Author: LGmgr1

Temple Grandin – Big Emmy Wins for Claire Danes and others

Well, the year’s award season kicked off this past weekend with the 62nd Annual Emmy Awards with a big winner being Temple Grandin. An HBO film, the made-for-TV-movie is very well deserving of all the accolades. Temple Grandin (played beautifully by Claire Danes, a winner for best actress) is a high functioning autistic woman who falls in love with animal husbandry and goes on to earn a Ph.D and become a world-famous animal scientist and autism self-advocate.

Skillfully directed by Mick Jackson (The Bodyguard), the story attempts and succeeds in explaining in a “non-explainy” way how Temple’s brain works. It is extraordinarily effective. You learn how after one viewing or hearing of something Temple remembers it – perfectly. How she is unable to understand idioms – her brain is incredibly literal. And how unfortunate it is that she is unable to express affection or receive affection from others. Temple finds it difficult to be touched (which made the real life moment of the actual Temple Grandin hugging Executive Producer Emily Gerson after the movie won for best television movie even more poignant). A touching moment in the film is when her mother (Julia Ormond – winner of best supporting actress for her portrayal) talks to Temple about how expression is given through the eyes – an action Temple exclaims she will never be able to do. Heartbreaking.

With the help of an understanding teacher (the enormously underrated David Strathairn – again an Emmy winner for this film) Temple discovers her special ability to think like animals – mainly cows – and goes on to develop a very successful career. And how many of us yearn for a successful career doing something we love? Damn, that’s lucky!

This film is a lesson in never believing in labels. Temple Grandin’s story is an attest to that. She will always be different and for that she will always be a wonder.

Solitary Man – A Great Little Movie on DVD

In this midst of the abysmal summer movie selection, I resorted to my good ‘ol pal Netfilix for something to watch and I came across Solitary Man with Michael Douglas. This is a great little film and excellent companion to the terribly underrated Douglas movie Wonder Boys. Written and codirected by Brian Koppelman, the film is quiet but extremely moving – primarily because of the performance of Michael Douglas.

Douglas plays, Ben Kalmen, a player, a dog, an old dog – a really unlikable guy, but played with such finesse that you find yourself actually routing for him. The movie is great storytelling. It shows conflict that could be construed as “a story that’s already been told over and over again.” Not the case with this film. It takes you somewhere. You are moved. You keep watching and hoping that Ben Kalmen makes it on his journey to redemption and forgiveness.

The crappy release date of this movie makes it difficult to be a contender for this year’s award season. But Douglas’ performance should not be overlooked. It’s a stunner and resonates even more with the news of Douglas’ cancer diagnosis. Hopefully its release on DVD will remind the industry of this great leading man performance. Fingers crossed!

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – Why Even Bother with an American Version?

After a long wait, Netflix finally delivered the Swedish version of the movie The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo based on the famous book of the same name.  Watching it, the main thing I think is, “Why even bother remaking it?”

The movie is so complete that I honestly don’t know how Hollywood believes it can improve upon it. But then again, I’m not searching for the next big moneymaking franchise. Maybe it’s because it will be in English? Maybe it’s because of the actor Daniel Craig in the lead role? Maybe it’s because of the media hoopla surrounding the casting of the unknown Rooney Mara as the computer hacker Lisabeth Salander? All of these reasons I see as major obstacles.

Directed by Niels Arden Oplev, the Swedish film is a good and solid adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s story and makes up for where the novel lacks – characterization and setting. And the actor’s do a brilliant job bringing the story to life. The strong and smart character of Mikael (played by Michael Nyqvist) comes across as soft and lonely…vulnerable. This makes the audience care more and the investment in his story is increased. Something that I fear will be lost with the character’s portrayal by Daniel Craig, known for hard, emotionless roles (I mean he WAS James Bond).  The very strange and violent and introverted Lisabeth (played by the fantastic Noomi Rapace) – now here’s the biggest problem. This role is so incredibly well defined by the Swedish actress that I think anyone else’s portrayal will fail in comparison. I worry for the poor unknown. Let’s just hope Mara has the depth, the bravery, to transform herself as well as Rapace and then bring something to the role that hasn’t already been seen. No pressure.

There are other issues – the Swedish film uses the cold, landscape of the countryside as if it were another character in the book. If they film the American version in a different location it could rob the story of an important authentic element. Also, the dialogue in the Swedish version, although subtitled in English, adds an extra an unexpected touch. The rhythm of the language just adds to its authenticity, to its mystique, to what makes the story something special.

It’s a waiting game now to see what the American version director (David Fincher – Zodiac, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) has in store for this movie. But at least the next Swedish installment – The Girl That Played with Fire – is available on DVD.

South Pacific, Revival of a Classic – Now on Tour

A visit to the theater is a quintessential New York City experience – at least for some…well, let’s say at least for me. And when I am lucky enough to score a ticket to a Tony award-winning revival before it ends its record-breaking run, I think that maybe for once the fates are on my side – which hardly ever happens.

South Pacific at Lincoln Center (another quintessential piece of New York City) is truly worth every Tony it won. There hasn’t been a revival of this Rogers & Hammerstein show for forty years. Probably because of the racially driven undertones combined with a war setting – not the normal happy-go-lucky musical. But I think it was waiting for the director Bartlett Sher to come along and add his special sensibility.  The storytelling is stellar. Some think musicals lack story, but South Pacific – at least this production of South Pacific – manages to weave all stories in a concise and easy to understand manner. It lacks the usual “now let me break into a song to tell you how I feel” type of staging. But let me be absolutely honest…I have a soft spot for musicals, particularly Rogers & Hammerstein musicals so I can’t be completely impartial.

The stage design is innovative and packs a punch. It is the beach of the small island, complete with a view of Bali Hai in the distance. The cast is simply…perfect from the cock-eyed optimist Nellie (Kelli O’Hara) to the terribly sexy with a voice to die for Emile de Becque (my new crush the Brazilian hottie Paulo Szot) to the wonderful Bloody Mary (Loretta Ables Sayre) and the cowardly lion-esque Luther Billis (Danny Burstein). All unforgettable.

I don’t want to give away too much. The show is now on tour. If it comes to your town – go see it. Take your friends. Take your kids. Although it is set in the 1940’s the show is still relevant today, perhaps even more so. But don’t worry – it still has a happy ending.

Laura Linney In THE BIG C – Keep Watching

Cancer is funny…at least it is in Laura Linney’s new show on Showtime, THE BIG C. Linney (You Can Count On Me) plays Cathy, a high school teacher that’s diagnosed with incurable melanoma. Funny, huh? Well, throw in a boyish husband (the fantastic Oliver Platt, so, so love him!) and a truly bratty son (Gabriel Basso) and you have an interesting premise for a show – mainly because Cathy chooses (at least for now) not to tell her immediate family of her diagnosis. This makes the audience believe she is brave in the face of adversity….or maybe just stupid?

Here’s the thing – Linney’s performance is as magnificent as you think it should be, but after viewing the first show it is unclear how Linney can sustain her character’s newfound bravery and not continue to make the other characters on the show seem really out of touch.

It is an interesting choice on the writers’ part to create a story arc of internal conflict. It’s difficult and is probably the reason they have to come up with more “brave” actions to demonstrate Cathy’s new attitude, e.g. giving her student Andrea (Gabourey Sidibe) a good talking to after arriving late to class. Unfortunately, Andrea’s dialogue is lacking in depth, making her for the most part, a bit too cliché.

The pacing is great for a half-hour show. Lots of information is given in a non-expository way, and Cathy’s crazy brother Sean (John Benjamin Hickey) could pan out to be the most interesting and the most comedic. Even though Oliver Platt’s biting into an onion as an attempt for reconciliation is pretty hilarious…and touching.

Tuning in again won’t be hard. Although classified as a comedy, the show has a lot of dramatic push, particularly when you take into account the subject matter. But it’s the extraordinary performances that allow THE BIG C to occupy a slot at the top.