THE FIRST HALF -- I don't like watching subtitled foreign-language movies. There, I've said it. My membership in the Film Snob Society has been revoked.
But my reason for disliking them is a film lover's dilemma: They are often so very good, such as "Pan's Labyrinth" and the new DVD release "Il Divo," that I'm frustrated at not being able to watch the performances and the film itself with my full attention.
And with "Il Divo," the story of seven-time Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti's surreal dance with power in the blood-soaked chaos of Italian politics, the lead performance by Toni Servillo is worthy of an Oscar nomination in any language.
Italian politics, it seems, is similar to the American version except the field is much more crowded and the methods much more deadly. With the delusion that the will of God and his own will were the same, Andreotti played the game "cocooned in his dark dream of glory."
Servillo plays Andreotti -- aka The Black Pope, Beelzebub and other notorious nicknames -- as a mastermind dweeb, a slouch-shouldered, soft-voiced manipulator who had "an archive instead of an imagination." He had the goods on everyone, and they either went along with his suggestions or ended up dead.
This is a confusing tale with many players, from the Vatican to rival parties to the Mafia, and Italians speak very quickly. But it's worth it to hang in there. Writer-director Paolo Sorrentino brings a hip matter-of-factness to the violence and humanity to the players. And Servillo creates the strangest and most memorable character I've seen this year. Four Hearts.
THE BETTER HALF -- Honestly, I can't remember if I've seen the 1974 version of "The Taking of Pelham 123."
So unfortunately, movie fans, I can offer no comparisons. I can tell you that I enjoyed this updated version directed by Tony Scott ("Man on Fire"), and the performances are all outstanding.
What I liked best about the action thriller is that although it's tension-filled and exciting, "Pelham" is refreshingly devoid of computer effects that are especially rampant in summer blockbusters. No robots, no scenes so dark (to conceal effects flaws) that you can't tell what's going on.
"Pelham" is much more an old-fashioned game of cat-and-mouse and strategic scrambling between two guys working toward very different outcomes. The story centers on a New York City subway train that leaves the Pelham station to head downtown at 1:23 in the afternoon.
On this fateful day, the train is overtaken by a gun-wielding group of four headed by Ryder (John Travolta). In the wrong place at the wrong time is transit dispatcher Walter Garber (Denzel Washington), who gets the call from Ryder demanding $10 million in one hour or the hostages will begin to be killed.
Even after a hostage negotiator (John Turturro), the police and the mayor (James Gandolfini) arrive, Ryder prefers to deal with Garber because of some twisted connection he feels to him. This definitely ups the tension meter, as "Pelham 123" rolls toward its conclusion. Four Hearts.
Until next time, keep veggin' out in front of the DVD .¤.¤. Married to the Movies.
But my reason for disliking them is a film lover's dilemma: They are often so very good, such as "Pan's Labyrinth" and the new DVD release "Il Divo," that I'm frustrated at not being able to watch the performances and the film itself with my full attention.
And with "Il Divo," the story of seven-time Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti's surreal dance with power in the blood-soaked chaos of Italian politics, the lead performance by Toni Servillo is worthy of an Oscar nomination in any language.
Italian politics, it seems, is similar to the American version except the field is much more crowded and the methods much more deadly. With the delusion that the will of God and his own will were the same, Andreotti played the game "cocooned in his dark dream of glory."
Servillo plays Andreotti -- aka The Black Pope, Beelzebub and other notorious nicknames -- as a mastermind dweeb, a slouch-shouldered, soft-voiced manipulator who had "an archive instead of an imagination." He had the goods on everyone, and they either went along with his suggestions or ended up dead.
This is a confusing tale with many players, from the Vatican to rival parties to the Mafia, and Italians speak very quickly. But it's worth it to hang in there. Writer-director Paolo Sorrentino brings a hip matter-of-factness to the violence and humanity to the players. And Servillo creates the strangest and most memorable character I've seen this year. Four Hearts.
THE BETTER HALF -- Honestly, I can't remember if I've seen the 1974 version of "The Taking of Pelham 123."
So unfortunately, movie fans, I can offer no comparisons. I can tell you that I enjoyed this updated version directed by Tony Scott ("Man on Fire"), and the performances are all outstanding.
What I liked best about the action thriller is that although it's tension-filled and exciting, "Pelham" is refreshingly devoid of computer effects that are especially rampant in summer blockbusters. No robots, no scenes so dark (to conceal effects flaws) that you can't tell what's going on.
"Pelham" is much more an old-fashioned game of cat-and-mouse and strategic scrambling between two guys working toward very different outcomes. The story centers on a New York City subway train that leaves the Pelham station to head downtown at 1:23 in the afternoon.
On this fateful day, the train is overtaken by a gun-wielding group of four headed by Ryder (John Travolta). In the wrong place at the wrong time is transit dispatcher Walter Garber (Denzel Washington), who gets the call from Ryder demanding $10 million in one hour or the hostages will begin to be killed.
Even after a hostage negotiator (John Turturro), the police and the mayor (James Gandolfini) arrive, Ryder prefers to deal with Garber because of some twisted connection he feels to him. This definitely ups the tension meter, as "Pelham 123" rolls toward its conclusion. Four Hearts.
Until next time, keep veggin' out in front of the DVD .¤.¤. Married to the Movies.
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