Notes on a Scandal

I’ve often heard it said that secrets don’t make friends. Someone might have told this to Barbara Covett, but it would have been too late, she is set in her ways long before we meet her.
In the evocative film “Notes on a Scandal,” by director Richard Eyre, Dame Judi Dench’s Barbara is a is a twisted spinster of a menacing school teacher with more secrets than we can possibly begin to count. That she has a less than orthodox method of acquiring friends makes for one of the most riveting character studies to be seen on screens in years.
I mention secrets because they are the thing that give Barbara a reason to live. As the film opens we hear the phenomenal Dench narrating to the audience with the words she is penning into her little black book of a diary.
The narration continues as we are shown a cross section of Barbara’s life. Her humble little apartment is nothing that would stick in your memory. Her job, a history teacher at St. Georges School in London, is similarly uneventful, save for the occasional brawl among students.
Perhaps it is because we hear the poisonously honest words of Barbara, as the camera pans down her shelf of diary after secret filled diary, that the idea of her personal thoughts, free of any and all inhibitions, haunts us throughout the film.
Barbara’s life is made even more interesting, dangerously interesting in fact, by the arrival of a new teacher at St. George’s. Sheba Hart is a sweet, beautiful, young, inexperienced teacher, in all ways the opposite of Covett. Cate Blanchett plays Hart in a very likeable way, even when she is doing unlikable things.
Hart is not merely new to St. Georges, she is a new teacher altogether, and her inexperience is taken advantage of by her wild students, but more so by Covett, possibly the greatest scenario of a coworker from hell.
Barbara tells the audience of the way that the people around her are willing to open up and share their deepest secrets and feeling with her, something she calls a “gift of the privileged.” In a twisted form of mentor/novice relationship, Barbara and Sheba become friends and it isn’t long before Sheba is sharing her secrets with Barbara.
It isn’t long before Barbara learns Sheba’s darkest secret, that she is having an affair with a fifteen-year old student. Blackmail comes to mind immediately, but Barbara doesn’t want anything of Sheba, save her friendship, or is it companionship? We are ever startled as Barbara’s obsession becomes more and more obvious.
It should not come as a surprise to the audience that Barbara wants little less than ownership of Sheba’s soul, we hear her diary entries regularly, yet as Sheba realizes this it is still as much a shock to us as it is to her.
The story builds to an explosion of tempers and emotions such that in the end we are left astounded sitting in the darkness as the final credits role.
Many have hailed Dame Judi Dench as one of the greatest living actresses; this movie only supports that assessment all the more. Lately it seems that Dench can only be seen in supporting roles as in the “Bond” movies, “Pride and Prejudice,” “The Importance of Being Earnest,” and “Shakespeare In Love.” Movies like this offer audiences to chance to see her in full form.
It must have taken bravery on her part to take on such a risky performance. It has paid off with an Academy Award nomination and one of her most memorable roles in years.
Cate Blanchett cannot be ignored, nor was she by the Academy who nominated her for Best Supporting Actress; her performance is a remarkable one. She has never been more beautiful or frightening. For all those who thought she could not become more crazed she was as the tempted elf queen in “The Fellowship of the Ring,” you have only to see her as Sheba confronts Barbara about the things she writes in her diaries.
The Performances make this movie as interesting and memorable as it is. Screenwriter Patrick Marber adapted the film from the book by Zoe Heller, but it is Dench and Blanchett who bring it to life.
“Notes on a Scandal” certainly demonstrates that secrets don’t make friends. The audience, though, is bound to realize that secrets make terrific entertainment.

B+

2006 Oscar Nominations

In honor of trying new things I am going to make a post specifically dealing with the Oscar Nominations for least year's movies. I will list the main ones and I will put the ones I think ought to win in bold. I doubt my predictions will be spot on, they are mainly the ones I think should win, not the ones I think will win.

Performance by an actor in a leading role
	Leonardo DiCaprio in “Blood Diamond” (Warner Bros.)
	Ryan Gosling in “Half Nelson” (THINKFilm)
	Peter O’Toole in “Venus” (Miramax, Filmfour and UK Council)
	Will Smith in “The Pursuit of Happyness” (Sony Pictures Releasing)
	Forest Whitaker in “The Last King of Scotland” (Fox Searchlight)
Performance by an actor in a supporting role
	Alan Arkin in “Little Miss Sunshine” (Fox Searchlight)
	Jackie Earle Haley in “Little Children” (New Line)
	Djimon Hounsou in “Blood Diamond” (Warner Bros.)
	Eddie Murphy in “Dreamgirls” (DreamWorks and Paramount)
	Mark Wahlberg in “The Departed” (Warner Bros.)
Performance by an actress in a leading role
	Penélope Cruz in “Volver” (Sony Pictures Classics)
	Judi Dench in “Notes on a Scandal” (Fox Searchlight)
	Helen Mirren in “The Queen” (Miramax, Pathé and Granada)
	Meryl Streep in “The Devil Wears Prada” (20th Century Fox)
	Kate Winslet in “Little Children” (New Line)
Performance by an actress in a supporting role
	Adriana Barraza in “Babel” (Paramount and Paramount Vantage)
	Cate Blanchett in “Notes on a Scandal” (Fox Searchlight)
	Abigail Breslin in “Little Miss Sunshine” (Fox Searchlight)
	Jennifer Hudson in “Dreamgirls” (DreamWorks and Paramount)
	Rinko Kikuchi in “Babel” (Paramount and Paramount Vantage)
Best animated feature film of the year
	“Cars” (Buena Vista) John Lasseter
	“Happy Feet” (Warner Bros.) George Miller
	“Monster House” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Gil Kenan
Achievement in art direction
	“Dreamgirls” (DreamWorks and Paramount) Art Direction: John Myhre Set Decoration: Nancy Haigh
	“The Good Shepherd” (Universal) Art Direction: Jeannine Oppewall Set Decoration: Gretchen Rau and Leslie E. Rollins
	“Pan’s Labyrinth” (Picturehouse) Art Direction: Eugenio Caballero Set Decoration: Pilar Revuelta
	“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” (Buena Vista) Art Direction: Rick Heinrichs Set Decoration: Cheryl A. Carasik
	“The Prestige” (Buena Vista) Art Direction: Nathan Crowley Set Decoration: Julie Ochipinti
Achievement in cinematography
	“The Black Dahlia” (Universal) Vilmos Zsigmond
	“Children of Men” (Universal) Emmanuel Lubezki
	“The Illusionist” (Yari Film Group) Dick Pope
	“Pan’s Labyrinth” (Picturehouse) Guillermo Navarro
	“The Prestige” (Buena Vista) Wally Pfister
Achievement in costume design
	“Curse of the Golden Flower” (Sony Pictures Classics) Yee Chung Man
	“The Devil Wears Prada” (20th Century Fox) Patricia Field
	“Dreamgirls” (DreamWorks and Paramount) Sharen Davis
	“Marie Antoinette” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Milena Canonero
	“The Queen” (Miramax, Pathé and Granada) Consolata Boyle
Achievement in directing
	“Babel” (Paramount and Paramount Vantage) Alejandro González Iñárritu
	“The Departed” (Warner Bros.) Martin Scorsese
	“Letters from Iwo Jima” (Warner Bros.) Clint Eastwood
	“The Queen” (Miramax, Pathé and Granada) Stephen Frears
	“United 93” (Universal and StudioCanal) Paul Greengrass
Best documentary feature
	“Deliver Us from Evil” (Lionsgate) A Disarming Films Production Amy Berg and Frank Donner
	“An Inconvenient Truth” (Paramount Classics and Participant Productions) A Lawrence Bender/Laurie David Production Davis Guggenheim
	“Iraq in Fragments” (Typecast Releasing) A Typecast Pictures/Daylight Factory Production James Longley and John Sinno
	“Jesus Camp” (Magnolia Pictures) A Loki Films Production Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady
	“My Country, My Country” (Zeitgeist Films) A Praxis Films Production Laura Poitras and Jocelyn Glatzer
Best documentary short subject
	“The Blood of Yingzhou District” A Thomas Lennon Films Production Ruby Yang and Thomas Lennon
	“Recycled Life” An Iwerks/Glad Production Leslie Iwerks and Mike Glad
	“Rehearsing a Dream” A Simon & Goodman Picture Company Production Karen Goodman and Kirk Simon
	“Two Hands” A Crazy Boat Pictures Production Nathaniel Kahn and Susan Rose Behr
Achievement in film editing
	“Babel” (Paramount and Paramount Vantage) Stephen Mirrione and Douglas Crise
	“Blood Diamond” (Warner Bros.) Steven Rosenblum
	“Children of Men” (Universal) Alex Rodríguez and Alfonso Cuarón
	“The Departed” (Warner Bros.) Thelma Schoonmaker
	“United 93” (Universal and StudioCanal) Clare Douglas, Christopher Rouse and Richard Pearson
Best foreign language film of the year
	“After the Wedding” A Zentropa Entertainments 16 Production Denmark
	“Days of Glory (Indigènes)” A Tessalit Production Algeria
	“The Lives of Others” A Wiedemann & Berg Production Germany
	“Pan’s Labyrinth” A Tequila Gang/Esperanto Filmoj/Estudios Picasso Production Mexico
	“Water” A Hamilton-Mehta Production Canada
Achievement in makeup
	“Apocalypto” (Buena Vista) Aldo Signoretti and Vittorio Sodano
	“Click” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Kazuhiro Tsuji and Bill Corso
	“Pan’s Labyrinth” (Picturehouse) David Marti and Montse Ribe
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)
	“Babel” (Paramount and Paramount Vantage) Gustavo Santaolalla
	“The Good German” (Warner Bros.) Thomas Newman
	“Notes on a Scandal” (Fox Searchlight) Philip Glass
	“Pan’s Labyrinth” (Picturehouse) Javier Navarrete
	“The Queen” (Miramax, Pathé and Granada) Alexandre Desplat
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)
	“I Need to Wake Up” from “An Inconvenient Truth” (Paramount Classics and Participant Productions) Music and Lyric by Melissa Etheridge
	“Listen” from “Dreamgirls” (DreamWorks and Paramount) Music by Henry Krieger and Scott Cutler Lyric by Anne Preven
	“Love You I Do” from “Dreamgirls” (DreamWorks and Paramount) Music by Henry Krieger Lyric by Siedah Garrett
	“Our Town” from “Cars” (Buena Vista) Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
	“Patience” from “Dreamgirls” (DreamWorks and Paramount) Music by Henry Krieger Lyric by Willie Reale
Best motion picture of the year
	“Babel” (Paramount and Paramount Vantage) An Anonymous Content/Zeta Film/Central Films Production Alejandro González Iñárritu, Jon Kilik and Steve Golin, Producers
	“The Departed” (Warner Bros.) A Warner Bros. Pictures Production Nominees to be determined
	“Letters from Iwo Jima” (Warner Bros.) A DreamWorks Pictures/Warner Bros. Pictures Production Clint Eastwood, Steven Spielberg and Robert Lorenz, Producers
	“Little Miss Sunshine” (Fox Searchlight) A Big Beach/Bona Fide Production Nominees to be determined
	“The Queen” (Miramax, Pathé and Granada) A Granada Production Andy Harries, Christine Langan and Tracey Seaward, Producers
Best animated short film
	“The Danish Poet” (National Film Board of Canada) A Mikrofilm and National Film Board of Canada Production Torill Kove
	“Lifted” (Buena Vista) A Pixar Animation Studios Production Gary Rydstrom
	“The Little Matchgirl” (Buena Vista) A Walt Disney Pictures Production Roger Allers and Don Hahn
	“Maestro” (Szimplafilm) A Kedd Production Geza M. Toth
	“No Time for Nuts” (20th Century Fox) A Blue Sky Studios Production Chris Renaud and Michael Thurmeier
Best live action short film
	“Binta and the Great Idea (Binta Y La Gran Idea)” A Peliculas Pendelton and Tus Ojos Production Javier Fesser and Luis Manso
	“Éramos Pocos (One Too Many)” (Kimuak) An Altube Filmeak Production Borja Cobeaga
	“Helmer & Son” A Nordisk Film Production Soren Pilmark and Kim Magnusson
	“The Saviour” (Australian Film Television and Radio School) An Australian Film Television and Radio School Production Peter Templeman and Stuart Parkyn
	“West Bank Story” An Ari Sandel, Pascal Vaguelsy, Amy Kim, Ravi Malhotra and Ashley Jordan Production Ari Sandel
Achievement in sound editing
	“Apocalypto” (Buena Vista) Sean McCormack and Kami Asgar
	“Blood Diamond” (Warner Bros.) Lon Bender
	“Flags of Our Fathers” (DreamWorks and Warner Bros., Distributed by Paramount) Alan Robert Murray and Bub Asman
	“Letters from Iwo Jima” (Warner Bros.) Alan Robert Murray
	“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” (Buena Vista) Christopher Boyes and George Watters II
Achievement in sound mixing
	“Apocalypto” (Buena Vista) Kevin O’Connell, Greg P. Russell and Fernando Camara
	“Blood Diamond” (Warner Bros.) Andy Nelson, Anna Behlmer and Ivan Sharrock
	“Dreamgirls” (DreamWorks and Paramount) Michael Minkler, Bob Beemer and Willie Burton
	“Flags of Our Fathers” (DreamWorks and Warner Bros., Distributed by Paramount) John Reitz, Dave Campbell, Gregg Rudloff and Walt Martin
	“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” (Buena Vista) Paul Massey, Christopher Boyes and Lee Orloff
Achievement in visual effects
	“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” (Buena Vista) John Knoll, Hal Hickel, Charles Gibson and Allen Hall
	“Poseidon” (Warner Bros.) Boyd Shermis, Kim Libreri, Chaz Jarrett and John Frazier
	“Superman Returns” (Warner Bros.) Mark Stetson, Neil Corbould, Richard R. Hoover and Jon Thum
Adapted screenplay
	“Borat Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan” (20th Century Fox) Screenplay by Sacha Baron Cohen & Anthony Hines & Peter Baynham & Dan Mazer Story by Sacha Baron Cohen & Peter Baynham & Anthony Hines & Todd Phillips
	“Children of Men” (Universal) Screenplay by Alfonso Cuarón & Timothy J. Sexton and David Arata and Mark Fergus & Hawk Ostby
	“The Departed” (Warner Bros.) Screenplay by William Monahan
	“Little Children” (New Line) Screenplay by Todd Field & Tom Perrotta
	“Notes on a Scandal” (Fox Searchlight) Screenplay by Patrick Marber
Original screenplay
	“Babel” (Paramount and Paramount Vantage) Written by Guillermo Arriaga
	“Letters from Iwo Jima” (Warner Bros.) Screenplay by Iris Yamashita Story by Iris Yamashita & Paul Haggis
	“Little Miss Sunshine” (Fox Searchlight) Written by Michael Arndt
	“Pan’s Labyrinth” (Picturehouse) Written by Guillermo del Toro
	“The Queen” (Miramax, Pathé and Granada) Written by Peter Morgan

The Queen

The time has passed to explode into wild raptures about how marvelous “The Queen” is. It’s been in limited release since September 30, 2006 when it opened in New York. I will not take the time to lambaste the film industry for not making such truly great movies, as “The Queen,” immediately available to wide audiences, it doesn’t matter now because, like “The Queen,” they eventually arrive and are well worth the wait.
I loved this movie, I’ll just say up front, and I am not alone. According to the online database www.rottentomatoes.com, “The Queen” was the best-reviewed film of 2006, garnering rave reviews from the nation’s most prestigious critics, with 49 of every 50 reviews being positive.
For the role of Queen Elizabeth II, the incomparable Helen Mirren has already won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Drama. Her performance, about which I will talk shortly, seems to be the film’s most praised aspect. It is an easy selling point for it is, in short, the best on-screen embodiment of a character seen this year.
As it turns out, much to my enjoyment, it is merely a one-woman show. Everyone in “The Queen” turns in a top of the line performance. As the smart and supportive Prince Phillip, James Cromwell does his best work in ages. Alex Jennings portrays a Prince Charles who is caught between tradition and a want of modernization.
The best of the supporting cast, however, is Michael Sheen who plays the newly elected British Prime Minister Tony Blair who has not been in office almost at all when he is faced with a situation that places him right in the middle of the people of England and a monarchy that is becoming increasingly unpopular.
The plot of “The Queen,” for it does in fact have a plot to justify all the terrific performances, revolves around the interactions of the Royal Family, Prime Minister Tony Blair, the media, and the citizens of England during the time between the sudden death of Diana Princess of Whales on August 31, 1997 and her funeral one week later on September 6.
Having very limited recollection of that time, I was unaware of the political tension that surrounded the Royal Family, most specifically Queen Elizabeth II during the week of silence during which she refrained from making a public statement to comfort her mourning nation. While Prime Minister Blair attempted to console the country, as well as the rest of the world, the press and the masses grew steadily angrier toward the monarchy for showing no outward signs of sadness.
What makes Helen Mirren so incredible in this role is how completely she portrays a woman who must balance centuries of tradition and nobility with the actions she must take to maintain leadership of her sorrowing population.
Because the curtain is pulled back we can see the private inner workings of the Royal Family as well as the mounting indignation of the public. Ultimately we must side with the Queen, and how could we not? She is smart and well spoken, and in everything she tries to do what is best for her subjects.
One of the main plot arcs in the film is the way the new Prime Minister comes to understand and admire the Queen. In the beginning he and his wife privately mock the Queen and the monarchy for being stoic and removed from their country. As the events of that week play out Blair comes to understand and sincerely admire how remarkable a leader the Queen is. Because we the audience are given an insider’s view, we too recognize the strength and commitment displayed by Britain’s Queen.
It takes an outstanding performance to lift a movie to the level of masterpiece. “The Queen” not only has an outstanding performance in Mirren’s sovereign, but it is filled out by a fabulous supporting cast, beautiful settings and reevaluation of a memorable piece of recent history that makes this one of the very best films of the year.

A

Titanic

Ok, considering that it's been almost ten years since this movie, our era's definitive blockbuster, graced our silver screens, I figured I'd better review it. I've just finished watching it once again and with it fresh in my mind, as well as me now having had plenty of opportunity to consider it as a whole, I am ready to make a final opinion of it. To put it simply, 1.8 billion dollars doesn't lie. I won't even bother saying much about the plot except that it intertwines the story of a young star crossed couple in love with one of history's most tragic disasters; the sinking of the White Star Line's RMS Titanic. James Cameron may be conceited, and was most likely biting off more than he could actually chew with this gargantuan undertaking, but you cannot deny his skill as a visual composer nor his ability to stage well paced action. Coupled with James Horner's beautiful and dynamic score, Cameron has on his hands a near perfect movie, with the exception of a script. The script is decent, but only just, and despite earnest performances by Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio, as Rose DeWitt Bukater and Jack Dawson respectively, we end up underwhelmed while listening to the characters speak. None of that matters though, because the story is ultimately pushed to epic greatness by the remarkable true events of that cold night 0f April 14, 1912. It probably is not going to surprise anyone that I rate this movie highly, after all I seem to like everything and this is the most successful film of all time. Be that as it may, I have a theory as to why people rake this movie across the coals and my theory suggests two reasons. The first reason is the monumental financial success; any time a movie makes a lot of money people start examining under a grossly critical lens because they are determined to prove that it is unworthy of the money it is making. My other theoretical reason is more drawn out and it has to do with the fact that probably everyone, save the audiences of the first dozen showings, knew exactly what was going to happen before they even saw it. When you know what is going to happen, you wind up watching it as if you were going through a check list. 1: They find an old charcoal drawing that magically didn't get destroyed after like 80 odd years under the ocean, check. 2: An old woman comes out and says she's the woman from the drawing, check. 3: Poor artist wins ticket, 4: rich young socialite contemplates suicide, check and check. 5: Two young lovers go flying at the bow, check. 6: Nudity in a PG-13 movie, 7: fogged over window and a hand print, 8: hit an ice berg, 9: sink, 10: young man dies, 11: old woman throws necklace into the sea, amazingly check, check (or is it slap?), check, check, and final check! We all knew the lines before we saw it, and we all knew that Leo was gonna bite it in the end. We don't feel sorry because we all see it coming. It's really too bad because I think that if every one who ever saw this movie went in with complete ignorance as to the fictional aspects, there would be a lot more fans than there are currently. As it is, I really do like this movie, and I like it better each time I watch it. It's grand in scale, and the love story is like something out of the golden era of Hollywood; it's predictable yet unbelievable, and almost completely surface level. It's like a silent movie that's been given dialogue that it doesn't really need. Titanic looks incredible, both the ship and the movie as a whole, and through its three hour length we the audience really get an idea of what it would have been like to be there and experience the steadily building terror of certain death for 1,500 people. Is it too much to call Titanic a modern cinematic classic? No, absolutely not. If not for "outstanding acting" or "pitch perfect direction" then for the fact that it has become a permanent fixture in pop culture, a phenomenon to parallel that of the original ocean liner that captivated the minds of so many, and eventually became a watery graveyard resting in eerie timelessness at the floor of the Atlantic. Far be it from me to imply that anyone should see a movie just because everyone else is seeing it, but really, it's more than a movie, it's an icon, and a great one at that.

A

Curse of the Golden Flower

“Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” did a lot for martial arts epics as a genre of film throughout the world, probably more than most people realize. Nearly every one of the U.S. critics loved it, of course, and its audience appeal managed to move beyond the crowds of art house patrons or kung fu lovers. It was nominated for ten Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and it won four. All this for a very good reason; it was a truly remarkable, beautiful, dangerous, exhilarating film… to say the very least.
What has this to do with “Curse of the Golden Flower,” one might ask, it has everything to do with it. Before the $128 million success of “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” seeing an imported martial arts epic was a feat only managed by traveling to some small indie film theater, or waiting the obligatory five and a half months until it was available in the form of one DVD all but drowned out on the New Release shelf of your local Blockbuster.
Despite the constant introduction of films like “RV” or “Black Christmas” a very strong case can be made for a sort of cinema renaissance happening presently throughout America. One supporting argument for this case is the steady stream of foreign epics that make their way to our local silver screens.
Yimou Zhang is one director whose works have benefited from this movement, “Hero” and “House of Flying Daggers” were two of his films that saw a relatively wide release and received strong praises from critics and fans alike. Once again American audiences have the opportunity to see his beautiful work, and though it may not be his best, it is a worthy entry into the genre, and a great introduction to viewers who may not be familiar with this style of film.
“Curse of the Golden Flower” is more of a soap opera than anything else, though this is not meant as a negative remark. To put it simply, the story, set in the Later Tang Dynasty, follows the royal family of China as they prepare for the “Chrysanthemum Festival” within the walls of the Forbidden City. To call the family dysfunctional is a gross understatement, but I have yet to see a functional family in the movies so this comes as no surprise.
Basically we have an Empress who is being poisoned to madness through the daily medicine that she is forced to take. The Emperor is the person responsible for this poisoning, but he is too busy mourning the loss of his first wife to feel guilty. The first son, The Crown Prince Wan, is having an affair with his stepmother, the Empress, but he is also planning to run away with a palace servant girl, coincidentally the same servant girl who serves the Empress her poisoned medicine daily. There is also the second son, Prince Jai, who is the first son of the Empress, and who will follow his mother in her plot to have revenge upon the Emperor. Lastly there is the youngest prince, Yu, who notices a lot more about everyone else than they notice of him.
When you have this much betrayal and secrecy, all hell is bound to break loose and with Zhang in the directors chair, you know it’s going to happen with style and verve. As with his previous films, Zhang uses color as an essential element in his story telling. He fills the screen to all four corners with combinations and contrasts of tone and hue to set the mood for the characters’ interactions both verbal and physical.
The performances of everyone are terrific, most specifically Gong Li as the Empress who steals every scene, even when paired up against Chow Yun Fat as the Emperor.
The movie as a whole is very impressive. It is a melodrama, to be sure, but besides occasionally drawn out sequences of the obsessively structured lifestyle within the Forbidden City, the movie has nothing going against it. “Curse of the Golden Flower” is admirable entertainment for lovers of action and of drama, and will undoubtedly find a place alongside the other martial arts films American audiences have been fortunate enough to experience.

B