Photo Courtesy © Buena Vista Pictures

Enchanted

Directed by: Kevin Lima   

Written by: Bill Kelly

Starring: Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, James Marsden, Idina Menzel, Timothy Spall, Rachel Covey and Susan Sarandon.

I wasn’t exactly running to see Disney’s new hit film Enchanted—if it isn’t a Pixar film, I tend to not really make an effort to see their family films theatrically—but after maintaining the number one position at the box-office two weeks in a row (maybe more, after this is published), my interest in the re-imagined fairytale was piqued.

The movie stars the adorable Amy Adams as Giselle, a princess in every sense of the Disney-image—animals flock to her á la Cinderella, she is fair, patient, kind and beautiful, loved by all, etc.—who is waiting for her “true love’s kiss.” That kiss is supposed to come in the form of her beloved Prince Edward (James Marsden), but the Prince’s evil step-mother, Queen Narissa (Susan Sarandon), fears that she will be dethroned once they are married so she never actually allows them to meet. Until one day, purely by accident, as the story goes, they do and all hell breaks lose.

Narissa sends Giselle to “the real world” (via a New York City sewer) in the hopes of separating her from Prince Edward forever but her plan does not go accordingly and soon Giselle, Edward and her newfound love interest Robert, played by Patrick Dempsey, find themselves re-writing their own fairytale.

Everything up until Giselle’s entrance into Times Square is animated in the traditional Disney form; once she steps through the manhole, she comes to life in the form of the lovely Amy Adams. The animation works really well in setting up the obvious “this is a fairytale” intentions (I kept having to remind myself that this film was made for people, say, 15 years younger than me), but what makes the film worth seeing, and also makes for the funniest sequences, are the scenes set in “the real world.”

Director Kevin Lima is a pro at making Disney films having directed Tarzan, A Goofy Movie and 102 Dalmations, but it is screenwriter Bill Kelly who we have to thank for the story’s overall wit and charm. Kelly also wrote the extremely underrated Brendan Fraser-vehicle, Blast From the Past, and much like that film, which takes a cute premise and turns it on its head by incorporating genuine and likable characters, Enchanted ultimately works because we like and relate to its stars.

Amy Adams, who I will always picture as the adorable braces-wearing nurse in Steven Spielberg’s Catch Me If You Can, wins you over from the very first moment that she smiles on screen. She is the perfect embodiment of the princess that every little girl grew up believing in and yet her innocence and ingenuity at the “real world” that she suddenly finds herself in never feels forced or over-the-top. Her performance is helped largely in part by the adorable Dempsey as Robert the love-weary lawyer, not to mention James Marsden’s goofy Prince Edward, Timothy Spall’s (that’s Peter Pettigrew to you HP fans) insecure villain Nathaniel, Susan Sarandon’s spot on bitchy step-mother, and Rachel Covey’s Morgan, one of the most effortlessly cute little girls I’ve seen in a Disney film in a really long time.

Enchanted is sweet and well, enchanting, with just enough funny jokes and gross-out scenes (every New Yorker’s worst fear is on full-display in the Giselle-cleans-Robert’s-apartment scene) to entertain those of us way beyond the film’s intended PG-rated-audience. It is however, despite what the trailer might have you believe, still just a Disney fairytale—replete with a Princess, a Prince and an ending where everyone lives “happily ever after.”

Lily@picturesandframesmagazine.com

Photo Courtesy © MGM

The Mist

Directed by: Frank Darabont

Written by: Frank Darabont (screenplay), Stephen King (short story)

Starring: Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden, Laurie Holden, Andre Braugher, Toby Jones, William Sadler, Alexa Davalos and Sam Witwer.

This movie turned out to be way more exciting than I originally expected. And it wasn’t because of the superb filmmaking or the wonderful storytelling; nope, it had more to do with the movie going audience in my theater. I’m sure you know what happens whenever a guy calls another guy a “pussy”—all of a sudden everyone goes “Oooohhhhhh.” Yes sir, a fight broke out about 30 minutes into The Mist. For all of you out there that have witnessed such an event all I can say is “Man, that was fun,” especially when the fucker deserved to get the shit kicked out of him. I just wish that it had happened after the movie and not during a crucial plot development scene.

The reason why I’m condoning theater violence all of a sudden is because the guy getting beat up was also the guy that wouldn’t shut the fuck up half an hour after the movie had started. You know what I’m talking about? That annoying couple that thinks the movie theater is an extension of their living room. Unfortunately, they had to find out the hard way that if you are going to act like tough guys and dare someone to shut you up, expect that your wish might come true. This time around a 6’2 man with a very impressive build granted their wish. (Note to all pubescent movie hecklers: think twice before calling someone a pussy in the dark!!!)

Considering all of the commotion, it’s a good thing that I read the short story before watching the film otherwise I would have been really pissed. The Mist is based on an amazing short story by renowned fiction writer Stephen King. Sadly, the movie falls short (much like previous attempts to adapt other Stephen King stories for the screen). The story deals with a town that is taken over by a mysterious mist. Hidden inside the mist are creatures that seem to come from another dimension—all of them are deadly, some more gruesome than others. Trapped inside the town’s main grocery store, more then 40 people fight to stay alive. Inside that supermarket their wills, morals and survival instincts are put to the test. In a hopeless situation only a few are able to find the strength to survive.

I love the story, which is why I had my hesitations when I heard that they were adapting it into a film and Steven Spielberg wasn’t directing it. I’m not saying that the movie was terrible, I’m just saying that it falls way short of the story it’s based on. My biggest complaint with the film has got to be the crappy CGI effects. Someone in Hollywood-land should really write a law that says “Only the following directors are allowed to use CGI in their films: Steven Spielberg, Guillermo Del Toro, Tim Burton and Peter Jackson—everybody else has got to go back to film school and learn how to use special effects to compliment (not destroy) their film.”

A good friend of mine pointed out that in the short story the mist looks just like a wall that moves in a straight line and since there are no straight lines in nature one automatically assumes that this was not your everyday mist. Unfortunately this is not used in the film version; instead the director chooses to use a cheesy CGI mist that engulfs everything in the town all at once. The director also changed the ending but don’t worry, I’m not going to spoil it for you (instead ill let you decide which is the better ending). Fortunately those are the only two things that writer-director Frank Darabont changed from the original story—everything else stays true to Stephen King’s vision.

Frank Darabont is no first timer when it comes to adapting and directing Stephen King stories. Both The Green Mile and The Shawshank Redemption are his earlier King-related successes (as well as underrated The Majestic which is not a Stephen King story but still a great film).

I think this is the reason why The Mist is not a total washout, because the director is able to recreate the tension and desperation felt in the book, and the casting was dead on. Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden and Andre Braugher were particularly great.

Darabont does drama very well but he fails to recreate both the terrifying look of the creatures and the magnitude of their presence on the screen. Personally, I would have shot the film using more of a documentary feel—less like a movie and more like The Blair Witch meets 28 Days Later. But even though the director drops the ball with the special effects, I still think that you will enjoy the film if you give it a chance. And who knows? Maybe a fight will break out in your theater.

Juanmarcos@picturesandframesmagazine.com

Photo Courtesy © Paramount Classics

Margot At The Wedding

Written and directed by: Noah Baumbach

Starring: Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jack Black, Zane Pais, Flora Cross, Ciarán Hinds, John Turturro

Noah Baumbach’s movies aren’t easily categorized. Which, apparently, is a shame. After a screening of his newest film, Margot at the Wedding, a man behind me said that he was surprised that it was so funny, seeing as how it was supposed to be a drama. The woman he was with protested, telling him it was supposed to be a very dark comedy. One of them then said, “I guess we read different reviews!”

Baumbach’s most straightforward comedy, Kicking & Screaming, is one of the funniest, smartest and underrated films (that ought to be on everyone’s Netflix queue). However, with Margot, as with his previous film, The Squid & The Whale, Baumbach has created a compelling character study seasoned with a liberal dose of poison-tipped wit. There are certainly some recurring themes: Marriages in crisis, the child in the middle of it all. This time around, we have Margot, played by Nicole Kidman, who has traveled with her son, Claude (Zane Pais), to attend her sister’s wedding. However, the unhappy Margot has other reasons for the trip. Her sister, Pauline (welcome back, Jennifer Jason Leigh!) is marrying a temperamental guy named Malcolm (Jack Black), who Margot does not particularly approve of. But what could possibly make Margot happy?

Certainly not her sensitive and sweet husband, played by the wonderful John Turturro. No, Margot doesn’t last long before she’s lashing out at everyone. Which makes her hate herself all the more. Which makes her lash out. Sometimes, it’s funny, sometimes it is painful, but even at the most outlandish times, Baumbach has a knack for creating characters that seem real. I certainly saw myself in some of them—and not always when they were at their best. It helps that he has a wonderful cast to work with. Kidman once again proves unafraid to tackle any role, even one that’s so overwhelmingly unlikable.

Leigh displays her characteristic vulnerability, but also shows a sweetness and maturity that I don’t feel I’ve seen from her before, as her work in the past is inevitably described as “edgy.” Black is sympathetic as Malcolm—up to a point. There may have been moments when he went a wee bit over the top, but not so much that it detracts from the film. At an hour and a half, the movie seemed a bit short. You’d think that 90 minutes spent with Margot would drive you mad… But I kind of wanted some more.

Rick@picturesandframesmagazine.com

DVD'S:

Photo Courtesy © New Line Cinema

Hairspray

Originally, I had rented Hairspray with the intention of reviewing it with the rest of the Brooklyn Gang. It seemed like it would be something good/bad enough for us to really sink our teeth into. Instead, we went with Transformers. Not one to let a Netflix rental go to waste, I decided to brave Hairspray on my own. It is after all, a musical, and I am the one who can appreciate watching a film where people suddenly burst into song.

Being the good musical theatre lover that I am, I bought the Hairspray cast album after seeing them perform the incredible song, “You can’t stop the beat,” on the Tony Awards broadcast. Suffice to say that I was familiar with the music from the show. I can’t say I was all that enamored by it, though. I figured—it’s one of those that you’ve got to see to appreciate. After seeing the film, I’m sure that seeing the stage version must be fun. Watching the movie? Not so much.

You’ve got a fantastic lead with Nikki Blonsky as Tracy Turnblad and Amanda Bynes is truly funny as her sidekick, Penny Pingleton. Elijah Kelley steals his scenes as Seaweed. However, the rest of the young cast, Brittany Snow and Zac Efron, pale in comparison. By a lot. Is it because they’re supposed to be playing the uptight white-bread kids that they have zero charisma? Or is it just them? Snow seems to be acting in an episode of “One Life to Live” and Efron… Really? This is the guy all the kids today are crushing on? Because I couldn’t help but feel disappointed in the end when Tracy ends up with such a dead fish. Orlando Bloom has more depth than this kid. Seriously, 12-year-olds of the world: You can do better!

The adult actors don’t fare well either. Aside from Michelle Pfeiffer, who is flawless as the awful Velma Von Tussle (her song, “Miss Baltimore Crabs,” is an early highlight), and Alison Janney’s hysterical turn as Prudy Pingleton, actors like Christopher Walken and Queen Latifah feel wasted in their respective roles. Which brings us to the two-ton elephant in the room: John Travolta. What movie was he in? Aside from the fact that his prosthetics made him look like Miss Piggy, or the gigantic woman who ended up becoming the titular Monster House, he persisted in doing some mysterious accent throughout the entire movie that made me wonder if it was really him or actually a giant Muppet voiced by Frank Oz. Honestly, what the fuck was that accent supposed to be? At times it seemed Southern, despite the fact that the movie takes place in Baltimore. Was that his idea of a lady-voice? It killed a lot of the movie for me, which is a shame considering that his character, Edna, should have been one of the funniest (and most touching) parts. Harvey Fierstein where are you? Having said all that, Travolta does have a shining moment during the finale. In fact, the finale was the best part of the film. It’s not because it finally ends, but because of the song it ends with, the electrifying and effervescent “You can’t stop the beat.” It’s impossible to walk away without a smile on your face when you hear this song.

In the end, Hairspray is sort of fun, but mostly flavorless. It’s like when you want chocolate cake, but have to settle for M&Ms. It’s odd to think that something this bland came from something as filthy-funny as John Waters’ original film. Case in point—the whole Zac Efron thing. When I told someone I thought he was “gross/cute” (later re-dubbed “Disney Cute”) we had to discuss what that meant. It is when someone is what most would consider good-looking, but in a way that is very bland. Nothing interesting, just cute. I think that perhaps that’s what this version of Hairspray is: A “nice” and “cute” movie for the High School Musical generation, a Disney channel version of something that should have been (and once was) more interesting.

Rick@picturesandframesmagazine.com

Photo Courtesy © DreamWorks Pictures

TRANSFORMERS (more than meets the eye)

I try to get out and they pull me back in. Yes, it’s Rick, once again. When will my days of watching bad movies and then having to re-live them be over? (Answer: As long as Michael Bay keeps making them? Never.)

One Saturday night, the Brooklyn Gang sat down with special guest star, Lily the Editor, to watch Bay’s latest summer blockbuster: Transformers!

…it went a little somethin’ like this:

Lily: I forgot that Dreamworks did this. Last year wasn’t good for Spielberg; he did this and “On the Lot.”

Jeanne: He shoulda been shot for that. Not, like, a killing shot, like a wounding shot. In the leg. Because “On the Lot” was the worst thing I’ve ever seen.

Chris: “In association with Hasbro!”

The film begins with a narration talking about stuff that happened “Before time began.” I think this is a sign of bullshit. Anyway, it’s got something to do with a big cube in outerspace and the beginning of a war.

Jeanne: Wait, this is the movie? This isn’t the trailer for something else?

Chris: This is the movie! We’re watching the movie!

Jeanne: Oh, that sucks. Before time began, there was a cube.

The film shifts to a group of soldiers talking about alligator meat in the desert. Lily mistakes Josh Duhamel for Ryan Seacrest. We begin discussing Fergie (Duhamel’s girlfriend) and how much she sucks. Nothing anyone says is very funny. A helicopter lands.

Rick: I bet it’s not a real helicopter.

Lily: This is like “A Michael Bay Guide to Directing.” His movies always look the same.

Rick: I fucking hate Michael Bay’s fucking movies.

Somehow the conversation leads to the following question:

Rick: What if Steve Buscemi and Ben Affleck had a kid? That would be crazy looking!

Chris: That would be crazy in general.

Jeanne: He’d have a giant head and really googly eyes! Hey, I just saw an ad for HP.

Yeah, there’s a drinking game to be played here. Every time you spot some product placement, take a shot. Anyway, the soldiers are attacked by a big, robotic scorpion!

Rick: Oh, my gosh, that helicopter’s totally transforming into something else!

Jeanne: Into a transformer!

Rick: Oh my gosh, it’s a robot! It’s like it was a robot, but in disguise. And that’s the movie.

Chris: Look, all I know is that I’m watching a robot blow shit up and that’s pretty cool.

And that really is the movie. Except that the writers have thrown in some really funny dialogue, the robot effects kick ass and in the end we all wanted to go to McDonalds before purchasing new HP computers on eBay. I thought it was way, way better than Crash and maybe the best movie I’ve seen as part of the Brooklyn Gang reviews. Go rent it now.

PS: Shia looked way hotter in his mugshot.

The Saturday Night Itinerant Brooklyn Gang is:

Jeanne Lopez, Cookie Monster

Rick Sayre, Pop-Culture Critic

Christopher Wilson, Vampire Hunter

*Special Guest: Lily Percy, Bread Maker

BrooklynGang@picturesandframesmagazine.com

MUSIC:

Chaka, Jill, Ledisi, and Keyshia: The Female Voice of R&B/Soul is Back with a Vengeance

It’s been quite a busy release season for the music industry. Music buyers have been bombarded with new CDs by music heavyweights and up-and-comers. After a somewhat abysmal year, one genre in particular, R&B/Soul, seems to be picking up a great deal of steam. This fall marks the return of the virtually non-existent voice of R&B/Soul music. So move over Beyonce' and Rihanna! Chaka Khan, Jill Scott, Ledisi, and Keyshia Cole are back and they’re bringing some serious heat.

Chaka Khan – Funk This

The legendary singer-songwriter Chaka Khan returns with the magnificent Funk This. It’s her first studio album in nearly a decade (she released an album of jazz standards with the London Symphony Orchestra, Classikhan, in 2004). Funk This is a collection of originals and remakes. The music recalls her work with Rufus and many of her solo releases with the late producer Arif Mardin. Khan teamed up with super producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis for this 13-track set. They do a great job of balancing the old school with the new school. As soon as the first song plays (“Back In the Day”), it’s quite evident that Khan, Jam, and Lewis have great chemistry in the studio. Which begs the question, what took them so long to work together?

It’s safe to say that Khan lets you have it vocally on this album, and her voice is at its best. Hers is horn-like, flexible, full of color, different tones, textures and feeling and it easily rivals that of her peers. If any singer-songwriter is an example of getting better with time, it’s Khan. She’s created new classics with “Angel,” “Super Life,” the duet with Mary J. Blige “Disrespectful” and “Will he Love Me?” She showcases her versatility on the remakes—Jimi Hendrix’s “Castles Made of Sand,” Joni Mitchell’s “Ladies Man,” Prince’s “Sign ‘O’ The Times,” Carly Simon and Michael McDonald’s “You Belong To Me,” and Rufus’s “Pack’d My Bags/You Got the Love,” easily making them her own.

Funk This is a welcome return by one of the most influential and oft-imitated vocalists of our time. Though Khan has never gone anywhere, the length of time between releases showcases the struggles that many singers of her generation face when trying to release music. In this youth and image driven industry, talent seems to be the last consideration. But many of today’s stars can learn tremendously from Khan (and others) about talent, stage presence, (real) entertainment and longevity. Funk This is one of Khan’s best releases and judging from the response, possibly one of her biggest successes. It deserves to win every nomination it receives. The up-and-comers only wish they could funk like this!

Jill Scott – The Real Thing: Words & Sounds, Vol. 3

Though it’s been three years since her last release, Jill Scott’s been busy. Aside from touring, she’s released a collection of poetry, a collection of duets, and starred in two movies. On a sad note, she’s also been in the process of getting a divorce from her longtime love. As with many of her releases, life experiences fuel the music. This holds true on her latest release The Real Thing: Words & Sounds, Vol. 3.

Scott teamed up with longtime producers Andre Harris and Vidal Davis and Omari Shabazz, along with new producers Khari Mateen, Adam Blackstone, “J.R.” Hutson, Scott Storch, Stokley (of Mint Condition-fame), Abduology and Jesse Owenz, and Om’mas Keith and Shafiq Husayn for this 15-track set. The Real Thing’s mood is similar to that of her first album, but is a bit different in its range (musically) and tone (lyrically). This album showcases where she is musically and personally. There’s the sparse blues of “Celibacy Blues,” the soulful jazz of “Come See Me,” the fusion of funk and rock on “The Real Thing,” the smooth jazz that makes you want to two-step on “Whenever You’re Around,” spoken word grooves on “Epiphany” and “Insomnia,” sexy soul of “All I,” and the brassy, southern hip hop influenced “Hate On Me.”

Scott never fails to disappoint vocally, musically, or lyrically. Her vocal techniques vary with each song. She knows how to use the right tones and textures to get emotions out of the lyrics. Scott gets true to herself (and her musical flexibility) on “Let It Be.” On “Hate On Me,” Scott’s peace of mind is not threatened or intimidated by the haters. She longs for the passion and fire with her man on “Come See Me.” On “How It Make You Feel,” she asks brothas to ponder a world without black women. And “Wanna Be Loved” serves as yet another musical representation of Scott’s realness and likeness to us.

The Real Thing is another solid chapter in Scott’s budding legacy. She uses her vocal dynamism and poetry to tell stories that evoke emotions, prompt questions, reflection and introspection. You can’t help but feel her. Scott is indeed the real thing!

Ledisi – Lost & Found

In the opening bars of her latest release, Ledisi sings “I been waiting for you/Cause I been here all the time.” And that she has. Ledisi’s been one of the industry’s best-kept secrets. She’s developed a solid following over the years with two acclaimed albums and sold-out performances. She’s also been featured on tribute albums to Luther Vandross (Forever, For Always, For Luther) singing “My Sensitivity,” and to Ella Fitzgerald (We All Love Ella) singing a phenomenal version of “The Blues in the Night.” She’s a talented singer-songwriter who’s been under the radar for too long. With the release of her major label debut, Lost and Found, Ledisi is sure to get the attention she deserves.

Lost and Found is a collection of 17 smooth songs with fiery vocal performances, great lyrics, and superb instrumentation. The songs are so smooth that they could flow into each other effortlessly. Her music blurs the line between jazz, R&B/soul, gospel, funk, and blues. Much of the subject matter deals with love and introspection. Songs like the first single “Alright” and “Today” are optimistic feel good jams and Ledisi makes the end of a relationship sound so good on the groovy “I Tried.” “Lost and Found (Find Me),” with its sparse instrumentation, is emotionally charged balladry at its best. “Upside Down” is one of the funkiest R&B tunes to come out in some time. “Think of You” is a lively, hip-hop inflected jam that is easily one of the best songs on the album, and “Someday” is a song of gratitude and love to her parents.

It can’t be said enough—Ledisi’s voice is spectacular. She’s blessed with a multi-octave range that can do anything. Her phrasing, timbre and technique are slightly reminiscent of Dinah Washington, Nancy Wilson, and Chaka Khan. She can wail, scat and riff with the best of them. She also possesses great control of her instrument, which keeps her from overdoing it. Songs that showcase her dynamic abilities are “Best Friend,” “Upside Down,” “Think of You,” and “In the Morning.”

From the production to the songwriting to the vocals, Lost and Found is an excellent release. With lush sounds, honest lyrics, and heartfelt singing, it’s definitely not your run-of-the mill R&B/Soul release. Ledisi has put herself several steps ahead of the pack. Lost and Found is bound to take her to next level of what, I’m sure, will be a long, fruitful career.

Keyshia Cole – Just Like You

Since the release of her debut album The Way It Is, Keyshia Cole’s popularity has steadily increased. Aside from her music, it’s the rawness of her voice and her realness that’s struck a cord with listeners. This connection is sure to deepen with her sophomore effort Just Like You.

Just Like You features 15 songs, mostly co-written by Cole. The album features several producers, such as Missy Elliott, Scott Storch, The Runners, Rodney Jerkins, Gregory S. Curtis, Sr., Brian Michael Cox, and Shawn Carroll, to name a few. The album is a mixture of up-tempo songs and ballads. The up-tempo tracks include stellar anthems like the top-ten hit “Let It Go” featuring Missy Elliott and Lil’ Kim, “Shoulda Let You Go” featuring Amina, “Didn’t I Tell You” featuring Too $hort, and the Mary J. Blige-esque “Give Me More.” Though the up-tempo songs are commendable, the ballads really allow Cole to shine.

When she sings about the up and downs of love, her performances show that she knows what she’s talking about. Cole, like Mary J. Blige, is able to get inside each song and make you feel every note. There’s the sadness of “Falling Out,” the heartache of “I Remember,” the longing of “Heaven Sent,” and the yearning for redemption on “Got to Get My Heart Back.” Though her voice is powerful she doesn’t resort to over-singing to sell the songs. She simply feels it. She knows where to use restraint and when to let loose.

Just Like You is a step in the right direction for Cole. Cole proves that by staying true to yourself (and the music) anything is possible. She doesn’t have to rely on image and over-the-top productions to get the point across with a voice like hers. With this only being her second album, one can only imagine what the future has in store. If Just Like You is any indication, Cole is destined for greatness.

Chaka, Jill, Ledisi, and Keyshia Triumph

Chaka Khan, Jill Scott, Ledisi and Keyshia Cole have all released stellar efforts this season. Though each is quite different, they all have the voice, the style, the presence, and the attitude to stand out. They prove, once again, that R&B/Soul music comes from the heart. It’s emotional. It’s real. And it’s here to stay! Those in need of real singing, exceptional lyrics, and live instrumentation, please pick these releases up from your favorite music retailer or online store.

Markell Williams – Music Critic

BOOKS:

The Reader

With The Reader, Bernhard Schlink’s exploration of the sad-underneath of existence is based dually on sexuality and morality and speaks the power of remembrance, particularly about how personal and collective pasts intertwine.

The novel opens in postwar Germany on Michael Berg, a fifteen-year-old sick with hepatitis. By chance, as he wretches on the sidewalk, he’s harbored in the arms of a brisk but concerned stranger, who takes care to usher him home. The kind action gone unforgotten, Berg returns, quite innocently, months later to thank the middle-aged, mid-beauty of a woman, Hanna Schmitz. Reserved, enigmatic but confidant, Schmitz captures Berg’s uneducated and burgeoning sexual curiosity and through a series of push and pulls, fights and reconciliations, he bonds himself to a woman who in large part always remains a stranger. Perhaps the only telling element of their relationship is that in between bouts of lovemaking, Berg reads aloud plays and books to her, and she sits back, always carefully listening.

Years later, after a devastating break, Berg, now a law student, sees Schmitz again, this time on trial for crimes committed during the Holocaust. A former SS guard, Schmitz is accused of a multiple murder count, and she, unwilling to deny her wrongdoings or accept false accusations, suffers the lashes of cultural anger at a nation’s former moral impotence. Yet, even here, the reading remains important, the one hold Schmitz has to a better life.

Broken into three sections, The Reader leisurely flows from viewing emotion at first at its primitive level, then at its intellectual incarnation and finally at its last and most truthful version—emotion as an experience entirely of the heart. In transitioning from one phase to the next, Schlink begs his reader more and more deeply not only into his protagonist’s singular life but into the tangible collective cultural dilemmas that Germany faced in the war’s wake: Who was to blame for all the moral depravity? What would happen if those responsible were our neighbors, our families, and our lovers? What could we, or would we, forgive them? Schlink offers no definitive answers, seizing not on whether there was a right or wrong but on the fact that all forms of life are somehow precious. There’s gentleness in his view of a harsh reality, a clemency applied to all individuals, and it’s these elements that set The Reader apart in a library of love and war novels.

Schlink writes with an easy hand. His sex isn’t sensational nor are his moral forays dogmatic. While there’s a buttoned-up quality to his voice as Michael Berg, there is no rigidity to it. He crafts a pacing, almost from the outset, of willing resignation for Berg, who allows things to happen when they will and accepts situations as they come. It’s a quiet and undemanding book, at times piercing but mainly fluid, hypnotic and like history itself, so rhythmic and cyclical, that it’s as easily remembered as forgotten.

Noralil@picturesandframesmagazine.com

FICTION:

Photo Courtesy © Jeanne Lopez

Simply Wondering

Lately I find

You coming across my mind

More often than I’d care to say

It’s been some time

Since we’d last seen or spoken to each other

So it should be okay

If I care or wonder how you are

For a short, but significant moment in my life

You were the one

It was a love we shared

That I’d never experienced

Or could compare to anything before or after

I’d found happiness

In a new and exciting way

I’d found another way to spend my time

Without worry or apprehension

I didn’t mind making

Time for you

So when our lives shifted us into other directions

I was saddened

Deeply hurt

But I knew it was best

For both of us

We had to move forward

We ended on good terms

But since that time

We lost touch

And I was simply wondering

How you were

What you’ve been up to

And if I could still call you a friend

Though I may not be in love with you (anymore)

Forever, I’ll love you

© 2007 Markell D. Williams

 Photo Courtesy © Jeanne Lopez

For Those Who’ve Come Before

For those I’ve come to admire

And those who continue to

Inspire me

I thank you

We tend to imitate or want to be those we admire

But I don’t want to be you

I want to understand you

I want to stand by your side

Get inside your mind

While you were making your way

I want to live in that time

So that I can see what it was like

When you were struggling to simply exist

In a world that did not

Appreciate your humanity, gifts, and spirit

However, at the same time

I know there was a purpose for me to be

Placed in this time

In this place

I want to give you praise

Because at least I know

There’s still hope for me yet

That I can do whatever

I damn well please

Because of you

In amazement

In graciousness

And in love, again, I

Thank you

© 2007 Markell D. Williams

SPOTLIGHT:

Nicole Kidman

(June 20, 1967- )

The first time that I remember seeing actress Nicole Kidman was in a comic book shop in Miami. It was 1989. I was 15. She was on the back cover of almost every issue of every DC comic I bought that month, her face half immersed in water, frozen with fear. It was an advert for the film Dead Calm. The fact is that the first time I actually saw Kidman was on cable television, one of the seemingly countless times the film BMX Bandits aired. It would be a while before I began to consider myself a true fan of hers, however.

With 1995’s To Die For, Kidman finally stopped being a random Australian actress married to Tom Cruise and started to really come into her own. Since then she has won critical acclaim for her work, despite the fact that audiences don’t seem to adore her as much as some of her contemporaries, like Julia Roberts or Meg Ryan. But when was the last time that either of those actors blew you away onscreen? I will admit that Kidman does seem a bit less warm than Roberts or Ryan. I don’t feel like I could be buddies with her the way I might with Sandra Bullock or Drew Barrymore. However, as an actor and an artist, I prefer her work to any of those other household names. Why? Because I respect her bold choices, for one thing. Kidman, particularly over the last six or seven years, has mastered the art of balancing mainstream films with artsy cinema. For every Invasion, there is a Fur, for every Bewitched, a Birth, and for every Golden Compass, a Margot at the Wedding.

My love for her comes from complete adoration of her as an actor. At Pictures and Frames we love to talk about actors who could “play the shark,” another phrase stolen from writer/director Kevin Smith. (An actor who can play the shark is someone who could play every part in Jaws—even that of the title character. In Smith’s example, it was Ben Affleck. I love Ben, but tend to disagree.) My list isn’t extensive: Christian Bale is on my list. So is Cate Blanchett. And it would definitely include Nicole Kidman. Because whether she’s working on a set made of chalk outlines in Lars Von Trier’s Dogville or uncovering the truth about the ridiculous Stepford Wives, Kidman delivers a flawless performance. Every time.

Post-BMX Bandits, Kidman was featured in a handful of Australian productions, including the “Vietnam” mini-series. One of her first major roles was in Philip Noyce’s thriller, Dead Calm. She stars alongside Sam Neill as a young Australian couple who have lost their only child in a car accident. The pair escapes to the seclusion of their yacht, sailing the South Pacific, only to encounter a man in a dingy (Billy Zane) who claims to be the only survivor from a nearby boat. Neill’s character goes to investigate matters, realizing too late that the stranger is not quite the innocent victim he appears to be. Zane and Kidman face off on the yacht, while Neill, abandoned on Zane’s sinking ship, tries to survive. Kidman is very much the hero of the film and her terror and strength are palpable, while Zane’s psycho is threatening enough to keep you in suspense the entire time. It’s not only a strong thriller but also a good film, buoyed by solid performances from all three actors. A year later, Kidman appears in a very different film, the Australian coming of age story, Flirting. Kidman is featured among a young cast of Aussie talents that includes her close friend Naomi Watts, another immensely talented actor. (However, the real stars of the film are Noah Taylor and Thandie Newton, who play a pair of boarding school outsiders who are drawn to one another.) At first glance, Kidman’s Nicola appears to be the alpha-bitch of a mean girl clique, one who is also the epitome of every schoolboy’s pubescent fantasy. Of course, there’s more to her character than this and I won’t be the one to spoil it. Flirting is an absolute charmer, a wonderful teen comedy that is head over heels beyond the sort found in American cinema.

Kidman’s big introduction to most of America happened through the film Days of Thunder. It was a big film about car racing, starring none other than Tom Cruise, at the time undeniably the biggest star in Hollywood. He played a hotshot young racer. She was his doctor. It was melodramatic and formulaic (a Simpson/Bruckheimer production), Top Gun with cars. The co-stars were soon married. In 1992, they co-headlined in the Ron Howard-directed Irish epic, Far and Away. Both off-screen and on, Kidman was Mrs. Tom Cruise.

All this would soon change. The first giant step was when Kidman made a gigantic breakthrough critically with Gus Van Sant’s black comedy To Die For in 1995. Playing an ambitious woman who will do anything to become the next Diane Sawyer, Kidman convinces a group of wayward teens (Joaquin Phoenix, Casey Affleck and Allison Folland) to murder her husband (Matt Dillon) who, despite being genuinely in love with her, is keeping her back. This twisted comedy rests entirely on Kidman’s shoulders. As she maintains Suzanne’s perfect smiling appearance, something behind her eyes is always there to remind you that she’s really… well, a scheming bitch. As far as I’m concerned, To Die For seems to be the precise moment when Kidman became a separate entity from her husband, an actor worthy of attention. The following year, she appeared in Jane Campion’s film adaptation of Henry James’ “Portrait of a Lady.” In fellow Australian Campion’s first film after The Piano, both director and star were following their biggest, most acclaimed successes. Campion brought her unique style to the project, transforming it, in a sense, into Jane Campion’s Portrait of a Lady, and Kidman was the picture of grace and delicate beauty. Despite the film’s gorgeousness and magnificent performances by Kidman and an acclaimed Barbara Hershey, Portrait remains an underrated movie. It’s no longer even available on DVD in the US.

Kidman teamed up with Sandra Bullock for a screen adaptation of Alice Hoffman’s Practical Magic in 1998. The two play sisters who happen to be witches dealing with a family curse that will lead any man who falls in love with them to an early grave. Kidman’s Gillian is the feisty one with a penchant for bad boys, who ultimately gets involved with the wrong one. Bullock’s Sally moves in with the sisters’ aunts (Dianne Wiest and Stockard Channing) after losing her perfect husband. When Gillian finds herself in need of help, she returns home to Sally. Kidman is electrifying in this movie, playing the sexy mischief-maker to a tee, and showing true tenderness and sisterhood in her scenes with Bullock. All in all, the movie’s a pretty underrated one—an admirable blend of comedy, drama and the supernatural that was beautifully shot (by cinematographer Andrew Dunn) and wonderfully acted by all involved.

In 1999, Kidman teamed up once again with husband Tom Cruise and iconic director Stanley Kubrick (for what would be his last film) on the controversial and sexually charged Eyes Wide Shut. It seems to be a film that typically gets a very strong reaction from viewers, love it or (more likely) hate it. For me, it’s like two separate films. One is an intriguing drama about a married couple over the course of a particularly difficult week. The other is a half-baked mystery that leads only to disappointment. Fortunately, Kidman appears in the good part of the film, which features a bravura monologue during a pot-influenced argument with her husband. Eyes Wide Shut is not the easiest movie to watch, but I found myself thinking that some of the performances in it reminded me of a David Lynch movie and wondering whether or not they were purposefully stylized in such a way. Of course, it could just be that the movie sucks as much as its detractors would have you believe. Nevertheless, Kidman’s courage is right there, on screen. It’s simply a taste of what was to come and the brave choices she’d be making in the near future.

2001 would prove to be a watershed year for the actress after two amazing and yet incredibly different performances. The first was playing Satine in Baz Luhrmann’s spectacular (spectacular!) madcap musical, Moulin Rouge! In the tradition of musical actresses, Kidman is allowed to go from one extreme to another: Farcical to tragic, all while looking drop-dead gorgeous and singing beautifully. It’s another polarizing film, with audiences absolutely loathing it or adoring it. (Not to mention the cult of people who are annoyingly obsessed.) Co-star Ewan McGregor manages to match Kidman note for note. There’s a charge between them that drives the film—In fact, I think he may be her best leading man ever. Kidman’s other critically acclaimed performance of 2001 was in Alejandro Amenabar’s gorgeous ghost story, The Others. Starring as a British war widow living in an apparently haunted mansion with her two children, Kidman is vulnerable and strong. It’s a beautiful and haunting film that is completely anchored by Kidman’s work as Grace. The year was full of acclaim for Kidman, who was nominated for several awards for both of these performances. She had achieved both critical and commercial success and seemed more than ever to have finally shed the label of being simply “Mrs. Tom Cruise.” Of course, that may also have been due to the fact that the couple divorced early that year.

The next year, the British thriller Birthday Girl was released. In it, Kidman plays a Russian mail-order bride taking Ben Chaplin for a ride. Once her comrades (French-actors-supreme Vincent Cassel & Matthieu Kassovitz) arrive, things get into high gear. I’ve always felt that this was a rather underrated movie, despite the fact that it has one major flaw: Why would someone as gorgeous as Ben Chaplin be desperate enough to have to find a Russian mail-order bride? Anyway, the movie is great and it’s fun to see Kidman playing a contemporary character. Especially delightful is simply watching her during the first third of the film, commanding every second of screen time in what is essentially a silent performance. I think this is the beginning of the most interesting part of her career, as the roles she chooses (for the most part) here on in become more and more interesting and less typical of those usually played by Hollywood stars.

Kidman’s work as novelist Virginia Woolf earned her more acclaim, although it cannot be said that she outshined the other leads in The Hours. The combination of Kidman, Julianne Moore and Meryl Streep brought together the very best film actresses alive and each of them played as beautifully as expected. As lyrical and poetic as The Hours is, I found that the most intriguing bits are not when there is dialogue being spoken, but the quiet moments in between. In particular, Streep is most fascinating to watch when she is silent, during the breaks in conversation. And despite what some critics have said, Kidman’s performance has nothing to do with any ridiculous nose prosthetic. It is what she accomplishes through her body language, and what goes on behind her fiery eyes that mesmerizes.

Kidman followed that triumph with one of her most difficult films, Dogville. The thing about writer/director Lars Von Trier is that you know he's going to piss you off. He will get you to completely fall in love with his heroine, feel completely sympathetic towards her and then halfway through the film he'll start to slowly pick her apart piece by piece. It's a total mindfuck, but the thing is that you expect it to happen. It's almost like in a slasher film where you know that some girl is gonna die, it's just... how is it going to happen? I don't know if that explains anything about why I still watch his films but... An hour and a half into Dogville, I was calling him a motherfucker and wanted so much for someone to chain him to a wheel and force him to drag it through Cannes the way Kidman’s character Grace is forced to in the film. But once the film ends, you realize that he was illustrating a point, and in a very extraordinary way. Because of this visceral reaction, I find myself thinking of Dogville quite often. I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily a favorite film, but it’s certainly one of the most amazing movie experiences I’ve had. Having said all that, I think that it is another outstanding example of Kidman choosing a role that is more challenging than the sort you’d find most Hollywood stars taking on. Her courage as an actor is almost shocking at this point. About as shocking as Dogville itself.

Often criticized for the unlikely casting of Anthony Hopkins as Coleman Silk, The Human Stain is actually a pretty good film. The best bits deal with Coleman’s past, featuring great performances by Wentworth Miller and Jacinda Barrett. However, the contemporary scenes featuring Hopkins, Kidman and Gary Sinise are certainly well done. Kidman’s work as Faunia, an emotionally damaged woman Coleman finds himself drawn to, is raw and startling. Also that year, writer/director Anthony Minghella cast Kidman as a southern belle in his Civil War drama, Cold Mountain. It is exactly the sort of sweeping, epic romance that you might expect from the director of The English Patient. Kidman meets Jude Law and then spends the rest of the movie (and the Civil War) waiting for him to return to her, to Cold Mountain. It ought to be a shining role for her, but as it turns out, both Kidman and Law are outshined, primarily by Renée Zellweger’s slam-bam performance as Ruby, but also by every other scene stealing performer in the film. Yes, Kidman is good in general (as is Law), but there are moments where the two main actors seem wooden, even robotic. It doesn’t help that there are some pretty awful lines of dialogue that the two leads have to recite.

Next, Kidman took on a couple of comedies, which seems like it would be a welcome change after the high drama of her last several films. Unfortunately, these comedies were a comic re-imagining of The Stepford Wives and Bewitched. Of the two, Stepford fares better, but mostly due to a couple of sparkling supporting turns by Roger Bart and Bette Midler. If anything, it’s a fun diversion. Bewitched is an adaptation of the classic television show. Having finally managed to block most of it out, I decided to forego revisiting it for this spotlight. (I also skipped the animated Happy Feet. Dancing penguins give me hives, regardless of who is voicing them.)

Moving on. A 10-year-old boy comes into your home, telling you that he is your dead husband. He knows things about you and the relationship with your spouse that no one could know. Is it a hoax? Are you going crazy? Or what if it’s true, what if this is possible and the child standing in front of you really is your long lost love? These are the questions Nicole Kidman’s character, Anna, finds herself asking in the film Birth. Yes, there’s the creepy bathtub scene. Let’s get over it though. Why? Because it’s supposed to be creepy. Of course it is. It’s creepy that this kid is reliving memories of someone else’s past and that he’s coming in between Anna and her fiancée, played by Danny Huston. I personally don’t think that Kidman was given due recognition for this film, but I promise you this: In the future, whenever a tribute is being made to her and they show the “Kidman’s Greatest Hits” montage? The symphony scene will appear in every one of them. I think in time people will come to see Anna as one of her most amazing roles.

In the far more mainstream film, The Interpreter, Kidman teams up with Sean Penn for a political thriller in which she plays a woman at the UN who has heard something she shouldn’t have. Director Sydney Pollack crafts a thoughtful and timely film, not your typical suspense movie, which is held up by the strong performances by Kidman and Penn. Kidman next played Diane Arbus in Fur, by director Steven Shainberg, of Secretary-fame. The film is not a strict biopic of the American photographer, but rather “An imaginary portrait,” in which Arbus meets a strange new friend—one covered in fur. It is this friend who opens Diane’s eyes to the unusual. From the beginning, as a woman trying so hard to fit in to the role prescribed by her family (and society), to her blooming as an artist, Kidman is perfect. At one point, Diane’s husband, Alan, asks, “What do you like about this?” She replies, “It scares me.” Perhaps I’m reading too much into it, but I wonder if that may be a sort of insight into Nicole Kidman herself, considering that Fur is essentially about a woman becoming an artist, becoming brave enough to look at and really see the beauty where most of the world sees darkness or ugliness.

This winter, Kidman is once again balancing work in mainstream movies and independent cinema with two new projects. The first is writer/director Noah Baumbach’s new film, Margot at the Beach. That film will be followed by the big budget fantasy of The Golden Compass, based on the first book of Philip Pullman’s “His Dark Materials” trilogy. Regardless of a project’s size or budget, I always look forward to another Nicole Kidman performance. Clearly, what fascinates me the most are the choices she makes. Consider also the interesting variety of films that she was meant to appear in, such as Panic Room, In the Cut and The Producers. In a featurette about Birthday Girl, actor Ben Chaplin says that Kidman is an actor above all else, and then a movie star. I believe that as long as that governs her choices and she remains as courageous as she has been throughout her career (although particularly over the last six years), Kidman will continue to be one of our best actors.

Rick@picturesandframesmagazine.com

SELECT NICOLE KIDMAN FILMOGRAPHY

Australia (2008)

The Golden Compass (2007)

Margot at the Wedding (2007)

Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus (2006)

Birth (2004)

Cold Mountain (2003)

The Human Stain (2003)

Dogville (2003)

The Hours (2002)

Birthday Girl (2001)

The Others (2001)

Moulin Rouge! (2001)

Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

The Portrait of a Lady (1996)

To Die For (1995)

My Life (1993/I)

Far and Away (1992)

Flirting (1991)

Days of Thunder (1990)

Dead Calm (1989)