     And what a menagerie!  The quirky characters grow on you as Flora, wiser than her young years. takes command of their lives. The events may seem unbelievable but you really want these oddballs to succeed. Kate Beckinsale, who later looked smoldering in leather in the Underworld movies, is a delight as well as the other performers. Everyone seems rightfully cast here. I was fortunate to see Eileen Atkins on stage as a fine Rosalind in Shakespeare's As You Like It and Ian McKellen as Salieri in Amadeus, one of the great theatrical performance I've seen anywhere.

    I had trouble listening to the dialogue & Bristish slang in the surround sound mode and switched over to 2-channel stereo which made it clearer. A good rent of a charming film.

'Transsiberian' Review

Emily Mortimer and Woody Harrelson escape on foot in Transsiberian, directed by Brad Anderson. Watch the trailer: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/transsiberian/33428/main

     Much has been made of this film as being influenced by Hitchcock's The Lady Vanishes and other train-bound thrillers.  That's not a bad thing as Transsiberian  chugs along at a slow pace building to the nastiness that takes over during the second half. There's plenty of twists, red herrings, and surprises along the way as Woody Harrelson and Emily Mortimer play American teachers returning from Asia by crossing Russia and get mixed up with a mysterious couple and Russian policemen looking for drugs. Harrelson's 'Awe shucks' character seems too naive but you will change your opinion later when he is forced to take action.  Mortimer has a more complex part and it's her actions and reactions that move the plot. Ben Kingsley has a colorful role as a Russian detective who aids our travelers but is he to be trusted?  Everyone here has secrets that put their lives and others in danger.

    The wintry landscape and the squalid interiors of the train, hotels, and ruins add to the mystery's uncomfortable & menacing tone. The ending has been criticized for descending into predictable melodrama and brutality.  Perhaps this was the only way to bring the story to its conclusion. How you react to it depends on your suspension of disbelief.

    Transsiberian is a satisfying ride with a few bumps along the way but it never derails.