Frank (Christian Bale) and his bride Ida (Jessie Buckley) consider their next move.
The fact that Oscar voting closed on March 5th should work out well for actress Jessie Buckley, who is considered a Best Actress lock for her stellar turn in Hamnet. Her newest film, The Bride!, opened the next day. Had voters watched it before casting their ballots her way, they may have thought twice. Buckley is a terrific actress, but watching The Bride! you get the sense she needed to decompress from Hamnet’s emotionally taxing, heavy material. The Buckley we see in The Bride! is looser, ferocious, and over the top in a style more annoying than fun.
Spinning Platters brings you even more spotlights from the 57th San Francisco International Film Festival (SFIFF), which ends today, May 8th. Program notes and tickets available here. There are only a few screenings left, so hurry to catch the last showings, and you can also see many of the films as they open widely throughout the year.
The One I Love (USA, 2014, 91 min)
Elisabeth Moss and Mark Duplass stand agape in THE ONE I LOVE
Romantic comedy meets TheTwilight Zone, Charlie McDowell’s obscure relationship dramedy is a wonderful piece of bizarre metaphorical fiction. The story focuses on an unhappy married couple, Elisabeth Moss and Mark Duplass, who go to a beautifully secluded rural home to rekindle their love. Immediately, anomalies involving the adjacent guest house occur, and the film starts toying with our minds, offering continuous scenarios that beg the question, ‘how would I handle this?’ A quirky tone keeps the film upbeat, but the twists lead the characters down varied emotional routes, resulting in a whole new meaning to “couples therapy.”
Icon or victim? Exploring the depths of one woman’s story
Peter Sarsgaard’s Chuck works on convincing Amanda Seyfried’s Linda that his money making ideas are totally reasonable.
In 1972, Linda Boreman Marchiano, better known by her stage name, Linda Lovelace, spent a sum total of 17 days working on one notorious pornographic film, but the results of that work led her to a lifetime of fame – or, more accurately, infamy. Her story is vividly brought to life in Lovelace, the new film by directors Rob Epstein and Jeremy Friedman (The Times of Harvey Milk; Howl) and writer Andy Bellin. They have crafted not only a fascinating psychological drama, but also a brilliant evocation of a bygone era. Continue reading “Film Review: Lovelace”
A Muni bus named 14-Mission: Blanche DuBois on South Van Ness
Jasmine (Cate Blanchett) ponders her future with the help of a little whiskey
I am willing to forgive Woody Allen the misstep that was last year’s disappointing and forgettable To Rome With Love, since perhaps he needed to get that rote entry out of his system in order to make one of his finest films in years, Blue Jasmine. Sure to become one of his best known pictures, on par with such perceptive and tightly constructed works as Interiors, Crimes and Misdemeanors, and Match Point, this terrific film will no doubt be a strong contender for Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Actress at Oscar time. Continue reading “Film Review: Blue Jasmine”
