Isabelle Huppert

Frankie

First Hit: Languid look at a family gathered to process a life-altering event.

During a day in Sintra, Portugal, Francois Cremont, AKA “Frankie” (Isabelle Huppert) has asked family and friends to gather to spend time together. Frankie is a famous actress and tries to keep a low profile while at this famous picturesque town. She walks with her husband, Jimmy (Brendan Gleeson), and a guide who says at one point, there are miracle healing waters in an undisclosed place near the hotel. You can tell by the way she looks, she’s not well.

Frankie’s invited her son Paul (Jeremie Renier) and close friend Irene (Marisa Tomei), hoping to make a love connection between them. However, Irene has brought her boyfriend Gary (Greg Kinnear) as they were both working on a “Star Wars” film in nearby Spain. Gary springs his plans to ask Irene to make their relationship more permanent by moving in together. He gives her a ring as a token of his intentions. Irene hesitates.

The closeness of Irene and Frankie is wonderfully portrayed during their long walk together and then the ride back to the hotel in a small open-air taxi. It’s a sweet and revealing moment.

Gary, sad at being shunned by Irene, runs into Frankie and learns from her that if Irene didn’t come right out and say yes to his proposal that they live together, it’s probably something she doesn’t want to do. Then Gary shifts and asks if Frankie would be interested in a script he’s thinking of turning into a film.

Sylvia and Ian Andoh (Vinette Robinson and Ariyon Bakare) are also at the hotel with their daughter Maya (Sennia Nanua). Sylvia and Ian’s marriage is in trouble, and Sylvia wants to move on. Their discussion at the café was impactful when she learns that he’s suspected her wanting to leave and tells her what his lawyer has stated.

The story has Maya getting away from her frustrated mother that results in a few sweet scenes of Maya taking a trolley to the beach, meeting a boy, and kissing him.

These scenes and more are not integrated very well into the overall theme of the film, which to me, was about Frankie trying to say goodbye.

There was little character development for all the characters, and therefore the audience is left to fill in the vast spaces left by the dialogue about past events.

Huppert is good as Frankie. However, I didn’t really care about her character or her story. Tomei was excellent, and she showed a fantastic range of emotions during her conversations with Gary and Frankie. Renier was strong as the son who was probably not very important to his famous mother, Frankie. Gleeson seemed very miscast and sort of bumbled through this role. I didn’t sense any chemistry between him and Frankie and didn’t see how they could have been married. Robinson was dynamic as a woman who wanted to leave her husband because she didn’t feel like there was anything left for her in her relationship. Bakare was good as Sylvia’s husband, who loved his wife but knew she really wanted to leave. Nanua was terrific as the young girl who went to explore the coastal town and discovered more about herself. Kinnear was well cast as an opportunist. Ira Sachs and Mauricio Zacharias wrote this bland screenplay. The dialogue never really seemed to go anywhere and seem to fall into a state of languishment. Sachs directed this film, and I’m not sure what it is he really wanted to say or express.

Overall: There was little in this film about human nature, but Sintra seems like a beautiful place to visit.

Greta

First Hit: The story portrayed here was poorly constructed and did not keep me engaged.

The plot is about a Greta (Isabelle Huppert), an older lonely woman who plays the piano looking for companionship. To find it, she leaves purses with a few objects in them on the New York Subway, one being her ID. Her hopes are someone will notice and return the handbags.

We are introduced to Frances McCullen (Chloe Grace Moretz), a young waitress who has recently lost her mother to cancer. She’s living with her best friend Erica Penn (Maika Monroe). While coming home one evening, Francis found a purse on the subway. Finding the ID, Frances finds Greta’s home and returns the handbag.

They strike up a friendship based on that they’ve lost loved ones; Greta her husband and Frances, her mother. However, it becomes obsessive on Greta’s part, and the creepiness begins after their first meeting. Greta’s weirdness of Frances’ time and attention hits a high mark when Frances finds additional purses, like the one she returned. The gig is up.

Figuring out that Greta does this to entrap young women, she also realizes that these women, including her, are replacements for her daughter whom Greta says is living in France. But is she?

As the story unfolds, Greta’s behavior becomes more obsessive and creepy. Finally, she drugs Frances and locks her up.

The story continues to unfold from here and how it ends is only slightly surprising.

The best part of the film was the quality of the cinematography and sets. Greta’s home had a beautiful quality, including its own creepiness. The apartment where Frances and Erica lived was perfectly modern for two young women. However, the story and film felt pushed through and forced.

Huppert was, at times, excellent in her expressions, but overdone as the story unfolded. Moretz was good, she carried the naivety of her role well enough, but again it was the story and direction that made all of it not work. Monroe was good as the roommate, and her final scenes were excellent. However, during the movie the story just guided her to be more flighty than needed. Ray Wright and Neil Jordan wrote a mixed-up script that created an overemphasis on the creepiness of the character. Jordan didn’t help matters with the direction because the creepiness was overdone.

Overall: This story didn’t quite work.

Academy Awards - The Oscars

Once again it is time to celebrate a year of film watching. Here are my choices for the following awards along with thoughts about the selections and non-selections the Academy made.

  • Best Actor - Nominees are:  Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea), Andrew Garfield (Hacksaw Ridge), Ryan Gosling (La La Land), Viggo Mortensen (Captain Fantastic), and Denzel Washington (Fences). There are strong performances in this group of actors. For me the obvious missing actor is Tom Hanks in Sully because it was so well made and gave me a real sense of a man who saved 155 lives. Given the Academy's choices, Affleck was sublime. You felt him and what he was going through from beginning to end. I loved this performance. I thought Garfield was very strong in this career defining role for him. He brought heart to this role. Gosling was amazing. His charm, piano playing, and dancing brought life to this dream like film. I loved the film Captain Fantastic and Mortensen was the key. His wide eyed brilliance made this film work. Lastly, Washington was simply a nuclear charged bit of energy bottled up and ready to pounce. Great performance, however it felt too much like a play like for me to like it in film. My choice is Affleck.
  • Best Actress  - Nominees are:  Isabelle Hubert (Elle), Ruth Negga (Loving), Natalie Portman (Jackie), Emma Stone (La La Land), and Meryl Streep (Florence Foster Jenkins). Granted I did not see Florence Foster Jenkins because I saw a film about the same story a year earlier and didn't want to see the same story again. Missing from this nominee list is Amy Adams. She gave two powerful performances this past year; Arrival which is a film I adored (see below) and Nocturnal Animals where her cool intelligent nature amazingly unfolded on the screen. Given the choices, Hubert was absolutely fantastic in this role. Her ability to be both vulnerable and strong in the same breath expressed her greatness. Negga was very strong and I loved her role as she grows from a timid somewhat subservient person to a woman of strength and grit. I loved this story. Portman is an interesting choice. I found the character to be so different than my perception of Jackie that I was taken aback. This performance made me wonder about the real person and that's important in filmmaking. Stone was so fun and divine in this role. Her chemistry with Gosling is noticeable and helps her to elevate this role to amazing and grace like. Loved her in this film. My selection is Hubert as because she really brought a fully bodied and interesting character to life.
  • Best Supporting Actress  - Nominees are:  Viola Davis (Fences), Naomie Harris (Moonlight), Nicole Kidman (Lion), Octavia Spencer (Hidden Figures), and Michelle Williams (Manchester by the Sea).  One of the amazing things about these choices is that a couple of these actors had very limited screen time to make an impact. The most striking was Williams. Davis gave an amazing performance as Washington's wife in Fences. It takes a lot to hold your own against Washington and here Davis shows everyone how. Watching Harris in Moonlight is like taking a very long road to forgiveness. I was amazed at this performance. Kidman in Lion was very strong. There is one scene when she's talking about how she came to adopt her Indian son, that was so deep and heartfelt I cried. Spencer was great in Hidden Figures. As a strong black woman wanting her due, she was fantastic. Williams, as I have said, had a small role but the scene where she is asking for forgiveness from Affleck was the most powerful 2 minute scene on film this year. I've got a close tie, with Williams and Davis, but in the end, I'll go with Davis.
  • Best Supporting Actor  - Nominees are:  Mahershala Ali (Moonlight), Jeff Bridges (Hell or High Water), Lucas Hedges (Manchester by the Sea), Dev Patel (Lion), and Michael Shannon (Nocturnal Animals). I was a little taken back by the inclusion of Patel as a supporting actor. It felt more like a lead actor role to me. Ali in Moonlight is such a powerful integral character and he made it work so well. Loved his compassion. Bridges was wonderful in Hell or High Water. He made this character heart filled as well as having an distinct edge of sarcasm. Hedges in Manchester by the Sea was good. However, it wasn't enough for me to give him a good chance. Patel, as I previously stated, seemed nominated in the wrong category. Although he was really good, it just doesn't fit here. Shannon in Nocturnal Animals is beyond great. I loved his intensity and persistence of character. I was entranced when he was on the screen. I've got two front runners, Shannon and Ali. Upon reflection as to how they impacted the story, I'll go with Ali.
  • Best Cinematography  - Nominees are:   Arrival, La La Land, Lion, Moonlight, and Silence. I will admit I did not see Silence as I just couldn't get motivated to see this film. Given this, Arrival was amazing with the visualizations of the ships, the anti-gravity sections of inside the ship and how they displayed and handled the aliens.  La La Land was gorgeous. Whether is was in or outside the Observatory, on the streets of LA, or in an apartment. There was care in how the colors and sets looked on the screen. Lion had wonderful accurate feeling scenes of India, especially the railway stations. I didn't quite buy the butterfly scenes as they seemed slightly over the top. However, the rest of the sets were amazingly done. Moonlight reflected just this, moonlight on the ocean. The shifts from scenes in school, on the beach, and cities in South Florida were luxurious. As I previously said I've no information about Silence because I didn't see it. From what I saw, I would have to select Arrival as my favorite with La La Land and Moonlight a very close second.
  • Best Adapted Screenplay  - Nominees are:   Eric Heisserer (Arrival), August Wilson (Fences), Allison Schroder and Theodore Melfi (Hidden Figures), Luke Davies (Lion), and Barry Jenkins (Moonlight). All of them are wonderful stories. I loved the story and meaning behind Moonlight, Arrival, and Hidden Figures. Each of these stories were very impactful. Moonlight because it shared the somewhat hidden story of a black gay community. Arrival because it was one of the most amazing ways to share the concept of non-linear time. Hidden Figures was so powerful as to how the segregation of blacks almost hurt our chances to be successful in the space race with Russia. It is difficult to choose from such diverse stories, however in the end I'll select Moonlight.
  • Best Original Screenplay  - Nominees are:  Taylor Sheridan (Hell or High Water), Damien Chazelle (La La Land), Yorgos Lanthimos and Efthymis Filippou (The Lobster), Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester by the Sea), Mike Mills (20th Century Women). Great list. The depth of friendship as expressed in Hell or High Water, the stories of love and growth as expressed in La La Land, The Lobster, and 20th Century Women, and humbling forgiveness as expressed in Manchester by the Sea - all were amazing. As an original story I am tossed between Manchester by the Sea and La La Land. Either winning would be accepted.
  • Best Director  - Nominees are:  Denis Villeneuve (Arrival), Mel Gibson (Hacksaw Ridge), Damien Chazelle (La La Land), Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester by the Sea), and Barry Jenkins (Moonlight). Interesting that Lonergan, Jenkins, and Chazelle wrote the films they directed and it shows the importance of knowing what it is you want to portray/express. What is missing? For me the missing directors are Tom Ford (Nocturnal Animals) and Theodore Melfi (Hidden Figures), both of these films had great vision and execution. Choosing from this strong list is difficult. However, for the impact it had on me I'm down to two: Villeneuve and Chazelle because of how they eloquently told their stories. However, if Gibson, Lonergan, or Jenkins were to win, I wouldn't be upset.
  • Best Picture  - Nominees are:   Arrival, Fences, Hacksaw Ridge, Hell or High Water, Hidden Figures, La La Land, Lion, Manchester by the Sea, and Moonlight. This is a full and dynamic list. I liked all these films. However, if I had to start separating these nominees, I'd pull out these three as my top contenders: Arrival, La La Land, and Manchester by the Sea. Each tells a story and tells their story very well. Each film was fully engaging and opens the heart in a new and different way. I cannot pick a winner because I loved watching these three films.

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Elle

First Hit:  An excellent, detailed and complex study of a woman who has had a life filled with misfortune.

Michele Leblanc (Isabelle Huppert) is strong, independent and lives in a large home in Paris. Although there is a hint of compassion in her eyes, she is a coldish acting company owner that creates video games. There is a power struggle with one of her game developers but she’s supported by her assistant Anna (Anne Consigny) who is a longtime friend.

To develop Michele’s character, we witness her being raped and the filmmakers choose to show us this multiple times from slightly different perspectives in the first third of the film. She is having an affair. She supports her mom Irene (Judith Magre), who continues to have plastic surgery and courts young men to sleep with. Her son Vincent (Jonas Bloquet) is in a relationship with Josie (Alice Isaaz), a woman she doesn’t approve of because this girl is somewhat abusive of her son.

There are other things going on in her life, but it is the slow unfolding about her childhood and reason her father is in jail that provides context to her direct coolness in dealing with the people in her life.

As the film winds towards its end, Michele learns more about herself and the deep-rooted feelings residing within while beginning to change what needs to be changed.

The reuse of the rape scene, although difficult to watch, was effective because each time she (and we the audience) learns something about herself. It was a risky film making move and it worked. The work environment felt current in that the way the staff interacted. Each scene in this film had a place and a reason although, at times when the scene played out, it seemed over done or misplaced.

Huppert was excellent in this role. Her intelligence, beauty, and clarity in this role came through powerfully. She was the film. Cosingy was very good as Michele’s best friend and work partner. Magre was funny and excellent as the woman who wanted to defy what happened to her family. Bloquet was interesting as the son that was ruled by his mom and wanted to begin to define his own territory. Laurent Lafitte was really good as the neighbor who had things to hide. Isaaz was perfect as the on-edge girlfriend with a power chip on her shoulder. David Birke wrote a complex screenplay that was effectively film and directed by Paul Verhoeven.

Overall:  This was a complex film as reflected by the complex character.

The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them

First Hit:  Slow, sullen, and it seemed like pieces were missing to have the film be engaging.

This film is one of three, I think. There is a “Them” meaning that there is also a “He” and a “She”. Will we ever see them? Probably not, because this one, “Them”, just didn’t have the goods to make the story interesting enough to see more.

Not that there weren't moments in this film that the dialogue wasn’t interesting, it is that the spaces between the interesting moments were few and far between. The audience finally figures out that Conor (James McAvoy) and Eleanor (Jessica Chastain) are married, had and lost a small child, and Eleanor tries to kill herself (the opening scene).

Dialogue between Professor Friedman (Viola Davis) and Eleanor were highlight moments as were a few moments of dialogue between Conor and his father Spencer (Ciaran Hinds), especially at his father's restaurant. However, most of the film was watching Eleanor’s angst without having much context as to how or why her child died or why she was so lost.

Chastain was interesting and aloof in this role. Her look was great but one cannot carry a film without giving the audience something to chew on and think about. McAvoy was better because his role did have more dialogue; however it was hampered by the overall story. Davis was great. She used the most of her small but pivotal role to get the audience engaged. Hinds was equally good in his very small role. William Hurt (as Julian Rigby) was strong as the quite inward father who tries not to preach to his daughter. His story about almost losing Eleanor in the ocean was extremely powerful. Isabelle Huppert (as Mary Rigby) was also very good and I felt she was a great choice to be Eleanor’s mother. Ned Benson both wrote and directed this film and unfortunately it seemed really long.

Overall:  This film had a point but seemed to spend its time dancing everywhere else but with an engaging story.

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