xoxoamore Reviews

Flesh and Bone (2015)

Terrible

[2/10 · 10 November 2015]

I have to say I agree with Morgana and John_Meyer with their user reviews. When I say that Ethan Steifel was trying to make a show about ballet I was very excited. Unfortunately, this is one of the worst movies/shows about ballet I have ever seen. As a former modern dancer and now an avid balletomane, I can not say how disappointed I am in this show. There is very little dancing in it. And so much of the show just trots out the tired and untrue clichés about dancers and the ballet world.

As far as the little bit of dancing there is, my opinion is that Sarah Hay is really not much of a dancer. In fact, I didn't even think she was really a dancer ( I thought this was a Black Swan situation) until a friend told me she is with Dresden Ballet. And her one facial expression - one of perpetual distress - makes me want to shake her. I, too, felt I had no reason to root for her and hoped she would exit the show early. A pity that was not to be.

The one good dancer in the series - Irina Dvorovenko - is hardly used and then primarily in brief rehearsal scenes of her dancing Balanchine's Rubies (from Jewels), a role I don't believe she has ever danced. ABT, the company she spent her career with, has never danced Jewels and, to the best of my knowledge, does not have the rights to it. The rehearsals of Rubies are terrible. Did the Balanchine Trust get anyone to supervise this? It certainly doesn't look like it. And while Sascha Radetsky is a nice guy, he does not look like he is in very good shape (he retired from ABT in the spring of 2014). All I can say is thank goodness more ABT dancers did not get involved with this disaster and NYCB dancers have better things to do with their time.

I have not yet seen the final episode, but what little I have seen of the new piece makes me think that Ethan is not much of a choreographer. He was a great dancer and seems like a nice guy but that doesn't necessarily make him good at choreography. And based on the credits, with each episode written by a different person (and a different director) makes the series not hang together very well. I know this show was Ethan's idea but clearly he lost creative control of it somewhere along the line. What a shame and a wasted opportunity. I would recommend not spending time watching it.

Paul Taylor: Creative Domain (2014)

A Bore

[4/10 · 16 September 2015]

I found this film to be a complete and utter bore. I do remember the seeing other user reviewer of this film, Rachel Berman, perform and she was a wonderful dancer But I"m afraid this new work and film, is just not what I had hoped it would be. The point seemed to be to drum up sales for the company's spring season, and I was handed a card on the way in that gave me a code for a 26% discount on tickets. Ballet 422 was used to the same effect for NYCB (but no discount there), but that was a much better film and really showed Justin Peck's creative process.

I think part of the problem with this film was the boring camera work. Part of it was that the work is simply uninteresting and Paul Taylor is now too old to demonstrate the finer points of choreography. Also this group of dancers is now no longer of the caliber of Rachel, Patrick Corbin and Lisa Viola. I can only say that if someone wants to see a documentary on Paul Taylor (and really, who needs 2 of these) they watch the VASTLY superior documentary by Matthew Diamond entitled, Paul Taylor, Dancemaker.

Ballet 422 (2014)

A good but not great film

[6/10 · 6 February 2015]

I just saw this film at Filmlinc (Feb 6, 2015). Let's just say that Jody Lee Lipes is no Frederick Wiseman. The film just not have the length of a Wiseman film (Ballet 422 is 72 minutes; Wiseman films run 3-4 hours). Wiseman usually spends at least 3 months with his subjects. Lipes explained he really knows nothing about ballet (though he is married to Ellen Barr, a former NYCB soloist and current head of their media operations). I think it really helps if you are (and have been) a NYCB frequent viewer. I was able to identify most of the dancers (even the corps). Albert Evans (who helps Peck) is a former NYCB principal and current ballet master. He is obviously in charge of Peck's work (in that he could set it on new dancers or another company). The person who talked to Justin about talking to the orchestra in Cameron Grant, a company pianist who both plays for rehearsals and class but also performances (Pictures At An Exhibition).

When I see a a Wiseman film I feel I really understand the institution he is portraying. Here, I didn't really feel I had any better understanding of the choreographic process. How did Justin pick this music? How did he pick the dancers? What were the money constraints? What was Peter's role (you know he had one)?

There were also a few things I really didn't like. One was Lipes showing Justin complaining to Albert about Amar Ramasar, one of his leads. Amar seems like a relaxed, good guy, but no dancer wants to be called out like that on camera. The other was Lipes final shot, which was of Concerto DSCH (which Justin is preparing to dance) with Bizet's Symphony in C (NOT its music) playing over the visuals. We only get about 2 minutes of what Paz DE la Jolla looked like on stage. That was really a letdown and something a Wiseman would never do. I mean, the whole film is about the creation of Paz and then show only 2 minutes? And end with Ratmansky's masterpiece? What a letdown. And if Lipes knew more about ballet, maybe he'd have realized a bit more what it means to end with another choreographer's work.

Anyway, I enjoy everything ballet and really like film, too. This is not a great film but if you like NYCB (and new work) this is a must see. If not, may be a pass.

A Tale of Winter (1992)

Awful

[1/10 · 25 December 2014]

This movie was awful. Truly awful. I count myself as an Eric Rohmer fan. I loved My Night with Maude and Claire's Knee. I also like slow, arty movies: Kechiche, Chabrol, the Dardenne brothers, Kieslowski, Inarritu, Farhadi, Tarkovsky are all directors I admire. But this movie was insane. First the plot makes no sense. A young rather stupid (by her own view) woman, Felicie, has an affair one summer with a man, Charles, that, even 5 years later, she is convinced is the love of her life. But she doesn't know his last name? And because of a "slip" she gave him an incorrect for her? Really?

Then skip ahead 5 years. Felicie is torn between 2 lovers: 1 is her hairdresser boss Maxence. The other is an intellectual who works in a library, Loic. She won't truly commit to either of them because she is sure one day Charles will miraculously appear. Meanwhile, she has had a daughter Elise (now 5 years old) by Charles. Her mother generally takes care of Elise. But when Max takes a job in Nevers (they had been in Paris) she impulsively joins him, dragging Elise. along. Then just as impulsively, 2 days later she decides to return to Paris, again dragging Elise along. That poor child.

What was the worst, though, is the pretentious, stilted dialogue. It was so ridiculous and awkward that half the audience was laughing at the movie. And I saw it at the Film Society of Lincoln Center in NYC. Really, I had to review this movie because the 7.3 rating it gets on IMDb is just way too high. Don't put yourself through this movie!!

Two Days, One Night (2014)

unfortunate casting

[7/10 · 6 October 2014]

I have seen all the Dardenne brothers' movies, from La Promesse to this. I think that as they move away from lesser actors to well known ones, their movies are losing a bit of their bite. Cecile de France was half way believable as a hairdresser, but IMO, Marion Cotillard was simply not believable as a working class, down on her luck, factory worker. Marion to me, still seemed far too beautiful and glamorous for someone in that position. I could believe she was depressed and anxious, but working class, no. They should have dressed her in far uglier clothes, had her hair frizzy and badly cut (not just tied back in a pony tail) and had her wear absolutely no makeup. We saw a far bigger transformation of her appearance in Rust and Bone than in this movie.

Then there was the story. Really, though it hung together (unlike Lorna's Silence) I found it rather repetitive and monotonous. Each time she approaches a colleague with the same story and they will say yes or no.

The section where she takes a bottle of Xanax was totally unrealistic. Even if she were able to vomit up most of the tablets, she would be groggy and not ready to continue her campaign. Nor would a reputable hospital let her, IMO. This was a suicide attempt and I'm pretty sure she would have been made to stay at least a few days under observation, if not in their psychiatric ward, then just to make sure all the drugs were out of her system.

I thought the film was very well shot and that the performances other than Ms. Cotillard's were quite good. That is why I have given the movie a 7 and not a lower number.

National Gallery (2014)

Another great Wiseman film

[10/10 · 5 October 2014]

This was another of Wiseman's great films on institutions. The movie takes us inside the world of the National Gallery in London. The film does everything from show us guide lectures to the general public, specific talks for children, an art history discussion of the painting "Boulevard Montparnasse" specifically for blind people (where they feel raised images of the drawing), and talks about restoration. The main focus of the film is a special exhibition they had about Leonardo da Vinci. There is also a focus on the paintings of Hans Holbein, Poussaint, Turner and Titian. There is a very interesting segment where the restorers focus on a portrait of Rembrant, where an x-ray reveals another painting, at a 90º angle, made on the canvas at an earlier time. Discussions about whether and how to "market" the museum and how to project expenses are also shown. The film also shows a discussion with Wayne MacGregror (resident choreographer of the Royal Ballet) about a dance piece that will be performed in front of the Titian paintings and whether the dancers will need a sprung floor (the one in the museum is on concrete).Finally, the films ends with a short excerpt from this piece, danced by Leanne Benjamin and Ed Watson, in front of the Titian painting. Another excellent film by Wiseman and once you have made it past the 1.5 hour mark, by 3 hours, you feel immersed in the National Gallery world.

Secundaria (2014)

Disappointing film

[4/10 · 4 February 2014]

I just saw this film at Lincoln Center's Dance on Camera film. As someone who has seen The Children of Theatre Street, Ballerina and Graines D'Etoiles, I was looking forward to seeing a film about how Cuban dancers are trained. I did not see that.

This film has no background on the history of the School of Dance in Havana. Why was it formed? Who has passed through the school? How are the children chosen? Alicia Alonso's name was never even mentioned ONCE.

This film choose three dancers to follow: 2 girls and 1 boy. They come from different socio- economic backgrounds and are different colors. We see them being coached and going to competitions. But the coaching/teaching scenes are in Spanish and the filmmaker did not bother to translate any of the teaching remarks.

The film ends up focusing on 1 girl who defects from Cuba while her student group is on tour. We are told in titles that the boy, who was first in his class, did not get into the company because he was too dark and of too poor a background.

The film ends up being a collection of random scenes that give the viewer a negative view of Cuba. The filmmaker (who received a hostile reception from the audience) claimed that was not her intention but that is what comes through.

This is not a film worth watching for dance lovers or anyone else who wants to see a coherent view of what dance training in Cuba consists of.

Raating: 4/10

A Christmas Tale (2008)

Incoherent and interminable!

[2/10 · 10 October 2008]

What a waste of great acting talent. This is a shame because with Catherine Deneuve, Mathieu Amalric, Emmanuelle Devos, Chiara Mastroianni, and Melvil Poupaud (not to mention others less well known in America) that's a lot of acting talent to waste. This film by Arnaud Desplech was a terrible disappointment. After having enjoyed his "Kings and Queens" and this film left me completely bored and frustrated to the point where I actually left before the movie ended. The movie wandered around its central storyline (involving Catherine Deneuve's illness) getting sidetracked by every peripheral storyline and supporting character that appeared on screen. The movie also gave us too little character development to understand why the different characters disliked each other so much (this was a story of family dysfunction) so that the dearth of coherent narrative became even more critical. Finally, the soundtrack (which ranged from hip hop to Bach to Mendelhson's Midsummer Night's Dream) was at odds with the emotional temperature of the movie and further obscured any emotion the viewer should have been feeling at the time. The photography (the director often began scenes with a mainly dark screen, where our only sight is through a small opening, making feel as if we are watching through a peephole, that then expands) was also pretentious and inscrutable.

Marie Antoinette (2006)

Boring.

[4/10 · 13 October 2006]

After the Sofia Coppola's excellent "Lost in Translation", her latest movie, "Marie Antoinette" is a major disappointment. Aside from the wonderful Versailles background and the lavish costumes, there is absolutely nothing interesting about this movie. The dialog is insipid, the shots repetitive and overly long, and the acting - particularly that of Kirsten Dunst and Molly Shannon - was so uninspired as to be considered bad. Nothing in the movie seemed authentically French, as the court of Versailles seemed simply to be composed of a group of gossipy Americans with bad table manners and too much idle time. There was so little historical context that the gravity of the situation (Marie Antoinette not producing an heir) was not apparent and the lack of conjugal relations between Louis and his wife, instead, seemed laughable. In short, the French would not act this way, eat this way, talk this way and it is easy to see why this movie was so poorly received in France and at the Cannes film festival.

Seamless (2005)

An interesting look at the struggles of young fashion designers

[6/10 · 26 April 2005]

"Seamless" documents the establishment of a new fund created jointly by Vogue Magazine and the CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers) in fall 20004 and the process by which ten finalists are weeded down to one winner. The filmmaker follows three of these ten fashion lines- Doo-Ri, menswear line Cloak (designed by Alexandre Plokhov), and Proenza Schouler (designed by the disarming and charming duo Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough). We see the struggles of the jury - composed of fashion editors (Anna Wintour), young but established designers (Narciso Rodriguez), and CFDA members as they determine the purpose of the award and then interview the designers, travel to showrooms and watch their shows for spring 2005. Unfortunately, given the numerous people the filmmaker follows, we never get to know any of the design finalists in the same way viewers felt they knew designer Isaac Mizrahi (of Mr. Keeve's previous movie, "Unzipped") and "Seamless" feels less involving because of it. Of course, a good part of the charm of "Unzipped" was undeniably the effervescent Mr. Mizrahi, and his brief cameo in "Seamless" reminds that fashion, while a serious business, is ultimately something that should be fun and enjoyed.

Tumbleweeds (1999)

A Bore!

[6/10 · 28 June 2003]

I was disappointed to find this a dull, boring film. Tumbleweeds has no real plot to speak of, but this was not its primary problem. Indeed, as any lover of European cinema knows, films with vivid characterizations and strong acting (though little plot) can be riveting. Tumbleweeds, however, is weak on all fronts. The dialogue is not sharp and, perhaps because of the improvisational acting the director allowed, many of the scenes seem slow and do not enhance strongly enough our emotional connection with the characters. As for the acting, Janet McTeer and especially Jay O. Sanders are moving but their intensity is not matched by their fellow actors. (For example, Ashley Buccille, playing Ava's friend Zoe, is a far better actress than Kimberly Brown.) While this story certainly had the potential to be a great film, sadly it was simply a bore.

Hair (1979)

Skip this movie.

[5/10 · 13 March 2000]

This film was conventional, uninteresting and not terribly well done - exactly the opposite of the fresh and imaginative Broadway musical. The fact that the tone of the movie is so different from that of the play may reflect the fact that the mood of this country in 1979 (when the movie was made) was very different from the 1960's. Other annoyances were that the movie's plot didn't conform to that of the musical and the musical numbers were poorly performed and orchestrated. Skip this movie and buy a CD of the musical with the original Broadway cast.