Mira Nair, We Still Love You

<--- Step away from the Swank, Mira!

Yesterday, innocently walking cross town, I was suddenly struck by a bolt of sympathy for director Mira Nair. It's totally turned into the Year of the Female Director (yay!) but she hasn't been able to join the party that Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker), Lone Scherfig (An Education), Jane Campion (Bright Star), Andrea Arnold (Fish Tank) and others are undoubtedly enjoying. Not with the critical drubbing that Amelia has taken at least.

I don't like what she did with Amelia at all (my review) but I definitely wish Nair well her next time behind the camera.

I remember being totally moved by her narrative feature debut Salaam Bombay! (1988) the second of only three films from India's massive film industry to have ever received an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Film. [Trivia: It was up against another great 80s picture, Pedro Almodovar's Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, but they both lost to Denmark's Pelle the Conqueror]. It's a good underseen rental option the next time you're in the mood for street urchins. Step away from Oliver! and Slumdog Millionaire and give it a shot.

And then there's Monsoon Wedding... one of the richest movies of the early Aughts.


What a beautiful movie. I still listen to the soundtrack on occasion.
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AMELIA

The review...

If you’re going to make a film about an aviatrix, it better soar. Mira Nair's AMELIA seems to understand this with reverent voiceovers about flight sprinkled throughout. It even begins by prepping for liftoff as we see Amelia Earhart (Hilary Swank) waving from her plane’s wing, about to embark on a historic flight. Unfortunately it's the historic flight, as in her last. Argh! The movie has opted for that musty old biopic framing device: Start at the famous end, jump backwards in time to see how it all began, count down with us to the famous celebrity death! When a biopic begins this way, you have to worry that it has nothing fresh to say, being closer in spirit to a Wikipedia entry than a movie.

From that initial take off, complete with an overzealous score that assumes every moment's a climactic one, Amelia the film zooms through Amelia the person's rise to fame as if we all know every detail and can't wait to get to that doomed flight. Though clearly in a rush to get there, it feels like it's crawling rather than flying toward its final destination...

Read the rest at Towleroad.

In that weekly column at Towleroad (for those of you who don't read it, it's a popular news site "with homosexual tendencies") I'm expected to cover new releases but the content and focus is of my choosing. I knew I had to write about "Amelia" since she's a lesbian icon although the movie Amelia won't be a hit with the ladies who love ladies. [Tangent: I'm unsurprised by the immediate regurgitated arguments about Earhart's orientation popping up in the comments at Amelia's official site. This always happens with historical figures who are either rumored to have been gay or are of particular fascination to the gays. It's the way of things.]

One thing I didn't mention in this review is how absolutely crazy the sanctification of Saint Amelia made me. I understand that the rarity and vast achievements of iconic historical figures practically insures that they will be viewed through a distorted lens (color, rose). They're our cultural heroes, after all. But it's anti-dramatic to sanctify your lead... not to mention historically suspect. If you're going to make a movie about a hero, allow them to have edges or curves. We know them two-dimensionally already! The casting of Hilary Swank (though she looks nearly perfect for the role) adds to this problem since she loves to be martyred and sanctified as an actress. Oh shush, you know she does!

"Sorry, haters. I got two! No takebacks allowed."

Oscar hopes? Two longshot possibilities only I think: Swank for Best Actress (they sometimes lose their minds for this sort of stiff biographical posing. See... well, see a lot of nominees) and the cinematography by the great Stuart Dryburgh (The Piano, The Painted Veil). His work is part of the sanctification problem but hot damn it's pretty.

Coming tomorrow: "Antichrist" and by that I mean the movie and not Hilary Swank.
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The Amelia Trailer Has Landed

Hilary Swank is flying right at her third Oscar nomination.



I fear she'll use the red carpet as her landing strip and slice me to bits with her propellor. On purpose!

While I think the Amelia trailer is trying a little too desperately to make this seem action-packed -- the music and the sound mix in particular are screaming "it's not just a stuffy period biopic. We swear!" -- it looks right up Oscar's alley all told:

• Inspirational. Check!
  
• True story. Check!
• Tragic ending. Check!
• Iconic Historical Figure Everyone Is Duty Bound To Love. Check!

I wouldn't put this on Oscar's best picture list just yet but who knows. People are already getting carried away claiming locks for dozens of pictures that haven't opened yet. I remind once again: 10 nominees, not 50 ;)

I like the timbre of Swank's voice in the trailer. I must admit. I've clearly underestimated her in my Best Actress predictions (my excuse: previously she'd been less than convincing in period pieces) for she manages just fine for these 113 seconds. Oscar prediction updates coming on Sunday.

Earlier this year when I was watching Night at the Museum ... Resurrection, Salvation, 2 (?) ... I was giggling to myself about how Amy Adams was practically starting Hilary Swank's Oscar campaign for her. Like "See how important and strong this woman was, Americans who always fail history tests ?!? Now that I've reminded you who she is, won't it be awesome to see her biopic this fall?!?"

The happiest moment of the trailer for me was seeing EWAN MCGREGOR again.


I'm always pleased to watch him. But I'm sad that his only "prestige" films these days seem to be biopics which pair him with my least favorite actresses in thankless roles wherein he helps their character achieve greatness (see also: Miss Potter). I'm even sadder that now he's asked to do this without so much as a title card in the trailer. Sigh. He needs another Moulin Rouge! sized hit quickly.
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Tuesday Top Ten: Female Directors @ Box Office

updated to correct box office errors & bring up to date to Nov 30th

With Twilight, the high school vampire romance, opening to huge box office, various websites are talking about director Catherine Hardwicke's "achievement". For the most part I hate the notion that box office is an achievement (maybe it is but it's no meritocracy) or that it's directly attributable to any one person involved. This is how many movie stars end up with oversized paychecks that they're rarely able to live up to (result = backlash). It's how many directors of questionable talent continue to get major gigs (consider the careers of Brett Rattner, Chris Columbus, et al) because they're smart enough to attach themselves to can't miss franchises. What I'm saying is this: I could've directed Twilight and it would've still opened to $69 million. My version would've changed a few things:

• A better wig for Taylor Lautner.
• No clothed scenes whatsoever for Cam Gigandet.
• Less boring ass moping/whining from Kristen Stewart (who may never be able to live that hospital scene down. That was the best take!? Ouch)
  
• Extra scenes that aren't in the book so that something happens besides stare-downs. My cat might love this movie
  
• More shirtless scenes for Edward... but not in the sunlight because I hate that stupid skin twinkle effect.

Come to think of it, I hated all of the effects in the movie. Yeah, I definitely would've fired some people. I can't recall the last time a movie with special effects this cheesy opened huge. Was it Van Helsing? Generally speaking blockbusters have top notch special effects even if they're dramaturgically challenged.


I'm joking of course (somewhat?). Catherine Hardwicke undoubtedly made a better film than I could have but her skills have nothing whatsoever to do with the box office. And while I thought this vampire yarn shabbily directed I suppose she'll always have the stunning and appropriately histrionic 13 as a first and more deserving claim to fame.

Enough boring ass moping/whining Nathaniel. Get to the list!

Top Box Office Hits Directed by Women
I might have missed one but I think this is mostly accurate
note: I did not include co-directed animated movies in this list

runners up

16 $66 The Parent Trap (1998) Nancy Meyers

15 $71 Bridget Jones's Diary (2001) Sharon Maguire
14 $74 Prince of Tides (1991) Barbra Streisand
13 $95 Michael (1996) Nora Ephron
12 $107 A League of Their Own (1992) Penny Marshall
11 $114 Big (1988) Penny Marshall
~~

10 $115 You've Got Mail (1998) Nora Ephron

09 $119 Twilight (2008) Catherine Hardwicke
08 $121 Wayne's World (1992) Penelope Spheeris
07 $124 Something's Gotta Give (2003) Nancy Meyers
06 $126 Sleepless in Seattle (1993) Nora Ephron
-- $140 Look Who's Talking (1989) Amy Heckerling
04 $140 Deep Impact (1998) Mimi Leder
03 $143 Mamma Mia! (2008) Phyllida Lloyd

02 $144 Doctor Dolittle (1998) Betty Thomas
01 $182 What Women Want (2000) Nancy Meyers

And as a palate cleanser, some movies that are definitely worth investigating if you can find room on your netflix queue (I know I'm always giving assignments).

10 Interesting Female Directors

(Alphabetically and off the top of my head. My favorite from their filmographies listed)

Alison Anders (Gas Food Lodging)
Kathryn Bigelow (Near Dark)
Jane Campion (The Piano)
Sofia Coppola (Lost in Translation)
Claire Denis (Beau Travail)
Mary Harron (American Psycho)
Nicole Holofcener (Lovely & Amazing)
Mira Nair (Salaam Bombay!)
Kimberly Peirce (Boys Don't Cry)
Lynn Ramsey (Morvern Callar)

I forgot Susanne Bier (Brothers). My apologies! And of course you can't go wrong with Agnes Varda (but I was thinking more of features rather than docs which is what she's doing now). There are also many fine foreign directors whose work I'm less familiar with... other countries don't seem to have as hard of a time as the US employing female directors (the submission lists for Oscar's foreign films illustrates this point each and every year)

related article minus the women (um....): Oscar's Best Director Race predictions for 2008
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Now Playing 03/09

Wide Releases
300. I'm sure this has a very high awareness rating due to relentless advertisements and its apparitional sequelity ....it's like Sin City 2 ! At least in a Frank Miller inky silhouette way. I'm appropriately excited to see it and I'm thinking IMAX for this one. Though I should probably get this off my chest now: Hearing phrases like "if you enjoyed Braveheart and Gladiator, you'll love..." give me pause. Still, it has to be better than Ghost Rider and Wild Hogs which are America's current favorites [choke] to throw money at. Oh public! You never learn. You realize that means we get more movies like those, don't you?

Limited Releases
Beyond the Gates brings Hugh Dancy to Hotel Rwanda territory as a young teacher overwhelmed by the murder and chaos. In place of a hotel we're in a school run by John Hurt which becomes a makeshift refugee camp.
The Namesake it's a new Mira Nair film so snap to attention. She's got an uneven filmography but when she's on (Monsoon Wedding, Salaam Bombay) her movies are unmissable.
Believe In Me this is a basketball drama from IFC. I don't mean to sound dense or insensitive to the people involved but I'm wondering why indie film bother with the inspirational sports genre. Isn't this one of the rare niches that mainstream moviemaking sufficiently covers and does pretty right by?
The Host this Korean monster movie has won rave reviews from many quarters. TFE's favorite horror aficionado MNPP wasn't quite as thrilled but it's definitely a hot topic in cinephile circles.
Maxed Out is a documentary on America's overwhelming debt. Am I in this?