“Sex and the City: The Movie”: Reviews Coming In
By kyle | May 13, 2008
After the inexplicable decision to premiere the “Sex and the City” movie in London on Monday night, UK hacks are out with their reviews. The verdict is….unclear.
Says The Daily Telegraph, “Coarse, sentimental and materialistic–just as we hoped it would be.” That’s the pro side. On the con side is an admittedly grumpy old man from the Times of London, who says his cup runneth over with twittering fashionistas, giving the flick two stars out of five. He grumbles at its running time–and indeed who would gainsay him if the film really is TWO HOURS AND TWENTY MINUTES?–and says,
The plot twists and turns like that of a pot boiler. Having inspired an entire genre of ‘chick lit’, Sex and the City the film feeds off its own progeny. Is it a film, one wonders, or an extended soap opera, will any of these crises be resolved and, if they are, will it matter, for they will surely soon plunge themselves into another dilemma, for which the only cure is an expansive shopping trip.
Over at the Sun, generally considered the newspaper of choice for Cockney lorry drivers, the word from reviewer “The Sneak” is that the film is exactly what you expect (crave?): “As always it is Kim Cattrall as sex mad Samantha who steals the show with all the big laughs.” Okay, not exactly Anthony Lane here.
So whom do we trust? None of the above! Let’s wait to hear from the clever and reliable Peter Bradshaw, (no relation to Carrie, I think) who writes for The Guardian but hasn’t yet posted his thoughts.
Topics: Movies, Comedy, TV, Europe, Sex, New York City, Fashion | No Comments »
John Cusack’s “War, Inc” MIA, Soon to be KIA
By kyle | May 13, 2008
John Cusack’s anti-Iraq war satire “War Inc” is being buried by its distributor, with only a single critic’s screening to be held at the out-of-the-way New York Film Academy, a place I’ve never been. No doubt the bizarre location has been chosen with the strategic intent of trying to influence critics by papering the house with students glad to be invited to anything. (Note to publicists: this technique does not work. You know what makes critics happy? When we get DVD screeners of the film.) Critics who have already read the early word from my colleague, Lou Lumenick (“‘War’” is hell… a mess”), and others, calling the film a hamfisted exercise in laugh-free satire (”word of mouth will be poisonous“–Variety; “as corrupt as the politics it attempts to satirize“–Toronto Star) will be in a doubly sour mood at having to trek down to the Village at 7:30 next Monday night, after about nine hours of watching films, to sit through this. The nearest parallel I can remember is when the Sean Penn remake of “All the King’s Men” offered one screening (or maybe two) at an equally oddball screening room, the Scandinavia House. And we all know how that one fared. “War, Inc.” has been booked into exactly one Manhattan theater, the Angelika, starting a week from Friday. It won’t be there long.
Topics: Movies, Politics, Iraq | 2 Comments »
Jimmy Fallon: the New Conan O’Brien
By kyle | May 12, 2008
After being guilty of more leakage (to the press) than a newborn’s diaper, NBC has finally confirmed that Jimmy Fallon is indeed going to take over Late Night With Conan O’Brien. Genius or the new Chevy Chase? I can’t decide. Fallon is a likable actor, but he’s about as edgy as a doughnut. Is this a plus? Late-late-night isn’t exactly about reaching the mass audience; it’s more about being out in front of the comedy pack. Maybe all that matters is having the best writers.
But won’t Conan’s writers be going with him to the 11:30 slot next year, when NBC, to its no doubt undying regret, fires Jay Leno (who will take his audience with him to another network) and replaces him with the considerably quirkier, though indisputably brilliant, Conan? Or can Conan dumb it down enough to make it at 11:30?
Topics: Comedy, TV | 3 Comments »
Toast to a Tippler
By kyle | May 11, 2008
In my Sunday column I offer praise to champion drinker Kingsley Amis on the occasion of the publication of his all-purpose imbiber’s guide, “Everyday Drinking.”
Topics: Books | 2 Comments »
Review: “Audition” by Barbara Walters
By kyle | May 10, 2008
In today’s Wall Street Journal I ponder the epic of banality that is Barbara Walters’ enormous memoir, “Audition.”
Topics: Books, TV | 8 Comments »
Hillary Clinton Channeling Eminem
By kyle | May 9, 2008
When Hillary Clinton said yesterday in a USA Today interview that people should vote for her based on her support from “white Americans,” I naturally envisioned her taking the logical next step and rapping out the idea in a duet with Eminem, who memorably informed us in “White America,” the opening track from the album of the decade, “The Eminem Show”:
I never would’ve dreamed in a million years I’d see,
So many motherf***in’ people who feel like me
Who share the same views
And the same exact beliefs,
It’s like a f***in’ army marchin’ in back of me!
“Desperate HillBillies Threaten to Break Up Party,” says Post columnist Charles Hurt. Break it up? Nah. Hillary Rodham Clinton, I say: burn that bad boy down!
Topics: Politics, Music, Hillary Clinton | 2 Comments »
Review: “What Happens In Vegas”
By kyle | May 9, 2008
Crotch jokes and aging slang like, “You go, girl” and “Don’t get your panties in a twist” make up pretty much the entire script of the Ashton Kutcher-Cameron Diaz comedy “What Happens in Vegas,” which if anything I liked even less than “Made of Honor.” My review of “What Happens in Vegas” is here.
Topics: Movies | 4 Comments »
Review: “Speed Racer”
By kyle | May 9, 2008
Like a Ferrari stuck in traffic on 42nd Street “Speed Racer” is fast and slow at the same time. My review is up.
Topics: Movies | 2 Comments »
Review: “Noise”
By kyle | May 9, 2008
Despite being itself as irritating, at times, as a car alarm, the dark comedy “Noise,” with Tim Robbins as a lawyer driven batty by car alarms on the Upper West Side and styling himself an urban vigilante who takes the matter into his own hands, has enough Noo Yawk nuttiness to make it worth seeing. My review is here.
Topics: Movies | 1 Comment »
Gwyneth Paltrow in “Iron Man”: Sexist?
By kyle | May 7, 2008
Am keeping an eye out for extreme leftist haters of “Iron Man” on the basis that the Gwyneth Paltrow character is comfortable with being Tony Stark’s assistant instead of judo-chopping and blasting away at bad guys herself, in the somewhat silly manner of virtually every female lead in action movies these days. No, I don’t particularly buy Gwyneth Paltrow with an M-60 machine gun.
One blogger says the film is racist and sexist, saying Terrence Howard is a stereotypical breezy black best friend.
it’s getting good reviews is because male chauvinist yokels think tony stark’s privileged sexist playboy antics are hilarious (Blond girl in sultry voice: “Hey tony, remember me?” Tony as he is walking by breezily: “no.” Audience: hilarious!) and they believe his half-assed random nonsensical concern for other humans makes him just complex enough…do I even need to mention how stupid and racist it is to say that he was ok with his weapons being used to kill all those other non-americans? But I guess people love seeing middle-eastern stereotype terrorists explode, and of course people also love the token black guy saying sassy things. And if I were gwyneth paltrow and I just played the role of a stiletto-heel-wearing submissive secretary cleaning up after some rich white chauvinist a**hole, I’d send back my Oscar and cry for the lost days of Margot Tenenbaum.
Topics: Movies, Politics | 14 Comments »