Update: I have been sooooo lazy

Movies, TV: Venus in Fur, Creep, Game Change, Broadchurch

Y'all, I've gotten so behind in my reviewing! Luckily, I actually haven't seen many new films lately as I've been quite busy in my personal life. But I'm finally going to give you some fun size reviews of a few movies (and a TV show) I've watched over the past month. Enjoy!


Venus in Fur

Based on the 2010 play by American playwright David Ives, director Roman Polanski moves the action in this funny and sexually tense story to Paris. Perhaps because Polanski raped a young girl in 1977 and then fled the United States rather than face punishment and can't re-enter? Or perhaps because Par-ee is the City of Love? In either case, I saw a stage play version of Venus in Fur and absolutely loved it so I was excited to see that the film version was floating around in my Netflix queue...and then I saw who directed it. Womp. I do try to avoid watching the films of directors whose personal lives are not just quirky, but outright criminal. I'm really hoping in this case very few of my $$ are actually making their way into Polanski's hands...

Anyway, I digress. The film is about a playwright, Thomas, casting the leading lady for his play Venus in Fur, which is based on the titillating 1870 Austrian novella about female dominance and male submission by Leopold von Sacher-Masoch. Thomas is looking for an actress who can play the elegant, formidable Vanda von Dunajew. After a disappointing day of watching vacuous actresses butcher his script, Thomas is ready to give up. That is, until Vanda walks in. Yes, an actress who is convinced she is right for the part--she shares the same name as the female lead, after all!

Vanda convinces Thomas to let her read--while he reads that part of Severin von Kusiemski, a man desperate to become a woman's slave. As the two work their way through the play, they indulge in subtle power games. Vanda the actress seems a little silly and unassuming at first, but as she nudges Thomas--via his reading of the part of Severin--towards his own desire to submit to her, it's clear who really has the power in the room.

Venus in Fur is a very sexy movie in which there is no sex. Hell, there's no kissing and very little touching. All of Vanda and Thomas' power games are intellectual, and the build up of sexual tension is so strong that by the time Vanda takes off the leather collar she wears to the interview and buckles it around Thomas' neck, you'll barely be able to breathe. I admit that I found the stage version I watched to be even better than this film version, especially the ending, but overall Venus in Fur is a fun, sexy movie.

Grade: B+

***

Creep

Creep, directed by Patrick Brice, effectively uses the concept of the "found footage" film and twists it in unexpected way. Brice also stars in the movie as Aaron, a videographer who answers a Craigslist ad to spend a day filming a man, Josef (played by Mark Duplass). Josef explains that he is dying of cancer and his wife is pregnant, so he wants to make a sort of "day in the life" type video for his unborn son. Very quickly though, Josef starts acting in bizarre ways that, well, creep Aaron out.

I can't say too much without giving away the various twists and turns of Creep, but I can say that Creep is very entertaining and keeps you guessing--despite not being the scariest movie out there. So much of the film rests in Mark Duplass' hands as the "creep" of the title. Duplass is an interesting casting choice, but it makes sense. He's really good at playing the nice, dorky guy--and he uses this persona to disarm Aaron. After all, Mark Duplass doesn't *look* like man who would hurt anyone, right? But appearances can be deceiving.

Creep is Patrick Brice's first full-length film and it's quite good for a first time out. He went on to direct The Overnight in 2015 which I reviewed in late January and enjoyed immensely. Given that he has a knack for creating interesting storylines that don't always play out how you think they're going to, I'm excited to see what he does next.

Grade: B

***

Game Change

I'm a little late to the party on this one, but Game Change, based on the book by Mark Halperin, was really good and actually made me a little nostalgic for an era not too long ago when the Republican party wasn't completely full of psychopaths.

Game Change explores the question "what the fuck happened?" in regards to John McCain choosing Sarah Palin to be his running mate during the 2008 election. Director Jay Roach could have easily been very mean spirited in his portrayal of all the major players, especially Palin, but he restrains himself and paints what I assume to be a fair picture. According to the film (I haven't read the book), McCain was encouraged to choose Palin as his running mate by political strategist Steve Schmidt (played by Woody Harrelson), who realized that for McCain to beat superstar Barack Obama, he would need a "game changer" on the ticket. Palin, a dyed-in-the-wool conservative who also happened to be a woman (not just another old white guy) seemed to make sense and appeal to a wide demographic of Republican voters.

However, Palin was not properly vetted and was clearly in over her head. The film suggests that Palin wasn't a dummy. In fact, she was quite sly. After failing to do her research and consequently looking foolish in interviews, she makes the choice to go off script and pretty much say whatever she wants. You'll remember the media saying that Palin was "going rogue". Schmidt, a fiercely intelligent and dignified man, finds himself butting heads with Palin at every turn while McCain distances himself from the whole mess. "She might go after me!" is McCain's excuse when Schmidt asks him to get Palin in line.

Well, we all know how the story turned out. Palin was essentially accused of sinking McCain's campaign, despite the fact that she was incredibly beloved by the most conservative members of the GOP's base. She therefore became a convenient scapegoat for the more intellectual, old school Republicans and the symbol of the beginning of that godforsaken Tea Party. Julianne Moore gives a beautifully crafted turn as Palin. Transcending parody, Moore taps into Palin's bewildering arrogance and self-importance in addition to her infamous ditziness and Suburban Mom appeal. Likewise, Ed Harris and Woody Harrelson give great performance as McCain and Schmidt.

But just as Palin owned the spotlight during the 2008 election, Game Change is Moore's film, hands down.

Grade: A

***

Broadchurch

After I finished Jessica Jones, I found myself hankering for some more sweet, sweet David Tennant. Luckily, Tennant stars in two seasons of the British drama Broadchurch, which revolves around the aftermath of the murder of a 12 year old boy in a small town.

Let me tell you this: Broadchurch is a devastating series. This ain't no cozy Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries. Shit gets real on Broadchurch. And that's because the series isn't so much about solving a murder as it is about the impact an act of terrible violence has on a community.

Tennant plays Alec Hardy, a detective called in to lead the investigation of the death of Danny Latimer. This is much to the chagrin of Detective Ellie Miller (Olivia Coleman), who is a local detective and thought she would be put in charge of the case. Instead, she's to serve as Hardy's second in command. The fact that Hardy botched his last assignment gives no one involved any comfort, and Hardy must prove that he isn't a total fuck up while under the watchful eye of the community.

As the mismatched pair interview persons of interest and find physical evidence of murder, the community of Broadchurch crumbles. Neighbors start to mistrust one another. Families, including the murdered boy's family, start to tear apart from both grief and suspicion. It seems like everyone in the town has a motive to murder a young boy.

Personally, I would recommend at stopping at the end of season 1 of Broadchurch (the killer is revealed by the end of the first season). The second season kind of goes off the rails and ends on a highly unsatisfactory note. Stick with the first season and you'll be good.

Grade: (first season only): A