Thursday May 26
Zip
Friday May 27
Extraordinary Measures [M-Net.21.30]
Saturday May 28
WAITING FOR NANNY MCPHEE
Nanny McPhee Returns [M-Net.18.00]
I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry [SABC3.19.00]
The Producers [e.tv.23.00]
Sunday May 29
Shutter Island [M-Net.20.05]
Bruce Almighty [M-Net.01.50]
The Producers [e.tv.Sunday.13.25]
MURPHY AND WILSON HAVE MORE FUN THAN WE DO
I Spy [e.tv.20.00 and 00.25]
Birdy [e.tv.22.00 and 02.10]
Monday May 30
Looking for Eric [M-Net.22.30]
Proof [SABC2.22.00]
Tuesday May 31
Case 39 [M-Net.23.00]
CERTAINLY SOMETHING TO SCREAM ABOUT
The Exorcism of Emily Rose [e.tv.22.30 and 02.15]
Wednesday June 1
Nanny Mc Phee Returns [M-Net.09.00]
Shutter Island [M-Net.22.30]
Extraordinary Measures [M-Net.01.25]
The New World [e.tv.22.35]
THE END OF AN ERA
The other day, just for a change, I was watching Oprah—will there be life after Oprah? Of course there will, but I for one, will miss her caring attitude and innate sense of fun. Also, what am I to do without Gail and Stedman?
GUESTS FOR OULAAS-ADAM AND JENN
Anyway, on this particular day, whenever it was, her guests were Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston, promoting their new release, Just Go With It; I wonder if the producers are aware that the plot smacks of Cactus Flower and if they do, do they care; even a little?
LOVE, HONOUR AND OBEY
Just thinking about them and snap! films starring both Sandler and Aniston pop up on the box. Adam Sandler appears with Kevin James as two straight firefighters, who, for the purposes of the paper thin plot, pose as a gay couple in I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry [SABC3.19.30]. The movie claims to be anti homophobic but is stuffed full of gay stereotypes, who make all the gay stereotypical moves.
AT THE YMCA...
Saying that, the movie is not unpleasant and has made buckets of box-office cash; so everybody ends up happy, even the ‘real’ gay folk in the movie, they get spliced in the silly tacked on ending. Why didn't they go the whole hog and invite The Village People as special guests?
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A VERY HANDY JIM CARREY
Jim Carrey at full throttle is a bit like being hit with a train, as in the case of Bruce Almighty [M-Net.Sunday.01.50], where he plays Everyman to Morgan Freeman’s God. Every actor of Freeman’s age and stage gets to play God and The President of the United States at some point; in Bruce Almighty, it was Morgan’s turn to do the former.
THE VERY LIKABLE JENNIFER ANISTON
The movie has some laughter-coated messages about life; Carrey is manically on form while Jennifer Aniston plays the love interest. She seems such a sweet woman; but her acting skills are, to be kind, limited. Yet, she appears year after year, in film after film; do you suppose that audiences are still compensating her for loosing out to Angie; who got Brad, the kids and most of the talent?
WILDER AND ZERO MOSTEL. IN THE BACKGROUND IS DICK SHAWN AS HERR HITLER
Staying on the remake trail, did they really have to remake The Producers [e.tv.Saturday.23.00 and Sunday 13.25], when the original was perfect? Maybe, I’m just biased, but the Zero Mostel/ Gene Wilder movie is one of my favorite films of all time.
THE SAME AND YET NOT THE SAME
The full-blown musical remake isn’t bad, certainly worthy of a watch, but if you ever get the chance try to see the original, and you’ll see what I mean… Springtime for Hitler and Germany; Winter for Poland and France…
BOB CULP AND BILL COSBY MADE A GREAT TEAM
I Spy [e.tv.Sunday.20.00 and 00.25] pilfers the title and reworks the old Bill Cosby/ Robert Culp TV teaming from the 60s; Eddie Murphy and Owen Wilson do an inferior and very dull take on the salt and pepper combinations that worked so well in Men in Black, Lethal Weapon and the TV Miami Vice.
A TASTE OF BRITAIN AT WAR
I thought Nanny Mc Phee was tremendous, believe it or not, the sequel, Nanny Mc Phee Returns [M-Net.Saturday.18.00 and Wednesday.09.00] is even better. Once again Emma Thompson stars in the title role; this time the action is set during World War 2 and Maggie Gyllehaal, Ewan Macgregor and Ralph Fiennes star; together with a wodge of talented young English actors.
DEAR DAME MAGGIE
Image, if you will, Mary Poppins flavoured with a hint of Maria von Trap, a strong pinch of Enid Blyton, served up with delightful garnish all of its own. Maggie Smith as Mrs Docherty provides an endearing link to the first movie
PALTROW WITH GYLLENHAAL
The other gifted Gyllenhaal sibling, Jake, stars with Gyneth Paltrow and Anthony Hopkins in the filmed version of David Auburn’s Pulitzer Prize winning play Proof [SABC2.Monday.22.00], which delicately explores the fine line that can exist between genius and madness.
PALTROW WITH SIR ANTHONY
John Madden directs this intriguing, thought provoking movie, with a script by the author and Rebecca Miller, who is the daughter of playwright Arthur Miller and the wife of Daniel Day Lewis. Wearing another hat she directs movies, too.
TERRENCE MALICK
Talking of directors, there is an amazing array of filmmaking flair on display this week, each individual with their own style and working process. Terrence Malick makes on average, one movie a decade, so his output is not large; in the last ten years, he has made The Tree of Life, which was recently screened at Cannes and The New World [e.tv.22.35], which makes two movies in ten years; for him, a flurry of activity.
TAKE A LOOK AT THE ACTION BEHIND THE ACTION
The New World is another examination of the story of Captain Smith and Pocahontas, with no Disney, no cute songs and a great deal more historical accuracy.
FROM TWO DIFFERENT WORLDS
There is some wonderful acting from Colin Farrell, Christian Bale, Christopher Plummer and Q’Orainka Kilcher and a superb score from James Horner evoking, no not Dvorak but Wagner. The movie is not easy, but certainly worth the trouble.
DIRECTOR KEN LOACH
Ken Loach has spent his entire working life making films highlighting the plight of the poor and oppressed. He has been at it since the 60s, unfortunately without the lightness of touch or humour of (someone like) Mike Leigh.
PUT YOUR LIPS TOGETHER AND BLOW
In fact, Looking For Eric [M-Net.Monday.22.30], scripted by long time collaborator, Paul Laverty is one of Loach’s most user friendly pieces, with ex The Fall vocalist, Steve Evets as a beleaguered man who conjours the spirit(he’s not dead, just not really there) of his hero, football star Eric Cantona for help, advice and succor. Yes, you read that correctly, and even more amazingly, this very fanciful plot actually works.
A MARVELLOUS FEELING FOR TIME AND PLACE
Martin Scorsese’s first feature film since his Oscar winning The Departed is Shutter Island [M-Net.Sunday.20.05 and Wednesday.22.30] based on the novel by Dennis Lehane; who also wrote the novel that inspired the award winning Mystic River.
THE CAST, HEADED BY DICAPRIO, IS FAULTLESS
I need a deep breath to list the stars; Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Michelle Williams, Emily Mortimer, Max Von Sydow, Patricia Clarkson and Jackie Earle Haley. Scorsese’s work is always fascinating and the acting is first class, but the final twist, which twists on itself, is perhaps just a little too clever for its own good.
A TENSE MOMENT IN BIRDY
Alan Parker is one of the most versatile filmmakers around and his 1984 movie based on William Wharton’s novel, Birdy [e.tv.Sunday.22.00 and 02.10] is cinema at its best; in which Matthew Modine gives the performance of his life in the tortured title role.
MAKE MINE A SMALL TRIPLE!
He is very ably backed up by Nicolas Cage, who can act fairly well when he quells the desire to launch himself over the top. For the record, when Cage won his Best Actor Oscar for Leaving Las Vegas in 1995, he was the youngest actor, at 32, to ever do so; those were, of course, the heady days before he fired his hair stylist.
HARRISON FORD DOING HIS MAD SCIENTIST BIT
I’m going to end with a few celluloid 911 calls. Firstly, Brendan Fraser uses a slightly off kilter scientist, played by Harrison Ford to find a cure for his sick children in Extraordinary Measures [M-Net.Friday.21.30 and Wednesday.01.25].
ZELLWEGER CLUTCHES A VIPER TO HER BREAST
Then, social worker Renee Zellweger adopts an abused child with a rather nasty hidden agenda in Case 39 [M-Net.Tuesday.23.00] and definitely worst of all, defence attorney, Laura Linney defends priest Tom Wilkinson who has inadvertently exorcized a disturbed young woman to death in The Exorcism of Emily Rose [e.tv.Tuesday.22.30 and 02.15]. I think the people in most need of help are the filmmakers who dish up this kind of rubbish and call it meaningful entertainment.
WAITING FOR JULIAN, DICK, GEORGE, ANNE AND TIMMY THE DOG
My roundup may have ended on a dismal note, but there are some wonderful movies to seek out and enjoy. My pick was difficult; but I’m going with sentiment and choose Nanny Mcphee Returns [M-Net.Saturday.18.00 and Wednesday.09.00]; a combination of Britain at war and Enid Blyton type antics are, for me, irresistible.