Film Review -- Fading Gigolo

This film, written, directed, and starring John Turturro, also features Woody Allen, Sharon Stone, Sofia Vergara, Vanessa Paradis, and Liev Schrieber. Down-on-his-luck New Yorker Murray (Allen), whose used bookstore just closed, convinces his equally cash-strapped former employee Fioravante (Turturro) to moonlight as a gigolo after Murray's dermatologist (Stone) expresses interest in such a service. Together, they set up a successful "business" with Murray as the pimp, but things get complicated when Fioravante finds himself falling for Avigal (Paradis), a widowed Orthodox Jew -- much to the chargin of Dovi (Schrieber), a neighborhood patrolman who also has feelings for her. "Quirky" isn't a strong enough word for this film. Apart from being slightly ridiculous, the plot seems all over the place sometimes, with the different story lines diverging so much at times they don't feel like they belong in the same film. In terms of acting, Allen is great as usual, but everyone else borders on annoying; Paradis, meanwhile, is simply insufferable. Unfortunately, this was one of those films where I couldn't take anything from it, one where I constantly asked myself, "what's the point to all of this?". Fading Gigolo, for me, was a dud.

Should you see it: No
Grade: C- 

Oldie but Goodie: Manhattan Murder Mystery

Woody Allen writes, directs, and stars in his 1993 picture, which also features Diane Keaton, Alan Alda, Anjelica Huston and Jerry Adler. Larry (Allen) and Carol Lipton (Keaton) are a middle-aged couple living a quiet, uneventful life in New York. He works as a book editor, she "thinks about opening her own restaurant." However, their lives turn upside down when their neighbor, Lillian House (Lynn Cohen) suddenly dies of a heart attack. Having had coffee with her the night before, the Liptons thought she seemed in perfectly good spirits and health. Carol, deeply bothered by this abrupt turn of events, begins to suspect her widow, Paul (Adler), when he shows no outward signs of grieving. Larry is unconvinced, so Carol turns to their friend Ted (Alda), who helps her unearth the true story of what happened to Lillian. Meanwhile, Larry entertains Marcia Fox (Huston) a popular author whose next book he hopes to edit, and the couple's separate pursuits with other people causes some mutual jealousy. I am a huge fan of Allen's, and while I certainly enjoyed this film, it is not one of my favorites -- and that's probably because even a mediocre Allen film is good, which sets the bar pretty high. It isn't quite comedy, but also not suspenseful enough to be a full-fledged mystery. I think this indecisiveness detracted from the story, and it could have been much more effective had Allen picked one route and stuck with it. Although the plot suffered from occasional inconsistencies, I was overall satisfied with it. The acting is great, as always, as is the writing. In all, I was intrigued by the film and enjoyed it. It is definitely worth a watch, but it is not one of my favorite Allen films.

Should you see it: Yes
Grade: B+

Film Review: Mona Lisa

This 1986 film is directed by Neil Jordan and stars Bob Hoskins, Cathy Tyson, Robbie Coltrane, and Michael Caine. It tells the story of George (Hoskins), recently released from prison, who winds up the driver of a high-class prostitute, Simone (Tyson). While initially reluctant, George soon finds himself falling for Simone, so he agrees to help her track down another prostitute, whom Simone is very fond of and hasn't heard from in a while. Along the way, they must confront Simone's dangerous pimp, Anderson (Clarke Peters) and and George's shady boss, Denny (Caine). My mom showed me this film because Bob Hoskins sadly died on April 29. He is terrific in it, definitely deserving of his Oscar nomination. The supporting cast is great too, especially Tyson and Coltrane, as George's goofy friend, Thomas. I enjoyed the ending's surprise twist, and felt that the film was well-written and well-paced (it is suspenseful when it should be, but takes its time when needed, as well). However, and maybe this is a matter of personal preference, since I found the film's subject matter quite strong, it did not overly excite me or hold my interest. It is a perfectly fine film, and certainly worth watching -- I simply wasn't overwhelmed by it.

Should you see it: Yes
Grade: B

Oldie but Goodie: Monty Python's Life of Brian

Directed by Terry Jones and starring the MP crew of Jones, Graham Chapman, Michael Palin, Eric Idle, John Cleese and Terry Gilliam, the film follows the comical story of Brian, a guy who lived two thousand years ago and never reached full Messiah status, probably because three wise men entered the wrong manger -- his. He participates in many comical situations, and even his crucifixion isn't exempt from humor. The film works mainly because the ensemble cast is brilliant, and, playing multiple parts each, are able to write and act a smart, geniously satirical. I love a good religious mocking, so this film hit the right spots for me. As with Holy Grail, there are sketches that are funnier than others, with some being overly silly for my taste. However, overall, Life of Brian is an intelligent, relevant option for when you feel like having some laughs.

Should you see it: Yes
Grade: A-

Film Review -- Bad Words

Jason Bateman directs and stars in this black comedy also featuring Kathryn Hahn, Allison Janney, and Rohan Chand. Guy Trilby (Bateman) is forty years old, foul-mouthed, and....a spelling bee contestant? That's what happens when he finds a loophole in the rules of the Golden Quill Spelling Bee, and all of a sudden hard-working eleven-year -olds find themselves competing with a ruthless Trilby. But why is he so bent on carrying out this stunt and crushing the dreams of many children? That's what reporter Jenny Widgeon (Hahn) wants to find out. But these plans take an unexpected turn when quick-witted contestant Chaitanyia (Chand) befriends a reluctant Guy. First, the premise of the film is outrageously silly, and most of the film's laughs come from equally ridiculous situations. However, the film is charming enough to justify the cheap laughs. While the plot is underwhelming, you but have to admire its simplicity. This keeps the focus predominantly on the comedy. The actors also do a fine job, with so much relying on the comedic timing of their dialogue. Especially enjoyable is talented young actor Rohan Chand, who is completely adorable as Guy's unlikely pint-sized sidekick. In all, Bad Words is a mostly enjoyable comedy with a few good laughs. It's worth a look.

Should you see it: Yes
Grade: B-

Oldie but Goodie -- Monty Python and the Holy Grail

This 1975 cult classic is directed by Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam and stars Jones, Gilliam, John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Eric Idle, and Michael Palin. King Arthur (Chapman), along with his not-so-noble knights, set out on a God-given quest to find the Holy Grail. Along the way, they face many silly obstacles, such as the swallow-savvy castle keepers, the limbless knight, a prince who just wants to sing, the knights who say Ni!, and a riddle-loving bridge keeper. It's obvious that this film doesn't try or pretend to be anything else other than an outrageously silly, historically inaccurate adventure from one of Britain's most famous comedy groups. In fact, the entire film plays out as one long sketch show, with each obstacle being its own separate sketch. I enjoyed many of them -- the opening credits are laugh-out-loud, can't-breathe hilarious. The swallow-savvy castle keepers are also very funny, as are the Knights who say Ni! and the riddle-loving bridge keeper, among others. There are a few sketches, however, that were just too silly for me. But I can very much appreciate the amount of imagination and creativity that it takes to make a film like this -- I know I could never do it. Even though the film is extremely low-budget (a fact even worked into the film's plot, in the form of an absolutely hysterical coconut sequence), the actors are all so brilliant that they are more than able to achieve their goal of making an uproarious comical romp.

Should you see it: Yes
Grade: A

Film Review -- The Fifth Estate

Directed by Bill Condon, this 2013 film stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Daniel Bruhl, Laura Linney, and Stanley Tucci. It tells the story of the early stages of one of the biggest whistle-blowing organizations ever, Wikileaks, and its founder, Julian Assange (Cumberbatch), through the point-of-view of his business partner, Daniel Berg (Bruhl). The film itself is not great; its much too long, the script is weak, and the directing is too slow to make it a legitimate thriller. Because it is based on the book of a disgruntled ex-Wikileaks employee, the film is also frustratingly one-sided. I'm sure it would be a monumental task to make an objective film about one of the most controversial organizations and people in the world, but this film makes Assange out as way too one-dimensional and detestable. The performances are pretty good, but they're not enough to save a film that does not accurately depict Wikileak's beginnings, or its merits.

Should you see it: With fair warning
Grade: C+