Fifty Shades of Grey
Film Review by Kam Williams
Fifty Shades of Grey marked the remarkable writing debut of TV executive-turned-romance novelist Erika Mitchell. Publishing under the pen name E.L. James, the British author has enjoyed unparalleled success, selling over 100 million copies worldwide in just a few years.
Her erotic thriller chronicles the kinky relationship of a college coed and a handsome, young billionaire with a sordid sexual appetite for sadomasochism. Unfortunately, this relatively-tame screen version, directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson (Nowhere Boy), teases more than it titillates, as it devotes plenty of time build up prior to petering out in terms of delivery.
At the point of departure, we meet vestal virgin Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson) as she’s about to drive from Vancouver to Seattle to the corporate headquarters of Grey Enterprises to interview CEO Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan) for her college newspaper. The English major’s only been allotted ten minutes with the busy captain of industry slated to deliver the keynote commencement address at her school’s upcoming graduation.
Upon being introduced, obviously intimidated Ana awkwardly asks “To what do you owe your success” and “Are you gay?” before her subject confesses to being a control freak. Turning the tables, Christian proceeds to pose probing personal questions to the nervous journalist, as a palpable sexual tension between the two starts to simmer just beneath the surface.
He reveals his fondness for a particular fetish, however nothing is consummated for a long stretch. Instead, the first half of the film is devoted to a frustrating Kabuki dance where foreplay invariably leads to coitus interruptus.
In lieu of the whips, chains and other staples of bondage debauchery, we’re treated to cautious exchanges during which a whimpering, wide-eyed Ana repeatedly says how scared she is of Christian while he insists she sign a non-disclosure agreement allowing him to torture her. Yes, they eventually do get around to entering his dungeon but, by then, their bland, anticlimactic sessions prove to be a classic case of too little-too late.
A monochromatic misfire featuring only one shade: blushing pink.
Fair (1.5 stars)
Rated R for profanity, violence, sexuality and graphic nudity
Running time: 125 minutes
Distributor: Universal Pictures
To see a trailer for Fifty Shades of Grey, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfZWFDs0LxA
1 comment ( 1443 views )The Rewrite
Film Review by Kam Williams
Keith Michaels (Hugh Grant) was at the top of the Hollywood food chain after writing the Academy Award-winning screenplay for a picture called Paradise Misplaced. But that was years ago, and it’s been a slow descent back into obscurity because the one-hit wonder’s has been unable to recapture any of that magic again.
To add insult to injury, his wife Tina (Kate Cullen Roberts) left him for his film’s relatively-successful director. And he even became alienated from their young son when the boy began bonding with his rich and famous stepdad.
Discouraged by his diminishing career prospects, Keith decides to follow his agent’s (Caroline Aaron) suggestion to take a temporary teaching position as writer-in-residence at Binghamton University in upstate New York. This way, he’ll at least be collecting a salary and, who knows, he might even find the inspiration for another Oscar-worthy script.
That is the promising premise of The Rewrite, a delightful romantic romp written and directed by Marc Lawrence (Miss Congeniality). The movie marks the fourth collaboration between Lawrence and Hugh Grant, following Two Weeks Notice (2002), Music and Lyrics (2007) and Did You Hear about the Morgans? (2009). The picture pairs Grant with Marisa Tomei as the lovebirds fated for one another, and it features a colorful supporting cast of characters played by J.K. Simmons, Allison Janney, Bella Heathcote and Chris Elliott, to name a few.
The plot thickens soon after Keith arrives on campus. First, he makes the mistake of allowing himself to be seduced by a student (Heathcote) willing to do anything to land one of the ten spots in the visiting celebrity’s class.
Against his better judgment, Keith embarks on a lust-fueled affair with the star-struck teen before he has a chance to date a more age-appropriate mate. That would be Holly (Tomei), a well-preserved, middle-aged mom also about to matriculate in his coveted course.
The illicit student-professor liaison comes to the attention of Mary Weldon (Janney), the imperious head of the school’s Ethics Committee. The disapproving bureaucrat gives Keith the hairy eye every time they pass each other in the halls, and is eager for an opportunity to kick him off campus.
Luckily, Keith has a couple of colleagues in his corner, Jim (Elliott) and Dr. Lerner (Simmons). These peers are willing to run interference since they’d prefer him putting down permanent roots in the region. Meanwhile, the more contrite Keith and cash-strapped Holly get to know each other, the more Binghamton looks like the ideal setting for a happily-ever-after ending.
How come Hugh Grant and Marisa Tomei waited this long to make a romantic comedy together?
Excellent (3.5 stars)
Unrated
Running time: 106 minutes
Distributor: RLJ Entertainment
To see a trailer for The Rewrite, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cL-tP03XoH4
The International Business Times and others covered Kino Lorber's acquisition of Daniel Leconte's 2008 documetnary, "It's Hard To Be Loved By Jerks." Read more below:
An American film distributor (Kino Lorber) has purchased the rights to a documentary about Charlie Hebdo, the French satirical magazine that was attacked on Jan. 7 by extremists who killed 12 people, including some of the magazine's most prominent cartoonists. Kino Lorber, the company, bought the rights from French company Pyramide International, which holds the rights to the documentary, "It's Hard Being Loved by Jerks" ("C'est dur d'être aimé par des cons").
The documentary, released in France in 2008 and directed by Daniel Leconte, is named after the caption of a popular Charlie Hebdo cartoon. In 2006, the magazine sparked an uproar in France when it reprinted a set of highly controversial cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad originally published in a Danish paper. The documentary examined the legal battle that ensued in France after Charlie Hebdo was charged with defamation, is considered sympathetic to the cause of freedom of expression for which the magazine championed. Some of those interviewed in the documentary were killed in the January attacks. When the documentary was first released, it sold about 40,000 tickets, according to Eric Lagesse, president of Pyramide.
The day after the January attack, the film was re-released in France, eventually playing in 110 theaters and selling about 10,000 tickets, according to Variety magazine. Pyramide is offering the film again to distributors at the Berlin Film Festival, which ends Feb. 15.
Lagesse told AFP he thinks the film will succeed in American universities and arthouse cinemas. Kino Lorber is expected to release the film in universities and major U.S. cities this spring. Elizabeth Sheldon, a senior vice president at Kino Lorber, said the film would be "a catalyst for conversation."
"As a distributor, freedom of speech concerns me at first range and today it is more important to keep defending those ideas," Pyramide's Lagesse said. "More than ever."
I am very proud to be involved in this truly worthwhile project, a boxset of rare or never-before-seen vintage films from early African American directors called PIONEERS OF AFRICAN AMERICAN CINEMA. The distributor, Kino Lorber, has launched a Kickstarter campaign; not only to help finance the expense of the restoration but also to help raise awareness of how important film restoration & preservation is to get this historic work out into the world.
Support the campaign here:
Old Fashioned
Film Review by Kam Williams
If you’re looking for a wholesome romantic romp as a viable alternative to Fifty Shades of Grey, then look no further than this relatively-chaste faith-based drama revolving around a chivalrous Christian’s courting of his restless new tenant. Old Fashioned opens with a quote from the late Zora Neal Hurston, “Love makes your soul crawl out from its hiding place.” That wise adage proves pertinent in this modern morality play chronicling the slow transformation of a wounded woman into one willing to trust again.
At the point of departure, we are introduced to Clay Walsh (Rik Swartzwelder), an unassuming gentleman who retreated to a quiet Midwestern town to run an antique store for his aging but sage Aunt Zella (Dorothy Silver). You’d never guess that this pious proprietor had been a womanizing party animal back in college. But that was ages ago, and the reformed frat boy has been celibate for almost a decade since being Born Again.
Christ-like Clay is mercilessly teased for that by his misogynistic pal, Brad (Tyler Hollinger), a raunchy, radio talk show host who advocates taking advantage of dumb females. In fact, the disgusting shock jock is planning to relocate to Los Angeles because of the number of gullible girls there.
The plot thickens soon after Clay rents the vacant apartment above his shop to Amber Hewson (Elizabeth Ann Roberts), an attractive free-spirit who’s never lived anywhere long enough to put down roots. Sparks soon fly between landlord and tenant based on looks alone, despite their being polar opposites in terms of values and temperament.
But thanks to Clay’s refusal even to kiss while dating, the two are forced to get to know each other rather than rush to intimacy. Written and directed by its star Rik Swartzwelder, the aptly titled Old Fashioned is a refreshingly-principled parable proving that a picture championing chastity can be every bit as entertaining and enjoyable as one promoting promiscuity.
Excellent (4 stars)
Rated PG-13 for mature themes
Running time: 115 minutes
Distributor: Freestyle Releasing
To see a trailer for Old Fashioned, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-p0ozDjAQco