Body of Lies and the Duchess
October 22, 2008
I love ya Cleveland!
In response to the messages from the previous entry. . I appreciate all of the kind words from you sports fans and certainly look forward to reading your emails or talking to you when you call in on the show!
As far as the movie entries. . .let me first address Matt from Westerville, Ohio. . in just about any other year Paul Newman might have won best actor for his portrayal of Luke in Cool Hand Luke but unlucky as it was for him, Cool Hand Luke was released in 1967 and he was up against Warren Beatty for Bonnie and Clyde, Spencer Tracy in his last role before his death in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner and Rod Steiger playing opposite Sidney Poitier in In the Heat of the Night.
Steiger won that year and in my opinion. . .he deserved it. As I said in my Paul Newman tribute Matt. .along with Cool Hand Luke, my favorite Paul Newman performances were as fast Eddie Felsen in The Hustler and opposite Melvyn Douglas and Patricia Neal in Hud.
As for you. . Bryan from Romeoville, Idaho. . I have not seen Grace is Gone starring John Cusack, but I will definitely put it on my list.
As I indicated in my last entry, we have begun Oscar Season! As also indicated, I really liked The Cohen Brothers., Burn After Reading. Again. . I say John Malkovich deserves an Oscar Nomination for Supporting Actor. Since then. . I have seen 2 movies. . .which I want to review in this entry.
One is Body of Lies starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Russel Crowe. . directed by Ridley Scott. The other is The Duchess starring Keira Knightley and Ralph Fiennes and directed by Saul Dibb.
Let me start by proclaiming that I liked both of these films. . but I didn't "love" them.
Firstly. . in.Body of Lies, Scott explores the incredibly complex situation in the Middle East. DiCaprio plays a CIA agent on the ground in Iraq, Jordan, and who knows where else?! His boss is played by Crowe who gives DiCaprio orders while taking his little daughters to the park to play on the swings and slides. He's constantly roaming around; whether he is in his office or with his family with his headset telephone talking around the world with DiCaprio, while telling his daughters to eat their cereal. Russell Crowe never gives a bad performance which is the case here. He obviously was instructed by Ridley Scott to gain weight for this role as is indicated toward the end of the movie when Crowe's character says to DiCaprio "ten years ago. . .I could have licked you!" The fact of the matter is this IS DiCaprio's movie. He is so captivating it makes the viewer wonder "Can he possibly get any better from performance to performance?" His portrayal of this character shows a sincere determination to get the bad guys. . namely the terrorists and at the same time he shows an overwhelming frustration at his own government's bureaucratic restraints which sometimes prevent him from achieving his ultimate goals. Mark Strong gives an excellent performance as the Director of Intelligence for the country of Jordan. The chemistry between his character and DiCaprio's is well worth the price of admission. This movie shows the incredible brutality of the terrorists and their unbending hatred for the freedom we enjoy in the American way of life. The blood and guts shown in the telling of this story is not for the weak of heart. The knock on the movie is that it has a tendency to evolve into another action/thriller. . shoot ‘em up. . .escape the inevitable fatalities miraculously. I would recommend it!
The Duchess is this year's entry as the English period piece with incredible costumes and fabulous cinematography. It follows in the long line of English period pieces such as: Sense and Sensibility, Howard's End, Emma, Pride and Prejudice (which also starred Knightley), and Atonement. . .even though Atonement along with Howard's End represent a more recent view of English Aristocratic living.
I liked each and every one of the aforementioned films. . but as I pointed out at the beginning of this entry. . I didn't love any of them . .as is the case with The Duchess, however, that doesn't mean to say that I don't strongly recommend seeing this movie. Not so much for the story. . .which is interesting. . but somewhat predictable but because the acting is superb. Without seeing all of the other movies, which could result in a best actress nomination for the female lead, I definitely believe Keira Knightley should be nominated for the Best Actress Oscar!
She plays the Duchess of Devonshire and is married to the Duke. . of course played by Ralph Fiennes. If Knightley goes on to win the Oscar, in her acceptance speech. . she will most definitely praise Fiennes who plays a jerk. . so naturally. . it make Knightley's job easier in what is a challenging role. Even though her character is given a life of privilege, wealth and adoring stature she plays a woman who is incredibly tormented, tortured, and frustrated from within. She holds these emotions inside her as best she can throughout the film. . however, there are moments when she is overwhelmed and totally lets go. Her timing is excellent, her non dialogue moments show her tremendous acting ability and as I mentioned at the beginning of this review. .needless to say. . the movie will probably win the Oscar for costume design, get nominated for art direction, set decoration, and cinematography. Lastly, it is refreshing to see Fiennes once again who really hasn't made many films recently. This guy is such a brilliant talent. . this role will refresh everyone's memory of that and drive home how much we've missed him.
Until next time. . .as always. . .Love ya' Cleveland!
