Mr Grant and Mr Scott at home ... / Ewan & Jude lark about

We are surely all familiar with those classic photos from the mid-'30s of Cary Grant and Randolph Scott living and playing together, two classic Hollywood bachelors who shared a house in beween all their marriages [as did Erroll Flynn and David Niven]. I have now though come across another batch of these pictures, which I had not seen before. So, following on from Scotty Bowers' book which has quite a bit about them, it really begs the question: were people really that naive back then that they saw nothing odd in these photographs - if any two rich and famous actors (who could clearly afford their own establishments) did shots like these today people would automatically assume they were a couple and think nothing more of it, so were Cary and Randy just play-acting or were they, as they say, hiding in plain sight? Whatever! It certainly makes for fascinating photos though!





It seems Grant and Scott remained friends into their old age (Cary got to 82, Randolph 89) with Scott wealthy from real estate after his later screen years as that tough cowboy in those Budd Boetticher films in the 50s; while Cary (a notorious tightwad, so perhaps he was just saving on rent money?) - after his 30s and 40s hits - perfect with Hepburn and Bergman to name just two, had that great run in the '50s, ideal for Hitchcock and those leading ladies like Grace Kelly, Deborah Kerr, Sophia Loren, Eva Marie Saint, Ingrid Bergman (again), Audrey Hepburn, Doris Day etc.

Now for 2 more lads around town: Ewan McGregor and Jude Law have teamed up for photos lots of times - but no rumours to quash about their sexuality - though they have played gay more than a few times (like Colin Firth)... good to see the boys larking around and at those various events actors have to force themselves to attend ...

Actors

Its an exciting time for young British actors, with several major productions on the way. The new TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY highlights several of them: Colin Firth cements his Oscar-winning year, Mark Strong who has cornered the market in evil villains after his breakthrough in THE LONG FIRM a few years ago, Benedict Cumberbatch - probably THE actor of his generation after several high profile roles (SHERLOCK HOLMES on tv, we are looking forward to the second series) and his highly praised FRANKENSTEIN at the National Theatre where he and Johnny Lee Miller took turns playing the Doctor and the naked creature, this was such a sell-out I couldn't even get tickets for the local cinema link-up!



Good to see John Hurt in another good role - I spent an evening with him and Ray Winstone last year when they were promoting 44 INCH CHEST at the National Film Theatre. Then there is Tom Hardy another actor on the cusp, with INCEPTION etc - he was fun in ROCK'N'ROLLA. Dan Stevens after his success in THE LINE OF BEAUTY and that nice new version of SENSE AND SENSIBILITY (he is both a risk-taking actor and an ideal choice for costume dramas, like Colin Firth before him) certainly scored in DOWNTON ABBEY, which is also heading back for another series, and these are only the main ones! If they can avoid the Hollywood rom-com route we should see a lot more varied work from them and others like Ewan McGregor now making very interesting choices too.
Tom Hollander continues in varied roles like his hilariously camp assassin in HANNA (review next) - then of course there are the vagaries of the actor's life: Jude Law got horribly over-exposed while that other TALENTED MR RIPLEY actor Jack Davenport hasn't quite got the breaks he deserved... ?

2010 - best and worst .....

We are a little behind here at the Movie Projector - I only saw UNCLE BOONMEE at the cinema yesterday, and the dvd of BEACHES OF AGNES has been sitting unwatched on a shelf for the last 9 or so months, but they are both my films of the year in that they are totally unlike anything else and left one dazed and exhilerated. Cinema then in a nutshell....

One knows one is leaving usual cinema terrain as the Thai UNCLE BOONMEE WHO CAN RECALL HIS PAST LIVES unspools: a water buffalo tethered to a tree at night breaks free and trots away and then stops for a while as we examine this strange animal as it takes in the night scene being at one with nature, then its owner enters, picks up its rope and takes it back. What is the beast thinking? Is it willing to go back? Then we join Boonmee's placid sister and his nephew as they travel to his bee farm to look after him in his final days as he is dying of a kidney disease. The pace seems very slow at first with shots held for longer than usual but then one falls into it. Nobody seems surprised when Boonmee's late wife Huay who has been dead for 19 years materialises at the dinner table and they talk to her. Boonmee, who is philosophical about his impending demise as he has lived before several times, asks her how he will find her in heaven: Huay replies: "Heaven is over-rated, there's nothing there. And anyway ghosts don't associate with places, they associate with people. We'll find each other."

Boomnee it seems has the ability to range over his past lives as he comes to the end of his current one, aided by the spirits of the forest who also include his son Boonsong who has changed into a weird creature with red eyes [from having mated with monkey spirits]. Then we come to the mesermising sequence with the Princess and the catfish, set against a stunning waterfall which one could sit and watch for hours - as the Princess disrobes and enters the water where the catfish is waiting for her... perhaps the water buffalo or the princess or the catfish are also past (or future) lives of Boonmee? - as apparantly his other lives can be male or female, human or animal.... (the connectedness of things?)



People who are not prepared for it will be left confounded but others will leave the cinema stunned at the experience of it all. It is therefore an experience rather than a conventional movie. Apichatpong Weerasethakul tells a story that doesn't ask or need to be understood. As he awaits his death, Boonmee, Huay, Jen, and Tong visit a cave with white sand floors where Boonmee reveals that this was the place he was first born. He then dies there. For me maybe the movie should have stopped here - there is a coda showing their life afterwards as they sit around a hotel room and the monk Tong takes a shower, but this really, after what went before, is rather like watching paint dry and seems superfluous. Apart from that its depiction of the enduring relationship between Boonmee and Huay, and the in images of a dying man comforted by family and friends, the film offers an experience of the permanence of love.

The permanence of love is also really what THE BEACHES OF AGNES is all about, as Fench director Agnes Varda now in her 80s makes the most unusual documentary ever about looking back over one's life and work. Her fascination with beaches comes to the fore as she and her friends (like Jane Birkin) arrange mirrors on the beaches as she recollects her parents and childhood and early career and her marriage to Jacques Demy and the films they made and the actors and friends they knew. At the end she is surrounded by her children and grand-children and she and they are the most delightful company. This is the most perfect way to get old and still remain fascinating and interested in everything. We experience the loss of Demy [who like Boonmee was nursed by loved ones], the courtyard where he and Agnes worked on their projects, clips from their movies, that New Wave era, their time at the centre of the counterculture in California in the late '60s (where they discovered Harrison Ford, but couldn't use him in Jacques' MODEL SHOP as he was not considered actor material by the studio!; Agnes was making LIONS LOVE with Viva and the HAIR creators).

As IMDB puts it: "Agnès Varda explores her memory - growing up in Belgium, living in Sète, Paris, and Noirmoutier, discovering photography, making a film, being part of the New Wave, raising children with Jacques Demy, losing him, and growing old. She explores her memory using photographs, film clips, home movies, contemporary interviews, and set pieces she designs to capture a feeling, a time, or a frame. Shining through each scene are her impish charm, inventiveness, and natural empathy. How do people grow old, how does loss stay with them, can they remain creative, and what do they remember?" (I have already written extensively here, as per French label, on Demy and Varda).

I saw Varda's LE BONHEUR when I was 19 in '65 and it was one of those films that made a very strong impression, so its been good to finally see it again now that there are Varda box-sets, and to finally discover her CLEO FROM 5 TO 7, with its delightful picture of Paris in the early 60s. That is one of my discoveries of the year, as below:

The 2000s label covers my other films of 2010 as per reviews of A SINGLE MAN, THE GHOST, I LOVE YOU PHILIP MORRIS, THE HURT LOCKER, INGLORIOUS BASTERDS etc. I shall be turning to I AM LOVE and TOY STORY 3 shortly, 44 INCH CHEST remains a terrific comedy ensemble piece of Winstone, Hurt, McShane, Wilkinson; IT'S COMPLICATED and LETTERS TO JULIET are the best of the romcoms; disappointment of the year has to be NINE and disaster of the year SEX AND THE CITY 2 (which is not worth mentioning). Polanski's GHOST is thriller of the year but surely the East Coast of America is not as bleak as depicted here (shot as it was in Europe) while McGregor (for his brilliance in the Carrey movie) and Colin Firth are actors of the year; actress = Tilda Swinton. Firth is no longer a lightweight actor and after also finally seeing McGregor in Greenaway's THE PILLOW BOOK one has to be amazed at his daring and taking of risks.

Of the late 2010 releases as we go into 2011 I shall be looking forward to catching THE KING'S SPEECH (with that great cast including Claire Bloom), Mike Leigh's return with ANOTHER YEAR, 127 HOURS, THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT etc.

Television (here in the UK at any rate) served up some treats: classy drama (or 'heritage tv') is back with Maggie Smith leading the ensemble in DOWNTON ABBEY, the revived UPSTAIRS DOWNSTAIRS with a splendid Eileen Atkins taking charge, classy thrillers like SPOOKS and SHERLOCK and the splendid film of Nigel Slater's food memoir TOAST, while Tom Hollander scored with his comedy series REV and Rufus Sewell as the Italian detective ZEN.



My discoveries of the year are: Visconti's 1965 SANDRA (or OF A THOUSAND DELIGHTS), Clements 1957 THE SEA WALL (THIS ANGRY AGE) (I shall be seeing the recent version shortly), BLONDE IN BLACK LEATHER (a throwaway 1975 Italian comedy for the domestic market with Vitti and Cardinale having fun) - see Italian label, Ozon's UNDER THE SAND with Charlotte Rampling (to be reviewed), Varda's CLEO FROM 5 TO 7 and a brace of early Dirk Bogarde's: APPOINTMENT IN LONDON and CAST A DARK SHADOW where he is delightfully spivvy bumping off older wife Mona Washboure and having designs on wicked lady Margaret Lockwood and splendid Kay Walsh!

2011's revivals will include that early Fellini boxset and all those Chabrols to revisit (2 boxsets!), and Gerard Philipe (as Modigliani) in LES AMANTS DE MONTPARNASSE with Anouk Aimee and Lilli Palmer, as well as some other yet-unseen Romy Schneider films.

(Previous years' discoveries here at the Projector included Cukor's THE CHAPMAN REPORT, Jean Seberg in MOMENT TO MOMENT, Lana's LOVE HAS MANY FACES, Sarah Miles in I WAS HAPPY HERE, Lilli Palmer and Jean Sorel in ADORABLE JULIA, Demy's LES DEMOISELLES DE ROCHEFORT (on dvd and on the big screen), THE OPPOSITE SEX, ALL FALL DOWN, early Loren in TOO BAD SHE'S BAD and WOMAN OF THE RIVER, ABDULLA THE GREAT (Kay Kendall's missing 1955 film), Mangano in MAMBO and THE TEMPEST, Minnelli treats DESIGNING WOMAN and THE RELUCTANT DEBUTANTE, Linda Darnell in THIS IS MY LOVE (1954) and the 1954 KNAVE OF HEARTS as per reviews.
Right: I WAS HAPPY HERE, 1966 / below: ADORABLE JULIA: Jean Sorel and Lilli Palmer in Trafalgar Square, 1962

Jim and Ewan or Tom ? + Brad, George, Tilda etc

I LOVE YOU PHILIP MORRIS tells us the "true story" of Steven Russell (Jim Carrey), a supposedly happy married man with a good job who in reality is a gay con man. In one of his many visits to jail, he falls in love with Phillip Morris, delightfully played by Ewan McGregor. The jokes are provocative and will offend quite a few people - such as the first in-your-face depiction of his secret life, or his faking his death from AIDS - hence, presumably, it's delay in getting a USA release. It has been and gone here in the UK without causing much of a ripple and the dvd is now out.

I don't usually see many Jim Carrey movies, but he convinces here as, after a car accident, he reassesses his life, and decides that he is truly gay, and he leaves his old life behind. He moves to Miami and finds a boyfriend, but to live the life he wants he admits that "being gay is expensive" (if you want expensive watches, matching cars, a dream home etc), and so begins a life as a conman. Steven gives up being a cop to cause his own accidents to get compensation, lying to banks and so much more besides, and the police eventually catch up to him and send him to prison - not once but several times. It is in prison that Steven sees and falls almost instantly in love with fellow prisoner Phillip Morris (Ewan McGregor), and they find themselves smitten with each other and by making deals get to share a cell.

Glenn Ficarra & John Requa - who gave us the enjoyable BAD SANTA, have handled this tragi-comic tale with a lot of realism as well as fantasy all wrapped up in bright colours. The main problem for me is that Stephen eventually becomes thoroughly unlikeable and blind to the fact that it is his endless lies and deceit that cause his downfall over and over again. The early scenes such as his tracking down his real mother (he was adopted) and his happy suburban life with Debbie and the kids and church are amusingly played (gays are equally satirised) as are his stunts for seeking compensation to fund his lifestyle. Once Stephen decides to be gay he becomes a super-gay moving to Miami with all the trimmings, although this lifestyle he's living is pretty expensive. It is not too long until the police catch up to him, but fate has a funny way of doing things and it is in prison where he meets his soul mate Phillip Morris (the very charming McGregor). Their romance blossoms in the prison and when they are released as well, but Steven continues to live a life of lies and sooner or later it will catch up to him again. And so it goes getting rather far-fetched with the Aids illness episodes. One has to admire the two actors for going at it full tilt. It will be interesting to see how it fares when it is finally released nationwide in the USA. It certainly flies in the face of all those small-town values - they will hate it in those Tea Bag areas! After this and Polanski's THE GHOST one certainly sees McGregor in a new light.

Now for LAWLESS HEART: also directed (and written) by two directors Tom Hunsinger and Neil Hunter: A 2001 indie film from England which is about compromise and rueful intelligence about matters of the heart rather like John Schlesinger's 1971 SUNDAY BLOODY SUNDAY, if without that film's elegance and glossy style. This is a modest production about the aftermath of a funeral in a small English seaside town. Stewart who owns a restuarant has died without making a will, leaving his lover Nick (Tom Hollander) at the mercy of Stewart's glum sister and her not very gay-friendly husband (Bill Nighy) and then drifter Douglas Henshall arrives back in town after several years. How these characters inter-relate is the tale, as we see events from their 3 different perspectives. Nighy is a marvel of believability as the older man, Dan as he is tempted to stray from his marriage; Tom Hollander is wonderfully pained and kind as the bereaved Nick putting up with everyone. Henshall as Tim becomes fascinating as we take an instant dislike to him and his leeching ways, as he starts as a very selfish character, but we slowly warm to him as the picture goes on, he too has to lose the woman he loves, and he resolves the rather nice conclusion. It It is a pleasing low budget drama that takes its time to reveal very real and complex characters and emotions – end leaves one stimulated and ultimately happy.

Nick, numb with grief, first lets Tim stay with him but soon regrets it with all those late night parties and loud music. During a wild party Tim throws, Nick meets Charlie (Sukie Smith) a lively, feckless, not-too-bright local girl who ends up drunk in his bed after a casual shag with one of the locals, and he is drawn to her energy and high spirits and they become slowly involved. Hollander as ever is a revelation here - he has been quietly brilliant for years and has played quite a few gay roles without any fuss, here he is a gay man having a straight experience! Hollander had a big hit recently with his BBC tv series REV as a priest (photo below); I saw him on stage circa 1997 as Bosie to Liam Neeson's Oscar Wilde in David Hare's play THE JUDAS KISS (photo below), which was certainly a riveting experience. [Tom stripped, Liam didn't...]

LAWLESS HEART ends nicely after the money from Stewart's estate has been happily resolved (so Nick can move back to London) with our characters all sitting around watching home movies of the late departed Stewart who finally takes centre stage. It's nicely done, and resonated a lot with me (as I had a very similar experience back in the '90s).

A third movie also with two directors is that recent Coen Bros BURN AFTER READING, their latest comedy with those regular pals George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Tilda Swinton, here joined by Frances McDormand and John Malkovich. As with all Coen brother movies, there are going to be people who love it and people who hate it. There doesn't seem to be much middle ground. I found it entertaining, dark and very funny - I just didn't like their previous NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN at all. BURN does ramble around pointlessly, but best part of the movie is watching this great cast perform brilliantly with the odd-ball material they are given. There is violence, bad language, and everyone is sleeping with everyone else, especially George Clooney, as the off the wall plot involves a disk of supposed CIA secrets found by two dim gym trainers; Pitt is wonderfully funny here and so is McDormand who just wants 4 cosmetic surgeries! of course Tilda essays another steely ballbreaker. The Coens continue to put out intelligent, entertaining material and assemble fascinating casts. Quite short too - clocking in at 87 minutes - so many films these days are half an hour or more too long.