Reviews

Now already on episode 3 I can say without a doubt. "Feud" is totally addictive. The writing, the direction, costumes and production design, it all works beautifully, satisfying those who knew nothing about the story and those of us who knew a great deal. The biggest surprise, however is the Jessica Lange and Susan Sarandon's performances that puts everything into a level way above, camp and/or caricature. Their performances are serious, profound, all consuming. Two modern stars throw themselves into the emotional investigation of two stars from the past and the results are, let me say it, extraordinary. I'm looking at Joan Crawford through an entirely new perspective. Jessica Lange has humanized her without embellishing her and Susan Sarandon plays with Bette Davis's contradictions making them crystal clear even finding a sort of justification for them. I saw the 3rd episode "Mommie Dearest" twice in a row. That's how riveted I was and still am. Let me also mention Alfred Molina as Robert Aldrich. Sensational.

Watching Teorema for the first time in 2017 it gave me a chill by the influence this movie clearly had on "Apartment Zero" (1988) - A film I only discovered last year but it has become one of my favorites. I know "Apartment Zero" so well by now, that at times it felt (felt is the operative word)I was in their same universe. They are both socio-political psycho sexual tales. Terence Stamp and Hart Bochner even look related to each other. Colin Firth represents a Country in decadence with a past of elegant pride, Massimo Girotti represents, for me, exactly the same things for different reasons in different ways but they are both seduceable in the eyes of the stranger. To think that Teorema was made in 1968 and Apartment Zero in 1988, boggles the mind. Mine anyway.

A story of twists and turns with a sticky sexual link. Jane Fonda and Alain Delon are reason enough to enjoy this French noir but there is more. Lola Albright for instance. Wow! She's a retro futuristic femme fatale. Then Rene Clement, the director of "Purple Noon" knows how to keep us on the edge of our seats without sacrificing that elegant center that makes the whole think work beautifully. "Joy House" was made a few short years after Delon starred in Luchino Visconti's "Rocco And His Brothers" This were Delon's superstar years and he uses the power of his stardom to confuse us and tease us to death. I'm not going to spoil it for you so I don't intend to reveal it but it has one of those endings that's not just fun and clever but totally unexpected. A very enjoyable semi-precious gem.

It feels like a period documentary and the story is the story of Leopold and Loeb - A terrifying portrait of two real life killers who killed without passion or reason just to prove they were above the law. The period details are beautifully drawn but where it lacks is in the actor's faces. They appear rather than participate fully. There is a detachment in their portrayal that kept me at a safe distance and I could admire it with my head but I couldn't connect with my heart. The opposite of what happened to me with 1958's Compulsion - I was riveted by Dean Stockwell. I believed and understood just by looking into his eyes.

I knew about "Apartment Zero" but I had never seen it even though I thought I had. Someone said "Single White Female" was its remake. What? Not even close. "Apartment Zero" is an original in every possible way. I certainly never seen a movie like it and I don't remember when was the last time I was so unnerved, enthralled and surprised by a movie. Colin Firth is astonishing, 28 years ago! The character is impossible to love and yet you do, love him. At least, you care and fear for him. There are entire sequences that made me hold my breath, literally. Invaded by a sense of impending doom without being able to identify its source. Now I can tell you, the source was from within me. Colin Firth's craving for company is as piercing as it is uncomfortable. Not too distant from Shelley Winters in "Lolita" but more British, kind of buried underneath. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since I saw it 48 hours ago. I can't wait to see it again.

David Hare wrote one of my favorite female characters in "Plenty", Meryl Streep brought her to life in the most extraordinary way. Here, Hare writes another power house female character. It doesn't have the intellectual aspirations of "Plenty" but there is also a form of mental illness in his character. Kate Winslet is magnificent. Her early scenes with the wonderful David Kross are filled with compelling, contradictory and totally believable undertones. My misgivings are to be pinned on Stephen Daldry, the director. His sins as a filmmaker start to become a sort of trade mark, visible and palpable in the moving "Billy Elliot" and the shattering "The Hours" I can't quite pinpoint what it is but in "The Reader" that element is more obvious than in the other two. Maybe it has to do with loftiness. There are moments so frustratingly long and slow here that he lost me in more than one occasion. In any case, the cast makes this film a rewarding experience. Besides Kate Winslet and David Kross. The tortured Ralph Finnes has a couple of wonderful moments as well as Bruno Ganz and Lina Olin in a dual role.

Gus Van Sant's talent and humility allows Harvey Milk to be a the center of this remarkable story without putting himself in front of the camera. Sean Penn shines with a new and extraordinary light as Harvey Milk. His humanity is overwhelming at times. That permanent smile defining his face talks volumes about his faith in people, no matter what. His awareness is filled with truth and innocence, he worries he's about to be 40 and hasn't accomplished anything. Little did he know.The film is constructed brilliantly in a series of vignettes that builds up into a whole fluid narrative. Josh Brolin, as the disturbed Dan White is another standout in a complex and remarkable performance. No cheap shots here. Diego Luna, Joseph Cross and Emile Hirsch are also terrific as the boys around Harvey but it is James Franco who truly gets under your skin. His romantic turn is one of the most compelling gay love stories I've ever seen (and I've seen Brokeback Mountain). Highly recommended!