(Guest posted by Marc Biagi)
Well, we've been down with a nasty cold for the holidays which threw the proverbial wrench into our social plans. Instead we've been taking advantage of the healing time to catch up on some great movie watching...
My folks gave us a gift certificate to Amazon and among the things we got were DVDs of Bergman's Fanny & Alexander, Burton & Taylor in the Mike Nichols-directed film of Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf, and Zhang Yimou's epic To Live. We've seen all of these many times, and have decided to add them to our library as all are incredible in their own ways. Yeah, not exactly holiday films (although there's a great family Christmas gathering in F&A).
If you've never seen them, here's the scoop:
Fanny & Alexander - This is a fictionalized semi-biographical story of Bergman's strange childhood and visions. It's very long (if you watch the originally intended 5 hour TV series version -- though it doesn't seem made-for-TV in the least), and weaves a complex history following Alexander through his childhood in Sweden. There are some terrific monologues (or parts that can be crafted into such) for those searching for something no one else has done. Although my other half enjoys this far more than I do (particularly for the incredibly lavish period Christmas celebration scenes), there's a lot going for this film, but you definitely have to have the patience and mood to start the journey. And hey...don't forget to check out Anakin Skywalker's mom when she was young...
Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf - Although I'd read the play years ago, I hadn't seen the film until after going to the Globe's recent production, in which, sadly, Martha was terrible and the actors were forced to work with getting nothing useful from her. I'm glad I saw the film afterward, since I might have walked out at intermission otherwise (however, the rest of the actors did a good job -- especially those playing George and Honey). Still amazing that this was Mike Nichols' first film! (sings: what a difference a stage makes...)
To Live - My favorite film by Zhang Yimou (House of the Flying Daggers) yet. Ain't no wires or martial arts in this one folks -- this is sometimes referred as the Chinese Gone with the Wind, and although it's quite different in nature, it certainly has that kind of epic impact. It follows the lives of a couple as they struggle with a reversal of fortune and the winds of change under Communism. This film will take you on a rollercoaster ride of emotions through struggle, triumphs and even some great moments of comedy. You may recognize the actors who play Fugui (Ge You, Farewell My Concubine) and Jiazhen (Gong Li, Memoirs of a Geisha) who are both outstanding in this incredibly moving film.
And one other movie we got from Netflix that's worth note:
The Dark Knight - Arguably, this should be under the category Brain & Eye Candy, however, Heath Ledger's performance really blew me away. Now, while there were a lot of issues with this film plot and pacing-wise, I was mesmerized by Ledger's Joker. He stole every scene he was in and his subtext was thick, smoky and delicious. It is an intense performance that would be difficult for any actor to embody, and he was, IMHO, stellar. TEH bomb, literally. Makes it even more tragic that we won't see any more from him...but it was a high note to end on performance-wise. And for any nay-sayers out there -- lemme see you do better!
Yeah, we watched other stuff too, but these were definitely the highlights for me.
