Trust The Man

(Bloody pictures aren't working again. Darn it.)

Trust The Man (2005)
Dir: Bart Freundlich
Starring: Julianne Moore, Billy Crudup, Magie Gyllenhaal, David Duchovny

I saw this yesterday at the cinema, knowing absolutely nothing about it. I don't usually do that. I always at least see the trailer before I go to see something. Anyway...

Trust The Man is a romantic comedy drama about New York couples discussing sex and relationships. That's basically it. Oh, OK, I'll explain the plot a bit more. Rebecca (Moore) is a famous actress, about to start rehearsing for a new play. Her husband Tom (Duchovny) is a bit of a sex addict who is currently unemployed. They have two young children. Rebecca's brother Tobey (Crudup) has a longtime girlfriend called Elaine (Gyllenhaal). Tobey is pretty immature and very casual about the relationship (even though they've been together for seven years), while Elaine wants to get married and start having children. The two couples are best friends.

Rebecca and Tom's marriage starts to fall apart, he has an affair, and starts going to Sex Addicts Anonymous meetings, where he learns that his problems aren't nearly as bad as everyone else's. Elaine meanwhile breaks up with Tobey and that's about it.

This film is really long. Well, actually, it's only 1 hour and 43 minutes, a normal length for a film, but it seemed to go on for about three hours. I'm not even kidding. It's not that it's a bad film, it just gets a little tedious. And all the characters ever do is whine about their relationships and talk about sex. We don't actually see a lot of sex - thankfully, since I was watching it with my mother - but they spend the whole film discussing it.

This movie would be awful if the actors hadn't been as good as they are. They really save the movie from falling into a big pit of monotony. Julianne More is an incredibly talented actress, of course, and David Duchovny, whom I had never heard of before, is very good as well. Billy Crudup is very funny, and Maggie Gyllenhaal makes her character very likable and understandable.

Basically, it is a couples' drama. It is all about relationships. However, there are some really funny bits, which provide relief from the depressiveness (is that a word?) of it all. Also, there ae very nice scenes of New York, where it was obviously all filmed on location. So if you're in the mood for a Woody Allen-style relationship fest, give it a go. It's not very memorable though, and will probably leave your head faster than it went in.

B+

Talliestar xxx

(IMDb have a crappy selection of quotes for this film, so I'll have to make do with a crappy one. Grr...)
Tobey: What's another kind of flower that you can get for a girl besides a rose?
Tom: What about an orchid?
Tobey: Are you kidding? That's even more expensive!

Moulin Rouge!

Moulin Rouge! (2001)
Dir: Baz Luhrmann
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Ewan McGregor

I had wanted to see this movie for a long time. Everyone raves about it, and it's a musical, so I thought it would be worth watching.

The first thing that springs to mind about Moulin Rouge! is the design. Catherine Martin, the designer, should have won an Oscar for it. Actually, I've just looked it up, and she did. One for Set Design and one for Costume Design. Well, they were well deserved. If you haven't seen it, the poster above gives you some idea about the style of the film. It is a dazzling swirl of colour and texture in the style of Victorian burlesque.

The whole film is slightly odd. Not in a bad way, but you can't take it all literally and seriously. I mean, it includes a narcoleptic Argentinian (that's the name of his character!) and an opera-singing moon. This is not Citizen Kane. But who says that a film has to be serious to be good? I certainly don't. Amidst all the madness and frivolity (and there is a lot of it) there is a damn good story and some damn good songs, given by some damn good performers. Who knew Nicole Kidman could sing? She and Ewan McGregor are perfectly cast in their respective roles and are believable enough to make the ending truly tragic.

So basically, see it, if you haven't already. Although I think I'm probably the only person who hadn't seen it by this time. I think some people may hate it, but the rest of the world loves it. And rightly so.

A

Talliestar xxx

The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return.

Election

(YES! The pictures are working again! Anyway, this is going to be a very short review - an Express Review, if you like - because I saw it two weeks ago and can't remember it as well as I'd like. )

Election (1999)
Dir: Alexander Payne
Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Matthew Broderick

Election is a dark, satirical drama/comedy about one high school student's determination to become student body president and the teacher who has to stop her going too far.

This movie is a quirky, offbeat look at high school politics (actually just politics in general). This is not your typical high school comedy. No siree. For one, the content is a lot more adult. Also, it has a extremely indie-ish feel about it. Actually, I think it is an indie, so that would make sense. The humour is extremely dark, and the whole film has a slightly abstract, unconventional feel to it.

OK, I hear you say, but is it any good? To be honest, it didn't click with me that much. I think there were some bits that were pretty unnecessary, although the overall movie raises some very interesting issues. Reese Witherspoon's performance was amzing, as always, and Matthew Broderick was excellent too.

Overall, it was OK. Good if you're looking for something a bit different, but I'm not in a hurry to see it again.

B-

Talliestar xxx

Tammy Metzler: [narrating] Being suspended is like getting a paid vacation. Why do they think it's a punishment? It's like your dog pees on the carpet and you give him a treat. Then you get in trouble for skipping school, it's so stupid! Hendricks told me, "One more time" and I'd be expelled. Sounded good to me.

I know I haven't posted for ages and I'm very sorry about that, but going back to school means you have increasingly less time for doing things such as movie reviews. However, I have seen quite a few films since I last posted and so when I get the time, reviews will come of:

- The Addams Family Values
- Moulin Rouge!
- Back To The Future Part II
- Steel Magnolias
- Election

Keep checking back and I'll start reviewing as soon as I can!

Talliestar