Friday, May 9, 2014

Fading Gigolo

The title of Fading Gigolo actually suggests a theme that I don't think is the central/emotional part of the story.

Never-married Fioravante (John Turturro, who also wrote and directed this), aptly named because he is a florist (it means something like "first flower"), is talking to his older friend Murray (Woody Allen, who also contributed some to the comedic writing), a bookseller who is closing up shop due to the financial climate. Murray tells him of a conversation he had with his dermatologist (Sharon Stone) where she expressed an interest in a three-way sexual tryst with her and her attractive friend (Sofia Vergara), and did he know anyone who would like to do this? Murray suggested Fioravante and while Fioravante initially balks at this idea, is intrigued enough to do it. But the dermatologist wants to try Fioravante out first on her own, so he goes to her lavish apartment where we find she is in a loveless marriage, and seduces her, we see in essence she is a "desperate housewife."

This becomes pretty successful and for a time Fioravante and Murray gather other clients, taking them to Fioravante's apartment in the (I think) Brooklyn area. Murray meets a young Jewish widow/mother Avigal (Vanessa Paradis) and her predicament is that due to the restrictive elements placed on women in her orthodox Hasidic religion, she is very lonely and needs human interaction, both emotional and physical. She decides to visit Fioravante more as a therapy than for sex. They talk and he touches her and gives her a massage.  An old friend of hers, Dovi (Liev Schrieber) who works for a Jewish neighborhood watch group (they are almost like local police for this Jewish community), presses her to get married to him now she has been widowed a while. When he tails Avigal to Fioravante's place, he gets jealous even though he doesn't know what's going on there.

Meanwhile, the dermatologist is working up the nerve to finally do the threesome, but by that time Fioravante's attraction to his new job has lessened due to Avigal's presence in his life.


Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Past seven days

Looking at all the summer film calendars, from New York Times, AV Club, Washington Post and many more  A wide variety of films, but as usual, for the summer at least, not too many that are female oriented.


Man Bites Dog
We Always Lie to Strangers

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Another Earth

Filmmakers Mike Cahill and Brit Marling are coming out with a new film soon. Here is a review of their previous collaboration, Another Earth.

Rhoda (Brit Marling) is a young woman about to attend MIT to study astrophysics. One night she parties too hard and drives home drunk, hearing on the radio of the new discovery of a second planet Earth that is identical to our own. Gazing up to see the planet, she hits another car where John (William Mapother) is injured and his wife and son are killed.

The story moves forward to several years later, when Rhoda exits from prison after her crime. She no longer has a drive to pursue her studies and wants to pull back from the world. Although she is highly intelligent and passionate about her love of astronomy, she gets a job away from most of society by becoming a school janitor.

Her guilt moves her to spy a little on John, a classical musician and composer who has also retreated from society, now pretty much a hermit in an isolated house, having abandoned his music career. Circumstances happen where Rhoda and John meet, and since she was a protected minor at the time of the crime he has no knowledge of who she is and they begin at first an employer/employee relationship, then somewhat friends, then something beyond that.

Meanwhile, an Australian company is offering a contest for a space trip to Earth 2, and Rhoda hopes to win the trip to confront her other self to see if she also made the same mistakes in her life.

The story has to confront, or let Rhoda and John confront, the moment when Rhoda has to own up to who she is and what she did to John, and of course, the unknown situation on Earth 2, if they are the same as what is taking place here.


Thursday, May 1, 2014

Past seven days

A funny and heartfelt actor who sometimes was a toughie, RIP Bob Hoskins.


41st Student Academy Awards
Admission
Celeste and Jesse Forever
Hateship, Loveship
Master of the House

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Past seven days

An interesting highlight of the last seven days was seeing the Brothers Quay, who have been experimental filmmakers for many years.  Although at times they are not entirely forthcoming with their filmmaking methods, we got to hear firsthand about some of their work ethic and experiences in making short films and surreal animation.


The Brothers Quay short films
Chan is Missing
Family Tree
The Guild
The Sapphires
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory