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"I knew what
the risks were with you, and I took them....."
Crazy Heart
An Illusion Review by Joan
Ellis
Country music star Bad Blake (Jeff Bridges) is 57 years old, broke,
and addicted to alcohol and nicotine. With an odd combination of
arrogance and humility, Bad understands how far he has fallen. This
mess of a man is not a pretty picture, but right from the beginning
there is a kindness about him that allows us to be charmed. That is
Jeff Bridges' gift to audiences.
The only
light in Bad's life is the open road he travels between gigs in bars
and bowling alleys. Otherwise he lives in the oppressive darks of
motels and bars. He's been married to four different versions of the
wrong woman though we know surely that he was the wrong man for all of
them. On one particularly gloomy day, Jean Craddock (Maggie Gyllenhaal),
niece of the piano player, appears at his door. She has come as an
aspiring journalist to interview the former country star. As we watch
mutual attraction bubble up, we think at first, 'oh no, not the drunk
and the innocent thing again,' but that reaction vanishes quickly in
the hands of these two magnetic performers. If Jean is too quick to
understand and accept the man behind the bottle and the butts, Maggie
Gyllenhaal's quirky, astute performance erases our doubts in short
order.
Bad is a foul
mouthed, slovenly symbol of his various addictions. He drives with his
belt and fly undone so his belly can hang comfortably; he tosses empty
bottles into the air of his motel room This is a man who reeks, looks
awful in his stained clothes, and lives in the soul crushing darkness
of alcohol and failure; but Jeff Bridges lets Jean know there is
something good at his core, and that goes a long way for a girl trying
to bust out of the limitations of her life. She is on board.
The tone of
the movie, set by the two principals, is sustained by other actors who
give fine performances in small parts - Robert Duvall, Tom Bower,
Colin Farrell, and an endearing Jack Nation as Jean's young son. Bad's
admission that, "I've been drunk all my life," is a tough starting
point for negotiation with Buddy's mom. "I knew what the risks were
with you and I took them. I don't know that I'll ever get over that."
When possible redemption looms, neither Bad nor we know whether it's
just too late.
Together, Bridges and Gyllenhaal rescue the story from being an
ordinary booze tale, but Bridges alone creates the memorable singing
nomad. He writes, sings, and plays songs in an appealing, relaxed old
country way because country guitar is a passion in his real life. This
movie belongs to the man and his music simply because he seems
authentic and thoroughly comfortable in the role. The studio tagline,
"The harder the life, the sweeter the song" never seemed more true
than when Jeff Bridges takes us there.
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Welcome to Movie Reviews
by Joan Ellis
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It is an
artful maze.
The Last Station
An Illusion Review by Joan
Ellis
When writer/director Michael Hoffman decided to tackle the expansive
subject of Leo Tolstoy in "The Last Station," he had the great good
sense to narrow the parameters. Instead of surrendering to the
temptation to hit the high spots, Hoffman zeros in on 1910 when
Tolstoy (Christopher Plummer) and his wife Sofya (Helen Mirren) fell
into a devastating argument that shattered their marriage after 48
years.
By 1910 Sofya
had borne 13 children and had copied War and Peace by hand six times,
so when it came to discussions of the life decisions Tolstoy was
considering, she felt entitled to be a strong voice in the process.
With his major novels behind him, Tolstoy was moving toward the
spiritual side of his life by embarking on a movement devoted to
celibacy, communal property, anti-materialism, and social justice. "I
hate what you've become," she cries. How much of this came from
Tolstoy himself and how much from his disciple, Vladimir Chertkov
(Paul Giamatti) is unclear. But Sofya, certain that Chertkov is
manipulating her husband, makes him her enemy. "You are a genius," she
tells her husband, "He (Chertkov) is a sycophant and a pervert."
At Chertkov's
behest, Valentin Bulgakov (James McAvoy) becomes Tolstoy's secretary.
Chertkov wants the rights to all of Tolstoy's work to go to the public
domain. Sofya, wants everything to stay within the family - "Count
Generosity" is about to give away everything we own." We watch
steaming arguments between husband and wife over whether Chertkov is
engineering a new will - he is, of course. "You don't need a husband;
you need a Greek chorus," he howls at her." When Tolstoy can stand no
more of his wife's rage and accusations, he leaves with his daughter
Sasha (Ann Marie Duff) on a railroad journey that ends at the last
station.
Helen Mirren
sizzles as Sofya, a wife in every way a match for her brilliant
husband. Christopher Plummer is wonderfully subtle in creating a
Tolstoy who is thoroughly believable as an avatar of greatness.
Together, they do a sublime scene that is awash in laughter and love
that lifts them, for this moment, out of their anger. I can't think of
other actors who could have made this scene what it is.
Paul
Giamatti's Chertkov is a grand manipulator, James McAvoy's Valentin a
believable and idealistic disciple. A spirited Kerry Condon is the
love interest who sees the man Valentin can become. Poor Valentin. The
young man has been ordered by Chertkov to spy on Sofya and by Sofya to
spy on Chertkov. It is an artful maze.
"What I have
done is leave earthly things behind to spend my last days in peace,"
Tolstoy says of his plan. Of his earthly things, his novels are his
legacy. Of the peace he sought - I don't think so, not when the woman
who loves you is the likes of Sofya.
HUNTING VIDEOS
When you stand clueless in
the video store, try these.
They won’t insult your intelligence.
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To Feed a Kooky Sense of Humor
Off the Map
Black Cat, White Cat
Big Fish
The Dish
Light and Good
About a Boy
Along Came Polly
As Good As it Gets
Being Julia
Calendar Girls
Enchanted April
In Good Company
Miss Congeniality
My Wife is an Actress
Real Events
13 Days
Shattered Glass
The Whole Family
Billy Elliot
De-Lovely
Gosford Park
Hidalgo
Holes
Pirates of the Carribbean
Rookie
Seabiscuit
Sweet Home Alabama
The Emperor’s Club
Tuck Everlasting
Adventure
Master and Commander
The Bourne Conspiracy
The Edge
The Italian Job
Touching the Void
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Action
Collateral
Day After Tomorrow
Drama
About Schmidt
Afterglow
Closer
Croupier
Don Juan in Hell
Field of Dreams
Frida
Garden of the
Finzi-Continis
Gloomy Sunday
House of
Sand and Fog
Last Orders
Legend of Bagger Vance
Map of the World
Million Dollar Baby
Nowhere in Africa
Possession
Rabbit Proof Fence
Songcatcher
Storytelling
Swimming pool
The Deep End
The Natural
The Quiet American
The Talented Mr. Ripley
Unfaithful
When Brendan Met Trudy
Widow of St. Pierre
Invasion of the Barbarians
Documentary
Bowling for Columbine
Fog of War
My Architect
Supersize Me
The Control Room
For History Nuts
Blind Spot
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