2014 Vanity Fair Hollywood Issue

One of the best things about February is Vanity Fair's annual Hollywood issue where the creme de la creme of Hollywood pose gorgeously on the cover.  It's the 'it' cover of the year and being so close to the Oscar, it's extra prestigious if you are featured on it.  This year in its 20th edition, young Hollywood gets a turn in the spotlight as Brie Larson, Margot Robbie, Lupita Nyong'o, Chadwick Boseman and Michael B. Jordan join George Clooney and Julia Roberts as Hollywood's Class of 2014.  The cover was photographed by Annie Leibovitz.  

Top 5 Films for Mother's Day

In most parts of the world today, Mother's Day is celebrated.  And as I'm sitting at home sick (having given my own mother the flu), I got to recalling some of my favorite films that feature great, moving and memorable mother-daughter relationships with her.

5. Brave - One of the few animated feature films that contains a solid relationship between a mother and daughter.  In most animated feature films (see Disney films), the mother doesn't make past the first fifteen minutes.  However, in Brave (co-directed by Brenda Chapman), headstrong Princess Merida and Queen Elinor learn to finally listen to each other and what they wish for their lives. In the end, like every fairy tale, all's well that ends well.

4. One True Thing - Meryl Streep, who excels in most mother's roles, plays the long-suffering wife and mother to a novelist husband (William Hurt) and her writer daughter Ellen (Renee Zellweger).  In the film, Ellen comes to realized how unfairly she's treated her mother and comes to share a closer relationship as her mother is diagnosed with cancer.  Keep the tissues handy as Streep, of course, absolutely brings it.  And if you're still longing for some weepy films, check out Steel Magnolias or Terms of Endearment.  Don't say I didn't warn you.

3. Freaky Friday (1976) and Freaky Friday (2003) - This is the ultimate mother-daughter movie.  What could get a mother-daughter who don't see eye to eye than spending a day in each other's shoes? Literally!  These two Disney films are classic entertainment with Jodie Foster and Lindsay Lohan (before her downfall) playing the daughters.  But the newer version needs to be seen for Jamie Lee Curtis' absolutely fearless performance. 

2. Stepmom - This one never fails to bring on the waterworks.  And I always have an urge to sing 'Ain't No Mountain High Enough' afterwards.  Susan Sarandon and Julia Roberts are at their best when they become part of one big large happy family when Roberts marries into the family.  The last scene is so good between the two women who each have fears and insecurities for their children.  I can watch this film anytime.

1. Imitation of Life (1934) and Imitation of Life (1959) - My final recommendation features strong performances from the actresses in both films. Similar to the recent HBO mini-series Mildred Pierce starring Kate Winslet, the films features lasting friendships between white widow, her black housekeeper and their heartbreaking relationships with their daughters.  Watch these if you can.

Movie Review: Mirror Mirror

Fairy tales never get old no matter what century it is.  At their core is a story which we never tire of hearing generation to generation.  Every couple of years, there seems to be a resurgence of them.  Cinderella had a popularity surge a few years back with Ever After, Ella Enchanted and A Cinderella Story and now it's Snow White's turn.  First there were the TV movies, the very well-received TV show Once Upon a Time now on air, and two Hollywood films on Snow White released within a few months of each other.

Mirror Mirror had the first advantage of an earlier release though it could not be more different in tone and presentation from its rival Snow White and the Huntsman.  Starting with the title which doesn't include Snow White's name, Mirror Mirror deals mostly with the Queen in the story and her tenous relationship with her step-daughter.  The Queen (Julia Roberts) starts off by telling us 'This is her story, not hers'.  That's what she thinks but we all know that won't be true by the end of the film.

The story of how the Queen comes to power is told with some clever and beautiful animation in the beginning but while the film is funny at times and looks gorgeous onscreen, it doesn't have that extra spark that was present in the opening sequence.  Snow White (Lily Collins) is hidden away from the kingdom by the Queen saying she's not quite all there.  Snow White is the actual heir and leader of the kingdom but the evil Queen makes sure she never gets her right.  She suppresses everyone and collects taxes from the already poor people of the kingdom for her own extravagant and frivolous purposes.

This status quo continues until Snow White's 18th birthday when she ventures out into the kingdom for the first time to find the state of the people in the kingdom.  She comes upon Prince Alcott (Armie Hammer) and his traveling companion who have been robbed and tied up by the seven dwarfs who surprised the pair on stilts.  He insists they were 'giants'.  Yeah, sure!  The Prince and Snow are instantly attracted to each other but they go their separate ways unaware that they will meet again.

The dwarfs their victims of their clothes too so the Prince has to present himself before the Queen only in his pants.  After a wonderful exchange, The Queen comes to realize that the Prince is the answer to all her problems.  He comes from a prosperous kingdom and marrying him can take care of her financial troubles and he certainly is easy on the eyes.  At the ball thrown in his honor, the Prince meets Snow White again and is surprised to know that she lives in the castle.  Snow White is discovered at the dance and taken away by the guards, the Queen orders her minion Brighton (Nathan Lane) to kill her by delivering her to the Beast in the woods.

But as the story dictates, Snow White will be spared.  She is told to run by Brighton and comes upon the seven dwarfs home and after much debate, they let her stay at home.  From there on is the leadup to the big clashup between the Queen and Snow White.  It was really easy to guess the big reveal at the end but the screenplay has some funny dialogues especially coming from Julia Roberts.  When the mirror taunts her for having wrinkles, she retorts, "They're not wrinkles, they're crinkles!"

This film is poles apart from Tarsem Singh's last film Immortals but it contains his trademarks of incredible detailed and visually stunning costumes (designed by the late Eiko Ishioka who has done all of Singh's films) and sets.  I'd be very surprised if it doesn't get nominated for an Oscar for Best Costume.  The real disappointment in the film is the character development for the female characters.  The Queen hates Snow White but she's not quite that evil, you know, evil with a capital E.  Snow White is timid all throughout the film and gets some spark in the last sequence, it's a little too late.  And the characters all speak as though they are from the 21st century who think they're in period piece.

Julia Roberts seemed to having a lot of fun with character who lost her English accent on and off in the film but it never seemed as if she posed a threat to Snow White.  Lily Collins looks the part but its Armie Hammer really throws himself into the role showing he can do comedy well too.  His transformation into puppy love for the Queen was truly amusing to watch. 

Mirror Mirror ends with a rollicking and fun Bollywood style end credits song by Lily Collins, 'I Believe in Love'.  The film begins and ends with strong sequences, the middle and the actual meat of the film needed more work.  Watch the film for its strong production values and stay for the bubbly, fun song at the end. 

Directed by Tarsem Singh Dhandwar, Screenplay by Jason Keller and Marc Klein, Based on the story by the Brothers Grimm, Cinematography by Brendan Galvin, Edited by Robert Duffy, Nick Moore, Dean Zimmerman, Music by Alan Menken and Costume Design by Eiko Ishioka.

Additional cast: Sean Bean, Mare Winningham, Jordan Prentice, Mark Povinelli, Joe Gnoffo, Danny Woodburn, Sebastian Saraceno, Martin Klebba, Ronald Lee Clark

Rating:

Tarsem Singh's Snow White film titled 'Mirror Mirror'

In next year's battle of the Snow White films, Tarsem Singh's feature is due to bow first.  The Untitled film now has a name, Mirror Mirror.  Here's a look at some colorful photographs from the film that show off the fantastic costumes as is Singh's style. 

 

Julia Roberts as the Evil Queen

 

Snow White (Lily Collins) and the Seven Dwarfs

 

Armie Hammer as Prince Charming

More photos from Mirror Mirror after the cut...

First Image from Tom Hank's Larry Crowne

Tom Hanks is forever tweeting about what a good time he's having on the Larry Crowne set.  And it's not hard to see why, he's starring with Julia Roberts again after Charlie Wilson's War and he's directing this one.  Also in the cast are Taraji P. Henson, Bryan Cranston and Rami Malek.  Here's a first image and synopsis from Collider.

When appealing everyman LARRY CROWNE (Tom Hanks) is inexplicably fired from his job as a big box store clerk, he realizes it’s time for some meaningful change in his life.  Deeply in debt and without direction, he returns to college where he befriends a group of scooter-riding students and eventually develops a real affection for his beautiful speech class instructor, MERCEDES TAINOT (Julia Roberts).

Charming and smart, LARRY CROWNE reminds us of life’s small surprises.  Sometimes clouds really do have a silver lining.  It’s also about the power of new beginnings like the time Larry Crowne, an ordinary man with a gentle heart, was forced to downsize his world…and ended up expanding his life.

Does Julia Roberts frequent the Fountain of Youth or something?  Still looking great.  

Movie Review: Eat Pray Love

Eat. Pray. Love.  If only life was as simple as the movies.  Julia Roberts plays Liz Gilbert, a recent divorcee who takes a year off to travel around the world to find herself.  The movie is based on Liz Gilbert's best-seller, Eat Pray Love, of which Roberts herself was a fan.  In fact, a blurb from Julia on the cover says, "It's what I'm giving all my girl friends".  Having said that I can't imagine anyone else but Julia inhabiting this role.  Who else would you want to go along with on a ride to find yourself around the world?

My only gripe with the film is that it loses Gilbert's voice from the book.  Yes, there is the obligatory voice over from Roberts thinking out loud, but the reason why the book struck a chord with so many who read it was Gilbert's honesty.  Her honesty in relationships, her failures and her need to better herself.  And we readers stuck through that.  It felt a bit flat in the movie, but yes, it looked gorgeous.  Anyone would look at the film and think, God, if only I could do the same.  Eat takes place in Italy where Liz goes to learn Italian and immerse herself in the foods of Italy.  I love that they kept the pizza scene in.  I really wanted some pizza at the end of movie, it was that convincing.  Pray moved itself to spiritual India where Liz goes to stay at an ashram only to learn that the guru she wants to see, has gone to New York, her hometown.  Yes, life is funny that way.  Finally, Love takes place in Bali, Indonesia where she meets up with a wise old medicine man who tells her the secrets of life.  This is also the act of the film where she meets a man, Felipe, who also changes the way she looks at life.  Liz learns more and more about herself through the experiences she has on the trips and the people and friends she makes along the way.

If you've never read the book, you'll enjoy the movie.  However, if you've read the book, you find yourself constantly comparing the two.  The role of her sister and family is non-existent.  Her ex-husband has a larger role in the film, she doesn't talk about him so much in the book, she is constantly wanting him to forgive her.  And Felipe, played by Javier Bardem, looks to be about the same age as Liz, when in the book he is clearly much older than her.  These are minor things probably necessary for the plot of the movie, it's better than to find yourself at an exotic locale and have Javier Bardem as the love interest.

My last and only gripe with the film and with Hollywood in general is this, yes, we get it, you're fascinated by India.  But enough with the arranged marriages and elephants.   Get rid of the cliches, I'm sick of them by now.  Lastly, it's important to note that Liz's journey takes her through Italy, India and Indonesia.  Countries all beginning with the letter I.  Coincidence, I think not!

Directed by Ryan Murphy; Written by Ryan Murphy and Jennifer Salt; (based on the novel of the same name by Elizabeth Gilbert); Cinematography by Robert Richardson, Music by Dario Marionelli

Also in the cast: Richard Jenkins, Viola Davis, Billy Crudup, James Franco

Rating:

Monday's Mentions

• It's the mother of all casting news!!! No, they haven't announced who's going to play the mother on How I Met Your Mother.  But Meryl Streep will play Julia Roberts' mother in August: Osage County, a dark comedy based on a Broadway play.  John Wells will be directing and Harvey Weinstein will be producing.  This will be definitely worth watching.  
• Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach G (that's what we'll call him as I can't keep typing his long last name all the time!) are back!!  And this time they're hitting up Bangkok on their Hangover 2.   That's what Todd Phillips has to say about the sequel on Empire Online.  He promises more tigers and more mayhem.   Oh, boy, there's so much trouble for the guys to get into in Bangkok.  I can't wait.
• One of my favorite actresses, Amy Adams, has decisions, decisions to make.  She's considering three different roles.  She could be starring in the Muppets Movie opposite Jason Segel.  Or opposite Matt Damon in Cameron Crowe's We Bought a Zoo.  The story is about a man who, well, buys a zoo.  The title is literal.  Finally she may be thinking about joining Chris Pine in Welcome to People, being directed by Alex Kurtzman about a man whose father dies of cancer and learns that he kept a secret family.  Adams would play the part of the half-sister.  
• More Olivia Wilde casting news.  She'll play Justin Timberlake's mother in Andrew Niccols next project.  No, really.  The story takes place in a society where one stops aging at 25.  That should explain everything, right?  No, not really.  Well, along with Olivia and Justin, Amanda Seyfriend and Cillian Murphy are also part of the cast as a rich heiress and a corrupt lawman, respectively.  Maybe this was the mother of all casting news, no?
• The Social Network wins the weekend box-office and so begin the start of the Facebook puns.  Just you wait, this is will last all the way until Oscar weekend.  Brace yourself.